• 2.1.1 DEFINITION
  Telecommunication rooms are special-purpose rooms that house telecommunications equipment and wiring. These rooms have specific requirements due to the nature, size and complexity of the equipment and wiring housed in the room.
  
  
• 2.1.2 SPACE
  There are two different types of telecommunications rooms within a building, each supporting critical functions as part of the building wiring and communications systems. In general, each room must be large enough to accommodate the wiring and equipment, which will be located within them, plus additional space for growth. The two types of rooms are:
  • The Telecommunications Distribution Equipment Room (TDER), Main Distribution Frame (MDF) or Main Cross-connect (MC). MC will be used here. There is normally only one MC per building. This room may serve as what is sometimes called the node room and house Data Switches, Routers, and Telecom related electronic equipment.
  • The Wiring Closet, Intermediate Distribution Frame (IDF), Intermediate Cross-connect (IC), Horizontal Cross-connect or Telecommunications Room (TR). TC will be used here. There is at least one TC per floor. More than one TC per floor is required when the terminated wiring distance between any communications jack and the TC exceeds 295 feet (90 meters).

  The preferable minimum size for a Telecommunication Room is 100 square feet and the preferable dimensions for this room are 10'X10'. In no case shall this room be less than 100 square feet, with the minimum dimension of any side being 8 feet. This room may be shared with telephone equipment, data network equipment and racks. Telecommunications Center shall be contacted for final dimension approval.
  

• 2.1.3 GENERAL
  Project specifications will indicate that Telecommunications Center personnel or its designee are responsible for furnishing, installing and terminating the various types of communications cabling, racks, panels and other items specified in Section 2.
  All work shall comply with the National Electrical Code, Local Building Codes, and the University of Mississippi Facilities Management standards.
  NOTE: Telecommunications rooms may vary according to the size of the building, number of floors, tenancy characteristics and telecommunications services required. Consideration to the future needs of the facility and the end users is a necessity. Telecommunications Center will have final approval on room dimensions.
  Electrical panels, other than those exclusively servicing the telecommunication room in which it is located, are strictly prohibited in telecommunications rooms. Services which are not telecommunication related, shall also be prohibited in these rooms. This includes, but is not limited to, janitorial services, supply storage, departmental storage, etc. There shall never be an exception to these restrictions. Fire alarm and security panels are not permitted in telecommunication rooms.
  A 50 percent growth factor shall be built in and provided in each riser unless otherwise specified; consequently, any cable or conduit work that pertains to telecommunications must be designed and/or approved by Telecommunications Center. Project specifications will include this growth factor.
  To facilitate the proper installation, routing and placement of cables, wires, premise equipment and terminal fields, telecommunication closets shall be located on each floor, as close as possible to the middle of the building and stacked one above the other, unless otherwise instructed or approved by Telecommunications Center. Architects and Engineers must pay special attention to telecommunication closet locations to overcome distance limitations. The total distance of the conduit path, from outlet to the TC or MC, when the MC also serves as a TC, shall not exceed 295 feet (90 meters) including termination loss.
  Every PC or other single device with a network connection must be cabled back to the nearest telecommunications closet in the building. The telecommunication room(s) shall house all and only the equipment directly related to the telecommunications systems and its environmental support systems.
  "As Built" drawings shall be submitted by the project contractor to Telecommunications Center with each job upon acceptance. These drawings will be used by Telecommunications Center and various other University of Mississippi departments.

2.2 REQUIREMENTS

• 2.2.1 GENERAL
  All telecommunications room doors are to be keyed alike and according to the Facilities Management specifications.
  Doorways shall be designed with minimum measurements of 3'-0" by 6'-8" and shall open outward into the corridor.
  Floors shall be sealed concrete or tile, carpet is prohibited.
  Telecommunication rooms shall be located above any threat of flooding. Rooms located in basements shall have floor drains with positive drainage, otherwise sump pumps must be provided. When sump pumps are required, they shall be connected to an emergency power supply.
  Fire rated plywood, 3/4 inch thick, must be mechanically fastened to the walls specified in the project specifications of each Main Cross-connect Room and Telecommunication Closet. The fire rated plywood must be fastened in a way that is easily removable. The fire rated plywood shall be painted with two (2) coats of fire resistant paint of a neutral color. The fire rated plywood is to begin at four (4) inches AFF (above finished floor) and end at 8'-4" AFF.
  The recommended ceiling height is minimum 8'-6". Finished ceilings are not required in telecommunications rooms.
  Install a minimum of 4 (four) 4 inch sleeves between telecommunications rooms, with sleeves extended 4 (four) inches AFF. In buildings with Plenum rated ceilings, EMT multi-cell conduit shall be used to connect telecommunication closets together. Buildings taller than 4 stories shall require an increase in the minimum number of sleeves as follows:
  • 5-8 stories: 8 sleeves floors 1-4 / 4 sleeves floors 5-8
  • 9-12 stories: 12 sleeves floors 1-4 / 8 sleeves floors 5-8 / 4 sleeves floors 9-12
  
  
• 2.2.2 ENVIRONMENT
  All telecommunications rooms shall be environmentally controlled to maintain the room environment at a temperature range of 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, with a relative humidity level of 35 to 75 percent non-conducting, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Telecommunications rooms shall be conditioned with a fresh air exchange of three (3) air changes per hour. If HVAC must be shut down then an exhaust connected to emergency power must be provided to remove heat. Generally the system must remove 7,000 BTU per hour.
  No plumbing, HVAC, or electrical conduit shall pass through or be directly above any telecommunications room.
  
  
• 2.2.3 ELECTRICAL
  Lighting shall be four (4) foot fluorescent type and provide a minimum of 50 FC at 3 feet above the floor and be connected to the emergency generator when available.
  A minimum of two 240V and four double duplex AC outlets must be provided to power telephone system components, computer interfaces, network electronics and other telecommunications requirements. Outlets must be flush when cut through plywood. Outlet locations will be determined during the building design stage.
  Each double duplex outlet shall be connected to a dedicated circuit breaker. Each dedicated electrical circuit shall be 20-amp, 120V, 60 HZ type. All circuits must be tied to an emergency generator when available. All outlets shall be labeled with panel and circuit location.
  All breaker panels are to be labeled and identified to avoid being turned off in error. Breakers servicing the telecommunication room shall be equipped with locking devices to prevent turn off.
  
  
• 2.2.4 GROUNDING
  All telecommunications rooms shall have a grounding bar, which shall be 3 feet long for the TC and 10 feet long for the MC. Both shall be 4 inches wide by 1/4 inch thick with pre drilled NEMA bolt hole sizing and spacing. This bar shall be attached to the main building grounding system with a wire not smaller than #6 AWG copper. The ground wire shall not share the cable tray with communications cabling. It may be installed in a separate conduit, which may be attached to the outside of the communications cabling cable tray.
  Each distribution point shall be grounded to the main building ground, NEC and EIA/TIA 607 requirement shall be followed.
  
  
• 2.2.5 LABELING
  Communications, computer and television conduit is to be clearly identified at every junction box, via a painted section or by use of conduit stickers indicating each conduit run:
  • Green = computer and telephone
  • Yellow = television
  • Orange = fiber optic
  All Telecommunication Closet Frames, Main Cross-connect Frames and connecting blocks must be properly identified by destination.
  All riser cables shall be properly marked with "from and to" indicators. Marker is to be a flat piece of aluminum or wire tied plastic labels. This marking shall be permanent and indicate:
  • The Origination (Cable it is feeding from Main Cross-connect Room #) to,
  • The Destination (Telecommunications room# it is feeding).
  All voice and data cable pairs in riser cables or the entrance cable must be terminated on a connecting block and identified.

2.3 CABLE

• 2.3.1 GENERAL
  NOTE: ALL VOICE, DATA COAXIAL AND ANY COMMUNITION WIRING SHALL BE PLELUM RATED IN ALL AREAS. The use of any PVC wiring used for communication is Prohibited unless approved in writing from the Telecommunication Center and must meet NFPA and NEC standards and codes.
  A 50 percent growth factor shall be built in for riser cable and provided for unless otherwise specified; consequently any cable work that pertains to telecommunications must be designed and/or approved by Telecommunications Center. Project specifications will include this growth factor.
  All riser cables that extend from the Main Cross-connect Room to each Telecommunication Closet must be 100 percent terminated in the Main Cross-connect Room and in each Telecommunication Closet.
  Each telephone and data station cable shall have a minimum of 4 pairs; in some cases, a larger cable may be required. Telecommunications Center will inform its designee or the contractor, via the project specifications, in such cases.
  To facilitate future cable installations, a new pull string, tied off at both ends, shall be installed in conduit simultaneously with the pull-in of cable.
  All installed station communication cables shall be minimum copper 4 pair, 24 AWG UTP, Category 6 (Enhanced), tested to 400 megahertz for voice and data.
  
  
• 2.3.2 VOICE RISER CABLE
  Voice riser cable shall be copper, 24 AWG UTP, category 6. All station and riser cable shall be run through and held in place with D-Rings in telecommunications rooms and/or by use of wiretray. Terminate on 66 CAT5e connecting blocks. Block placement and management backboards/relay rack location will be specified by Telecommunications Center. Designation strips with cable counts and jack ID shall be installed in all cases.
  
  
• 2.3.3 DATA RISER CABLE
  All data riser cable will be optical fiber cable, of either multi-mode and/or single-mode type. In circumstances when optical fiber cable is not practical, category 6, 24 AWG, 25 pair UTP cable shall be installed.


• 2.3.4 FIBER OPTIC RISER
  Fiber optic riser cable shall consist of 12 strands of multi-mode fiber and a second cable consisting of 6 strands of single mode fiber, minimum. Termination in the MC and TC shall be on standard fiber patch panels utilizing ST type connectors. Fiber riser shall be installed in riser-rated inner-duct (3/4" I.D. min). or EMT multi -cell conduit.

2.4 RACKS AND PANELS

• 2.4.1 GENERAL
  Each distribution point on the telecommunication room backboard shall be identified as a building entrance and/or a floor service panel.
  Junction/pull boxes are to be provided on any conduit run longer than 80 feet.
  All voice terminations at the MC will be on standard raised 66 CAT5e connecting blocks, mounted on relay rack or backboards. All data terminations at the TC will be terminated on CAT 6 RJ45 jacks and inserted into QuickPort connecting panels mounted on relay racks. Where space permits, freestanding racks should be installed in the MC and the TC and all terminations should be installed on the racks.

2.5 WIRE DRESS

• 2.5.1 VOICE STATION WIRES
  Drop from the telecommunication cable tray, bundle and route the unshielded voice pair groups to the 66 CAT5e connecting blocks located on the relay rack. Organize and label the cables in sequentially numbered order.
  
  
• 2.5.2 DATA STATION WIRES
  Drop from telecommunications room cable tray, bundle and route to the data patch panel located on the relay rack. Organize and label the cables in serially numbered order.

2.6 VOICE/DATA RACK AND PATCH PANEL

To install network distribution panels and associated equipment use the following installation method.
In TCs and MCs serving as a TC containing data terminations, mount two free standing relay racks in the indicated location. Position the racks to maintain a minimum of three (3) feet clearance from the front of the rack to the front facing room wall and three (3) feet clearance from the rear of the rack to the rear facing room wall. If a row of racks is to be installed in a telecommunications room, maintain a minimum of two (2) foot clearance from the rightmost or leftmost rack to the opposing wall. Anchor racks to the finished floor. Ground the rack to the telecommunications room grounding busbar with #6 AWG copper wire.
Mount the voice network riser blocks in the left most rack starting under the fiber interface unit if one is installed. If no fiber interface unit is installed or to be installed in the future, start at the top. Lay out the voice network blocks in ascending serially numbered order from top left to bottom right.
When data jacks for multiple floors are serviced out of the same TC or MC serving as a TC, the QuickPort panels shall be laid out and labeled as follows:
• One or more 48 port horizontal panels will be dedicated to each floor. Under no circumstances shall more than one floor share a 48 port panel section. Panels will be installed with the top most floor at the top of the rack and then in descending order by floor.
• Additional racks may be required to satisfy this layout. If so, the top most floor will be located in the left most rack starting again from the top of the rack and then in descending order.
• Panel labels shall match the jack labels as described in Section 3.1.2. Each 48 port panel section shall be labeled with the floor code letter.
• The right most rack is reserved for mounting network electronics and support equipment.



• 2.6.1 PUNCH DOWN ON SURFACE MOUNTED BACKBOARDS
  Lay down all station wire pairs in serially numbered order from lowest serial number at the top left most position to the highest serial number at the bottom right position.
  Use 66 CAT5e connecting blocks. Route all cables to be punched down to these blocks starting on the left most edge down to the base of the backboard then over and up to the block dressing the cable under the mounting legs. Fasten the mounting brackets to the plywood backboard with #10 x 3/4 inch Phillips head screws.
  VOICE 4-Pair -- Use 66 CAT5e 100 pair 66 CAT5e blocks. Locate the punch blocks on the plywood wiring surface in the area designated as Voice Station Wires. Set blocks in top/down fashion and butt adjacent to each other when installing left to right. Punch down the four (4) unshielded pairs on the block. Minimum bend radius must meet the cable manufacturer's specifications for category 6 wiring.
  DATA 4-Pair -- Use rack mounted QuickPort patch panels. Punch down the four (4) unshielded pairs on the RJ45 jack.
  NOTE: The blocks/panels for terminating the cable may be located on the floor above or below the floor on which the station jack is located. If this is the case, install panels in top/down fashion. Minimum bend radius must meet the cable manufacturer's specifications for category 6 wiring.
  
  
• 2.6.2 TERMINATIING AND CABLING STANDARDIZED PRODUCTS
  Contact the Telecommunications Center for the equipment required for all installations. Exceptions or substitutions must be approved by Telecommunications Center.