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  1. EQUIPMENT ROOMS - NODES, INTERMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION FRAMES (IDF) and FLOOR DISTRIBUTION FRAMES (FDF)


    1. GENERAL EQUIPMENT ROOM REQUIREMENTS


      1. Any Telecommunications room containing electronic equipment shall be considered an equipment room


      2. Because of the variations in size, location, and usage each building must be evaluated separately to correctly plan the space allocation and equipment requirements. Sizing should include projected future (as well as present) requirements. When designing the equipment room floor space, allowance shall be made for nonuniform occupancy throughout the building. The practice is to provide 0.07 m2 (0.75 ft2) of equipment room space for every 10 m2 (100 ft2) of work area space. The equipment room should be designed to a minimum of 14 m2 (150 ft2). The minimum clear room size shall be 10 foot x 11 foot x 8 foot 6 inches high and have a minimum of a one hour fire rated assembly.


      3. The building FDF's are connected to the IDF with conduit or cored holes with sleeves through the floor. The FDF's should be "stacked" vertically in multi-story buildings. The number of conduits connecting the FDF's to the IDF are to be specified during design stage. The minimum diameter shall be four inches for these paths.


      4. The room shall be permanently located and not subject to change due to building alterations or rearrangement of interior partitions.


      5. The floor space allotted should be of adequate size to accommodate fifty percent future expansion of the equipment.


      6. The room shall house only equipment directly related to the telecommunications system and its environmental support systems.


      7. The room shall be directly accessible from public corridors and spaces .for unrestricted access by Telecommunications personnel.


      8. All Equipment Rooms must be environmentally controlled 24 hours a day seven days a week. If the building system cannot assure continuous operation, a stand alone unit shall be provided for the equipment room. If a standby power source is available in the building, consideration should be given to connecting the HVAC system serving the telecommunications equipment room to the standby supply.


        1. HVAC shall be included in the design of the room to maintain a temperature between 64 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.


        2. A positive pressure differential with respect to surrounding areas should be provided.


        3. The humidity must be maintained between 30 and 55 percent.


        4. The filters in the HVAC system should have an ASHRAE dust spot rating of 85% or better.


      9. All rooms should be free of all safety hazards and should have no suspended ceilings. They should not be placed adjacent to electrical rooms or equipment. The walls must be continuous from floor to underside of the floor above. The space allotted shall be dry and free from the danger of flooding. No exposed water, gas, or steam pipes shall enter in or run through this room. No drains, duct or clean-outs will be permitted. If necessary, sump pumps should be incorporated in the environmental design.


      10. The room shall be located away from sources of electromagnetic interference. Special attention shall be given to electrical power supply transformers, motors and generators, x-ray equipment, radio or radar transmitters, and induction sealing devices.


      11. There shall be no automatic fire sprinklers except as required by building code. If sprinklers are required within the equipment area, the heads shall be provided with wire cages to prevent accidental operation. Drainage troughs shall be placed under the sprinkler pipes to prevent leakage onto the equipment within the room. For some applications, consideration should be given to the installation of alternate fire-suppression systems.


      12. A minimum of three walls shall be lined with plywood backboards.


      13. All plywood backboards shall meet the following minimum requirements.


        1. All plywood shall be void free 3/4 inch x 4 foot x 8 foot, mounted vertically.


        2. All plywood shall be smooth on one side with the smooth side exposed.


        3. The plywood shall be painted on all six sides with a light color fire retardant paint.


        4. The top of the Plywood shall be mounted at 8 foot 6 inches in basements and other flood prone areas. All other areas the top of the plywood shall be at 8 foot.


        5. The Plywood shall be securely anchored to the wall.
          1. In new hollow wall construction solid blocking shall be installed and the plywood shall be fastened to the solid blocking with steel screws.


          2. In existing hollow wall construction toggle bolts shall be used to fasten the plywood to the wall.


          3. Steel expansion anchors shall be used to fasten the plywood to solid concrete walls.


            4. NOTE: Tapcons fasteners are not acceptable

      14. The walls, floor, and ceiling should be finished in such a manner as to eliminate dust and static electricity. Walls and ceilings shall receive primer and finish coat of a light colored paint. Floors shall be seal coated and receive an anti-static finish.


      15. A minimum lighting level of 50 foot candles maintained 3 foot off the floor must be provided.


      16. General Purpose 115 volt 20 amp grounded, non switched, duplex receptacles should be provided every ten linear feet.


      17. Two 115VAC 20 AMP surge protected outlets on two dedicated circuits must be provided.


        1. The receptacles should be connected to emergency power sources, if available.


        2. These two receptacles shall be located on the BIX side of the 19" Rack.


      18. Grounding to be installed per Article VIII in these standards.


      19. The space for riser and voice information outlet terminations shall be located on one continuous wall.


      20. Termination Frames


        1. All new distribution and protector frames and the terminal hardware MUST be the same as what UIC is presently using. This equipment is part of the BIX Cross-Connect System. It should be sized to accommodate initial requirements plus twenty five percent growth.


        2. Refer to the material list for all part numbers of the required equipment. NO SUBSTITUTIONS WILL BE PERMITTED unless approved, in advance, by the UIC ACCC TED group.


        3. Where new frames are required, the new frames will be butted to and aligned with the existing frames.


        4. All frames will be installed and grounded in accordance with the manufacturer's and industry standard practices and all applicable building codes.


        5. A minimum of one 7 foot 19 inch rack shall be provided in each IDF and FDF.


      21. Plastic wire ties shall not be used with category five or fiber optic cable. Velcro wire ties shall be used, SoftCinch is the preferred brand of ties.


      22. The room should have a door equipped with a UIC standard lock set and the keys readily accessible to the UIC Telecommunications employees during construction. The doors should be a minimum of three feet by seven feet and should open outward. After construction has been completed the door should be keyed to the Telecommunication Department equipment room key for the type of room built.


      23. Portable fire extinguishers shall be provided and maintained within the equipment room per applicable code.


    2. NODE REQUIREMENTS


      1. Additional Nodes shall not be planned unless agreed to by the UIC ACCC Telecommunications Department in writing signed by the department head.


      2. A Node shall have an Emergency Power Source and a UPS sized large enough to maintain telephone, data, and emergency systems that are powered within the Node.


      3. A Node shall meet all the same requirements as any equipment room.


      4. Nodes shall have sufficient space for all termination and electronic equipment required for copper, fiber, and any other media required. It shall be large enough for multiple service provider's equipment with space for future expansion.


    3. IDF REQUIREMENTS:


      1. All buildings shall have one main building equipment room (IDF). This location will house the entrance facility and provide space for the termination of the outside plant facilities (copper and fiber) and building riser cables. It may contain network interface devices, telecommunication data equipment, fiber optic, and other elements of telecommunications.


      2. Protectors must be placed within 50 feet of the telecommunications point of entrance to the building, preferably in the IDF. The location of the IDF should be such that the cable length from the point of entry to the protectors does not exceed 50 feet.


      3. The IDF should be located on the basement level as close as possible to the utility building entrance.


      4. Fiber optic cables terminated at the building (IDF) will utilize Ortronics ORMMAC termination equipment with 3M ST type hot melt connectors. (No substitution will be allowed without UIC Telecommunications Engineering Department approval).


      5. Splice cases in the IDF for incoming cable are to be mounted to backboards unless otherwise indicated, using the appropriate hardware and supports


      6. Plastic wire ties shall not be used with category five or fiber optic cable. Velcro wire ties shall be used, SoftCinch is the preferred brand of ties.


      7. The IDF should comply with the typical IDF layout drawing.

        Click for Diagram 4e


    4. FDF REQUIREMENTS:


      1. Must be accessible through a door that open directly into a public corridor or area.


      2. FDF's should be designed to accommodate the riser cables from the riser system.


      3. The FDF should comply with the typical FDF layout drawing. FDF's should be designed to accommodate all of the Telecommunications Information Outlet cabling mounting frames and backboards.


        1. Nineteen inch equipment rack(s).


        2. Cage wall with a locked door, and any equipment that will be located in the room.


        3. The size of the cables, conduits, and location of closets on each floor will be decided after the number of information outlets (jacks) is determined.


        4. The FDF's shall be centrally located and stacked in multi floor buildings.


      4. Every floor, basement and above, will have at least one FDF. The UIC numbering scheme used to designate the various FDF's must be followed for all buildings. The FDF and IDF may share the same room.


      5. The FDF location shall be as close as possible to the center of the area it is intended to serve. The area being served should not extend out farther than 150 feet in any direction. This should insure that no horizontal cable run will exceed the maximum of 295 feet. FDF's on any given floor shall be not more than 300 feet apart. This requirement will dictate how many FDF's are required on a given floor.


      6. The placement of FDF's adjacent to building columns and exterior walls greatly restricts flexibility with regard to layout of a raceway system and the subsequent routing of cables and should be avoided.


      7. Terminal cabinets shall not be installed in lieu of closets without written approval of UIC Telecommunications Engineering & Design. Any buildings which have cabinets presently installed and would require additional termination space, MUST be reviewed by the UIC Telecommunications Engineering & Design before any additional cabinets are installed. Any additional cabinets must be approved by UIC Telecommunications Engineering & Design, which will supply ordering details when required.


      8. Major remodeling of any large space must address the updating of the FDF's located in or supplying service to the area involved. UIC Telecommunications Engineering & Design must be contacted early in the concept design phase of the project.
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2002-9-11  ACCC Webstaff
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