Overview
ISO/IEC TS 22237-5:2018 - "Information technology - Data centre facilities and infrastructures - Part 5: Telecommunications cabling infrastructure" provides requirements and recommendations for telecommunications cabling within data centres. It aligns cabling design and deployment with the availability classifications defined in ISO/IEC TS 22237‑1 and covers cabling for IT networks (e.g., SAN, LAN), facility support systems, monitoring and control, building automation and the associated pathways, spaces and enclosures.
Scope highlights
- Cabling for information technology and network equipment (SAN, LAN)
- General IT cabling to support data centre operations
- Cabling for power distribution monitoring, environmental control and physical security
- Other building automation cabling
- Pathways, spaces, enclosures, racks and cabinets
- Note: Safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements are outside the scope, though guidance may help meet those regulations.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Availability-based design: Cabling topologies and redundancy are specified relative to Availability Classes (per ISO/IEC TS 22237‑1), addressing Class 1 through Class 4 needs for computer-room and ancillary spaces.
- Structured and fixed cabling: Guidance for point-to-point and fixed cabling models, plus generic vs. application-specific cabling approaches for data centre and office areas.
- Pathways and pathway systems: Requirements for external service pathways, internal data centre pathways, floor/ceiling routing, access-floor openings and cable management.
- Racks and cabinets: Dimensional and installation requirements and recommendations for computer room cabinets and racks.
- Documentation and quality: Required documentation, quality plans and recommendations for recording cabling layouts, change control and maintenance.
- Management and operation: Best practices for operation, including automated infrastructure management systems and considerations for fibre optic cabling.
- Energy-efficiency considerations: Informative guidance on reducing energy footprint of cabling infrastructure (annex).
Practical applications and users
This technical specification is practical for:
- Data centre owners and operators (planning, procurement, commissioning)
- Facility managers, ICT managers and project managers
- Architects, building and systems designers working on data centre builds or upgrades
- Infrastructure integrators, cabling contractors, installers and maintainers
Typical uses:
- Designing cabling topologies that meet defined availability targets
- Specifying pathways, racks and cable management for new or refurbished data centres
- Integrating monitoring/control cabling for power, HVAC and security systems
- Preparing documentation, quality plans and operational procedures for cabling maintenance
Related standards
- ISO/IEC TS 22237-1 (General concepts; availability classifications)
- ISO/IEC TS 22237-2 to -7 (Building construction, Power distribution, Environmental control, Security, Management/operational information)
- Relevant standards for EMC and safety (covered by other documents)
Keywords: ISO/IEC TS 22237-5:2018, data centre, telecommunications cabling infrastructure, structured cabling, SAN, LAN, pathways, availability, fibre optic cabling, cable management.