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Certified Data Centre Professional
Broaden your knowledge beyond network cabling and develop capability across the key components of data centre infrastructure, design and improvement.
Explore CDCP
Data Centre Design & Build
CNCDP®
Certified Network Cabling Design Professional
Comprehensive course covering the design and installation of structured data network cabling systems, technical standards, sub-systems, material calculations, and testing.
Competency Scope
Target Audience & Professional Profile
Network design engineers, cabling project leads, structured cabling installers, and data communication specialists.
Selected Course Benefits
- Produce and review structured cabling designs and material schedules.
- Evaluate routing, testing and acceptance of copper and fibre systems.
- Reduce avoidable cabling-design and installation issues.
For further details on the programme and its benefits, download the CNCDP® brochure.
Course Content
What the CNCDP® Programme Covers
View the detailed topics included in EPI’s Certified Network Cabling Design Professional training programme.
CNCDP® Course Syllabus
Introduction to Structured Cabling System (SCS)
- Brief history of SCS
- Basic copper and fibre transmission
- Copper and fibre cabling
- Single and multimode fibre
- Step/graded index multimode fibre
- Difference between commercial wiring and data centre cabling
- Development of standards
- Role of standards
- ANSI/TIA 568 standard
- Common standards
- The new usage of cabling to support Smart building
Horizontal and Administration - Commercial Building
- Standard diagram recap: ANSI/TIA-568
- Functional elements and example
- Scenario A: Determine the number of work areas
- Scenario B: Determine the number of user locations
- Zone wiring
- Administration: Interconnect and cross-connect
- Angled and flat panels
- Creating a cabling schematic design
- Convert schematic into physical lay-out
- Calculating the material list
Horizontal and Administration - Data Centre
- Standard diagram recap: TIA-942
- Basic/Reduced/Typical data centre setup
- Traditional 3 layers network design/ Spine and Leaf network design
- Select termination hardware
- Administration design
- ToR/EoR/Spine and Leaf cabling design
- Network and cabling resiliency
- Create cabling schematic design for ToR/EoR
- Convert into patch panel/rack layout
- Calculate the material list for ToR/EoR
Building Backbone - Commercial Building
- Backbone diagram
- Calculate the copper backbone requirements per Telecom Room (TR)
- Calculate the fibre backbone requirements per Telecom Room
- Summarize the building backbone requirements
- Recognised cables
- Backbone patch panels
- The maximum backbone distances
- Create cabling schematic design
- Converting the schematic design into patch panel/ rack layout
Building Backbone - Data Centre
- TIA-942 based backbone topology
- TIA-942 backbone requirements
- Recognised backbone cable
- ToR/EoR/Spine and Leaf
- Backbone distance estimation
- Resiliency of backbone cable routes
- Creating cabling schematic design
- Converting the schematic design into patch panel/ rack layout
- Field and Fusion Termination for fibre connectors
- Pre-terminated fibre trunk and copper cables
Architectural Considerations
- ANSI/TIA-569-D Cable pathway and spaces
- Common requirements for the rooms
- Definition of the rooms
- Entrance Room/Demarcation
- Ceiling and floor pathways types
- Cable trays/basket/ladder/conduit
- Inner duct/sleeve/slot
- Calculating pathway size
- Cable run best practices
- Grounding and bonding
- Separation distance requirements for copper cabling to power cabling
- Fire stopping
- Fire rated barrier
- Fire rated jacket cable
Campus / Outdoor Backbone
- Common campus cable installation and cable types : Aerial cable / Direct-buried / Underground in-conduit
- Outdoor cable installation planning
- Lightning / surge protection
- Approved ground for surge protector
- Creating a schematic diagram
- Converting a schematic into a physical layout
Site Inspection and Testing
- Visual site inspection notes
- Installation common issues
- Copper testing standard
- Permanent link / Channel / Patch cord / MPTL testing configuration
- Fibre testing standard
- Tier 1 & 2 certification
- Fibre connectors
- Fibre link definition
- Fibre testing steps
- Fibre inspection and cleaning
- Calibrating the test sets - 3 methods
- Setting up mandrel for testing
- OM3/4/5 fibre testing - Encircled Flux
- Fibre loss budget calculation
- G.657 Bend insensitive fibre
- Optical Time-Domain Reflectometer (OTDR)
User Acceptance and Warranty Program
- User acceptance general procedure
- Basic documentation – Commercial Building
- Basic documentation – Data Centre
- Basic documentation - Testing Reports
- Patching records (database)
- Sample testing
- Operation training
- Warranty program from cabling manufacturer
Daily Operations
- Main tasks in cabling daily operations
- The cabling administration standard
- Typical model for ANSI/TIA-606
- Common causes of cable mess
- Good cable management
- Examples of labels
- Automated Infrastructure Management (AIM)
Other Cabling Considerations
- PoE+ and PoE++
- PoE+ and PoE++ requirements on cabling
- PoE+ and PoE++ arc effect on RJ45 jack
- Fibre + copper cabling
- Industrial Cabling Environments
- Cabling in Industrial use
How to Select a Cabling Manufacturer
- Always use the latest standard cabling
- The importance of end-to-end solution
- Third-party testing certificates
- Special design features/ functions
- Good local support partner/ contractor
Cabling updates on ANSI/TIA-942-C
- Cabling highlights on ANSI/TIA-942-C
- Micro edge data center (μEDC) definition
- Micro edge data center cabling
Curriculum Objectives
Key Learning Outcomes
- Design copper and fibre optic distribution architectures according to international standards
- Calculate conduit, cable tray, and pathway capacity requirements
- Specify and interpret field test procedures (attenuation, return loss, OTDR)
Exam
The exam is a 60-minute closed book exam, with 40 multiple-choice questions. The candidate requires a minimum of 27 correct answers to pass the exam.
Certification & Accreditation
Candidates who successfully pass the exam will receive the official ‘Certified Network Cabling Design Professional’ certificate. The certification is valid for three years after which the student needs to re-certify.
The CNCDP® course is accredited by EXIN, which is a global, independent and not-for-profit accreditation and examination provider.
Where Can CNCDP® Take You Next?