Nikhef Patch Calculator
This tool allows you to easily calculate the appropriate length for the cross-connect required.
Eager to get your ERA-IX port live?
We woke up feeling good and felt like being nice, so we've allowed calculation of distance between any
two racks 😉
Fill in or click on the A and Z side racks of your intended cross-connect and let the program do the rest.
Please take notice of the spare on each side and where you need to be in
each rack for the best results.
You will also be presented with a suggested trajectory for the cross-connect.
H140 Floorplan
Using the calculator
Inputs
- Source Rack
- Commonly called the A-side for the cross-connect.
- Destination Rack
- Commonly called the Z-side for the cross-connect.
- Spare
- How much fiber should (at least) be left on each side, given in centimeters.
Instructions
Fill in your own rack number in the Source Rack field, fill in the remote
rack (you will be provided this rack through a LOA) in the Destination rack. Continue by checking if the
spare length will get you where you need to be in the rack.
Once filled in, click on Compute Length, the tool will perform the calculations necessary to ensure you
get the correct fiber on the first try! Results are rounded up to the nearest 5M increment. On the
floorplan the calculator will also display a suggested route.
Alternatively, you are also able to enter the racks by clicking on them in the floorplan.
Eager to learn more?
Check out these posts on LinkedIn: ERA-IX - Development
Update Elias - Technical Details (Dutch)
About NIKHEF Housing
NIKHEF Housing provides a great environments for networks to establish
themselves and through the availability of over 300 other
networks address their interconnection needs.
For this reason ERA-IX was initially launched
within the facility. NIKHEF Housing is located in the Science Park in Amsterdam, in close vicinity
to other datacenters such as Interxion AMS9, AMS17 and Equinix AM3, AM4. So close in fact that you
should be able to order cross connects from
them towards NIKHEF Housing.
Installing cross-connects
In NIKHEF Housing, customers are free to install their own cross
connects. Free of charge, this is a big advantage compared to their neighbors 😄.
When installing cross-connects please follow instructions provided by staff and adhere to the Nikhef Housing
Cabling Guidelines
When installing a cross-connect to ERA-IX, your patch will be connected on the hot side of our
rack. Your fiber must go down the spillway to enter the rack, be routed through the cable loops on the
right of the rack and enter the pre-cabling from the right.