[84519] in North American Network Operators' Group
Re: CAT5 surge/lightning strike protection recommendations?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Frank Coluccio)
Wed Sep 14 11:49:28 2005
From: Frank Coluccio <frank@dticonsulting.com>
To: nanog@merit.edu
Reply-To: frank@dticonsulting.com
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 10:48:32 -0500
Errors-To: owner-nanog@merit.edu
re: ""what did your electricians say ..."=0D
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Back to lurking in a moment, but I should note that fire and safety code is=
sues=0D
are so shrouded in matters of locality and jurisdiction, at times, and boun=
d up=0D
in industry and governmental standards that are so esotric in nature, that =
the=0D
typical electrical worker, and I dare say even most licensed electricians a=
nd IT=0D
consultants, are totally unaware of the specifics, or they are given to gro=
ss=0D
misconceptions and half-truths. This is so, not so much due to the complex =
nature=0D
of the matter at hand, but due to a lack of regular exposure to it. Nufsed.=
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=0D
Frank A. Coluccio=0D
DTI Consulting Inc.=0D
212-587-8150 Office=0D
347-526-6788 Mobile=0D
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On Wed Sep 14 10:58 , 'Hannigan, Martin' sent:=0D
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I asked him "what did your electricians say" and the entire=0D
ground conversation went south.=0D
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Good post. Thanks.=0D
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--=0D
Martin Hannigan (c) 617-388-2663=0D
VeriSign, Inc. (w) 703-948-7018=0D
Network Engineer IV Operations & Infrastructure=0D
hannigan@verisign.com=0D
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=0D
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> -----Original Message-----=0D
> From: owner-nanog@merit.edu=0D
[owner-nanog@merit.edu','','','')">owner-nanog@merit.edu]On Behalf Of=0D
> Frank Coluccio=0D
> Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2005 10:52 AM=0D
> To: nanog@merit.edu=0D
> Subject: Re: CAT5 surge/lightning strike protection recommendations?=
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> There's not much left to interpretation and preferences here, aside=
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> from the choice of medium to be used. I should also add that=0D
> some of the=0D
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> advice that has been posted in this thread, as well-meaning=0D
> and thoughtful as it=0D
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> has been, has been downright dangerous to follow.=0D
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> If one is going to run copper cable between buildings, or outdoors, i=
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> general, in lieu of the better alternatives of fiber or wireless, the=
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> there are local and national electrical, fire and safety=0D
> codes in effect=0D
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> that spell out what you must do, enforceable under the penalty of law=
.=0D
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> And while certain of those precautions have been spelled out=0D
> upstream in=0D
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> piecemeal fashion, none thus far has been entirely accurate=0D
> or complete.=0D
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> Yes, when running copper between buildings, lightning=0D
> arresters/circuit=0D
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> - i.e., protection - are a must, but they must be placed=0D
> within a couple=0D
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> of feet of the building point of entry, or POE. Think about=0D
> it. Does it=0D
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> make great sense to protect a cable from surges deep within=0D
> the interior=0D
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> of a building if the cable traverses vast distances on premises=0D
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> unprotected between the point of entry and the terminal point.=0D
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> Therefore, the stipulation of performing grounding, bonding and surge=
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> protections at the point where the cable enters the building (in=0D
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> potentially at addition points, elsewhere, when required).=0D
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> Also, if the copper cable is "armored" with a corrugated steal jacket=
,=0D
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> as many outside plant cables are, then the shielding (the armor) must=
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> also be "bonded" to earth ground at the POE, as well. So the issue=0D
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> becomes one not only of grounding, but bonding, as well. And while I'=
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> on that subject, be aware that many FIBER OPTIC cables designed for=
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> inter-building/outside plant use are also armored and must be=0D
> treated in=0D
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> the same manner.=0D
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> BICSI (Building Industries Consulting Systems International)=0D
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> www.bicsi.org does a good job of rolling up all of the relevant=0D
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> standards, as do a number of other sources. For some good coverage of=
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> safety, grounding and bonding principles and techniques see the=0D
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> following Structured Cabling Supplement reference by Panduit=0D
> (taken from=0D
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> the Cisco CCNA Networking Academy Program)=0D
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> http://www.tecmiami.com/cisco/extra/CCNA1_CS_1_en.pdf=0D
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> Frank A. Coluccio=0D
>=0D
> DTI Consulting Inc.=0D
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> 212-587-8150 Office=0D
>=0D
> 347-526-6788 Mobile=0D
>=0D
>=0D
> =0D
=0D
