< PreviousSTULZ offers next generation data centre climate control with CyberWall STULZ has announced the availability of its CyberWall cooling solution. Designed for operators of large, colocation and hyperscale data centres, it comprises a range of precision air conditioning units specifically developed for facilities with separate aisles. Its horizontal airflow technology enables reliable operation of high IT load densities, without the use of raised floors or side coolers. Heat density within racks is increasing with each new generation of data centre equipment, which is also extremely sensitive and must operate within a strict temperature range. Data centre operators that fail to combat this increase in heat load, risk causing significant harm to their IT equipment, reducing its operational life, lowering performance and reliability, and increasing energy expenditure. To protect equipment and offer cooling performance, CyberWall is configured around high performance fan walls comprising cutting edge electronically commutated (EC) fans with integrated air/water heat exchangers. This allows a cooling capacity of around 100kW per metre of wall length to be achieved and means that the efficient air conditioning of high power densities, as well as racks of 42U or more, is now possible. STULZ has designed CyberWall so that indoor air handlers with cold water connection can be mounted in rows or stacked without gaps – making use of all available wall space and optimising system performance. Mounted at the aisle end, where they supply individual rack rows horizontally with cold air, the warm aisle is separated by a containment system with a ceiling duct, so that reliable separation of cold and warm air is guaranteed. The CyberWall system also fits precisely into the existing service corridor, which allows the maintenance of air conditioners to be completed without the need for personnel to enter the server area. STULZ CyberWall modules achieve an impressive cooling capacity of 220kW, with 16°C water inlet, and an airflow rate of 55,000m³/h per air conditioning unit. As part of its Custom Indoor Air Handling Unit (AHU) series, STULZ provides a wide range of output sizes and designs, offering customers a portfolio of unit dimensions, components and capacities to meet specific requirements. The combination of CyberWall and the Custom Indoor AHU series provides operators access to a high performance cooling solution, which takes into account ASHRAE specifications and achieves impressive partial Power Usage Effectiveness (pPUE) values. ‘Climate management is one of the key challenges faced by operators of large, colocation and hyperscale data centres,’ commented Tobias Wolf, Deputy Head of Product Management at STULZ. ‘With CyberWall, STULZ has used its extensive research and development capabilities to develop a genuine game changer in effective air conditioning, allowing operators to protect their technology investments and maximise uptime.’ n Exertis Hammer announces DDN distribution agreement Distributor Exertis Hammer has announced an EMEA-wide distribution agreement with leading big data storage supplier to data-intensive, global organisations, DDN. The vendor designs, develops, deploys, and optimises systems, software and storage solutions that enables service providers, universities, and government agencies to generate more value and accelerate time to insight from their data, on premise and in the cloud. Adam Blackwell, General Manager at Exertis Hammer, says it makes for a perfect fit for the award-winning distributor’s portfolio. “New and existing customers will hugely benefit from DDN’s focus on artificial intelligence, big data and high performance computing (HPC) that this partnership will bring to our offering, alongside Exertis Hammer’s value-add ethos and proven expertise in the storage and enterprise arena. Adding DDN to our reputable market-leading portfolio, which includes stalwarts such as Intel, AMD, and Nvidia/Mellanox, and now key name in the industry, DDN, gives Exertis Hammer the ability to offer a true end- to-end solution, ideal for key vertical markets such as AI, M&E, and HPC.” DDN provides scalable solutions that fit customers’ at-scale data needs today and in the future. This means faster ingest, maximised processing, and reduced application run times through simple and proven architectures. All with the goal of accelerating research, delivering faster results and increasing revenue. Globally, and in every industry, DDN empowers thousands of customers to accelerate their business using artificial intelligence and deep learning. The introduction of its innovative solutions to Exertis Hammer’s portfolio will enhance customers’ ability to extract value from and manage their data better, faster, and safer. DDN has also, within the past month, announced support for NVIDIA DGX A100 systems in its A3I solutions. DGX A100 is the world’s first 5-petaflops AI system that consolidates the power and capabilities of an entire data center into a single flexible platform. A3I combines DDN storage, DGX A100 systems and NVIDIA Mellanox high- speed networking to supply optimised compute and I/O based on common principles of parallelism, performance and scale. “Exertis Hammer is an ideal distribution partner with a heritage in the delivery of performance-intensive computing solutions that complement DDN’s AI, big data, multicloud, and high-performance computing storage,” said Kurt Kuckein, Vice President of Marketing at DDN. “With Exertis Hammer’s technical and market understanding, and in-country support, DDN partners will be well placed to convert Intelligent Infrastructure opportunities and push the boundaries of AI on a much greater scale.” n Organisations turn to NetOps to prevent network outages caused by infrastructure changes Nearly half (48%) of senior IT decision-makers globally say that more than quarter of the outages their organisations have suffered over the past two years have been caused by changes to the network infrastructure, according to a recent survey of 500 global IT decision makers commissioned by Opengear, a Digi International company. The study, titled ‘Measuring the True Cost of Network Outages,’ found that almost half (44%) of survey respondents said they were ‘increasing the level of automation across the network’ to drive up network resilience within their organisation and combat these outages. In addition, nearly 60% of the overall survey sample said their organisation had introduced a NetOps automation approach across its network operations. Significantly, 89% said that it had made that network more reliable. Steve Cummins, vice president of marketing, Opengear, said: “With outages on the rise, and network engineers currently unable to travel to affected sites to make fixes, network automation is rapidly becoming a necessity. Being able to use standard NetOps tools within the network management infrastructure itself, simplifies and accelerates deployment of those automation routines. A NetOps-enabled console server can be the key to unlocking NetOps for many companies.” In addition to increased network reliability, respondents most commonly cited enhanced security (48%), time savings (45%) and cost savings (41%) as the biggest benefits having a solution that could operate independently from the main in-band network. n www.networkseuropemagazine.comwww.networkseuropemagazine.com NEWS IN BRIEF 10Supermicro and Goethe University Frankfurt delivers computing solution for COVID and physics research Super Micro Computer, Inc. has announced that the Center for Scientific Computing (CSC) has chosen Supermicro’s 4U 8 GPU A+ server with PCI-E Gen 4 and 200Gb/s networking (AS -4124GS-TNR) as the foundation for their next generation of High-Performance Computing (HPC) servers. CSC is an initiative of the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, and Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main. The Supermicro AS-4124GS-TNR is an advanced server that incorporates AMD EPYC processors that have been designed to eliminate bottlenecks in the transfer of data between main host memory and the GPUs. When equipped with Radeon Instinct MI50 GPU accelerators, this server enables researchers to conduct their investigations exceptionally fast. “Supermicro is excited to once again partner with the leading HPC centre at Goethe University Frankfurt to deliver our powerful new A+ Server with exceptional CPU, GPU, and networking performance,” said Vik Malyala, senior vice president, Supermicro. “We continue to innovate our products so that our customers have a wide range of options to match their requirements with the best-of-breed components. Clusters based on these 2nd generation AMD EPYC CPU and Radeon Instinct MI50 GPU powered servers easily deliver peak performance and efficiency for a wide range of applications. Researchers can leverage innovative new artificial intelligence (AI) solutions with these advanced features. Supermicro looks forward to a productive and mutually beneficial partnership with Goethe University.” Goethe University Frankfurt hosts a leading supercomputer center that serves a wide range of international scientists and researchers. A new and powerful supercomputer was needed to support researchers from varied disciplines who needed significantly increased processing capacity. The team assigned to architect and choose the new supercomputer investigated several server solutions that contained both CPUs and GPUs. Of practical interest was a system that supported the PCI Express 4.0 specification, which allows for up to 64 GB/second of data transfer between host memory and GPU. This performance requirement is critical for applications that must exchange data with the GPU. Previous PCI Express interfaces were too slow for high-performance applications that relied on the fastest GPUs available, and thus a system with PCI Express 4.0 bus readiness was required. “As we designed and are now implementing our latest supercomputer, our partnership with Supermicro and AMD has been critical,” stated Prof. Dr. Volker Lindenstruth, Chair for HPC architecture at Goethe University.” We have been able to collaborate with their technical engineers to describe our computational challenges and our potential bottlenecks based on previous generations of servers. Both Supermicro and AMD have responded with a balanced system that can easily be utilised by a wide range of scientists who require a scalable and optimised cluster of fast servers for their research. ” The Goethe University Frankfurt supercomputing centre serves a diverse set of researchers and scientists. By utilising servers that contain state-of- the-art CPUs, GPUs, and networking, applications that range from particle physics to climate change simulations can be executed and accelerated on the AS -4124GS-TNR servers. Recently, Goethe University Frankfurt has been using HPC technologies to simulate the spread of the COVID-19 virus to understand how future pandemics spread could be prevented. “Supercomputers today require unprecedented computational power to perform the large-scale simulations and complex medical analysis that are critical to driving the next generation of research.” said Forrest Norrod, senior vice president and general manager, data centre and embedded systems group, AMD. “The AMD EPYC™ processors and Radeon Instinct™ MI50 GPUs powering the latest Supermicro server deliver leading I/O bandwidth and exceptional performance to reach better results, faster for our most demanding scientific challenges.” n Camfil wins the Grand Indoor Climate Prize for its world-class HEPA filtration for cleanrooms Camfil has announced its win at the 'Grand Indoor Climate Prize' in Sweden for its advanced premium HEPA filtration for cleanrooms. Megalam EnerGuard is the first revolutionary change in HEPA filtration for cleanrooms in decades. The filter has three times longer life span than other HEPA filters with membrane media and can generate energy savings of 30-50% compared to traditional fiberglass filters in the industry. The new state of the art, robust and reliable media also provides safer handling with minimal risk of damage during transport and installation. At the award presentation, it was reflected that the main drivers that motivated the jury to select Camfil are - innovation, high filter efficiency, and a combination of best features of traditional fiberglass and membrane filters in the advanced HEPA filter, Megalam EnerGuard. The breakthrough filter technology efficiently separates particles from ventilation air, maintains a lower pressure drop, and contributes to better energy savings than traditional fibreglass filters. The robust filter design is highly durable that significantly reduces the risk of damage to the filter during transport and installation. Megalam EnerGuard is highly practical in all applications and provides premium air filtration. Torbjörn Bäck, President, Camfil Northern Europe attended the awards ceremony: “We at Camfil are elated and proud to be nominated in the first place and now with this victory, our success reflects the focus towards sustainability in several dimensions. "Our R&D team is dedicated to develop filters that meet future demands for efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and produce less waste through a longer filter lifetime. Thanks to the commitment and efforts of our colleagues in the industry and the industry associations, together we keep driving the indoor air quality technology development forward”. n NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 11 www.networkseuropemagazine.com 11Anritsu extended 116-Gbit/s PAM4 error detector functions take world lead in evaluations for 400-GbE and 800-GbE transmissions Anritsu Corporation has released an FEC symbol capture function and Bathtub test capability for its 116-Gbit/s PAM4 Error Detector (ED) MU196040B, offering more functionality for developers of 400-GbE and 800-GbE devices. Installed in Anritsu’s flagship Signal Quality Analyzer-R MP1900A series, these functions can be downloaded from the MP1900A website. The spread of commercial next-generation 5G mobile communications services enables faster sending and receiving of large video and data files. To support larger and faster transmissions, data centers, which are key infrastructure in 5G mobile networks, are also investigating speed upgrades from the current 100 GbE to 400 GbE and in future to 800 GbE/1.6 TbE standards. PAM4 used in 400 GbE is easily affected by noise and transmission path losses, making it difficult to achieve the previous level of error-free transmissions and requiring use of FEC (Forward Error Correction) to correct generated errors and maintain transmission quality. Consequently, there is an increasing need for quantitative measurement of jitter-related signal quality, such as jitter tolerance measurement for evaluating the performance of high- speed devices and transceivers for 400-GbE. To meet this need and support 400G network evolution, Anritsu has added two new features to its MP1900A - the FEC symbol capture function to evaluate FEC-based network elements, and the PAM4 Bathtub*7 test capability. In today’s high-speed networks, some low-probability errors are expected in data traffic; errors that are corrected using FEC. The new MP1900A ED function determines if the errors can be corrected by FEC and starts capturing data streams only when the burst errors exceed the FEC uncorrectable threshold. From the captured data, a user can discover what kind of data steam caused the uncorrectable burst errors. Since the impact of jitter becomes severe as the data-stream baud rate is increased to achieve a higher traffic capacity, Anritsu has added the PAM4 Bathtub test capability to evaluate and quantify the jitter phase margin. The modular MP1900A running embedded Windows 10 can easily be expanded. As well as supporting 400-GbE and 800-GbE PAM4, it is a market-leading Bit Error Rate Tester (BERT) for various high-speed interfaces, including PCI Express Gen5 and USB4, using a full line of modules and application software. In addition to offering more accurate BER measurements, the MP1900A helps shorten development times for high-speed devices and transceivers. n Compact panel mounted voltage measurement with LEM DVC 1000 series LEM has introduced the DVC 1000 series of voltage sensors for insulated nominal voltage measurements in rail traction and industrial applications. The DVC 1000 series offers panel mounted voltage measurement in a compact package. Designed to measure a nominal voltage of 1000 VRMS, the DVC 1000 series uses an isolating amplifier, providing high levels of isolation with a safety insulation voltage of 4.2 kV. The use of an isolating amplifier offers significant space savings over other sensors of similar capacity, which use bulky galvanic insulation. As well as being highly robust, the DVC 1000 series also offers high levels of accuracy and temperature stability. An optional DIN rail mounting adaptor makes it easy to integrate into users’ own applications. LEM developed the DVC 1000 to be fully compliant with the International Railway Industry Standards (IRIS). Engineers in the railway industry working with both rolling stock and sub-stations can use these versatile new sensors to measure DC links, the output voltages of inverters, the input voltage of 4 quadrant converters, or the battery voltage of Light Rail Vehicles. The features of the DVC 1000 voltage sensors also make them ideal for a broad range of small-to-medium voltage measurements in industrial markets such as DC power supply monitoring, EV chargers and battery storage applications. DVC 1000 sensors measure voltages by a direct connection on their primary sides, through an internal resistor network and other components designed to feed the signal to an isolation amplifier. An isolated signal is recovered and then conditioned in order to supply a voltage or a current at the sensor’s output connections, which is an exact representation of the primary voltage. No additional components are needed – the connections are simply connected between the voltage to be measured and the control device. With their compact size and weighing only 57g, the DVC 1000 series is unique on the market. Other key features include compliance to a range of internationally recognised safety standards in addition to their adherence to IRIS specifications. They also exhibit a fast response time of 12 to 17 µs at 90% of nominal voltage. n NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 12 Mayflex win ‘Distinguished Partner Award’ from Edgecore Networks Mayflex, distributor of converged IP Solutions, has been awarded the ‘Distinguished Partner Award for 2019’ from Edgecore Networks. Mayflex were one of a few worldwide partners that were recognised by Edgecore Networks for their excellent performance, innovation and quality throughout 2019. Neil Staley, Mayflex’s Market Manager said “I was delighted to accept this award on behalf of Mayflex. Edgecore provides an excellent range of wired and wireless networking products and it’s a brand that is growing in popularity with our customers due to the build quality of the products and the reliable performance.” Neil continued “We’ve particularly seen an increase of Edgecore switches being used for IP security installations, customers like the fact that Edgecore Networks is a wholly owned subsidiary of Accton Technology Corporation who manufacture products for some of the world’s largest networking brands, so they have the added confidence of a great product at a more competitive price.” nLogicmonitor achieves Cisco preferred solution partner status with certified integration for Cisco managed secure SD-WAN LogicMonitor has announced it has achieved Cisco Compatible status for its Cisco SD-WAN integration. This certification validates that LogicMonitor’s innovative cloud-based platform has been fully vetted by Cisco and establishes LogicMonitor as a Cisco preferred monitoring partner for organisations deploying and managing sophisticated networks. As a result of its SD-WAN compatibility certification, LogicMonitor has achieved a status upgrade within the Cisco Solution Partner Programme to that of Cisco Preferred Solution Partner. This programme reflects Cisco’s commitment to helping customers and partners maximise the value of their investment in Cisco environments. Preferred Solution Partner status provides access to early product launches and enables LogicMonitor to provide customers with unmatched coverage across the Cisco product portfolio. “LogicMonitor is a great partner with innovative solutions. We are excited to showcase them in our Cisco SD-WAN Technology Alliances Programme as a best-of-breed joint solution partner, and look forward to launching LogicMonitor’s Cisco Compatible solutions to our Managed Services Partners,” said Marc Inderhees, Partner Managed Services Leader, Cisco Systems. According to a recent report published by global market intelligence firm IDC, Cisco holds the largest share of the SD-WAN infrastructure market. The same report also predicts the SD-WAN market is expected to reach $5.25B by 2023. “We work with numerous enterprises and managed service providers with massive, global deployments of Viptela and Meraki that rely on LogicMonitor to not only visualise their networks but also maintain high-availability and improve SLAs,” said Michael Tarbet, Vice President of Managed Service Providers and Strategic Accounts, LogicMonitor. “As Cisco continues to expand its high-reliability, high-quality network services, LogicMonitor is now even more well-positioned to help Cisco customers optimise, centralise and modernise the critical IT capabilities that drive positive results for their business.” LogicMonitor provides real-time intelligence for SD-WAN environments with out-of-the-box monitoring that is automatically applied as soon as a new device is detected. This auto-discovery of devices, coupled with the platform’s cloud- based architecture, creates rapid time-to-value and allows network administrators to decrease average customer onboarding timeframes. "As an early adopter of Cisco SD-WAN, Core BTS supports more than 800 active customers and 5,000 networks that stretch over eight countries, and we are constantly adding new branches and locations under our management,” said Bill Wilshire, Chief Operating Officer at Core BTS. “With LogicMonitor, we install a collector remotely within minutes and easily integrate remote sites into the network for a unified view into the health and performance across all locations, including physical, cloud, and hybrid environments. "LogicMonitor is crucial to helping us deliver business value to our clients and to developing solutions to grow our Cisco business, and we’re thrilled to see the continued innovation.” n INTELLIGENT R&M inteliPhy – Automated Infrastructure Management by R&M Manually managed infrastructure data has a 10% error rate*, 20-40% of ports in a network are forgotten over time**. The automated R&M inteliPhy solution continuously monitors each connection in one or more data centres or local networks, a (remote) central server records cabling status. The AIM-based solution has functions for management, analysis as well as planning cabling and network cabinets. R&M inteliPhy is easy to retrofit and can halve network monitoring and management costs. When new devices are integrated or changes made updates are automatically generated. Unused patch panels and ports in active equipment are instantly detected. Data can be traced in real time with a PC or smartphone, faulty connections are located in seconds. More info: gbr@rdm.com * Source: Watson & Fulton ** Source: Frost & Sullivan Convincing cabling solutions NEWS IN BRIEF 13Share your news, contact the editor at: editor.networks@abacus-comms.co.uk ExtraHop partners with CrowdStrike to deliver cloud-native threat detection from the network to the endpoint ExtraHop has announced a partnership with CrowdStrike, cloud-delivered endpoint protection provider. The partnership includes the integration between ExtraHop Reveal(x) and CrowdStrike Falcon, marrying best-of-breed cloud-native detection and response capabilities to provide protection from the network to the endpoint. The integration between ExtraHop Reveal(x) and CrowdStrike Falcon merges complete network visibility, machine learning behavioral threat detection and real-time decryption of SSL/TLS sessions to extract de- identified metadata for analysis. This approach provides joint customers powerful endpoint security and instant remediation of threats. The integration allows security teams to rapidly detect threats observed on the network such as network privilege escalation, lateral movement, suspicious VPN connections, data exfiltration and more. It also helps thwart those occurring on the endpoint, providing complete coverage. When Reveal(x) detects urgent threats it notifies the Falcon platform to contain the impacted devices ensuring analysts can rapidly investigate and resolve threats. This cuts off access to network resources and endpoints before a security incident can turn into a breach. With automatic device discovery and classification, Reveal(x) continuously updates and maintains a list of devices impacted by threats, even on devices where the CrowdStrike agent is not yet present. This alerts CrowdStrike customers to newly connected and potentially compromised devices that need instrumentation for device-level visibility. It also extends edge visibility to include IoT, bring your own device (BYOD), and devices incompatible with agents. “Over the past five years, the security industry has undergone a seismic shift from a model of purely ‘prevention and protection’ to one that additionally delivers detection and response,” said Raja Mukerji, ExtraHop co-founder and Chief Customer Officer. “CrowdStrike and ExtraHop have been at the forefront of that shift, arming security organisations with the situational awareness and control they need to protect businesses and consumers in a perimeter-less world. With this partnership and integration, our customers can now detect and respond to every threat from the core to the edge and everywhere in between.” “The threat environment continues to grow in complexity as sophisticated cyber adversaries advance their attack techniques, evading security controls and gaining access to corporate networks,” said Matthew Polly, Vice President of Worldwide Business Development and Channels at CrowdStrike. “Through this partnership, CrowdStrike and ExtraHop are providing customers the ability to identify and respond to malicious activity across the entire attack surface with a fully cloud-native integration that allows them to adapt with speed and agility.” Jeremiah Cruit-Salzberg, Senior Director and Security Technologist at Sirius said: "This integration provides complete network and endpoint visibility for clients, while helping them automate their response to any issues identified on the network." n NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 14 Cable distribution revolution Hughes Electronics has launched an advanced fibre optic and DC power cabling concept for cellular networks. Designed specifically to handle the rigours of the cellular telephone industry, OptiMod is a robust yet agile system of interconnecting fibre and DC power passive transmission media, delivering high-performance connections for hybrid, separate (DC and fibre) or mixed cabling layout requirements in the harshest environments that cellular telecoms has to offer. The key to OptiMod’s agility is a brand-new modular connector concept - H-Mod. Like other OptiMod system components, H-Mod is designed to protect fragile glass fibre cores against the hardships of the cellular industry, including handling and installation by some less than delicate installation practices. H-Mod connections don't need tools, special skills or equipment. A unique positive lock latching system enables error-free connections every time, simply connect, latch and go. LC fibre and high-performance DC connection modules combine in the same robust cast aluminium IP68 housing to form hybrid H-Mod connectors - only one connection is needed to transmit DC power and fibre to radio equipment, saving man-hours in deployment. Hughes hybrid cables are pressure-proof thanks to corrugated aluminium tubing and spiral steel armouring which provide absolute fibre protection against impact, bird, vermin and other hazards. Over sheathing with resilient HDPE provides superior UV and corrosion resistance. H-Mod can also house discrete fibre or DC connection modules for use with separate power and fibre cables to support up to 8 RRUs per power or fibre connection. n Updated product series with wireless approval "Wireless Ex" is a technology developed by the steute business unit Extreme which simplifies the assembly and operation of switchgear in explosive environments. Switching devices are no longer connected to the receivers in the control cabinet via Ex-compatible cables, but via a low-energy wireless protocol created especially for such applications. It is certified to ATEX and IECEx standards. Engineers constructing plants and machines for explosive environments can take Ex RF 96 electromechanical wireless position switches, for example, in their slim rectangular design to monitor the position of moving machine components or workpiece fixtures. Alternatively, positions can also be monitored without any contact – using Ex RF IS wireless inductive sensors in a cylindrical design (M 12, M 18 and M 30). In this case, the Ex RF 96 ST Ex wireless universal transmitter takes care of both wireless transmission and decentralised power supply to the sensors. These wireless sensors guarantee high transmission availability even in tricky situations (e.g. coexistence with other wireless systems), as is often the case in an industrial environment. This product series has now been updated by steute. Both the electromechanical Ex position switches and the Ex sensors are approved to the latest ATEX-/IECEx standards for use in Ex zones 1 and 21. nComfort cooling unit reimagined with integrated heating feature A UK-based air conditioning manufacturer has showcased the ingenuity of its R&D team by developing a new dual-function version of its pioneering hybrid fan coil unit to meet evolving industry demands. Airedale International has launched the latest generation of the award-winning Artus range, now with a four-pipe integrated heating and cooling option for commercial and residential spaces. The original, single coil Artus first appeared on the market two years ago and has since found success in landmark commercial projects such as the WeWork flexible office space at 10 Devonshire Square in central London. Building on the success of the original unique design, Airedale International tasked its team of R&D specialists to develop a solution which met the requirements of an industry increasingly focussed on energy efficiency and individual wellbeing. Artus was originally invented to solve some of the issues associated with inefficient and cumbersome comfort cooling systems and features low space claim, consistent air distribution and best-in-class energy consumption. Working in partnership with design consultants, Arup, a hybrid system was developed, taking the performance of a traditional fan coil unit coupled with a 60% reduction in energy usage compared with chilled beam. The result is a unit that requires no secondary ducting or hatch access, with a four-pipe water system that allows heating as well as cooling with no mixing of water streams, increasing efficiency and performance. It offers a solution to consultants and architects who can more easily specify chilled water systems, in preference to direct expansion units, in the face of ongoing refrigerant phase downs. Antony Cole, managing director of Airedale International, explains: “The original Artus model has been particularly well received by specifiers prioritising performance, efficiency and ease of install on their projects and where ceiling height is at a premium. Its shallow depth of around 200mm, allows a 12-storey building to become 13-storeys with the savings in required ceiling void space. “We’re constantly innovating and looking for new and improved designs to stay on top of our game. Artus is a brilliant example of taking a great product which was more compact, more effective and more energy efficient and making it even better.” The two coil Artus suits buildings with a shell and core system with four pipe terminal units. The fascia can function with any hole configuration for flexibility of design and seamless integration with its surroundings. Roger Olsen of Arup, who devised the Artus’ latest design concept, adds: “Comfort and well-being were priorities during the design process. Noise levels can be precisely controlled, and with whisper quiet (NR25) levels possible, we are receiving interest for premium residential projects. The air distribution has also been carefully engineered so there is no uncomfortable air movement in the occupied space.” Airedale International designs and manufactures innovative and high-efficiency cooling solutions from its headquarters in Leeds. It provides solutions for industries including healthcare, commercial education, hospitality and data centres. n Microchip introduces 3kW transient voltage suppressor diode array family for circuit protection in harsh environments To ensure critical operations, aviation and space systems rely on digital and logic functionality and circuitry in engine control units, environmental controls, instruments and actuators. Data centres, the 5G infrastructure and communication systems also rely on complex circuitry requiring protection. Each system must operate continuously despite voltage surges and spikes from lightning, solar events and electromagnetic incidents. Microchip Technology Inc. has announced its newly-expanded portfolio of Transient Voltage Suppressor (TVS) vertical arrays – the MDA3KP Transient Voltage Suppressor (TVS), a 3kW diode family of more than 25 products with different screening levels, polarities and qualification standards. Microchip’s MDA3KP TVS diode array family – the only available technology offering a comprehensive voltage range tested to a high reliability standard and qualified based on the MIL-PRF-19500 JANTX level equivalence standard – provides an integrated multi-diode solution. These voltage-clamping devices provide fast-reacting Avalanche Breakdown Diode (ABD) features that divert excess current around sensitive components to protect them from electrical overstress. “Digital controls, logic and diagnostic system circuit blocks require highly reliable, secure current and power protection to ensure operations in extreme environments,” said Leon Gross, vice president of Microchip’s Discrete Product Group business unit. “This diode family also addresses the challenges system designers face with a more efficient vertical construction and requirement for less board space than other devices.” MDA3KP TVS diode arrays are available in the following screened version industry standards: M, MA, MXL and MX. The devices have been exposed to various levels of testing to ensure they meet the aircraft lightning protection requirements set forth in the standard for environmental testing of avionics, RTCA DO-160E (Lightening Induced Transient Susceptibility). RTCA (American Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics) is the industry consortium that develops consensus on critical aviation modernisation issues. The MDA3KP TVS diode array, a vertically constructed 8-diode, 16-pin surface mount package, allows for efficient layout and ease of design, as less printed circuit board space is required while enabling higher power densities. In the MDA3KP TVS diode array family, each device’s vertical construction provides the power of eight smaller devices on a printed circuit board, eliminating the need for the multiple devices even as it provides higher power. Available in unidirectional and bidirectional construction in standoff voltages of 6V to 40V, the components provide Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) and Electrical Fast Transients (EFT) protection according IEC standards and a Peak Pulse Power rating of 3000 W at 10/1000 µs. With an extended temperature range from -55°C to +150°C, the devices are lot traceable, surge tested, and Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL) Level 1 – for use in harsh environments. The MDA3KP TVS diode array family’s power rating is the industry’s only available technology with this level of screening. n NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 15NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 16 Kao Data named as Infrastructure Masons Foundation Partner Kao Data, specialist developer and operator of advanced data centres for high performance computing, cloud, AI and enterprise, has become a Foundation Partner of Infrastructure Masons (iMasons). The iMasons are a global, non-profit association that unites industry professionals and business leaders who represent over $150 billion in digital infrastructure projects in over 130 countries. “I’m delighted to welcome Kao Data as an iMason Foundation Partner,” said Dean Nelson, iMasons Founder and Chairman. “Kao Data is closely aligned with the social investment values of iMasons, including promoting and driving sustainable digital infrastructure.” Additionally Paul Finch, Interim CEO and COO, Kao Data, has joined the iMasons Advisory Council, contributing his insight and experience into data centre cooling, energy efficiency and sustainability, which have become an increasingly important focus in the sector over the last decade. Paul Finch stated, “It is a privilege to be appointed to the iMasons Advisory Council. Now more than ever, our industry provides the foundations that ensure global businesses can continue to operate without interruption. As the world becomes more dependent on connected technologies, demands for digital services will only increase and with them, so will energy usage. Through technical excellence and innovation, our sector must work together and ensure that we design, build and operate data centres with greater energy efficiency, doing our part to minimise the impact of their emissions.” During his extensive career, Paul has played key roles at Fortune 500 corporations and publicly traded REIT’s including CBRE and Digital Realty Trust. Through these roles he has overseen the creation and execution of global developments exceeding £1bn in capital deployment and supporting over 200MW of technical space. A Chartered engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and former voting executive committee member of ASHRAE’s Technical Committee 9.9, he holds a BSc (Hons) in Building Services Engineering, PgDip in Engineering Management and is a graduate of the General Management Programme at the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School. Dean Nelson, iMasons Founder and Chairman, continued, “Paul Finch has been a highly respected member of the iMasons community and we welcome him onto our Advisory Council. Paul’s contribution to the industry spans many years and his insights and expertise will add value on many levels.” The iMasons’ vision is to ‘Unite the Builders of the Digital Age’ by enabling the global membership to connect, grow, and give back. n Schneider Electric extends strategic partnerships enable IT/OT convergence Schneider Electric has announced the expansion of its partnerships with leading technology companies to address the convergence of IT and OT. Bringing together system integrators with IT solution providers to build integrated industrial edge computing solutions, the expanded partnerships have resulted in the immediate release of three programs including: new reference designs, co-developed with AVEVA, and integrating solutions from Lenovo and Stratus; a learning path for system integrators; and a collaborative online community for learning and sharing opportunities within Schneider Electric Exchange. The industrial edge programs from Schneider Electric empower system integrators to expand their value to the end user, enabling their customers’ industrial digital transformations. “The smart factory is becoming smarter. Our expanded partnerships and new industrial edge programs empower system integrators to leverage their domain expertise and become IT/OT convergence specialists and meet these needs for their customers,” said Philippe Rambach, Senior Vice President, Industrial Automation, Schneider Electric. “We know that smart manufacturing is driving an unprecedented wave of IT technologies into industrial spaces. As companies leverage AI, robotic processing automation, and more, they will require edge computing solutions to reduce latency and enable resiliency, while ensuring privacy and security, and addressing important data and bandwidth requirements.” For industrial operators to capture the benefits of increased automation, they cannot rely on cloud-technology alone to bring the resiliency and speed demanded by AI, HD cameras and other Industry 4.0 technologies. Local edge data centres are IT infrastructure enclosures/spaces/facilities distributed geographically to enable endpoints on the network. When in industrial environments such as a manufacturing plant or distribution centre, this application is referred to as “industrial edge.” “The industrial edge is one of the fastest-growing segments of industrial automation and a key driver that is influencing digital transformation,” according to Craig Resnick, Vice President, ARC Advisory Group. “To achieve the shortest possible ROI, manufacturers must properly measure asset performance, rapidly identify any problem areas, and make any crucial changes in real-time that will drastically improve their operations. The industrial edge is where this important on-site data capture occurs, real-time analysis of this data is performed and converted into intelligent information, and then shared with the cloud and throughout the entire enterprise while addressing manufacturers’ concerns, such as latency and security for production environments.” n Smart Buildings Show 2020 deferred Turret Group Limited is to defer Smart Buildings Show from 14-15 October 2020 to 6-7 October 2021. The show will continue to be held at ExCeL London. Ian Garmeson, managing director of Turret Group, commented, “Following consultation with exhibitors and exhibition partners we have made the difficult decision to defer the event to next year. The main reason for this decision is that we want to continue to provide the best experience for both our exhibitors and visitors in a safe and secure environment. Unfortunately, at this moment in time we cannot confidently predict that we would be able to do this if the show were to go ahead in October 2020. “Since the UK lockdown started just over three months ago we have been carefully monitoring the Government’s progress towards controlling the Covid-19 outbreak as well as considering the viability of running events under the safety and security measures being put forward by the events industry as the current restrictions start to be eased. Whilst the worst is hopefully behind us and we are now on a path to a gradual return to normality, there remains some doubt that we will be able to run the event as we would like to by the end of this year. “However, the enthusiasm and support of our exhibitors and exhibition partners in particular and current interest in the smart buildings industry in general makes us confident that Smart Buildings Show 2021 will be the most successful to date.” Terry Sharp, president, BCIA, endorsed the decision to defer the event, "The BCIA looks forward to continuing to support the Smart Buildings Show and we look forward to seeing all of our industry friends and colleagues at the Smart Buildings Show in 2021.” nNEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 17 Do you have news to share? Contact the editor at: editor.networks@abacus-comms.co.uk Siemon is choice for Accenture’s new sustainable head office at Gare Maritime Siemon's innovative technology has been installed throughout Accenture’s new 4,500 sqm head office complex in the iconic Gare Maritime in Brussels, Belgium. Accenture is a global professional services firm, providing strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations to clients in more than 120 countries. As part of its defined corporate social responsibility strategy, Accenture only works with partners that share the same focus on sustainable and socially responsible business ethics. When Gare Maritime was first developed at the turn of the 19th century, it was one of the largest freight railway stations in Europe. The redevelopment scheme followed the principle of circular construction, where materials used in the original construction were re-used where possible. In addition, rainwater collection and sustainable waste management systems have been installed, along with geothermal heating and cooling and photovoltaic panels. Accenture is located in Building 1 and required a network infrastructure that was both reliable and future proof. After consulting with installation partner, Network Cabling Solutions (NCS), Wim Cuypers, IT Director BeNeLux, France, Mauritius and Morocco at Accenture, chose Siemon. ‘We always consider sustainability as part of our purchasing criteria. Siemon met our expectations thanks to its broad range of products, environmental programme and respect for resources. Its list of green credentials includes a 179 percent carbon negative business operation, zero landfill, recycling and waste management.’ Supported by distribution partner Saifor Benelux, NCSBEL implemented a system comprising Siemon’s high performance copper cabling. The company installed approximately 70,000m of Siemon’s Category 7A shielded cable and 800 Category 6A shielded 10 Gigabit Ethernet-ready Z-MAX® connections across all office floors. This state-of-the-art network infrastructure supports all typical data and voice applications and will be able to handle higher bandwidth next generation technology in the years to come. Applications currently utilising the cabling network include Wi-Fi and security cameras, as well as other intelligent building services. Commenting on the challenges of working at Gare Maritime, Frank Dendievel, Project Manager at NCSBEL, stated, ‘Historical buildings like Gare Maritime naturally come with some restrictions in terms of space but special Siemon product designs like angled patch panels and patch cords, which feature a much smaller cable diameter, helped us accommodate all the cabling in the smaller telecommunications spaces.’ In addition to providing best in class performance, the cabling also had to comply with the Construction Products Regulation (CPR). Rene Proost, Sales Manager Benelux at Siemon, explained, ‘Gare Maritime has a large wooden roof, as well as wooden side facades that accommodate the offices. Accenture demanded the best possible product standards in order to protect occupants and reduce the rapid spread of fire and harmful emissions. This was a request we were able to satisfy, as our Category 7A cable boasts the highest standard of flame resistance – B2ca.’ The Siemon cabling solution at B1 will have a life cycle of up to 15 years and will support several generations of active equipment, reducing the need to re-install cable over time. This limits waste and conserves copper, aluminium and other natural resources, while the shielded cabling used also reduces noise on the cabling channel, resulting in significant power savings for active electronics and lowering CO2. Accenture’s Silke Lepee, Environment Lead BeLux, is delighted with the work carried out and concluded, ‘Accenture’s staff operate as one under the roof of the magnificent Gare Maritime, and Siemon has helped us achieve this. Its cabling gives us a future proof and fully flexible solution that supports our current business operations and provides solid network foundations for next generation applications. Just as importantly, it meets our objective of only deploying sustainable solutions, so together with our landlord we are now pursuing BREEAM certification for B1.’ n Riello UPS extends NextEnergy range Riello UPS has expanded its super-efficient NextEnergy (NXE) series with a new and improved 500 kVA model. The NXE 500 incorporates the latest transformerless technologies to deliver TÜV-certified operational efficiency up to 97% in online UPS mode, while its pioneering Efficiency Control System minimises wasted energy even at partial loads. Already available in 250 kVA, 300 kVA, and 400 kVA versions, the more powerful NXE 500 is a similarly-proven solution for protecting data centres and other mission-critical applications. Delivering unity power in a compact footprint, the three-phase NXE series delivers “best in class” performance and includes several energy saving features that reduce both power consumption and operating costs. These include a special Active Eco operating mode that powers the load using the bypass line as well as acting as a filter that eliminates the need for power factor correction. This function boosts efficiency to 98.5%. Up to eight NXE UPS can be paralleled together to increase capacity or add redundancy. Hot System Expansion (HSE) capability ensures extra units are added without having to switch the entire UPS system to bypass, guaranteeing the critical load is protected at all times. Riello UPS Managing Director Leo Craig commented: “With this latest addition, the NextEnergy range can now protect large- scale systems up to 4 MVA of power. “Thanks to its front to top ventilation and easy front access for maintenance, the NXE can be installed against the wall or even back-to-back, giving data centre operators the flexibility to optimise their valuable floorspace.” The NextEnergy series offers bottom or top cable entry and can also operate either with or without a neutral connection, making it suitable for three- wire installations. It comes with a large 7-inch colour LCD touchscreen display panel and easily integrates with DCIM and remote monitoring software. nNEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 18 TE Connectivity launches Dynamic Series D-2970 Push-In PCB connectors TE Connectivity (TE) is launching the D-2970 Dynamic Series compact wire-to-board PCB connector with field-installable, time-saving push-in clamp termination. The new 5mm pitch PCB connector operates at up to 20 amps and 400 volts at a typical ambient application temperature of 55°C without further derating. It incorporates numerous features to meet strict safety requirements. These include an audible and tactile locking latch to ensure safe mating, a robust housing, contacts that support shock- and vibration-exposed applications, and an IP20 “finger safe” housing that prevents unintended operator contact with live components. The D-2970 also meets the IEC EN 61800-5 standard for adjustable speed electrical power drive systems. The push-in clamp and single-hand-operating center-locking lever – both designed to require no tooling – make it possible to cut mating time by up to 90% compared with connectors using screw-latch locking systems. The centre-locking lever has clear tactile and audible mating feedback. Toolless wire release is also possible, thanks to the 50% lower insertion force, which allows users to release the wire without injuring their fingertips. The D-2970 is available with three different angled male headers, all mating with the same female plug, providing electronics designers flexibility. The initial configuration has three or four positions, which will be extended with versions with anywhere from two to 12 positions. “This new PCB connector family is a powerful addition to our well- known Dynamic Series and is fully equipped to meet our customers’ high standards regarding installation and application safety, also saving valuable process time and application space,” says Product Manager Christian Netsch. The D-2970 will be fully compliant with UL and IEC regulations and extensively tested at UL and VDE certified laboratories, supporting customer approval processes. It uses materials that conform with regulatory requirements such as RohS and Reach, and which obtain a V-0 rating under the UL 94 flammability standard while remaining low-halogen according to IEC EN 61249-2 (the male housing is injection molded in LCP and the female housing is in PBT). It also meets the IEC EN 60335-1 standard for domestic home appliances. “We can describe the goals of our development of this new connector series in two words: safety and efficiency,” says Netsch. “The mechanical design, as well as the chemical base of the housing materials, protects installers and operators and allow a very time-efficient wire installation and space-saving PCB design – finally saving cost for our customers.” Netsch further points out that the strong locking latch allows a small form factor with a header height of under 9mm. “Compared to other PCB connectors with locking features in the market, the D-2970 Series can save valuable space within the cabinet,” he notes. “It provides a width-saving up to 26% for a two-pole connector or 13% for a six-pole connector compared with connectors using side locking. This allows a side-stackable PCB mounting of several headers next to each other.” D-2970 Dynamic Flex Push-In headers are through-hole reflow capable. They are available without the need for a pickup cap, saving waste and are offered in box packaging. Tape and reel packaging is available by request. The header resin is MSL 1 (Moisture Sensitivity Level) compliant, which prevents the soldering component from absorbing any water during shipment, storage and manufacturing, even in high humidity environments. This allows a floor and storage life of at least two years. TE Connectivity expects the Dynamic Series D-2970 Push-In PCB and outlets for PLCs and servo/inverter drives, industrial micro controls, robot control units, and controls in building automation and household appliances. n Ardmac acquires stake in modular builder Cental Ardma has announced that it has taken a significant equity investment in Cental, a leading and fast-growth provider of advanced modular infrastructure to the data centre, utilities and telecoms industries. Established over five years ago, Cental has enjoyed impressive growth to date with annualised revenues of €20m. With this latest strategic investment by Ardmac, the Carlow-based business is now set for further growth and is projecting to double its workforce to 140 people over the next 24 months. The announcement represents a major boost for the local economy in such challenging times. The combined expertise and resources resulting from this development will enhance Ardmac’s capabilities as a leading provider of offsite modular solutions to its clients in the Data Centre, Pharmaceutical, Healthcare and Advanced Manufacturing sectors, whilst opening up new solutions for Commercial Fit-out clients. Commenting on this latest development for Ardmac, Ronan Quinn, CEO for the company, said: “This investment in Cental provides Ardmac with a reputable specialist partner, additional manufacturing capacity and a further foothold in the market for offsite modular construction. In Cental, we now have that crucial manufacturing fabrication infrastructure that provides the expertise and capacity required to deliver complex high value projects offsite and then deliver them to our customer locations. We are very excited to leverage the synergies in place between our two companies.” Brian McGuire CEO of Cental said: “We are delighted to welcome Ardmac as strategic partners. Our combined engineering and management teams will further enhance our already ambitious growth strategy. We look forward to doubling our 70 strong engineering team to deliver this growth, into new and existing vertical and geographical markets.” Cental’s manufacturing capability will support Ardmac’s recently announced agreement with US based Germfree Laboratories, to provide prefabricated turnkey modular cleanrooms and biosafety laboratories to the BioPharma and Healthcare sectors throughout Europe. It also provides a manufacturing base for all other Ardmac modular solutions under one roof. Ardmac’s CEO Ronan Quinn added: “The construction ecosystem of the future will be a more standardised, consolidated and integrated construction process where modular assemblies and entire modular buildings will be much more common. Our recent transactions with Germfree and Cental position us to be a significant provider of such prefabricated solutions for Lifescience and Advanced Manufacturing applications.” nEmtelle completes land purchase to expand facilities Emtelle has acquired 16,000sqm of land located adjacent to its manufacturing plant in Erfurt, Germany. The news follows the manufacturer’s recent investment in its production capabilities with the purchase of two new extrusion lines at the Erfurt manufacturing facility. This latest investment from Emtelle allows for further options of increased manufacturing capacity, increased stock capabilities whilst expanding product testing and customer training facilities. These developments will ultimately strengthen the company’s full offering and enable Emtelle to better serve the global growing demand. With manufacturing facilities in Germany, Denmark and Scotland, Emtelle is already well- placed to supply reliable, high quality fibre and ducted network solutions to over 100 countries across the globe. The new land acquisition further emphasises this and enhances the focus that Emtelle holds on continuously improving service to customers both in the German and global markets. Emtelle Group CEO, Tony Rodgers commented: “As leaders in our field, it is important that we have the space to grow. Acquiring this land means we can do just that. The German market is a growing market for us, so it is imperative we continue to invest and expand our capabilities at our Erfurt factory. This additional land purchase allows us to enhance our facilities, so we remain at the forefront of the FTTXindustry." Since its inception, Emtelle has developed innovative blown fibre and ducted network solutions that allow for a more simple, efficient installation with minimal disruption to effectively connect premises worldwide. This land acquisition follows the progression from Emtelle’s recent investment of more than €30 million in its European factories from 2017 when the acquisition of Moore GmbH took place. n NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 19 Supermicro expands portfolio with fully integrated NVIDIA A100 GPU-powered systems Supermicro Computer has announced two new systems designed for artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning applications that fully leverage the third-generation NVIDIA HGX technology with the new NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPUs as well as full support for the new NVIDIA A100 GPUs across the company’s broad portfolio of 1U, 2U, 4U and 10U GPU servers. NVIDIA A100 is the first elastic, multi-instance GPU that unifies training, inference, HPC, and analytics. “Expanding upon our industry-leading portfolio of GPU systems and NVIDIA HGX-2 system technology, Supermicro is introducing a new 2U system implementing the new NVIDIA HGX A100 4 GPU board (formerly codenamed Redstone) and a new 4U system based on the new NVIDIA HGX A100 8 GPU board (formerly codenamed Delta) delivering 5 PetaFLOPS of AI performance,” said Charles Liang, CEO and president of Supermicro. “As GPU accelerated computing evolves and continues to transform data centres, Supermicro will provide customers the very latest system advancements to help them achieve maximum acceleration at every scale while optimising GPU utilisation. These new systems will significantly boost performance on all accelerated workloads for HPC, data analytics, deep learning training and deep learning inference.” As a balanced data centre platform for HPC and AI applications, Supermicro’s new 2U system leverages the NVIDIA HGX A100 4 GPU board with four direct-attached NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPUs using PCI-E 4.0 for maximum performance and NVIDIA NVLink for high-speed GPU-to-GPU interconnects. This advanced GPU system accelerates compute, networking and storage performance with support for one PCI-E 4.0 x8 and up to four PCI-E 4.0 x16 expansion slots for GPUDirect RDMA high-speed network cards and storage such as InfiniBand HDR, which supports up to 200Gb per second bandwidth. “AI models are exploding in complexity as they take on next-level challenges such as accurate conversational AI, deep recommender systems and personalised medicine,” said Ian Buck, general manager and VP of accelerated computing at NVIDIA. “By implementing the NVIDIA HGX A100 platform into their new servers, Supermicro provides customers the powerful performance and massive scalability that enable researchers to train the most complex AI networks at unprecedented speed.” Optimised for AI and machine learning, Supermicro’s new 4U system supports eight A100 Tensor Core GPUs. The 4U form factor with eight GPUs is ideal for customers that want to scale their deployment as their processing requirements expand. The new 4U system will have one NVIDIA HGX A100 8 GPU board with eight A100 GPUs all-to-all connected with NVIDIA NVSwitch for up to 600GB per second GPU-to-GPU bandwidth and eight expansion slots for GPUDirect RDMA high-speed network cards. Ideal for deep learning training, data centres can use this scale-up platform to create next-gen AI and maximise data scientists’ productivity with support for ten x16 expansion slots. Customers can expect a significant performance boost across Supermicro’s extensive portfolio of 1U, 2U, 4U and 10U multi-GPU servers when they are equipped with the new NVIDIA A100 GPUs. For maximum acceleration, Supermicro’s new A+ GPU system supports up to eight full- height double-wide (or single-wide) GPUs via direct-attach PCI-E 4.0 x16 CPU-to-GPU lanes without any PCI-E switch for the lowest latency and highest bandwidth. The system also supports up to three additional high-performance PCI-E 4.0 expansion slots for a variety of uses, including high-performance networking connectivity up to 100G. An additional AIOM slot supports a Supermicro AIOM card or an OCP 3.0 mezzanine card. nNext >