CommScope has made available on its website, free of charge, a 212-page document titled Enterprise Design Guide: Physical Layer Handbook for Designers and Installers. According to CommScope, "This guide offers a one-source solution for virtually all the cabling needs of an enterprise system that transmits data, video, voice, and other selected applications. The guide leads installers, contractors and consultants through the process of designing and implementing an enterprise network."
The guide is not merely a brand-specific promotion for the use of CommScope physical-layer products. It does include some information on CommScope cabling but the vast majority of the document is generic in nature and focused on practice rather than product. CommScope adds that the guide "is created specifically for those who are involved in the design of enterprise network systems. By incorporating fiber optics, twisted pair, coax, wireless cables and conduit, the guide will aid the user in designing and implementing a complete network solution."
After an introduction, the guide includes sections titled as follows.
- Network Topologies - The way data flows
- Network Architecture - How cabling is organized
- Transmission Media - Relative performance
- Cable and Connectivity - Cable, connectors and other equipment
- Telecommunications and Equipment Rooms
- Network Planning - How much capacity, what kind of cable
- Horizontal Cable Installation - Planning and techniques
- Riser (Backbone) Cable Installation - Planning and techniques
- Campus/Outdoor Cable Installation - Planning and techniques
- Connectorization and Splicing - Techniques for the final inch
- Testing and Documentation - Standards, techniques and troubleshooting
Those sections are followed by two annexes, each with bill of materials (BOM) examples for a CommScope cabling brand. Following the two annexes is a glossary that concludes the document.
It can be downloaded directly from the CommScope website without the need for registration. You can download the guide, a 212-page, 3.5-Mbyte PDF, here.
