12/19/2011

Any contractors installing fiber optic and network cabling on a UA Little Rock campus must use the Horizontal Link Cabling worksheet to identify and label cables.

The following information is provided to inform and guide University staff, consultants, contractors, and third-party personnel involved in any actions affecting or impacting UA Little Rock’s telecommunications and network critical physical infrastructure.

Use of this Standard, and those codes and standards referenced within this document, is intended to increase the value of the system owner’s investment in the infrastructure by reducing the labor expense of maintaining the system, by extending the useful economic life of the system, and by providing effective service to users. Adherence will also ensure UA Little Rock is in compliance with national and State of Arkansas legal and regulatory standards, and is capable of supporting UA Little Rock’s mission and vision for growth.

    1. 1 General guidelines
      1. 1.1 Specification of criteria, terms, acronyms and abbreviations
      2. 1.2 Major renovation and new construction
      3. 1.3 Minor renovation and new construction
      4. 1.4 Telecommunications room planning
    2. 2 Codes and standards
      1. 2.1 List of relevant codes and standards
      2. 2.2 Professional workmanship
      3. 2.3 Standards precedence and conflict resolution
      4. 2.4 Applying the standards
    3. 3 Specific guidance
      1. 3.1 General planning guidance for UA Little Rock work areas
      2. 3.2 Cable and wire infrastructure
    4. 4 Documentation
      1. 4.1 Installation, testing, and maintenance records
      2. 4.2 Cable plant records
      3. 4.3 Labeling requirements
    5. 5 Outside plant
      1. 5.1 Tunnels, manholes and duct system requirements
      2. 5.2 Outside plant plan review
      3. 5.3 Funding for cable plant modifications
    6. 6 Quality Assurance standards
      1. 6.1 Infrastructure cable testing and standards
      2. 6.2 Testing documentation
      3. 6.3 Testing standards
      4. 6.4 Cable testing requirements
      5. 6.5 UA Little Rock standardization
      6. 6.6 Warranty and certification
  1. 7 Wireless infrastructure support
    1. 7.1 Wireless Access Point (WAP) installation
    2. 7.2 Appropriate use of wireless networks

1 General guidelines

Information Technology Services is responsible for overseeing installation, maintenance and administration of all UA Little Rock campus telecommunications and network critical physical infrastructure. This responsibility includes ensuring that each building’s infrastructure is planned to support adequate telecommunications rooms, ductwork, cabling and wiring within the buildings, and cabling between buildings to support UA Little Rock’s diverse requirements for voice, data, multi-media, surveillance, electronic control, and monitoring systems.

1.1 Specification of criteria, terms, acronyms and abbreviations

This document conforms to EIA Engineering Publication, EP-7B language used for criteria. Two categories of criteria are specified; mandatory and advisory. Mandatory requirements are designated by the word “shall”. Advisory requirements are designated by the words “should”, “may” or “desirable”, and are used interchangeably in this Standard.

Mandatory criteria generally apply to protection, performance, administration and compatibility. They specify the absolute minimum acceptable requirements. Conformance with the additional advisory criteria of this Standard can be expected to enhance the performance and usability of the cabling infrastructure.

The definitions of terms, acronyms or abbreviations used within this document can be found in the glossary of ANSI/TIA/EIA-606-A.

1.2 Major renovation and new construction

The architect/engineer for major renovation and new construction projects shall work very closely with the end user, Information Technology Services, and Physical Plant during the initial (Schematic, Preliminary) planning stage. Close coordination between the architect/engineer and these departments is essential to protect the university’s initial capital investment and to minimize operating support costs associated with the project. Ensuring requirements are clear and standards are incorporated in the design phase significantly reduces the risk of costly revisions later. These departments are key stakeholders in helping the end user ensure their requirements are understood and met, that applicable codes and standards are appropriately reflected in the design phase, and the resulting project is sustainable over the course of its planned lifecycle.

1.3 Minor renovation and new construction

Information Technology Services personnel shall be consulted during the planning stages of any building construction or building renovation to identify the impact of new uses/requirements on current telecommunications distribution facilities, and assess what needs to be done to accommodate changes in the use of building space.

1.4 Telecommunications room planning

Space for connection of the building communication cable to the outside plant must be provided as a separate room and not shared with other utility services, particularly the electrical service. When possible, this room will not be adjacent to the electrical distribution room.

2 Codes and standards

Information Technology Services recognizes and implements national codes and standards as a means to provide for and administer the critical infrastructure necessary for daily information technology use here at UA Little Rock. Contracted personnel hired to develop designs, perform renovations, construction, or any actions impacting UA Little Rock’s telecommunications and network infrastructure shall be required to adhere to the codes and standards listed in this section.

2.1 List of relevant codes and standards

This document is intended to raise awareness of these codes and standards and to provide additional guidance on their implementation here at UA Little Rock. This Standard does not replace any code, either partially or wholly. The reader shall consult the Authority Having Jurisdiction concerning applicable codes that may impact the use of this Standard. In all cases, the following installation, documentation, component and system industry specifications shall be met or exceeded: