Networking considerations within facilities include designing and installing the wiring plant to support voice, data, and video communications; ensuring the appropriate telecommunications equipment is provided; and providing the appropriate locations for the infrastructure equipment to be housed.
Wiring infrastructure and network electronics costs are to be included as part of the building project. If not included in the building budget, a funding source is to be identified prior to starting the project. Including Information Services at the start of the design process will ensure that these important components are included in the project's total design and cost.
The West Plains and Mountain Grove campuses will coordinate all network infrastructure activity through the Springfield campus.
A. Wiring
The design of the wiring plant includes providing the appropriate connectivity, both to the facility and within the facility. Wire and wireless solutions will be considered and the optimal configuration within budget will be selected.
Wiring cost estimates will be provided by the Director of Communication Services upon receipt of a conceptualized plan indicating desired services. The Director of Communication Services will work with the on-campus technicians from Computer Services and the University's contracted wiring/telecommunications vendor to determine a cost estimate. Wiring is assumed to be plenum-rated cable unless otherwise specified. Provide lead time of at least two weeks to ensure a more accurate cost estimate can be provided.
Wiring materials and installation on all Missouri State campuses will be provided by the University's contracted vendor to ensure quality standards are enforced. Approval from the Office of Information Technology is required to divert from this policy.
Getting Wiring To a Facility:
Contact the Director of Communication Services anytime digging will occur to prevent damage to existing cable plant.
Contact the Director of Communication Services to determine wiring conduit needs in the ground. Minimum conduit depth is 36 inches. Communications Services normally requires that chat be used to cover underground conduit with marker tape on top of the chat. Occasionally, depending upon the location of the conduit, a concrete cap may be used to cover the wiring. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis by Communication Services.
Wiring Within Facilities:
"J" hooks are preferred over cable trays in almost all cases. "J" hooks should be installed in an accessible area and be placed in the most direct route to high concentrations of voice and data outlets.
Wireless solutions will be considered and subjected to a cost/benefit analysis based on connectivity requirements. Communication Services and the Networking Administrator will determine whether a wireless solution is feasible and appropriate.
B. Voice Network and Telephone Systems
The Director of Communication Services is the primary contact and is responsible for providing cost estimates and design criteria, and coordinating the implementation and testing of voice/telephone systems.
Communication Services will work with the intended occupants to determine the following:
- Locations for pay telephone(s).
- Locations for TDD telephone's) (based on recommendation from Disability Support Services).
- Locations for campus escort telephone's).
Communication Services will indicate these items on the building plans and provide feedback to Design & Construction. Design & Construction will locate all departmental phones on the plans. >Communication Services will work with the department to determine which locations should be activated.
Cost estimates will be provided by the Director of Communication Services upon receipt of plans indicating desired services. The Director of Communication Services will work with the on-campus technicians from Computer Services and the University's contracted on-campus telecommunications provider to determine a cost estimate. To provide the most accurate cost estimates, provide lead time of at least two weeks.
C. Data Network
The Networking Administrator within Computer Services is responsible for designing and troubleshooting the intra-building network infrastructure and coordinating the installation of the infrastructure equipment. The Director of Communication Services is responsible for coordinating the installation of wiring.
Communication Services and the Computer Services Networking staff will work with intended occupants to identify the location of data ports, data network speeds, and indicate this information on plans. Occupants must identify the ports to be activated upon opening of the building. Where conduit is made available, data network wiring can be pulled at a later date at the same cost.
As classrooms are constructed/remodeled, one data port will be provided at the instructor's station. Location will be determined by the Head of Media Services as part of the classroom technologies design process.
By default, each employee office will receive one data port. Exceptions will be accommodated based on need.
Anywhere vending machines will be located, include conduit to wire for BearPass Card services.
Anywhere BearPass Card door access readers are desired, include conduit for BearPass Card wiring.
Note: BearPass Card door access readers are not considered true security devices. Safety and Transportation is to be consulted regarding facility security system requirements and solution design.
Anywhere BearPass Card copy readers are desired, include conduit for BearPass Card wiring. This includes the locations for photocopiers.
Note: Building project budgets will not include the cost of BearPass Card wiring, equipment, or installation. These costs, if incurred, must be covered by the requesting department. BearPass Card door access readers cannot make use of magnets to lock the doors. Electric strikes will be required for operation of these systems. The items just mentioned should be considered early in the design process. A funding source for BearPass Card devices or services must be identified prior to the start of the project.
If public access data ports are being provided, the cost for signage should be included in the project. These signs should be 4"x4" wall signs with "Data Network Port" in raised lettering. Locate a duplex electrical outlet next to the data port.
D. Telecommunication Equipment Closets
Information Services {we will decide who} will provide Design & Construction with a detailed list of equipment to be housed in each telecommunications closet and the heat specifications of each. This will allow the architects to properly design the HVAC system to maintain appropriate environmental conditions in within the closet.
Entrance Wiring Closets
The entrance wiring closet (EWC), will be located in the basement of the building it serves. In the absence of a basement, it will be on the ground floor.
All cables entering the building will be terminated in this room and the appropriate methods for high voltage protection will be applied. Electronic equipment associated with video and data interconnectivity will more than likely also be situated in this room. The EWC will be the focal point of all communications facilities and resources in the building. It is imperative that the EWC be an enclosed area secure from flooding and accidental damage, as well as sabotage.
Considerations for the room are floor weight load factors, water avoidance, lighting, electrical access, room size, electrical grounding, HVAC, and location near the building entrance facility.
- General
The room designated to be an EWC must be dedicated exclusively to that purpose. Access to the room should be direct without passing through other secure areas that would require additional keys for access. Conversely, access to the EWC should not be required in order to access another area. It should not be shared with any other use such as storage, janitorial equipment or other electrical or mechanical installations. There should not be any plumbing fixtures in the room and pipes should not pass through, or above, the room that could cause flooding or require repair or replacement. - Floor
The floor must be free of dust and static electricity. The floor should be tiled instead of carpeted. If the floor is left uncovered, it must be sealed and should be painted. The floor must be high enough to avoid any threat of flooding and have a minimum floor loading specification of at least 100 pounds per square foot. - Ceiling
The ceiling should be a minimum of 8 feet, 6 inches high. There should not be a false ceiling, however, an access panel should be installed. - Walls
The walls should be lined with ¾ inch, 4-foot by 8-foot plywood attached to the wall framing members or mechanically attached to the masonry walls. It is recommended that all surfaces be painted with fire resistant paint. - Doors
Doorways should be a minimum of 36 inches wide by 6 feet 8 inches high. Doors should be hinged outward and solid to provide security and resistance to fire. The door locks should be cored so that they will allow access only by key and should be self-locking. - Lighting
Lighting should be provided to a minimum level of 540 lx (50 foot candles) measured 3 feet above the floor. Light fixtures should be mounted a minimum of 8 feet, 6 inches above the floor. - Electrical
A 20 amp, 110 volt AC separately fused electrical circuit should be provided for electronic equipment. This circuit shall be extended to a power strip mounted on the plywood or on an equipment rack if one is provided for the room. - Grounding
A minimum of 6 AWG ground conductor from the main building grounding electrode and the power neutral shall be provided. It shall also be terminated on a copper ground bar properly installed in the room. - HVAC
HVAC provisioning shall be sufficient to provide a minimum of 6 air changes per hour. The temperature should be maintained at 55 F to 80 F 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Care must be taken to not include the room in a zone that could have heating, air conditioning, or air exchange reduced during night or idle times, as the equipment will generate the same amount of heat at all times. - Location
A building should have only one EWC regardless of the building size. It should be located as close as possible to the point where telecommunications facilities enter the building while being centrally located to reduce the lengths of backbone cables. - Size
The minimum size for an EWC is 6 feet by 9 feet, but that size room will satisfy the needs of a building of up to 200,000 square feet of gross floor space.
Floor Wiring Closets
The floor wiring closet (FWC) is the second type of room required. Backbone cables from the EWC are terminated here as station cables. Pairs in these cables are connected in this room to establish continuous electrical paths from rooms/desktops to other rooms/desktops, and to communication devices. Electronic devices associated with the exchange of data and/or video information will also be situated in these FWCs.
The FWC should have an exclusive location on each floor to facilitate the electronics and cabling distribution for the floor. If the floor is large enough, with long cable runs, more than one room may be required on each floor. Security requires that the room not be shared with other building functions. Considerations for the facility are floor loading factors, water avoidance, ceilings and walls, fire door, lighting, electrical access, room size, electrical grounding, HVAC, floor location, and cable run maximum lengths.
- General
The room designated to be a FWC must be dedicated exclusively to that purpose. Access to the room should be direct without passing through other secure areas that would require additional keys for access. Conversely, access to the FWC should not be required in order to access another area. It should not be shared with any other use such as storage, janitorial equipment or other electrical or mechanical installations. There should not be any plumbing fixtures in the room and pipes should not pass through, or over, the room that could cause flooding or require repair or replacement. - Floor
The floor must be free of dust and static electricity. The floor should be tiled instead of carpeted. If the floor is left uncovered, it must be sealed and should be painted. The floor must be high enough to avoid any threat of flooding and have a minimum floor loading specification of 50 pounds per square foot. - Ceiling
The ceiling should be a minimum of 8 feet, 6 inches high. In addition, there should not be a false ceiling, however, an access panel should be installed. - Walls
The walls should be lined with ¾ inch, 4-foot by 8-foot plywood attached to the wall framing members or mechanically attached to the masonry walls. It is recommended that all surfaces be painted with fire resistant paint. - Doors
Doorways should be a minimum of 36 inches wide by 6 feet, 8 inches high. Doors should be hinged outward and solid to provide security and resistance to fire. The door locks should be cored so that they will allow access only by key and should be self-locking. - Lighting
Lighting should be provided to a minimum level of 540 lx (50 foot candles) measured 3 feet above the floor. Light fixtures should be mounted a minimum of 8 feet 6 inches, above the floor. - Electrical
A 20 amp, 110 volt AC separately fused electrical circuit shall be provided for power strips. Additional outlets for tools, test instruments and work lights shall be placed at least at 6-foot intervals around the room. - Grounding
A minimum of a 6 AWG ground conductor from the main building grounding electrode and the power neutral shall be provided. It shall also be terminated on a copper ground bar properly installed in the room. - HVAC
HVAC provisioning shall be sufficient to provide a minimum of four (4) air changes per hour. The temperature should be maintained at 55 F to 80 F 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Care must be taken to not include the room in a zone that could have heating, air conditioning or air exchange reduced during night or idle times as the equipment will generate the same quantity of heat at all times. - Location
Each floor must have at least one FWC. Additional FWC's may be required to meet maximum limits for station cable lengths defined below. FWC's should be located in the center of the area to be served. In multi-floored buildings, FWC's should be located directly above each other ("stacked") to minimize the lengths of backbone cables, thus reducing the lengths of circuits between floors in the building.
The FWC should be located in such a way that the average station cable length is 150 feet or less, and no individual station cable exceeds 295 feet in length. - Size
The recommended FWC room size should be a minimum of 6 feet by 9 feet. Special circumstances could allow a smaller space.
Vertical Distribution
Power and data/communications cabling system resources are distributed vertically via backbone cables in one or more building shafts to the floors where they will be used. Vertically aligned closets with connecting conduit is preferred, but if necessary can be connected with sleeves or slots. Ensure that proper fire stopping is maintained.
Backbone shafts are either open or closed. Closed backbone shafts are vertically aligned closets on each floor connected by pipe sleeves or conduit through the floors. They have different fire code requirements than open-shaft systems, but they may be more versatile.
Open cable shafts (large openings in flooring not constrained by pipe sleeves or conduit) can also be used, when available, where large quantities of cables are required on a floor that is distant from the main equipment room. Ensure that proper fire stopping is maintained.
- Backbone Raceways
Backbone raceways are a series of accesses that connect EWCs to FWCs. These paths permit cable to be placed between the floors. They may be slots, sleeves, conduits, or rings in which cables may be routed for support and protection. Considerations are the size, quantity, and seals. If conduits or sleeves are used, the 4-inch size is preferred. - Design
When wiring closets are located above each other, sleeves or slots may be used. When they are so situated, conduits should be utilized to provide security and physical protection to the cables. - Size
The size of sleeves or conduits can be stated as one since sleeves will probably be made of pieces of conduit placed through the floor. A minimum of 4-inch conduits should be used. If space limitations prevent the use of 4-inch conduits then the number of 3-inch ducts provided should be doubled or if 2-inch ducts are used the number should be increased four fold. - Quantity
A minimum of one 4-inch conduit or sleeve should be provided per FWC plus two spares. Actual quantity required per project will be determined by Communications Services and communicated to Design & Construction. - Seals
All conduits should be provided with seals until used to prevent the entrance of gases. Sleeves and slots should be sealed with fire stop material to prevent the spread of fire.
Horizontal Distribution (from closet to station)
On each floor, power and data/communications cabling system resources are distributed horizontally through either the ceiling or the floor. Ceiling systems use metal conduit, raceways, and/or flexible conduit cable assemblies to distribute power and data/communications wiring in the plenum, or the space between a finished dropped or hung ceiling and the floor above. The preferred method is to place "J" hooks in an accessible area and in the most direct route to high concentrations of voice/data outlets. If the ceiling is an air-plenum ceiling, cable must be routed through conduit or must be fire-rated.
Other points that must be considered
Equipment rack installation should be coordinated with Communication Services and Computer Services so that the most appropriate racks can be purchased.
Security of room and key requirements. The University prefers not to share space with Maintenance for the sake of security. If a substantial amount of equipment will be housed, then a separate closet is warranted. All telecommunications closets should be keyed alike in the same building and should be the same as the most common telecommunications closet lock across campus.