Table of Contents

Site Planning

Site Planning

Warning Before you install, operate, or service the system, read the Site Preparation and Safety Guide. This guide contains important safety information you should know before working with the system.

Note   The information in this chapter applies to all Catalyst 5000 family switches unless otherwise noted.

This chapter describes how to prepare your site for the installation of the switch and contains the following sections:

• Site Environmental Requirements
  
  
• Site Power Requirements
  
  
• System Ground Connection
  
  
• AC Power Connection Guidelines
  
  
• Site Planning Checklist
  
  

For detailed information about cabling requirements, refer to the "Cabling Requirements" section in Chapter 3, "Installing the Supervisor Engine," in the Catalyst 5000 Family Supervisor Engine Installation Guide.

For module-specific network connections, refer to the Catalyst 5000 Family Module Installation Guide.

Note   A site planning checklist is provided at the end of this chapter to help ensure that you complete all site planning activities before you install the switch.

Site Environmental Requirements

Planning a proper location for the switch and the layout of your equipment rack or wiring closet is essential for successful system operation. You should install the switch in an enclosed, secure area, ensuring that only qualified personnel have access to the switch and control of the environment. Equipment placed too close together or inadequately ventilated can cause system overtemperature conditions. In addition, poor equipment placement can make chassis panels inaccessible and difficult to maintain.

The switch operates as a standalone system mounted in a rack in a secure wiring closet. It requires a dry, clean, well-ventilated, and air-conditioned environment. To ensure normal operation, maintain ambient airflow. If the airflow is blocked or restricted, or if the intake air is too warm, an overtemperature condition can occur. The switch environmental monitor can then shut down the system to protect the system components.

To ensure normal operation and avoid unnecessary maintenance, plan your site configuration and prepare your site before installation. After installation, make sure the site maintains an ambient temperature of 0 to 40ºC (32 to 104ºF). It is essential to keep the area around the chassis as free from dust and foreign conductive material (such as metal flakes from nearby construction activity) as is possible. For a description of the environmental monitor and status levels, see Chapter 1, "Product Overview," in the Catalyst 5000 Family Supervisor Engine Installation Guide.

Multiple switches can be rack-mounted with little or no clearance above and below the chassis. However, when mounting a switch in a rack with other equipment, or when placing it on the floor near other equipment, ensure that the exhaust from other equipment does not blow into the intake vent of the chassis.

Cooling air is drawn in through the right side of the chassis. Keep the right side clear of obstructions, including dust and foreign conductive material, and away from the exhaust ports of other equipment.

"Specifications," lists the operating and nonoperating environmental site requirements for the switches. To maintain normal operation and ensure high system availability, maintain an ambient temperature and clean power at your site. The environmental ranges listed in Appendix A are those within which the switch will continue to operate; however, a measurement that approaches the minimum or maximum of a range indicates a potential problem. You can maintain normal operation by anticipating and correcting environmental anomalies before they exceed the maximum operating range.

Site Power Requirements

Note   All Catalyst 5002 models have two nonremovable AC-input or DC-input power supplies.

This section provides site power requirements for the Catalyst 5000 family switches. You should verify site power before installing the switch. Power requirements vary for each Catalyst 5000 family switch—ensure that you verify the site power for the type of switch you are installing. This section consists of the following sections:

• Preinstallation Requirements
  
  
• Catalyst 5500-Specific Power Requirement
  
  
• Power Requirements and Heat Dissipation
  
  

Preinstallation Requirements

Follow these requirements when preparing your site for the switch installation:

• Connect each power supply to separate wiring on a dedicated circuit; provide each power supply with its own branch circuit connection with sufficient overcurrent protection and direct grounding to the branch circuit.
  
  
• In systems configured with the redundant power option, connect each of the two power supplies to a separate input power source. If you fail to do this, your system might be susceptible to total power failure due to a fault in the external wiring or a tripped circuit breaker.
  
• Provide each power supply with the same input power source type, either AC or DC, since redundant power supply input sources must be the same type.
  
  
• To prevent a loss of input power, be sure the total maximum load on each AC circuit supplying the power supplies is within the current ratings of the wiring and breakers.
  
  
• Use care when connecting the switch to the supply circuit so that wiring is not overloaded.
  
  
• In some systems you might use an uninterruptible power source (UPS) to protect against power failures at your site. Avoid UPS types that use ferroresonant technology. These UPS types can become unstable with systems like the Catalyst 5000 family switches, which can have substantial current draw fluctuations due to bursty data traffic patterns. The APC Smart-UPS series products have been used successfully with the Catalyst 5000 family switches.
  
• Ensure each power supply is securely fastened in the chassis before connecting power.
  
  
• Note that the redundant power option provides a second, identical power supply to ensure that power to the chassis continues uninterrupted if one power supply fails or input power on one line fails. The redundant power supply provides this second feature only if the power supplies are connected to separate input lines.
  
  

Note   Install DC-input power supplies in restricted access areas, such as dedicated equipment rooms and equipment closets, in accordance with Articles 110-16, 110-17, and 110-18 of the National Electric Code, ANSI/NFPA 70.

Caution The total maximum load on each AC-input or DC-input power circuit must be within the rating of the wiring and breaker. An overload of input power can result if this requirement is not met.

Note   In Germany only, the electrical rating is 240 VAC and 16A.

Catalyst 5500-Specific Power Requirement

Each Catalyst 5500 AC-input power supply operating at 120 VAC requires a dedicated 20A service and 20A plug and receptacle.

Note   It is not acceptable to power the Catalyst 5500 switch from a 15A line cord because of the safety ratings under which the Catalyst 5500 switch has been certified.

Power Requirements and Heat Dissipation

Use the information in this section to estimate the power requirements and heat dissipation of a Catalyst 5000 family switch based on a given configuration of the switch. The power requirements might be useful for planning the power distribution system needed to support the switch. Heat dissipation is an important consideration for sizing the air conditioning requirements for an installation.

The power and heat associated with a Catalyst 5000 family switch varies based upon the following considerations:

• Chassis type
  
  
• Power supply type
  
  
• Module types and quantities
  
  
• Average switching traffic levels
  
  

Table 3-1 lists the power requirements and heat dissipation information for the Catalyst 5000 family switches. Unless otherwise noted, the information in Table 3-1 assumes worst-case conditions. Typical numbers are approximately 30 percent below the numbers listed here. For modules that are not listed in Table 3-1, use the numbers for the WS-X5010 module as a worst-case estimate. See Table 3-2 for a sample calculation of a switch configuration.

Table 3-2 provides a sample calculation of power and heat dissipation for the following switch configuration:

• Catalyst 5500 chassis (including AC-input power supplies)
  
  
• Two WS-X5509 supervisor engines
  
  
• Three WS-X5010 10BT, 24P, Telco modules
  
  
• Four WS-X5213 10/100BTX, 12P modules
  
  

System Ground Connection

Note   The System Ground Connection must be connected to a suitable ground. The power supply ground connection must also be connected to a suitable ground.

This section describes how to connect a system (earth) ground to the Catalyst 5000 family switches. Two grounding holes are provided on the chassis frame. See Figure 3-1 for the grounding hole location.

Note   The earth ground should be used on both AC- and DC-powered systems.

Required Tools and Equipment

To connect the switch to an earth ground, you need the following tools and materials:

Note   Materials are not provided; contact any commercial cable vendor for the required parts.

• Grounding lug—The grounding lug must have two M4 screw holes.
  
  
• Two M4 (metric) hex-head screws with locking washers.
  
  
• One grounding wire (6 AWG recommended)—The length and the size of the grounding wires depend on the proximity of the switch to proper grounding facilities, national codes, and local codes.
  
  
• Number 2 Phillips head screwdriver.
  
  
• Crimping/wire-stripping tool.
  
  

Connecting the System to the Grounding Pad

You must complete this procedure before connecting system power or turning on the Catalyst 5000 family switch.

To attach the grounding lug and cable to the grounding pad, perform these steps:

Step 2   Insert the stripped end of the grounding wire into the open end of the grounding lug.

Step 3   Use a crimping tool to secure the grounding wire in place in the grounding lug.

Step 4   Locate the grounding pad on the switch (see Figure 3-1).

Step 5   Remove the label that covers the grounding pad.

Step 6   Place the grounding lug against the grounding pad.

Step 7   Insert two screws through the holes in the grounding lug and the grounding pad. Ensure that the grounding lug will not interfere with other switch hardware or rack equipment.

Step 8   Install the locking washers and nuts; tighten them to secure the grounding lug to the grounding pad.

Step 9   Prepare the other end of the grounding wire and connect it to an appropriate grounding point in your site to ensure adequate earth ground for the switch.

AC Power Connection Guidelines

This section provides the guidelines for connecting Catalyst 5000 family AC power supplies to the site power source.

For a list of the nominal and acceptable voltage ranges for source AC power, see "Specifications."

Figure 3-2 shows the different styles of AC-input power plugs that are available for North America and various international locales for Catalyst 5000 series switches, and Catalyst 5002, 5505, and 5509 switches. Figure 3-3 shows the different styles of AC-input power plugs that are available for North America and various international locales for Catalyst 5500 switches.

Table 3-3 lists the AC-input power cord options and Cisco product numbers for Catalyst 5000 series switches, and Catalyst 5002, 5505, and 5509 switches. Make sure you have the correct power cord for your site.Table 3-4 lists the AC-input power cord options and Cisco product numbers for Catalyst 5500 switches.

Site Planning Checklist

Table 3-5 lists the site planning activities that you should perform before installing the Catalyst 5000 family switch. Complete each activity to ensure a successful switch installation.