After cringing from looking at how much it cost to fill up my car, that may appear to be a weird thought to have but I can’t help but wonder if technology in the automotive industry had not advanced like it has how much it would have cost me to fill up.

Compared to cars when I was a teenager in the 1970’s, today’s cars are amazing as to how efficient they are. Of course there are exceptions but I remember having a Ford Maverick back then, it was your basic (real basic) economy transportation solution at the time. It had no air conditioning, no power anything. With a six cylinder engine and a 3 speed stick, I got around 20 to 25 miles to the gallon.  Today I drive an Acura with twice as much power, it has about every option I could want and it gets better mileage than the old Maverick.  What caused that to happen?  Higher fuel prices and tighter emission standards forced innovation by the manufacturers in order to keep the industry alive and growing.

Technological innovations were brought into the auto industry to help create a more economical vehicle and meet higher emission requirements. When computers were developed to replace what once was done with mechanical and vacuum devices, things changed substantially for the better.  Not only were car manufacturers able to get much better economy but more power and better emissions as well.  Of course, this took much more time than people had hoped for.

Modern technology constantly keeps improving almost everything in our lives. Sometimes it does not improve fast enough when we see energy prices spiking as in recent days, but over time it does improve.

In a lot of ways, my analogy about the auto industry parallels all the changes taking place in the computer networking world that many of us are involved with today.

Energy costs seem to be the driver of how fast technology that increases efficiency evolves. Like with the auto industry, for many years when energy was relatively cheap there were not a lot of new products that focused on efficiency. Now with this big uptick in power costs and the added interest in being environmentally conscious, products that improve overall operating efficiency are being developed at a rapid pace.

Technological innovation will make real gains not only attainable but also affordable. Having software and hardware products that can monitor control and adjust not only our computers, but our power, cooling and even the building environment itself is enabling much better control of energy which translates into lowering energy bills. Technology is even trickling down to simple basic network switches that sense if ports are not used and turn them off if no device is sensed. I recently bought a new laptop that has an A/C adapter that would turn off when it sensed the battery was charged.  Some of these things may not be big power using devices, but it all adds up.

Even though we are going through a painful period right now in how much we are paying for energy,  I think our industry is really starting to become conscious of just how far we can improve our energy efficiency with not only what technology is available today but products that are being developed for that specific purpose. Innovation will bring about substantial improvements in not only our energy costs but how much we will have improved the environment we work and live in. 

In the data center, efficiency has traditionally has been used to refer to energy. But in reality, energy is just one of the resources consumed by a data center. And energy efficiency, while important, is just one chapter in the larger data center lifecycle story. For example, is a system that offers excellent operating efficiency but can’t accommodate growth or change really that efficient? How about a system that offers small energy efficiency gains but exposes critical IT systems to greater risk?

That’s why a data center efficiency equation should involve design, management, and operation. Of course, data center output is the other side of this formula. A data center that can double its capacity without increasing operating or management costs has been just as successful at improving efficiency as one that cuts costs by half.

Taking advantage of the opportunities outlined in this paper enables IT organizations to more efficiently deploy and use all their resources throughout the life of the data center—including physical space, capital equipment dollars, design and management time, service costs, and, yes, energy.

Areas of Focus

• Density Creates Efficiency
Industry estimates put the cost of building a data center (the building shell and raised floor) at $200-$400 per square foot. By building a data center with 2,500 square feet of raised floor space operating at 20kW per rack versus a data center with 10,000 square feet of raised floor space at 5 kW per rack, the capital savings could reach $1-$3 million. Operational savings are also impressive—about 35% of the cost of cooling the data center is eliminated by the highdensity cooling infrastructure.

• High-density cooling: High-density cooling brings cooling closer to the source of heat through high-efficiency cooling units located near the rack to complement the base room air conditioning. These systems can reduce cooling power consumption by as much as 32% compared to traditional room-only designs. Pumped refrigerant solutions remove heat from the data center more efficiently than air-cooled systems and provide incremental energy savings between 25 and 48% based on kW of cooling capacity per kW of heat load.

• Intelligent aisle containment: The well-established practice of hot/cold aisle alignments sets up another movement—containment. Aisle containment prevents the mixing of hot and cold air to improve cooling efficiency and enable higher densities.

• High-density power distribution: Power distribution has evolved from single-stage to two-stage designs to enable increased density, reduced cabling, and more effective use of data center space.

• Availability
In the race to achieve improved energy efficiency—and, ultimately, cut costs—businesses cannot lose sight of the importance of maintaining—or improving–availability.

• Uninterruptible power supply (UPS): Data center managers should consider the power topology and the availability requirements when selecting a UPS. Enterprise data centers should select double conversion UPS technology for its ability to completely condition power and isolate connected equipment from the power source.
The extra protection that a double conversion UPS affords does come with a small price in terms of efficiency; however, most organizations believe the small amount of energy lost during the conversion is well worth the added protection this process delivers. In addition, newer UPS systems are now available with energy optimization controls that enable users to open and close different components of the UPS based on organizational priorities and operating conditions.

Intelligent paralleling improves the efficiency of redundant UPS systems by deactivating UPS modules that are not required to support the load. In N + 1 UPS configurations, the load is typically evenly distributed across all modules. If a failure occurs, or a module is taken off line for service, the load is redistributed across the remaining modules.

This feature is particularly useful for data centers that experience, extended periods of low demand, such as a corporate data center that is operating at low capacity on weekends and holidays. In this case, it ensures the UPS systems supporting the load are not operating at loads at which they cannot deliver optimum efficiency.

• Economization: Economizers, which use outside air to reduce work required by the cooling system, can be an effective approach to lowering energy consumption if they are properly applied.

• Service: A proactive view of service and preventive maintenance in the data center can deliver additional efficiencies. Making business decisions with the goal of minimizing service-related issues may result in additional expense up front, but it can increase lifecycle costs.

Why is High Definition important?

High Definition cameras are great for viewing details such as a person’s face, a license plate or using a single camera to cover a large area. Megapixel and HD cameras are both high resolution solutions where the signals are delivered differently. People watching TV shows such as CSI Miami see a scene where the investigators commandeer a video camera at a parking garage and are able to see all this amazing detail while sitting back at the crime lab. In reality, this is almost always impossible, especially without the use of High Definition equipment.

What is HD CCTV?

High Definition Closed Circuit Television is a build on the technology initiated for broadcast television. HDCCTV cameras deliver video using SMTPE 292M format, which is based on the HD TV that broadcast stations decided to use for the consumer market in 2009. It is a point to point system that uses coax cable rather than Ethernet cable (cat5e or cat6). The video feed is sent directly from the camera to the video recorder without the use of encoder packets, compression or an existing network (Local or Internet). The recorder will display video without interruption. HDCCTV is a way to deliver the highest quality visual evidence most economically.

How is HDCCTV different from analog?

HDCCTV cameras operate at 720P, which provides almost three times the video resolution of an analog CCTV, and they offer 1080P, providing six times the resolution. In addition HDCCTV systems are progressive, eliminating the flicker and blurring that may occur with conventional analog CCTV systems.

How is HDCCTV different from Megapixel IP?

Megapixel digital cameras deliver high resolution pictures over a networked digital IP infrastructure. The HDCCTV system sends a high resolution digital signal over an analog, coax cable infrastructure. Analog system installations are more familiar in the video security market, and HDCCTV behaves much the same way analog does.

Where HDCCTV is a great choice is for customers that need to upgrade their security system to high resolution but do not have the budget to completely re-wire with Cat5/6 cable. In some cases, it may be a wise choice to get the most out of an existing coax infrastructure that was paid for long ago.

Together, companies including Hitachi, Panasonic, Philips, Silicon Image, Sony, Thomson and Toshiba formed HDMI Licensing, LLC. Today, this group is the agent responsible for licensing the HDMI specification, promoting the HDMI standard and providing education on the benefits of the HDMI specification to adopters, retailers and consumers.

What does HDMI do?

The HDMI specification was developed for the consumer home theater and computer markets and offers significant advantages over existing analog A/V interfaces. It transfers uncompressed, digital format, high-definition video and multi-channel audio over a single cable. It controls signals between components. It treats PCs and home theater components the same, eliminating the need for a converter box. It provides greater resolution, upwards of 1440p. It helps reduce the maze and clutter of existing analog A/V cables. Additionally, HDMI and DVI video signals are identical, allowing a cable to connect to HDMI on one end and DVI on the other.

What are the different versions?

Like all emerging technologies, HDMI has experienced several improvements since it was first introduced. Each permutation has brought with it more capabilities but also has brought confusion along for the ride as well. The versions are assigned a number; the first 1.0, and the most recent 1.4a. Each version of the specification uses the same connectors, but concurrent versions increase the bandwidth and/or capabilities of what can be transmitted. The evolution of the versions is listed below:

HDMI 1.0: Released December 2002
Single-cable digital audio/video connector interface
Maximum data bit rate of 4.9Gbps
Maximum resolution 1080x/60 Hz (UXGA)
Supports 24-bit color depth; palette 17 million colors
Supports up to 192 kHZ audio frequencies
Supports DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio standards

HDMI 1.1: Released May 2004
Improves DVD Audio format support
Provides required content protection metadata

HDMI 1.2: Released August 2005
Adds new connector (HDMI Type A) for PC sources
Support for One Bit Audio, Direct Stream Digital and Super Audio CD (SACD)
Support for low-voltage video cards (e.g. PCI-express cards)

HDMI 1.2a: Released December 2005
Improved testing and certification requirements, fully specifying Consumer Electronic Control (CEC) features, command sets, and CEC compliance tests

HDMI 1.3: Released June 2006
Increases single-link bandwidth to 340 MHz*
Increases maximum data bit rate of 10.2 Gbps
Increases maximum resolution of 2360 x 1440 (1440p)
Supports up to 48-bit color depth; palette 280 trillion colors
Support for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio formats
Implementation of mini-HDMI (Type C) connector for portable devices
Added cable Category 1 (tested up to 74.25 MHz) and Category 2 (tested up to 340 MHz.)
*Required a redesigned cable for higher bandwidths

HDMI 1.3a: Released November 2006
Improved testing and certification requirements
Cable and Sink modifications for Type C connector

HDMI 1.3b: Released March 2007
HDMI 1.3b1: Released November 2007
HDMI 1.3c : Released August 2008
Updated specifications for manufacturer testing of HDMI compliance

HDMI 1.4: Released May 2009
Increases maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 at 24 Hz/25 Hz/30 Hz
Increases maximum resolution of 4096 x 2160 at 24 Hz
Adds HDMI Ethernet Channel (HEC) with 100 Mb/s Ethernet connection allowing connection to Internet-ready devices
Introduces Audio Return Channel
Introduces Micro HDMI Connector
Introduces Automotive Connection
Supports 3D Over HDMI formats including field alternative (interlaced), frame packing (a full resolution top-bottom format), line alternative full, side-by-side half, side-by-side full, 2D + depth, and 2D + depth + graphics + graphics depth (WOWvx)

HDMI 1.4a: Released March 2010
Adds two mandatory 3D broadcast, game and movie content

Adding to the confusion of the capabilities of each new version was the introduction of two main categories of HDMI Cables, standard and high-speed. Category 1 (standard cable) is capable of speeds up to 4.95Gbps and resolutions up to 1080i. Category 2 (high-speed cable) is capable of speeds up to 10.2Gbps and the associated higher resolutions. Additionally it supports deep color, Lossless audio, CEC control, faster refresh rates and other features of HDMI 1.3, and HDMI 1.4.

The founders of HDMI are a forward-looking group. When improving HDMI specifications they take into account the potential support needed for future capabilities and features not yet even designed. Choosing the right HDMI cable depends on the features of the devices to be connected. Keep in mind, if the HDMI cable will be installed in a wall, selecting a higher rated cable will allow for taking advantage of these future features and improvements to HDMI technology, saving the trouble of removing and replacing the cable later.

At Falcon Tech, our reps. are able to answer all of your HDMI questions and help you select the best HDMI products for your installation including cables, switches, splitters, extenders, repeaters, boosters and more.

Easy-to-use, compact and lightweight – this time-saving tester is available at Falcon Tech.  Here’s Larry to show you more:

The money, which is now beginning to flow, is targeted at sparking existing efforts by states, local governments and rural telecom providers to bring DSL, cable modem, fiber optic and fixed wireless services to all Americans.  The FCC issued a national broadband plan last year and particularly noted the need for all schools to have access to online resources.  Nowhere is the challenge greater than in rural communities.  Infrastructure builders and service providers face the obstacles of distance and geography, which makes for an expensive investment per household.

In the 1930s and 40s, FDR’s New Deal brought electricity to many of these same communities that are now anxious to become part of the digital age.  Obama’s promise to connect America is the 21st century version of the New Deal.  This is a problem greater than private industry alone can solve.  Government money and support will help make it happen. Dave Osborn, CEO of Valley Telephone Cooperative Inc. (Texas), in an interview with the Associated Press, stated, “It takes a whole lot of money to serve this (population).  At the end of the day, there’s no way I can spend $14,000 on a line and bill a customer $16 a month. We couldn’t do it without (the federal dollars).”

The opportunity for growth in the data communications industry is tremendous, and the government is ‘in for a penny, in for a pound.’ Falcon Tech can help you meet all of your networking needs and those of our rural communities.  Call today at 1-800-989-7009 or order online at www.falcontech.com.  We also have Live Help online with our technical experts at your service.

Hot keys automatically size, space and format labels allowing for easy printing of pre-formatted labels for wire and cable, terminal blocks, electrical and patch panels, circuit breakers, and vertical and fixed application lengths.  The easy-peel labels use industrial strength adhesives available in five different materials, ensuring your labels will remain stuck and stay legible, even in tough conditions.

Other features and benefits include:

• Battery-life indicator
• Auto shut-off
• Pre-programmed symbol library with industry symbols, punctuation, currency and fractions
• Large multi-label view display
• Large two-line display
• Backlit for poorly-lit installations
• Integrated, slip-resistant rubber grip
• Save/recall > 100 label formats
• Prints Code 39 and Code 128 bar codes on 19mm labels

For more information contact Falcon Tech today at 1-800-989-7009 or try our easy online ordering at www.falcontech.com.

For the data communication and networking infrastructure world, our interest was piqued when Obama conveyed “Within the next five years, we’ll make it possible for businesses to deploy the next generation of high-speed wireless coverage to 98 percent of all Americans. This isn’t just about faster Internet or fewer dropped calls. It’s about connecting every part of America to the digital age. It’s about a rural community in Iowa or Alabama where farmers and small business owners will be able to sell their products all over the world. It’s about a firefighter who can download the design of a burning building onto a handheld device; a student who can take classes with a digital textbook; or a patient who can have face-to-face video chats with her doctor.”

The comment about the firefighter conjured up an image of Jack Bauer from “24,” instantly downloading the entire building schematics of some obscure facility within seconds to his cellphone, but maybe someday sooner than later that technology really will be at our fingertips.  Certainly, the FCC will need to achieve its goal of opening up 300MHz of bandwidth by 2015, to help realize Obama’s vision.  Additionally, there is tremendous opportunity to upgrade and expand existing networks as well as to introduce new network infrastructures.

President Obama’s speech was full of hope and promise.  At Falcon Tech we are equally inspired.  We are ready and able to help your company achieve its networking goals.  Call 1-800-989-7009 today, or check us out online at www.falcontech.com.

The first step is to obtain a LAN Tester, such as the Paladin LAN & A/V Cable-Check or the Paladin LAN ProNavigator™ Tester. These cable testers come with a remote unit allowing you to test the connection of new network cables or troubleshoot a problem in an existing LAN, particularly when the two ends are separated by walls or other obstructions.

The second step is to connect one end of the terminated cable into the main hand held testing unit, and the other end of the terminated cable into the remote testing unit. Some units allow you to run in either manual or automatic mode when testing. If you are working alone, select manual mode and move between the units. If you have an install partner have them monitor the remote unit.

The third and final step is to return to the main testing unit and run a remote testing sequence. You will see lights on the main unit illuminate. Compare these indicator lights with the corresponding lights on the remote unit. This comparison will identify good connections, opens, shorts or cross-connections.

Contact a Falcon Tech rep today at 1-800-989-7009 for all your data communication needs or order online at www.falcontech.com.