A COOPERATIVE EFFORT IN GROUNDING & BONDING

Main & West Side Server Room & IDF

TELECOMMUNICATIONS
GROUNDING & BONDING ASSESSMENT

PREPARED FOR

June 8, 2010

Included sites:
San Francisco

The single most cost-effective way to protect your people,

your equipment, and ensure business continuity.
Grounding & Bonding Assessment – Sample Report Confidential Information

c o nt e nts

Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................................3

Project Overview ................................................................................................................................................................4
Project Objectives ............................................................................................................................................................... 4
Assessment Methodology ................................................................................................................................................... 4
PANDUIT Philosophy .............................................................................................................................................................. 5
Project Team and Contact Information .............................................................................................................................. 6
Current-State Assessment ..................................................................................................................................................7
Assessment findings summary table ................................................................................................................................... 8
Detailed assessment findings: Telecommunications Rooms.............................................................................................. 9
Detailed assessment findings: Racks and Cabinets .......................................................................................................... 11
Detailed assessment findings: Active Equipment ............................................................................................................ 12
Best Practices ................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Integrated Facilities and Network Infrastructure .............................................................................................................. 14
Purpose of Telecommunications Bonding Systems .......................................................................................................... 14
The Importance of Standards ........................................................................................................................................... 14
Complete System Bonding ................................................................................................................................................ 15
Recommendations ........................................................................................................................................................... 16
Recommendations summary ............................................................................................................................................ 16
Detailed recommendations: Telecommunications Rooms .............................................................................................. 16
Detailed recommendations: Racks and Cabinets ............................................................................................................. 18
Detailed recommendations: Active Equipment ............................................................................................................... 20
Conclusion........................................................................................................................................................................ 21
Report History and Revisions ............................................................................................................................................ 22
Document Acceptance and Sign-Off ................................................................................................................................. 23
Appendix A: Room-by-Room Analysis .............................................................................................................................. 24
Server Room ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24
Main IDF, “Other Server Room” ........................................................................................................................................ 41
MPOE ................................................................................................................................................................................ 49
Expansion IDF .................................................................................................................................................................... 53
West Side IDF .................................................................................................................................................................... 57

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Grounding & Bonding Assessment – Sample Report Confidential Information

Executive Summary
This report is the result of an assessment of TECHCO Incorporated‟s telecommunications bonding networks
conducted by PANDUIT Global Professional Services in partnership with TCG – Technical Consulting Group on May
st
1 , 2010.

Telecommunications bonding systems are active, functioning networks designed to create a robust path for stray
Voltages and resulting surge currents, allowing them to bypass critical, expensive telecommunications, network, and
computer equipment and safely return to ground. These systems help enterprises maximize network uptime,
maintain system performance, and protect equipment and personnel. Poorly designed or improperly applied
grounding, bonding, and shielding techniques are known to adversely affect network performance and can increase
threats to worker health and safety.

This assessment reports on “current state” practices found in the SAMPLE facilities, highlights best practices for
implementation of a telecommunications bonding network that is reliable, standards compliant, and professional in
appearance, and suggests areas for improvement at SAMPLE‟s site. All suggestions and recommendations are
based on industry standards, best practices, and Panduit engineering expertise and are the professional opinions of
PANDUIT Global Professional Services.

Key Findings:
A detailed assessment of each site can be found in Section III of the report, “Current State Assessment”. An
overview of observed telecommunications bonding practices yields the following:

 Telecommunications Bonding is minimal to non-existent within the Main, and West Side facilities
 Over 62% of evaluated areas and racks have no telecommunications bonding system whatsoever and therefore
are completely out-of-compliance with telecommunications bonding standards
 36% of evaluated areas and racks exhibit minimal compliance with telecommunications bonding standards as a
result of improperly deployed telecommunications bonding systems and components
 Only 2% of evaluated areas, racks, and equipment exhibit proper compliance to telecommunications bonding
standards and best practices

Recommended Practices:
A detailed recommendation of telecommunications bonding system Best Practices can be found in Section IV of the
report, “Recommendations”. Based upon on-site assessments and Panduit experience in telecommunications
bonding best practices, the following recommendations are made:

 Active Equipment: Bond each piece of active network equipment to a grounding strip or grounding bus bar
installed in compliance with US and International grounding requirements
 Racks and Cabinets: Provide a dedicated grounding and bonding system comprised of purpose-built
components (bonded frames, paint-piercing hardware, grounding bards, lugs, ground conductors, etc.) which are
engineered to comply with US and International grounding requirements.
 Each site/area: Deploy a telecommunications bonding solution that meets J-STD-607-A, TIA-942, and IEEE Std
1100TM-2005 (The Emerald Book™) requirements and utilizes UL-Listed or CSA-Certified products.

It is possible to retrofit and remediate existing installations at the TECCHO sites by deploying telecommunications
bonding backbones (TBBs), telecommunications grounding busbars (TGBs), bonding hardware, equipment jumpers,
common bonding network (CBN) jumpers, and other grounding and bonding system components. P ANDUIT offers
robust, standards-compliant telecommunications bonding solutions, provides a network of Panduit certified installers
to perform remediation work, and can evaluate the effectiveness of the site upgrade(s).

The PANDUIT team enjoyed the challenge and opportunity presented by TECHCO Incorporated. PANDUIT and TCG
look forward to working closely with TECHCO on subsequent projects and serving an advisory role where appropriate
on other TECHCO Incorporated physical infrastructure deployments and assessments.

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Grounding & Bonding Assessment – Sample Report Confidential Information

Project Overview
This Telecommunications Bonding Assessment is intended to identify current-state conditions and opportunities for
improvement, if needed, in the telecommunications bonding network(s) and common bonding network(s) for
TECHCO Incorporated‟s Main and West Side facilities located in San Francisco, CA.

Project Objectives
The purpose of the assessment is to determine if the existing telecommunications bonding network(s) conform to
industry standards, best practices, and Panduit recommended deployment methodologies. This assessment includes
an in-depth analysis of each telecommunication area (data center, telecommunications room, or entrance facility) with
a rack-by-rack (or cabinet-by-cabinet) and component-by-component review of the telecommunications bonding
network(s). Panduit will on a best-effort basis take all data communications and telecommunications equipment into
consideration for the assessment. Specifically excluded from the assessment is all Service-Provider (Public Carrier)
equipment, POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) equipment, and any other non-client owned/operated premises
equipment.

The assessment provides:

 Analysis of the current-state of the telecommunications bonding network(s)

 Detailed findings for each type of telecommunications room, entrance facility, and data center area site
 Site-by-site analysis for every telecommunications bonding deployment
 Examination of Telecommunications Bonding standards and best practices
 Gap analysis between bonding best practice and current-state infrastructure capabilities
 Recommendations for remediation to bring the telecommunications bonding network in-line with best practices

The recommendations presented in this document are based upon standards body documents (TIA, EIA, NEMA,
ANSI, IEEE), industry best-practices, and Panduit engineering expertise. Each section of this document focuses on
specific aspects of the overall Telecommunications Bonding Network deployment.

Assessment Methodology
This assessment is based mainly on the information collected on-site by the Panduit Global Professional Services
consultant through direct examination, measurement, and observation of the telecommunications bonding
infrastructure system deployment.

The assessment methodology is comprised of seven (7) key steps:

1. Determine XYZ Corporation top-of-mind issues and scope overall project requirements
2. Conduct pre-assessment discussions and information gathering
3. Perform telecommunication bonding on-site assessment(s)
4. Capture site layouts, critical data, key measurements, and deployment practices
5. Analyze data based on industry standards, best practices, and Panduit expertise
6. Develop recommendations and conclusions
7. Present final report

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th
Initial pre-assessment discussions and information gathering was done via teleconference on September 28 , 2009.
st
The on-site assessment was performed on October 1 . The post-assessment analysis and report was completed on
th
October 26 , 2009.

The resulting analysis and recommendations are not based upon any detailed application specific information or “use
case” scenarios but are primarily focused on conformance with industry standards and Panduit best practices.
Implementation of the recommendations provided in this report will require the services of a Panduit certified installer
(PCI) to perform the actual remediation work.

Philosophy
Unified Physical Infrastructure: A Guiding Vision for a Smarter, Unified Business Foundation

The growing interdependence of systems and applications, and the increased demands that they place on physical
infrastructures, requires the integration of traditionally disparate and proprietary systems. This trend is dramatically
changing infrastructure design, management strategies and effective synchronization of critical systems, opening the
door for seamless convergence and interoperability of all core business systems. Panduit provides flexible, end-to-
end solutions for the physical infrastructure that drive operational and financial advantages, allowing businesses to
minimize risk and heighten agility. Tailored by industry and customized by application, Panduit solutions span the
core systems necessary to transform a business, from data center to facility operations, to next generation intelligent
buildings.

Panduit has developed the industry‟s most comprehensive and holistic approach to a Unified Physical Infrastructure
and can help enterprises align, converge, and optimize critical systems – communication, computing, control, power
and security – to build a smarter, unified business foundation. This approach enables the use of an open standards-
based, service-oriented architecture framework and is designed to deliver tangible infrastructure and business
process improvements for increased functionality, interoperability and manageability of mission critical operations
across the enterprise.

Based upon the Unified Physical Infrastructure vision, Panduit Global Professional Services provides a systematic
approach to Assess, Design, and Maintain critical elements within SAMPLE Corporation‟s physical infrastructure
including the Telecommunications Bonding Network.

Step one is a Bonding Assessment. The bonding assessment evaluates existing or new facilities, collects information
about current or anticipated operations, visually inspects the grounding and bonding deployment practices, and
measures and documents key electrical characteristics. The post-assessment report generates telecommunications
bonding system improvement suggestions to facilitate the equalization of electrical potentials and provide a
supplemental return path for electrical transients.

Step two is Site Remediation. A strategy is formulated for improving the existing telecommunications bonding
network to meet established minimum functionality requirements. Best practice installation advice that meets the
intent of the design standards (J-STD-607-A, TIA-942, and IEEE Std 1100TM-2005) is considered for future
telecommunications bonding systems remediation and expansion. A PANDUIT Certified Installer (PCI) is engaged to
perform the actual site remediation work.

Step three is Lifecycle Management. Periodic “health checks” or re-commissioning services are performed. These
ensure that moves, adds, and changes (MACs) and additional deployments have been performed in a manner
consistent with industry standards and best practices.

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Project Team and Contact Information

This assessment and report would not be possible with the input and contributions of key members of the TECHCO
Incorporated‟s team, the Remediation team, the TCG team, and Panduit Global Professional Services assessment
team. The list of personnel involved in the project and critical to the success of this assessment includes:

Client team Role/Team Phone e-mail

Joe Smith Facilities Manager* 415-222-9999 joe.smith@techco.com

Sally Vasquez Project Lead 408-343-4444 svasquez@remediation.com

Bill George Partner* 415-990-2320 bgeorge@tcongrp.com

Panduit team Role/Team Phone e-mail

Frank Summers On-site Assessor 744-323-2323 frank.summers@groundbond.com

Chris Wilson On-site Assessor 454-222-1234 chris.wilson@groundbond.com

Carlos Ramirez Project Manager 245-787-4888 c.rameirez@groundbond.com

Jonathan Peterson Professional Services Sales 333-676-2145 j.peterson@groundbond.com

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Current State Assessment

This Telecommunications Bonding Assessment surveyed current-state conditions and recorded opportunities for
improvement for the telecommunications bonding network(s) and common bonding network(s) for TECHCO
Incorporated‟s Main and West Side facilities located in San Francisco, CA.

Overall Findings:

 Over 90% of evaluated areas, racks, and equipment have no bonding system whatsoever and therefore are out-
of-compliance with all telecommunications bonding standards
 Under 10% of evaluated areas, racks, and equipment are in minimal compliance as a result of improperly
deployed telecommunications bonding systems and components although some effort has been made to comply
with telecommunications bonding standards and best practices

Assessment Findings Summary

This section uses a graphical nomenclature to categorize the assessment of each focus area of the
Telecommunications Bonding Assessment. The table below lists each area and highlights the overall findings of the
assessment for the given area based upon the following color scheme:

Fully Green is assigned when full conformance to industry standards and best
Complies practices exists and no threat or risk condition is found

Yellow is assigned when partial conformance to industry standards and best

Partially
practices exists and/or a minor threat or lower-level risk condition is found.
Complies
These areas should be remediated and upgraded to best practice.

Red is assigned when little or no conformance to industry standards and best

Does Not
practices exists. This condition represents a major threat and high-level risk
Comply
condition and should be remediated immediately.

Not Assessed Blue is assigned when the particular area was not assessed.

The focus areas are assessed in terms of current-state status and “short-term” opportunities for improvement (i.e.,
remediation to compliance with industry standards and best practices that can be accomplished with limited efforts,
costs, or rework). Findings that may require more extensive changes, substantial rework, or complete redesign in
order to bring the systems into compliance with industry standards and best practices are considered “long-term”
opportunities and will require additional investigations and remediation recommendations beyond the scope of this
assessment.

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 Summary of Telecommunications Bonding Assessment:

Main IDF
Main Server West Side West Side
“Other” Server MPOE
Assessment Area Room Exp. IDF IDF
Room

Does Not Does Not Partially Does Not Does Not

Solid copper grounding busbar(s) present
Comply Comply Complies Comply Comply

Does Not Does Not Does Not Does Not Does Not
Busbar(s) drilled with holes per NEMA standards
Comply Comply Comply Comply Comply

Telecommunications equipment grounded to Partially Partially Partially Partially Partially

busbars within racks or cabinets Complies Complies Complies Complies Complies

Telecommunications racks and cabinets Does Not Does Not Partially Partially Does Not
grounded to busbars Comply Comply Complies Complies Comply
Grounding & Bonding Assessment – Sample Report

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Busbars connected by backbone or Common
Does Not Does Not Does Not Does Not Does Not
Bonding Network of insulated, solid copper cable
Comply Comply Comply Comply Comply
between all closets, rooms, and busbars

Backbone or Common Bonding Network

Does Not Does Not Does Not Partially Does Not
connected to grounding busbar to earth ground
Comply Comply Comply Complies Comply
and structural steel

Bonding conductor cable colored green or Does Not Partially Partially Fully Does Not
appropriately labeled Comply Complies Complies Complies Comply

Does Not Does Not Does Not Does Not Does Not
AC and DC currents at acceptable levels
Comply Comply Comply Comply Comply

DC resistance between rack or cabinet and Partially Partially Partially Partially Partially
bondings at acceptable levels Complies Complies Complies Complies Complies
Confidential Information
Grounding & Bonding Assessment – Sample Report Confidential Information

Detailed Assessment Findings: Telecommunications Rooms

Approximately 98% of TECHCO‟s rooms, racks, and equipment were non-compliant with basic telecommunications
bonding network requirements.

The “Main Server Room” and “Main IDF – Other Server Room” do not have any room-level telecommunications
bonding system or components in place. In these rooms, no telecommunications grounding busbar (TGB) is present
and therefore none of the racks are properly connected to the room-level busbar. In the MPOE Room, the “Main Exp.
IDF Room”, and the “West Side IDF Room”, a telecommunications ground busbar (TGB) does exist; however, in the
“West Side Exp IDF Room” and the “West Side IDF Room”, this TGB is painted-over, prohibiting proper electrical
contact and thus defeating the purpose of the busbar. The busbar in the “MPOE Room” is a proper thickness,
unpainted busbar. However, the absence of pre-drilled NEMA standard holes and the use of 1-hole mechanical lugs
with multiple bonding connectors per lug prevent this deployment from being in full compliance.

Figure 1: Telecommunications Grounding Busbar practices at TECHCO Main Server and IDF rooms showing
painted-over busbar (top left, top right), use of one-hole mechanical lugs (top right, bottom), and absence of
pre-drilled mounting holes throughout.

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Both the Main and West Side rooms use single-hole mechanical lugs throughout. Where deployed, these 1-hole
mechanical lugs do provide a degree of telecommunications bonding but do not represent “best practice” installations
as the industry standards – TIA-607-A and IEEE Standard 1100 – call for two-hole compression-style lugs for all
grounding and bonding terminations.

Figure 2: Telecommunications Bonding Network busbar-to-building steel jumpers improperly installed

using single-hole mechanical lugs. Also note that lugs are attached to painted steel, resulting in no
electrical bonding

Best practices are adhered to in the “MPOE Room”, the “West Side Exp. IDF Room”, and the “Main IDF Room” by
using green jacketed copper conductors where these components are deployed. Conversely, foil strips or other non-
copper-cable conductors are installed in these rooms to act as “bonding” or “grounding” systems. These components
do not conform to any industry standards or best practices and are not capable of carrying the currents and Voltages
found in telecommunications bonding systems. Furthermore, these non-standard conductors can result in a false
sense of security for equipment and personnel protection, giving the appearance of a supplemental bonding system
while being unable to function as such.

In general, the telecommunications bonding network within TECHCO‟s Main and West Side facilities is not labeled,
tagged, or otherwise clearly marked.

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Detailed Assessment Findings: Racks and Cabinets

Approximately 80% of TECHCO‟s racks and cabinets are non-compliant with basic telecommunications bonding
network requirements. The remaining racks and cabinets are in “partial compliance” with industry standards as the
bonding provisions installed do not cover all parts of the rack nor is all equipment in the rack properly bonded to the
rack itself. This effectively allows spurious currents to run across all of the racks, cabinets, and active equipment
instead of isolating the currents and routing them to the bonding network. In situations where the racks themselves
are properly bonding, this measure is often defeated by improper room-level bonding practices, typically by the
absence of a Telecommunications Bonding Busbar (TGB), lack of connection to the busbar, improper termination of
the bonding network jumper (using single-hole mechanical lugs), or the painting-over of bonding system components
so no low-impedance electrical bond could be made. The vast majority of TECHCO‟s racks and cabinets are not
integrally (self) bonded and therefore will require supplement equipment bonding provision via the use of individual
equipment jumpers, rack-level busbars, and bonding network jumpers.

Figure 3: Rack level Telecommunications Bonding Network installation practices in TECHCO Main and West Side
rooms. Non-compliant practices observed include unused single-hole mechanical lug (top left), cage-nut style
mounting points "floating" in painted equipment rack rails (top right), no thread forming screws used for any
equipment mounting points and unmounted equipment (bottom left), and adhesive foil strip “grounding tape” run
on top of rack rail (bottom right)

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Detailed Assessment Findings: Active Equipment

Approximately 88% of TECHCO‟s active equipment (switches, routers, servers, appliances, PBX‟s, MUX‟s, UPS‟s,
etc.) housed in the sites surveyed did not have any form of visible grounding aside from the third conductor on the AC
power supply. Throughout the Main and West Side rooms, the telecommunications and networking equipment is
typically mounted in racks or cabinets that do not have integral self-bonding; therefore, equipment would require a
discrete equipment bonding jumper connecting to a rack-level bonding busbar. These busbars and bonding jumpers
were not present on any of the installed active equipment. Some PBX equipment did have bonding jumpers installed
to the equipment chassis; however, these jumpers remained unterminated and unused.

Figure 4: Active equipment Telecommunications Bonding installation practices in TECHCO Main and West
Side rooms. Practices observed include not using equipment manufacturer provided system ground
attachment pads (top left), un-bonded, un-racked stacked equipment (top right), and not installing
manufacturer provided equipment bonding jumpers (bottom).

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Two pieces of key networking and computing gear – a Cisco Systems Catalyst 6513 switch and an HP C7000 blade
center, both located in the Main Server Room – are placed directly on the floor. There are no provisions for
grounding or bonding this gear to an appropriate telecommunications bonding network. Additionally, there is no cable
management or cabling pathway for this equipment. This represents a significant operational risk as all data cabling
runs are completely unprotected and run haphazardly on the floor.

Figure 5: Critical networking and computing equipment placed on floor in Main Server Room. Note
Cisco Catalyst 6513 switch (top left) and HP C7000 Blade Center (top right, bottom left) not
mounted in any equipment rack and absence of Telecommunications Bonding Network, proper
cable management, cable pathways, or cable patching organization (bottom right).

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Best Practices
The telecommunications bonding system is more than just an insurance policy against a lightning strike or other
surge event. It is an active, functioning system that provides protection for personnel and equipment. The use of
best practices for proper telecommunications bonding deployment is essential for efficient network performance in
telecommunications spaces, computer rooms, and data centers.

Integrated Facilities and Network Infrastructure

Decisions regarding network design and deployment increasingly center on integrating facilities elements with the
networking physical layer. The collective management of these elements, often in the same spaces, allows networks
to meet aggressive uptime goals and scale and expand as required.

A reliable network infrastructure is comprised of sufficient power and cooling capacity, effective telecommunications
bonding and proper grounding of system elements (active and passive), and pathways that route, manage, and
protect electrical and data cabling. Effectively managed cabling also maximizes the accessibility of other facilities
elements by enabling faster moves, adds, and changes (MACs) and by reducing required administration and
maintenance work.

By using robust systems comprised of quality components and materials, deployed according to industry standards
and best practices, network stakeholders can minimize network interruptions and maximize uptime and business
continuity.

Purpose of Telecommunications Bonding Systems

The telecommunications bonding system is an active, functioning network designed to maximize equipment uptime,
maintain system performance, and protect equipment and personnel.

The primary purpose of this system is to create a suitable path for the equalization of stray Voltages and their
resultant surge currents, allowing them to safely return to their source. Lightning, power system fault currents, circuit
switching (motors starting and stopping), activation of surge protection devices, and electrostatic discharges (ESD)
are common causes of transient Voltages and electrical surges.

Poorly designed or improperly implemented grounding, bonding, and shielding techniques often adversely affect the
performance of electronic equipment, from the circuit board level all the way up to and including the overall network
system. IT budgets can be quickly stressed when the additional cost to maintain and replace damaged equipment is
factored in – especially so when maintenance and replacement is due to an easily preventable cause such as
improper grounding and bonding. Moreover, personal injury from electric shock due to lack of grounding and bonding
systems or inappropriately deployed grounding and bonding can cause both immeasurable suffering and significant
expense.

The Importance of Standards

Proper grounding and bonding is essential to minimize or eliminate the detrimental effects of transient Voltages and
electrical surges. Industry standards such as J-STD-607-A, TIA-942, and IEEE Std 1100TM-2005 (The Emerald
Book™) guide the design and deployment of grounding and bonding systems. Use of UL Listed or CSA Certified
products ensures the long term reliability and safety of those products.

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According to these standards, reliable and effective grounding and bonding systems have the following general
characteristics:

1. Intentional design – each connection must be engineered and installed to properly handle the
anticipated surge currents.
2. Bonds all metallic components to the grounding system (e.g., equipment, racks, cabinets, access floors,
ladder racks, cable trays, water pipes, electrical conduit, building steel, etc.).
3. Visually verifiable and generally arranged for ease of inspection and testing.
4. Provides equalization paths and ports for ESD protection wrist straps.
5. Supports the proper operation of surge protection devices for equipment and power circuits.
6. Promotes electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) with the telecommunications closet, entrance facility, or
data center environment.
7. Adheres to all local electrical codes and utilizes components listed with a nationally recognized test lab
(such as Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., or similar).

Complete System Bonding

In addition to the above items, the telecommunications bonding and grounding standards make the following specific
recommendations to ensure that complete system bonding is observed over the entire network:

1. Create electrical continuity throughout the rack or cabinet.

2. Bond equipment and patch panels to the racks or cabinets.
3. Deploy copper telecommunications grounding busbars (TGBs) in each telecommunications room (sized
¼” thick x 2” high x variable length) and copper telecommunications main grounding busbars (TMGBs)
in the telecommunications entrance facility (sized ¼” thick x 4” high x variable length).
4. Each busbar is drilled with rows of holes according to J-STD-607-A for attachment of bolted
compression fittings and should be installed with insulated standoffs. All connections to busbars should
be made with two-hole compression lugs mounted with stainless steel hardware and Belleville washers.
5. Bond each rack or cabinet to a telecommunications grounding busbar (TGB). This may be done via a
conductor known as a telecommunication equipment bonding conductor (TEBC) typically deployed in a
telecommunications closet of via a mesh common bonding network (MCBN) commonly found in
computer rooms and data centers.
6. Bond each telecommunications grounding busbar (TGB) to the AC service panel serving the active
equipment in the telecommunications space or room. Such bonding promotes equalized ground
potential between the power system(s) serving the equipment and the equipment itself.
7. Connect telecommunications grounding busbars (TBGs) with a backbone of insulated solid copper
cable between all telecommunications space and/or rooms. Minimum size requirement is #6 AWG;
#3/0 AWG is required by J-STD-607-A for distances of 20m or more. Connect this backbone to the
telecommunications main grounding busbar (TMGB) in the telecommunications entrance facility, to an
earth ground in the electrical service entrance facility, and to structural steel on each floor of the facility.
8. Deploy proper grounding and bonding elements (e.g., clear covers, ID labeling, green color-coded
conductors, etc.) to aid in visual verification of the system.

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Recommendations Summary
To bring TECHCO Incorporated‟s Main and West Side, San Francisco, CA, telecommunications bonding networks
into conformance with industry standards and best practices, we recommend each room be retrofitted using UL-
Listed products to meet J-STD-607-A, TIA-942, and IEEE Std 1100TM-2005 requirement. For racks and cabinets,
this translates to providing a dedicated bonding system comprised of dedicated bonding network jumpers, busbars,
and paint-piercing hardware. Each piece of active equipment should then be attached to this bonding system via
equipment bonding jumpers and bonding hardware. More specific recommendations for each of these areas – the
telecommunications rooms, racks, and active equipment – are detailed below.

Detailed Recommendations: Telecommunications Rooms

Where deployed, the majority of TECHCO‟s sites currently use single-hole mechanical lugs to make connections with
the telecommunications grounding busbar (TGB). These connectors can easily become loose, leading to faults in the
grounding system. In addition, verification of the integrity of these types of connections requires physically touching
and inspecting them. The single-hole mechanical lugs should be replaced with two-hole compression lugs to ensure
a secure, durable, and low-impedance connection with the telecommunications bonding. All non-compliant
telecommunications grounding busbars (as found in the Main MPOE room, Main Exp. IDF room, and West Side IDF
room) should be replaced with solid copper telecommunications grounding busbars (TGBs) that are 1/4” thick by 2”
high uncoated and unpainted copper. Rooms without a telecommunications grounding busbar (Main Server room
and Main IDF “other server room”) should have a TGB should be installed per industry best practice. These TGBs
must feature rows of holes drilled to NEMA standards. See below illustration for best-practice installation.

Figure 6: Best practice layout and installation for Telecommunications Room bonding network

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The bonding system should be connected with suitable wiring that is consistently sized, terminated, and visually
verifiable to ensure safety and ease of management. Industry standards recommend green or green-with-yellow-
stripe cable jacketing. Additionally, all bonding and grounding connections should be labeled and tagged at both
ends for clear identification and network continuity verification (traceability).

All telecommunications grounding busbars (TGBs) should then be grounded to the Telecommunications Main
Grounding Busbar (TMGB). The TMGB itself should be bonded to uncoated and unpainted building steel and
grounded to the electrical service ground according to J-STD-607-A guidelines. Each TGB within each room should
be bonded to uncoated and unpainted building steel and to the electrical panel serving equipment in the room.

The gauge of the connecting ground/earth cable, known as the Telecommunications Bonding Backbone (TBB) should
follow J-STD-607-A guidelines, as outlined in the table below.

Sizing of the Telecommunications Bonding Backbone (TBB)

TBB Length in Linear meters (feet) TBB Size (AWG)

Less than 4m (13 ft) #6 AWG
4m – 6m (14‟ – 20‟) #4 AWG
6-8 (21-26) #3 AWG
8-10 (27-33) #2 AWG
10-13 (34-41) #1 AWG
13-16 (42-52) #1/0 AWG
16-20 (53-66) #2/0 AWG
Greater than 20 (66) #3/0 AWG

The Telecommunications Bonding Backbone should be routed to each Telecommunications Grounding Busbar in as
straight a path as possible. The TBB should be installed as a continuous conductor, avoiding splices where possible.

As a final note, any metallic component that is part of the telecommunications space, computer room, or data center,
including all electronic equipment, racks, cabinets, ladder racks, enclosures, and cable trays, etc., must be properly
connected to the telecommunications bonding system.

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Detailed Recommendations: Racks and Cabinets

TECHCO Incorporated should install rack-level bonding busbars on all of their equipment racks and ensure that they
are connected directly to the telecommunications bonding network. In addition, they should ensure that all of the
racks are properly bonded using paint-piercing grounding washers. Best practice deployments for cabinet and rack
telecommunications bonding networks are shown in Figure 7, below. Site-by-site recommendations for migrating to
best-practice installation of the telecommunications bonding network can be found in Appendix A.

Figure 7: Best practice deployment of telecommunications bonding network for cabinets and open racks

For the Main and West Side rooms, a Retrofit Cabinet Grounding Kit can be used to ensure proper grounding. The
Retrofit Cabinet Grounding Kit includes a copper busbar that acts as the main collection point before connecting to
the Telecommunications Bonding Network. The busbar can be mounted at the top or the bottom of each rack
depending on the location of the room-level Telecommunications Grounding Busbar. All equipment in the rack
should then be grounded to the busbar using equipment-grounding jumpers as described in “Detailed
Recommendations: Active Equipment”.

The rack-level busbar should then be connected to the telecommunications bonding network utilizing a common
bonding network jumper. PANDUIT‟s retrofit kit includes a #6 AWG cable with one factory installed two-hole
compression lug and hardware to connect to the busbar and one HTAP to connect to the Telecommunications
Bonding Network.

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Figure 8: Best practice deployment of Retrofit Cabinet or Rack Grounding Busbar. Note use of two-hole
compression lug, mounting holes per NEMA standards, and paint-piercing mounting hardware

Figure 9: Best practice deployment for connecting rack or cabinet common bonding network jumper to
Telecommunications Bonding Backbone or Mesh Common Bonding Network via the use of HTAP

In addition to grounding the racks and cabinets, electrostatic discharge (ESD) ports should be mounted on the back
of every rack and cabinet and also on the front of every cabinet. These ESD ports should be mounted at
approximately 48 inches from the floor on both the front and the back of the racks and cabinets. The ESD ports
should be connected directly to the rack or cabinet rail and should be clearly labeled with protection identification
stickers directly above the ESD ports.

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Detailed Recommendations: Active Equipment

All active equipment such as switches, routers, servers, etc., should be bonded to the equipment racks per
manufacturer‟s installation instructions. Grounding of the active equipment is critical as stated by the J-STD-607-A
standard:

“Grounding through the equipment AC (alternating current) power cord does not meet the intent of this
standard. It is intended that the AC power ground path and the telecommunications ground path offer
redundant and specific ground paths for the equipment. While the AC-powered equipment typically has
a power cord that contains a ground wire, the integrity of this path to ground cannot be easily verified.
Rather than relying on the AC power cord ground wire, it is desirable that equipment be grounded in a
verifiable manner as described in this Standard.”

The best strategy to meet the intent of this statement is to use a discreet jumper wire that bonds from a lug mounting
pad (if provided by the manufacturer) on the active equipment and terminates via a two-hole compression lug at a
rack-level busbar. The busbar is then used to provide a visually verifiable, all-copper grounding path.

Figure 10: Best practice deployment of telecommunications bonding for active equipment. Note use of
equipment bonding jumpers featuring two-hole compression lugs (left image) and paint-piercing
equipment mounting screws (right image)

When equipment does not provide a lug mounting pad, the next best option is to bond the equipment mounting
flanges directly to the rack rails. If the equipment mounting flanges are painted or covered in a non-conductive
coating, bonding screws can be used to make this bond (i.e., thread-forming screws with serrations under the head of
the screw will remove coatings from the surface to which they are mounted).

All active equipment in TECHCO‟s facilities should be retrofitted with grounding jumpers that are connected with
thread forming screws to the rack rail.

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Conclusions
An overview of observed telecommunications bonding systems determined that best practices are minimally in use
within TECHCO Incorporated‟s Main and West Side facilities and that significant remediation work will be required to
bring all rooms into compliance with industry standards and best practices. 62% of evaluated areas have no bonding
system whatsoever while the remaining 38% of evaluated areas are in partial compliance with telecommunications
bonding standards as a result of either incomplete telecommunications bonding networks or improperly deployed
systems and components.

To bring all of the Main and West Side facilities telecommunications bonding systems into alignment with industry
standards and best practices, the following remediation should be performed:

 Each room: Deploy a telecommunications bonding solution that meets J-STD-607-A, TIA-942, and IEEE Std
1100TM-2005 (The Emerald Book™) requirements and utilizes UL-Listed or CSA-Certified products.
 Equipment Racks: Provide a dedicated grounding and bonding system comprised of purpose-built components
(rack-level bonding busbar, paint-piercing hardware, lugs, ground conductors, etc.) which are engineered to
comply with US and International grounding requirements.
 Active Equipment: Bond each piece of active network equipment to a grounding bus bar installed in
compliance with US and International grounding requirements

It is possible to retrofit and remediate existing installations at TECHCO „s site by deploying the appropriate
telecommunications bonding network systems and components. To this end, Panduit Global Professional Services
recommends taking the following actions and “next steps”:

 Remediation planning: Develop a detailed remediation plan and inventory of remediation steps and associated
Bill-of-Materials for each site.
 Installation: Install and/or retrofit all telecommunications bonding system components as identified in the
Remediation Plan. All installation work should performed by a PANDUIT Certified Installer (PCI).

 Validation: Verify proper installation of telecommunications bonding networks and components to ensure
quality-of-work and compliance with industry standards and best practices. All verification work should be
performed by personnel certified by Panduit Global Professional Services.

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Appendix A: Room-by-Room Analysis – Main Server Room

Room Layout

P1 P2

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Grounding & Bonding Assessment – Sample Report Confidential Information

Appendix A: Room-by-Room Analysis – Main Server Room

P3 P4

P5 P6

P7 P8

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Grounding & Bonding Assessment – Sample Report Confidential Information

Appendix A: Room-by-Room Analysis – Main Server Room

P9 P10

P11 P12

P13 P14

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Grounding & Bonding Assessment – Sample Report Confidential Information

Appendix A: Room-by-Room Analysis – Main Server Room

P15 P16

P17 P18

P19

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Appendix A: Room-by-Room Analysis – Main Server Room

Room Number / Rack Number: Bay 1 Server Room
Room Type / Rack Type: Telco Room

Initial Assessment Post-remediation Assessment

Remediated
# Item Initial State Notes State Notes
Telecommunications Grounding Busbar (TGB) related items
1 Is a TGB or TMGB present? N/A No room-level busbar
present

2 At the busbar, are: N/A No room-level busbar

1) AC RMS current < 1.0A, and present
2) DC current < 0.5A
3 Are connections to the TGB N/A No room-level busbar
made with two-hole compression present
lugs?
4 Are conductors on the TGB N/A No room-level busbar
labeled as "grounding present
conductors" at the busbar?
5 Can the presence of a N/A No room-level busbar
telecommunications bonding present
backbone be verified?
6 Is the resistance between the N/A No room-level busbar
telecommunications bonding and present
the power grounding systems <
0.2 ohms?
Mesh Common Bonding Network (MCBN) related items
7 Is the MCBN bonded to the N/A No room-level busbar
busbar? present
8 Is the MCBN constructed of fault- N/A No room-level busbar
rated connectors? present
Shielded Data Cable related items
9 Is the potential bewteen the jack N/A No shielded data cables
module and power grounding < in use
1.0 volt?

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Appendix A: Room-by-Room Analysis – Main Server Room

Room Number: Bay 1 Server Room
Rack Number: 9
Description: 4-post rack, no doors

Note: Right and Left determined when looking at cabinet from the front

Initial Assessment Post-remediation Assessment

Remediated
# Issue Initial State Notes State Notes
1 Do the sections of the cabinet 0.5 Ω Sections of the cabinet
have a DC resistance < 0.2 ohm? are not bonded together.
Note in "Remediation Plan" if Opens exist between
busbar is required. cagenut rails and cabinet
frame sections.
2 Is the cabinet bonded to either No No room-level busbar
the MCBN or TGB? present
3 Is electrostatic discharge No No ESD protection
protection present? present
4 Verify that each item in the Not all items See below for details.
cabinet that needs supplemental correctly bonded Cabinet frame members
grounding is bonded correctly. are not bonded together.

Notes:
1. Begin numbering items to be bonded (equipment, shielded patch panels) at the top of the rack
2. Always enter an item description for future identification
3. Itrems requiring bonding: active equipment associated with the IP network, shielded patch panels

Initial Assessment Post-remediation Assessment

Item Remediated
Number Item Description Initial State Notes State Notes
1 Compaq Proliant 0.4 Ω
DL360
2 Compaq Proliant 0.1 Ω
DL360
3 DEVDCW03 Not Bonded Stacked on top of device
below; not secured to
rack.
4 DEVDCW04 Not Bonded Stacked on top of device
below; not secured to
rack.
5 DEVSVL01 Not Bonded Plastic Flanges
6 DEVMAW01 22.2 Ω
7 DEVMAW05 2.1 Ω
8 ATA Storage Not Bonded
9 DEVMAW03 8.4 Ω
10 Compaq LABMAW04 16.0 Ω

11 unknown device 1.2 Ω

12 SFOMTW01, 1.2 Ω
AMB.COM
13 SFOMTW??, 0.1 Ω
AMB.COM
14
15

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