Systems Verification BICSI Final Exam
Questions And Answers (Verified And
Updated)
Cross Connects, Backbone Cabling, and Administration
Administration systems include requirements for; identifiers - that serve to locate the element record
and administration scheme such as the standards found in ANSI/TIA 606-B, records - which can be
paper based, spreadsheets, database programs, or computer programs specially designed for that
purpose, and labeling - with a variety of methods to display identifiers for the buildings, pathways,
spaces, cabinets, racks, cabling, connectors, the choice of material, fastening method, environmental,
performance, and security issues. Common methods for displaying identifiers include bar codes,
graphics, labels, tags, and electronic identifiers
There are four classes of administration:
Class 1 - 1 ER which is the only telecommunications space on the site
Class 2 - 2 or more telecommunications spaces in a building
Class 3 - Multiple buildings at a single site
Class 4 - Multiple sites or campuses
Data Centers - are buildings or portions of a building whose primary function is to house a computer
room, including the data center electrical rooms, mechanical rooms, storage rooms, staging rooms,
operations and command center, and other spaces whose primary functions are to support the
computer room.
For redundancy, in accordance with ANSI/BICSI-002 stamdards, classes of Data Centers have been
established.
Class 0 - a single path data center that meets the minimum requirements but cannot be classified as
Class 1 or higher
Class 1 - the single path data center
Class 2 - the single path data center with redundant components
Class 3 - the concurrently maintainable and operable data center
Class 4 - the fault tolerant data center that contains two separate infrastructures with their own set of
redundant components.
Some of the key areas include a Telecommunications Entrance Room that contains the External
Network Interface (ENI), which is typically located outside the computer room, a computer room that
contains the IT equipment for data processing, a Main Distribution Area (MDA), which is the room or
space in the computer room that containd the MC (CD) for computer room cabling, core LAN and SAN
switches, and a Horizontal Distribution Area (HDA) which is the room or space in the computer room
that contains the HC (FD) for the cabling to equipment cabinets and racks. The HDAs may not be
physically separate from the MDA, and a data center will often contain multiple HDAs for redundancy
or to minimize horizontal cabling length.
Cabinets are bolted together and will have a designated cold and hot side where the exhaust from
equipment face each other and cool air is supplied to the cold aisle. NOTE: A rack unit (RU) is
equivalent to one mounting slot, with a typical 2m (7 ft) rack having 42 RUs.
There are two types of backbone cabling:
Interbuilding cabling distributed between buildings, which has a cross connect field color of brown
and Intrabuilding cabling which is distributed between spaces within the building.
Cross Connects are terminated with two types of connections: patch cords and jumpers. Balanced
twisted pair equipment and patch cords usually have 8p8c modular plugs and may have stranded
conductors for added flexibility. The use of stranded conductors have 20% more attenuation for 24
AWG cables and 50% more for 26 AWG than solid conductors.
,Field constructed patch cords are not recommended for cat 5e and higher systems and may not be
allowed for systems above 5e.
The Demarcation point has a cross connect field color of orange
Network Connections (network, auxiliary equipment) have a cross connect field color of green.
Common equipment ( connections to PBX, mainframe computers, LAN, and multiplexers) have a cross
connect field color of purple
Miscellaneous (auxiliary, alarm, security) have a cross connect field color of yellow
Reserved and key telephone systems have a cross connect field color of red.
There are three kinds of cross connections:
Main Cross Connect (MC [CD - Campus Distributor] which is in the 1st level of hierarchy (because it
comes from the MC to an IC, or HC), which has a cross connect field color code of white
Intermediate Cross Connect (IC [BD - Building Distributor]) - which is in the 2nd level of hierarchy
(because it is installed between ICs and HCs) , and has a cross connect field color of gray
Horizontal Cross Connects (HC [FD - Floor Distributor]) that go to work areas/ telecommunications
outlet are referred to as permanent links, which has a cross connect field color of blue. The maximum
allowable horizontal cable length is 90 m (295 ft), however some cables (Cat 8) may limit to a length
of 30 m (100 ft)
Work Areas - are typically 10 m squared / 100 ft squared. A minimum of two telecommunications
outlet/connectors is recommended per work area. The cable provided to each individual work area
shall consist of a 4-pair 100 ohm balanced category 5e minimum ( category 6a or higher
recommended) and one of the following: a 4- pair 100-ohm balanced category 5e or better cable, two
or more strands of 50/125 micron multimode OM2 fiber (OM4 recommended), or two or more
strands of singlemode (OS1) fiber.
If other types of cable (75-ohm coaxial) is required it may be installed in addition to the cables listed
previously.
Using the same category or class across all components of the channel is recommended, as this
minimizes impedance mismatch. The maximum equipment cord length to a work area is 16.5 ft
except in particular cases like MUTOAs.
UTC - Undercarpet Telecommunications Cable is marked in many jurisdictions as CMUC and should
not be the first choice in bringing cable to a work area because of its susceptability to damage and
limited flexibility for MACs. The interconnectin point between horizontal cabling and UTC is a
transition point (TP). TPs should be located in a position to limit the length of UTC less than 10 m (33
ft).
CP - Consolidation point is a horizontal cabling interconnection device perminantly installed in close
proximity to the telecommunications outlet to provide a convenient method for termination of
horizontal cabling when required by modular furniture systems. A CP is not used as a cross connect
location and should be limited to sercving a maximum of 12 work areas.
MUTOA - allows work area cables to extend beyond 5 m (16.5 ft) depending on the length of the
horizontal cable and is used in open office spaces where there are frequent reconfiguration.
American Wire Gauge (AWG)
Roughly represents the number of steps that were involved in the process of wire drawing.
Smaller Numbers: Larger wires (fewer drawing steps are involved)
Larger Numbers: Smaller wires (more drawing steps are involved)
A gauge change of 3 numbers: Doubles or halves the conductors resistance and cross sectional area
A gauge change of 6 numbers: Doubles or halves the conductors diameter
, Resistance, Inductance, Capacitance and Impedance
Resistance: the property of a conductor to resist the flow of electricity through it. Expressed in Ohms -
One ohm of resistance will allow 1A of current to flow when 1 V of electrical pressure is applied where
V is voltage in volts, I is current in amperes, and R is resistance in ohms. Resistance changes in
proportion to length. High temperatures increase the conductors resistance by approximately 2% for
each 10 degrees Fahrenheit (5.5 C).
Inductance: a property of an electromagnetic field built around a conductor that opposes any changes
in current flow in a circuit, both ac and varying dc. The basic unit of inductance is a Henry (H).
Inductive coupling is the transfer of energy from one circuit to another through this field. Inductive
reactance is a force that opposes change in the direction of current flow on a conductive path. Is
measured in ohms. Directly proportional to the frequency.
Capacitance: a property of conductors that allows storage of electric charges when potential
differences (voltages) exist between conductors. Cause a voltage difference between two wires when
separated by insulation, resulting in a buildup (or storage of electric charges) of capacitance between
the wires. Is measured in farads (F). Normally measured in microfarads (one millionth of a farad),
nanofarads (one billionth of a farad), or picofarads (one trillionth of a farad).
Impedance (Z): in AC circuits, the total opposition to current flow. Measured in ohms - the combined
effects of resistance, inductive reactance, and capacitive reactance of the circuit.
Characteristic Impedance: the input impedance of a uniform analog transmission line of infinite
length. Impedance mismatches can cause: Attenuation, distortion, or corruption of transmitted and
received signals. Most balanced twisted-pair cabling used for ICT exhibits a characteristic impedance
of 100 ohms +- 15% at 1 MHz at a temperature of 20 C (68 F)
1st step in setting up cable
is to secure the area
1st step when pulling horizontal cable
in conduit is to choose a method of establishing cable run distance.
in an open ceiling is to verify the manufacturer's specifications for cable tensile strength limitations.
The preferred method for installing Backbone Cables.
Top Down
Maximum Cable Run Distance
90 M (295 Ft)
Maximum single conduit segment
no more than 30 M (100 ft)
number of 90 degree bends per 100 ft in and bend radius of conduit
no more than 2 90's
2 inches or less 6 times internal diameter
2 inches or more 10 times the internal diameter
Questions And Answers (Verified And
Updated)
Cross Connects, Backbone Cabling, and Administration
Administration systems include requirements for; identifiers - that serve to locate the element record
and administration scheme such as the standards found in ANSI/TIA 606-B, records - which can be
paper based, spreadsheets, database programs, or computer programs specially designed for that
purpose, and labeling - with a variety of methods to display identifiers for the buildings, pathways,
spaces, cabinets, racks, cabling, connectors, the choice of material, fastening method, environmental,
performance, and security issues. Common methods for displaying identifiers include bar codes,
graphics, labels, tags, and electronic identifiers
There are four classes of administration:
Class 1 - 1 ER which is the only telecommunications space on the site
Class 2 - 2 or more telecommunications spaces in a building
Class 3 - Multiple buildings at a single site
Class 4 - Multiple sites or campuses
Data Centers - are buildings or portions of a building whose primary function is to house a computer
room, including the data center electrical rooms, mechanical rooms, storage rooms, staging rooms,
operations and command center, and other spaces whose primary functions are to support the
computer room.
For redundancy, in accordance with ANSI/BICSI-002 stamdards, classes of Data Centers have been
established.
Class 0 - a single path data center that meets the minimum requirements but cannot be classified as
Class 1 or higher
Class 1 - the single path data center
Class 2 - the single path data center with redundant components
Class 3 - the concurrently maintainable and operable data center
Class 4 - the fault tolerant data center that contains two separate infrastructures with their own set of
redundant components.
Some of the key areas include a Telecommunications Entrance Room that contains the External
Network Interface (ENI), which is typically located outside the computer room, a computer room that
contains the IT equipment for data processing, a Main Distribution Area (MDA), which is the room or
space in the computer room that containd the MC (CD) for computer room cabling, core LAN and SAN
switches, and a Horizontal Distribution Area (HDA) which is the room or space in the computer room
that contains the HC (FD) for the cabling to equipment cabinets and racks. The HDAs may not be
physically separate from the MDA, and a data center will often contain multiple HDAs for redundancy
or to minimize horizontal cabling length.
Cabinets are bolted together and will have a designated cold and hot side where the exhaust from
equipment face each other and cool air is supplied to the cold aisle. NOTE: A rack unit (RU) is
equivalent to one mounting slot, with a typical 2m (7 ft) rack having 42 RUs.
There are two types of backbone cabling:
Interbuilding cabling distributed between buildings, which has a cross connect field color of brown
and Intrabuilding cabling which is distributed between spaces within the building.
Cross Connects are terminated with two types of connections: patch cords and jumpers. Balanced
twisted pair equipment and patch cords usually have 8p8c modular plugs and may have stranded
conductors for added flexibility. The use of stranded conductors have 20% more attenuation for 24
AWG cables and 50% more for 26 AWG than solid conductors.
,Field constructed patch cords are not recommended for cat 5e and higher systems and may not be
allowed for systems above 5e.
The Demarcation point has a cross connect field color of orange
Network Connections (network, auxiliary equipment) have a cross connect field color of green.
Common equipment ( connections to PBX, mainframe computers, LAN, and multiplexers) have a cross
connect field color of purple
Miscellaneous (auxiliary, alarm, security) have a cross connect field color of yellow
Reserved and key telephone systems have a cross connect field color of red.
There are three kinds of cross connections:
Main Cross Connect (MC [CD - Campus Distributor] which is in the 1st level of hierarchy (because it
comes from the MC to an IC, or HC), which has a cross connect field color code of white
Intermediate Cross Connect (IC [BD - Building Distributor]) - which is in the 2nd level of hierarchy
(because it is installed between ICs and HCs) , and has a cross connect field color of gray
Horizontal Cross Connects (HC [FD - Floor Distributor]) that go to work areas/ telecommunications
outlet are referred to as permanent links, which has a cross connect field color of blue. The maximum
allowable horizontal cable length is 90 m (295 ft), however some cables (Cat 8) may limit to a length
of 30 m (100 ft)
Work Areas - are typically 10 m squared / 100 ft squared. A minimum of two telecommunications
outlet/connectors is recommended per work area. The cable provided to each individual work area
shall consist of a 4-pair 100 ohm balanced category 5e minimum ( category 6a or higher
recommended) and one of the following: a 4- pair 100-ohm balanced category 5e or better cable, two
or more strands of 50/125 micron multimode OM2 fiber (OM4 recommended), or two or more
strands of singlemode (OS1) fiber.
If other types of cable (75-ohm coaxial) is required it may be installed in addition to the cables listed
previously.
Using the same category or class across all components of the channel is recommended, as this
minimizes impedance mismatch. The maximum equipment cord length to a work area is 16.5 ft
except in particular cases like MUTOAs.
UTC - Undercarpet Telecommunications Cable is marked in many jurisdictions as CMUC and should
not be the first choice in bringing cable to a work area because of its susceptability to damage and
limited flexibility for MACs. The interconnectin point between horizontal cabling and UTC is a
transition point (TP). TPs should be located in a position to limit the length of UTC less than 10 m (33
ft).
CP - Consolidation point is a horizontal cabling interconnection device perminantly installed in close
proximity to the telecommunications outlet to provide a convenient method for termination of
horizontal cabling when required by modular furniture systems. A CP is not used as a cross connect
location and should be limited to sercving a maximum of 12 work areas.
MUTOA - allows work area cables to extend beyond 5 m (16.5 ft) depending on the length of the
horizontal cable and is used in open office spaces where there are frequent reconfiguration.
American Wire Gauge (AWG)
Roughly represents the number of steps that were involved in the process of wire drawing.
Smaller Numbers: Larger wires (fewer drawing steps are involved)
Larger Numbers: Smaller wires (more drawing steps are involved)
A gauge change of 3 numbers: Doubles or halves the conductors resistance and cross sectional area
A gauge change of 6 numbers: Doubles or halves the conductors diameter
, Resistance, Inductance, Capacitance and Impedance
Resistance: the property of a conductor to resist the flow of electricity through it. Expressed in Ohms -
One ohm of resistance will allow 1A of current to flow when 1 V of electrical pressure is applied where
V is voltage in volts, I is current in amperes, and R is resistance in ohms. Resistance changes in
proportion to length. High temperatures increase the conductors resistance by approximately 2% for
each 10 degrees Fahrenheit (5.5 C).
Inductance: a property of an electromagnetic field built around a conductor that opposes any changes
in current flow in a circuit, both ac and varying dc. The basic unit of inductance is a Henry (H).
Inductive coupling is the transfer of energy from one circuit to another through this field. Inductive
reactance is a force that opposes change in the direction of current flow on a conductive path. Is
measured in ohms. Directly proportional to the frequency.
Capacitance: a property of conductors that allows storage of electric charges when potential
differences (voltages) exist between conductors. Cause a voltage difference between two wires when
separated by insulation, resulting in a buildup (or storage of electric charges) of capacitance between
the wires. Is measured in farads (F). Normally measured in microfarads (one millionth of a farad),
nanofarads (one billionth of a farad), or picofarads (one trillionth of a farad).
Impedance (Z): in AC circuits, the total opposition to current flow. Measured in ohms - the combined
effects of resistance, inductive reactance, and capacitive reactance of the circuit.
Characteristic Impedance: the input impedance of a uniform analog transmission line of infinite
length. Impedance mismatches can cause: Attenuation, distortion, or corruption of transmitted and
received signals. Most balanced twisted-pair cabling used for ICT exhibits a characteristic impedance
of 100 ohms +- 15% at 1 MHz at a temperature of 20 C (68 F)
1st step in setting up cable
is to secure the area
1st step when pulling horizontal cable
in conduit is to choose a method of establishing cable run distance.
in an open ceiling is to verify the manufacturer's specifications for cable tensile strength limitations.
The preferred method for installing Backbone Cables.
Top Down
Maximum Cable Run Distance
90 M (295 Ft)
Maximum single conduit segment
no more than 30 M (100 ft)
number of 90 degree bends per 100 ft in and bend radius of conduit
no more than 2 90's
2 inches or less 6 times internal diameter
2 inches or more 10 times the internal diameter
