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San Diego Central Library


San Diego’s new Central Library uses a state-of-the-art Optical LAN (OLAN) usig equipment furnished by Tellabs and TE Connectivity.

Use these directions to navigate the slides. Clicking on any small slide leads to a larger version.

The library is a spectacular building from inside and out. We first visited it in Nov. 2012 as guests of Vector Resources, the OLAN installer.

This is completed lobby just after opening. Our second visit was also guided by Vector and the library personnel.

This is one of the main library floors before the cabling was installed. The plywood squares are where the cabling condits are located.

The design was done almost a decade ago but stalled several times for funding issues. So the original design included some things that may seem strange today - like separate wiring systems for phones, LAN, WiFi and TV - and generous telecom closets.

Yep, 66 blocks for telephones, pre VoIP. And the WiFi was designed to be separate, so while all the LAN outlets are on fiber, the WiFi is on UTP. Note the tiny cable trays - there is little UTP here.

Conduit was poured into the floors for cables. When it was designed, this conduit was supposed to carry 8 or more Cat 5 cables. Now it carries a simplex SM fiber cable!

Bob Schuman of Vector Resources shows where a single fiber SM cable will be pulled to connect a switch on modular furniture that will serve 4 users. These poke-throughs are placed on a grid to serve the modular furniture in the building.

Here are more conduits that will carry one simplex SM cable instead of a bundle of Cat 5.

Another closet with small cable trays and fiber ducts. That grounding bar was placed here when a design for regular LANs called for a rack of switches, but this closet will only have a passive PON splitter.

This is the main entrance facility from the street. Fiber comes in here for outside services-there is a splice closure at the bottom center. Note the phone punchdown block!

Here is the lobby of the opened building. WiFi is available thoughout the facility.

This library is HIGH TECH - Does your library have a 3D printer for public use?

Desks with computers are connected to the OLAN.

This is the finished version of that poke-thru we saw earlier as a conduit in a concrete floor.

Under the tables you will find the Tellabs ONTs with 4 Ethernet ports. SM fiber APC SC connectors are at the left.

Several different configurations were used for the tables. This one has a backup power supply.

Looking up to the equipment under another table.

Here you can see two ONTs under a desk with 4 UTP connections to devices.

SM fiber connects other devices in the library too - here to terminals when patrons can check out their own books.

Looking up one can see some of the cables used to connect the WiFi access points.

This is one of the WiFi APs during the construction phase.

This is the library network center. There is an amazingly small amount of equipment here compared to most facilities like this.

This Tellabs OLT handles all the library. It connects to remote splitters on the floors.

Tellabs OLT and patch panel. Remember this can service all 4000 ports in the library!

Even more amazing is the view above - practically emply cable trays - just a few fibers going out to the splitters and work areas.

There are a few Cat 5 cables going to the WiFi APs on this floor, but the rest is fiber.

Ducts protect the fiber cables.

Fiber ducts into the racks.

And a few Cat 5 cables.

All the cables entereing the room.

Looking down from above - missing are all the UTP cables typically hanging over these racks. It’s amazing the difference with an OLAN!