Network Media Converter Tutorial

Media converters is usually involved in all types of networks to implement and optimize fiber links. For example, it can be deployed in local area network (LAN) to integrate fiber optic cabling and active equipment into existing copper-based, structured cabling systems while achieving significant cost-savings. Moreover, media converter also plays a significant role in today’s multi-protocol, mixed media network. It has become a flexible and cost-effective networking devices. This article will mainly explain the benefits concerning media converter, as well as its common types and applications.

What Is a Fiber Media Converter

Currently, the most used media converter is a device that functions as transceiver, converting the electrical signal used in copper unshielded twisted pair (UTP) network cabling into light waves used in fiber optic cabling. Media converter is rather essential when fiber optic connectivity is required. This happens when the distance between two network devices exceeds the transmission distance of copper cabling. Media converters enables two network devices with copper ports to be connected over extended distances via fiber optic cabling.

In addition to copper-to-fiber conversion, media converters also provide fiber-to-fiber conversion from multimode fiber to single-mode fiber, and convert a dual fiber link to single fiber using bi-directional (BIDI) data flow. Media converters can also convert between wavelengths for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) applications.

Benefits of Media Conversion Technology

The ever-increasing demand for higher bandwidth and longer distance transmission has made media converter even more important. By allowing the use of fiber when it is needed, and integrating new equipment into existing cabling infrastructure. Media converters provide seamless integration of copper and fiber, and different fiber types in enterprise LAN networks. They support a wide variety of protocols, data rates and media types to create a more reliable and cost-effective network.

Media converter helps to increase network distances by converting UTP to fiber thus to extend fiber links for longer distance data transmission. Which may contribute a lot to maintain investments in existing equipment. Moreover, media converter can also increase the capacity of existing fiber with WDM wavelength when used with multiplexers.

Types of Media Converters

There are a wide range of copper-to-fiber and fiber-to-fiber media converters available that support different network protocols, data rates, cabling and connector types. In this part, we will mainly introduce some of the most commonly used media converters.

Ethernet Copper-to-Fiber Media Converters

Supporting the IEEE 802.3 standard, Ethernet copper-to-fiber media converters provide connectivity for Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet devices. Some converters support 10/100 or 10/100/1000 rate switching, enabling the integration of equipment of different data rates and interface types into one seamless network.

Point-to-Point Applications

A pair of media converters can be used in point-to-point connections that connect two UTP Ethernet switches (or routers, servers, hubs, etc.) via fiber, or to connect UTP devices to workstations and file servers.

Campus Fiber Application

In this application example, 10/100 media converters are installed in a redundant power chassis for high-density fiber distribution from UTP switch equipment (A) at the network core. A UTP workgroup switch (B) is connected via fiber to the network core with a standalone 10/100 media converter. Another 10/100 converter enables fiber connectivity to a PC UTP port in a fiber-to-desktop application (C). An Ethernet switch (D) is connected directly via fiber to the media converter module at the network core.

Serial-to-Fiber Media Converters

Serial-to-fiber converters provide fiber extension for serial protocol copper connections. They can automatically detect the signal baud rate of the connected full-duplex serial device, and support point-to-point and multi-point configurations.

RS-232 Application

RS-232 fiber converters can operate as asynchronous devices, support speeds up to 921,600 baud, and support a wide variety of hardware flow control signals to enable seamless connectivity with most serial devices. In this example, a pair of RS-232 converters provides the serial connection between a PC and terminal server allowing access to multiple data devices via fiber.

RS-485 Application

In this application, a pair of RS-485 converters provides the multi-drop connection between the host equipment and the connected multi-drop devices via fiber.

Fiber-to-Fiber Media Converters

Fiber-to-fiber media converters can provide connectivity between multimode (MM) and single-mode (SM) fiber, between different “power” fiber sources and between dual fiber and single-fiber. In addition, they support conversion from one wavelength to another. Fiber-to-fiber media converters are normally protocol independent and available for Ethernet, and TDM applications.

Multimode to Single-mode Fiber Conversion

Enterprise networks often require conversion from MM to SM fiber, which supports longer distances than MM fiber. Mode conversion is typically required when:

• Lower cost legacy equipment uses MM ports, and connectivity is required to SM equipment,
• A building has MM equipment, while the connection to the service provider is SM,
• MM equipment is in a campus building and SM fiber is used between buildings.

Dual Fiber to Single-Fiber Conversion

Enterprise networks may also require conversion between dual and single-fiber, depending on the type of equipment and the fiber installed in the facility. Single-fiber is single-mode and operates with bi-directional wavelengths, often referred to as BIDI. Typically BIDI single-fiber uses 1310nm and 1550nm wavelengths over the same fiber strand in opposite directions. The development of bi-directional wavelengths over the same fiber strand was the precursor to wavelength division multiplexing.

Conclusion

Simple and robust in design yet cost-effective to deploy, media converters are the best solution for the rapidly growing demand of new networking applications. Besides, they bridge the existing bandwidth gap between the LAN and service provider fiber optic backbone.

First published: http://www.china-cable-suppliers.com/network-media-converter-tutorial.html

Enhance Network Capacity With CWDM Mux/Demux

Advanced networking technologies bring more convenience and flexibility to our lives, as well as the never-ending demand for higher bandwidth and faster transmission rates. To meet these requirements, service providers and network managers are more inclined to seek help from fiber optics. However, as available fiber infrastructure is restricted and to add more fiber is no longer a feasible and economical option, it is hence vital to search for more cost-effective methods to enhance network capacity. Wavelength-divison multiplexing (WDM) is a technology which multiplexes multiple optical signals onto a single fiber by using different wavelengths or colors of light. This technology can greatly reduce the cost of increasing network capacity without having to move a single shovelful of dirt or hang a single new fiber.

CWDM Mux/Demux Overview

There are two types of WDM implementations: dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) and coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM). This article mainly offers CWDM Mux/Demux solutions for promoting network capacity.

CWDM Mux/Demux, short for coarse wavelength division multiplexing multiplexer/demultiplexer, has proved to be a flexible and economical solution which allows for expanding the existing fiber capacity effectively. The CWDM Mux/Demux enables operators to make full use of available fiber bandwidth in local loop and enterprise architectures. It can enhance capacity and increase bandwidth to the maximum over a single or dual fiber cable. Hence, by adopting CWDM Mux/Demux to the networking system, you are able to get other independent data links with less fiber cables required. CWDM Mux/Demux modules are wide from 2 channels to 18 channels in the form of 1RU 19’’ rack chassis.

The CWDM Mux/Demux has a long transmission distance coverage of multiple signals on a single fiber strand. It can support various types of signals such as 3Gbps/HD/SD, AES, DVB-ASI, Ethernet, etc. Furthermore, its ambient operating temperature is from -40℃ to 85℃, which means it is also suitable for outside plant applications. Besides, it requires no powering because of the thermally stable passive optics.

The Functions of CWDM Mux/Demux

CWDM Mux/Demux functions to multiplex or demultiplex multiple wavelengths, which are used on a single fiber link. The difference lies in the wavelengths, which are used. In CWDM space, the 1310-band and the 1550-band are divided into smaller bands, each only 20nm wide. In the multiplex operation, the multiple wavelength bands are combined (muxed) onto a single fiber. In a demultiplex operation, the multiple wavelength bands are separated (demuxed) from a single fiber.

In a hybrid configuration (mux/demux), multiple transmit and receive signals can be combined onto a single fiber. Each signal is assigned a different wavelength. At each end, transmit signals are muxed, while receive signals are demuxed. For example, in a simple full-duplex link, the transmit is assigned the 1530nm wavelength, while the receive signal is assigned the 1550nm wavelength.

CWDM Mux/Demux Product Solution

A CWDM Mux/Demux with up to 18 channels has been introduced to cater for the ever-increasing demand for massive bandwidth and higher capacity. Just as the name indicates, a 18-channel CWDM Mux/Demux can combine up to 18 different wavelength signals from different optical fibers into a single optical fiber, or separates up to 18 different wavelength signals coming from a single optical fiber. FS.COM provides 18-CH CWDM Mux/Demux that is equipped with a monitor port, which is designed to ensure better CWDM network management.

This 18-CH CWDM Mux/Demux modules can multiplex and de-multiplex up to 18 CWDM sources over a single fiber with insertion loss below 4.9dB. It features a monitor port which ensures easy troubleshooting without downtime. Which efficiently contribute to expand the bandwidth of optical communication networks with lower loss and greater distance capacities.

Conclusion

In conclusion, CWDM Mux/Demux technology is a very effective method for overcoming fiber exhaust. Employing CWDM Mux/Demux in your fiber optic network can greatly increase bandwidth without the need to spend capital on new fiber construction projects. It is hence natural that CWDM Mux/Demux is considered as a feasible and economical solution to realize network capacity promotion. With this technology, fiber count is no longer a constraint to most service providers and enterprises.

First published: http://www.fiber-optic-solutions.com/enhance-network-capacity-cwdm-muxdemux.html

How to Choose a Rack Cabinet

It is a commonplace nowadays to employ rack cabinets in data centers and other modern IT installations alike. Humble as the appearance is, rack cabinet actually plays a significant role in security and regulatory compliance, configurability, cooling and efficiency, as well as system availability. Moreover, it also helps to save much more space which is considered to be vital and precious for data centers. In this article, we will discuss how to choose a right rack cabinet that better fit your expectation.

What Is Rack Cabinet?

A rack cabinet is a closed frame, specifically designed for holding monitors, servers, various networking equipment, electronic components, measuring instruments and other similar devices. Most commonly, the rack cabinets are installed for storing network equipment and servers. The rack cabinets provide an easy access to the networking equipment while enabling airflow, and they keep the working space well-organized.

Rack cabinets are widely and intensively adopted to server rooms and data centers, audio/video installations, closets housing telecommunications equipment, and industrial environments such as a factory floor.

Common Types and Sizes of Rack Cabinet

Basically, there exist two types of rack cabinets in terms of different working conditions and requirements: floor standing rack cabinet and wall mount rack cabinet. If access control and equipment protection are important to you, floor standing rack cabinet is proved to be a desirable choice. While wall mount rack cabinet are ideal for securely housing IT equipment in classrooms or sites with limited floor space.

“Rack unit” is used to describe the height of a rack and the height of equipment in it. (a rack unit is 1.75 inches, or 44.45 mm). The actual height of a 42U rack is therefore 42 x 1.75 = 73.5 inches. A 2U server would occupy two of the available 42 rack units.

Since the rack cabinet come in different sizes, when choosing a specified rack for your infrastructure you should at least take two factors into consideration: type of equipment to be stored inside and amount of space that is required. Be sure to make an accurate assessment of the amount of rack space you currently need, and allow for future growth.

In addition, before installing the rack cabinet, you need to make sure that the equipment to be placed in will match the rack cabinet. So the maximum rack depth required to mount your equipment should be taken into account. The rack depth of floor standing and wall mount rack cabinet is different, which will be explained in the following diagram.

Floor standing rack depth designation

Rack	Depth (in.)	Ideal for...
Shallow	27	A/V equipment, limited space
Mid-depth	31	Limited space
Standard	37	Servers
Deep	42	Extra cables, improved airflow

Wall mount rack depth designation

Rack	Depth (in.)	Ideal for...
Patch-depth	< 16	Patch panels
Switch-depth	16-23.99	Switches
UPS-depth	24-31.99	UPS systems
Server-depth	> 32	Servers

Benefits of Good Rack Cabinets

In terms of the benefits that every rack cabinet should provide, basically there are three main advantages:

Security—because the front and rear doors and side panels on most rack cabinets can be locked, access to equipment and sensitive data can be managed and controlled.

Great cooling flexibility—heat-sensitive equipment such as servers is isolated inside rack cabinets, allowing for more control over both active and passive airflow/cooling management.

Equipment protection from harsh environments—if your rack and equipment is going to be in harsh environments where dust, water and other debris could damage your equipment, a rack cabinet that protects equipment from the elements is for you.

Conclusion

IT infrastructure continues to expand and the need to organize, secure and cool servers, routers, hubs and PDUs is continuously increasing. Meanwhile, conserving space for future growth becomes more critical. All of these make rack cabinets an essential application in cutting-edge data center worldwide. I hope what we discussed above would assist you when you’re looking to purchase a rack to mount your servers and other network equipment.

First published: http://www.fiber-optic-components.com/how-to-choose-a-rack-cabinet.html

How to Achieve Efficient High Density Cable Management

For some data center professionals, organizing cables and devices with high density enclosures can be a stressful and time-consuming chore. However, one can never ignore or underestimate the importance of the structured and organized cabling system. Fortunately, thanks to the flexibility of new enclosure designs, a standard for organizing enclosure space, as well as power and data cables can be easily implemented. In this article, we will explain the significance and benefits of efficient high density cable management and provide a five-step guidance towards how to achieve this goal.

Why High Density Cable Management Matters?

Data center managers and operators may have realized the fact that crowded enclosure and cable mess would pose potential threat to overall network reliability, not only on efficiency and uptime, but also on the overall look and feel of the data centers. It is generally accepted that data center efficiency is driven by energy consumption, which is closely related to the structure and organization of the cables in each enclosure. Therefore, cable management in high density cable environment plays a significant role in determining whether the network can operate smoothly and efficiently. In addition to that, the overall appearance and circumstance of your cabling system generally indicates the cleanliness and professionalism of the entire data center.

Benefits of High Density Cable Management

After talking about the necessities and importance of managing equipment and cabling inside of the enclosure. Let’s move to what we are supposed to benefit from an organized and optimized high density cabling system.

Proper management of high density data and power cabling within an enclosure will deliver various benefits that will enhance your system availability and improve your bottom line.

Reduced signal interference—the elimination of crosstalk and interference between cables will enhance system performance.

Improved maintenance and serviceability—easier access to internal rack components reduces maintenance time and improves safety.

Cooler performance—cooling efficiency within the rack is enhanced thanks to proper positioning of cables to avoid air flow blockage.

A roadmap for growth—effective cable management solutions provide the ability to scale and adapt to changes in the IT infrastructure while minimizing service time.

Five Steps for Efficient High Density Cable Management

In this part, we will illustrate five essential steps for facilitating the goals of improved and efficient high density cable management.

Step 1. Plan for higher density

In most cases, two distinct enclosure configuration scenarios can be adopted to high density cabling system. The first consists of an enclosure populated with 1U / 2U servers. The second consists of an enclosure with blade servers. So firstly, an appropriate enclosure environment needs to be assessed. When planning, the first element to consider is whether any of the existing data center enclosures are suitable candidates for hosting higher densities.

Step 2. Calculate enclosure power requirement

Before deploying the specific kind of fiber enclosure, one must determine the maximum power required per enclosure. The estimated power requirement will dictate the particular input power cord and plug configurations needed for the enclosure. All PDUs should have the ability to meter the input current at the branch circuit breakers. This allows the user to determine whether the circuit is approaching the maximum capacity or whether imminent danger of a circuit breaker tripping exists.

Step 3. Select proper enclosure size

For higher density situations, an enclosure either wider than the 24 inch (600 mm) or deeper than the 42 inch (1070 mm) is chosen to provide the space needed for organizing additional data and power cables inside the enclosure. Wider enclosures are now considered a logical choice for higher density server applications. Overall, the wider enclosure provides the most flexibility for equipment and cable organization. Deeper enclosures become an option when the uniqueness of the floor layout dictates a deeper rather than a wider enclosure or when more than two rack PDUs are required.

Step 4. Implement smart cable management

The most effective method for managing cables in high density environments is to implement patch panels or switches dedicated to cabling for a particular row of enclosures. These patch panels or small switches will be terminated back to the core switch or router feeding its section of the data center. The core switch is typically located in another enclosure. This approach is effective because it separates the cabling inside the enclosure from the rest of the data center cable load.

Step 5. Organize for efficient cooling

A simple solution is to install airflow management blanking panels to cover all unused U spaces. Airflow management blanking panels are tool-less and quick and easy to install. In addition, many enclosures have cutouts or other features to route cables from the front to the rear of the enclosure. If these air management features are unused, they can introduce access paths for hot air to enter and circulate inside the enclosure. These cutouts must be closed with panels or grommets to optimize for high density air flow patterns.

Conclusion

Today’s high density rack-based IT server and switching installations provides higher and higher levels of performance and capacity. Therefore, to achieve efficient high density cable management becomes even more important since massive cable must be managed within these tightly spaced rack environments. Hope the five steps we mentioned above could help to manage and optimize your cables and infrastructures.

First published: http://www.china-cable-suppliers.com/how-to-achieve-efficient-high-density-cable-management.html

High-Density MTP/MPO Connectivity Solution

Currently, migration to 40G/100G network has become the popularized and irresistible tendency for data center cabling system. Which brings the quest for greater bandwidth and higher density fiber optic connectivity within data centers and optical networks. Then, how to make a balance between high capacity and low power consumption is a major challenge. Fortunately, MTP/MPO cabling technology offers a constructive and reliable solution to achieve better network performance. This article will introduce some essential components in MTP/MPO cabling solution.

MTP/MPO Trunk Cable

MTP/MPO trunk cables connect MTP/MPO modules together as a permanent link. The trunk cables are available with 12, 24, 48 and 72 fibers. They are typically adopted to interconnect cassettes, panels or ruggedized MPO fan-outs, and to facilitate rapid deployment of high-density backbone cabling in data centers and other high fiber environments. Besides, MTP/MPO also provide much flexibility and convenience once you have to change the connector style in the patch panels. Instead of changing the connector on the cable trunk, just installing a new cassettes with the new connector style on the cross-connect side of the patch panel. The merits of MTP/MPO trunk cable generally include:

• High quality—MTP/MPO trunk cables are factory pre-terminated, tested and packaged along with the test reports. These reports serve as long-term documentation and quality control.
• Decreasing cable volume—MTP/MPO trunk cables have very small diameters, which decrease the cable volume and improve the air-conditioning conditions in data centers.
• Time saving—With the special plug and play design, MTP/MPO trunk cables can be incorporated and immediately plugged in. It greatly helps reduce the installation time.

MTP/MPO Harness Cable

MTP/MPO harness cables provide a transition from multi-fiber cables to individual fibers or duplex connectors. Known as MTP/MPO breakout cable or MTP/MPO fan-out cable as well, it has a single MTP connector on one end that breaks out into 6 or 12 connectors, and these connector types can be LC, SC, ST, etc. It’s available in 4, 6, 8, or 12 fiber ribbon configurations with lengths about 10, 20, 30 meters and other customized lengths. MTP/MPO harness cable provides a reliable, cost-effective cabling system for migrating from legacy 10G to higher speed 40G/100G Ethernet. The following are the advantages of MTP/MPO harness cable:

• Space saving—The active equipment and backbone cable are good for saving space.
• Easy deployment—Factory terminated system saves installation and network reconfiguration time.
• Reliability—High standard components are used in the manufacturing process to guarantee the product quality.

MTP/MPO Cassette

MTP/MPO cassette is the kind of module that allows for rapid deployment of high-density data center infrastructure as well as improved troubleshooting and reconfiguration during moves, adds and changes. Which is proved to be time and energy saving as well as cost efficient. Moreover, it enables users to take the fibers brought by a trunk cable and distribute them to a duplex cable. The MTP/MPO cassette modules are fitted with 12 or 24 fibers and have LC, SC or E2000 adapters on the front side and MTP/MPO at the rear.

MTP/MPO cassette features optimized performance with low insertion losses and power penalties, high-density and MTP/MPO interface of superior optical and mechanical properties.

MTP/MPO Fiber Adapter Panel

To efficiently handle the cabling congestion problem associated with 40G/100G network connections, employing a high-density fiber patch panel is proved to be an ideal choice. MTP/MPO fiber adapter panel is designed to assure flexibility and ease of network deployment and facilitate migration from 10G to 40/100G infrastructure. It is used in high-density network applications for cross connects in main distribution, horizontal distribution, and equipment distribution areas. MTP/MPO fiber adapter panel ensures efficient use of space, quick deployment and the highest reliability for the lowest installed cost. Which in turn provide a high return on investment.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that MTP/MPO cabling system indeed offers an ideal solution for high-density network infrastructures, which helps to ease the difficulties of migration to 40/100G network. FS.COM provides a wide range of MTP/MPO solutions and tutorials, for more detailed information, please visit www.fs.com.

First published: http://www.fiber-optic-solutions.com/high-density-mtpmpo-connectivity-solution-2.html

Fiber Termination Box Overview

Fiber termination box (FTB), known as optical termination box (OTB) as well, is a compact fiber management product of small size. It is widely adopted in FTTx cabling for both fiber cabling and cable management. In some circumstances, fiber termination box can be regarded as the mini size of fiber optic patch panel and optical distribution frame (ODF).

Fiber Termination Box Classification

Currently, the market embraces a great amount of fiber optic termination boxes and other devices for cable management. And the names and model numbers of these fiber termination boxes vary from the design and idea of different manufacturers. Hence to identify the detailed classification of fiber termination box could be a hard task.

Roughly, fiber termination box can be categorized as fiber optic patch panel and fiber terminal box according to the size and applications. Judging by the appearance, fiber patch panel is of gibber size whereas fiber terminal box is smaller.

Fiber Patch Panels

Fiber patch panels are of wall mounted type or mounted type usually with 19 inch size. Generally, there is a tray inside the fiber box that helps to hold and protect the fiber links. Various different kinds of fiber optic adapters can be pre-installed in fiber patch panels as the interface, via which the fiber box could connect with the external devices.

Fiber Terminal Boxes

Besides fiber patch panels, one can also count on fiber terminal boxes for fiber distribution and organization. While typical fiber terminal boxes are with 12 ports or 24 ports, 8 ports, 36 ports, 48 ports and 96 ports fiber are available in the markets now. They are often installed with FC or ST adapters on the panel, either on the wall or put in horizontal line.

According to the design, FTB can be further divided into wall mount type and rack mount type.

The wall mount fiber termination boxes are designed for either pre-connectorized cables, field installation of connectors, or field splicing of pigtails. They offer an ideal solution for building entrance terminals, telecommunication closets, main cross-connects, computer rooms and other controlled environments.

The rack mount slide-out type fiber termination box usually for fiber splicing, distribution, termination, patching, storage and management in one unit. They support both cross-connect and interconnect architecture, and provide interfaces between outside plant cables and transmission equipment.

Moreover, in terms of installation environment, there are indoor FTB and outdoor FTB.

Indoor fiber termination box acts as the transition point between the risen cable and the horizontal cable, in this way, it provides operators much more flexibility when managing cables. Besides, indoor FTB makes it possible to leave space for overlength and terminated fibers, as well as for fiber splicing.

The outdoor fiber terminal boxes are environmentally sealed enclosures to distribute fibers for FTTX networks. They are also designed for fiber splicing, termination, and cable management.

Features of Fiber Termination Box

Fiber termination box contains the shell, the internals (supporting frame, set fiber disc, fixing device) and optical fiber joint protective element. Prominent advantages of fiber termination box lie in efficient cable-fixing, welding and its protective role in machinery of the optical fiber.

A insulation is always demanded between cable metal components and cable terminal box shell in a fiber termination box, which provides space for cable terminal and remained fiber storage. In addition, fiber termination box also facilitate the installation of different occasions since it is easy to access, which turns out to be time and cost saving.

Fiber Termination Box Application

Fiber termination box is universally used in telephone, agricultural telephone network system, data and image transmission system, CATV cable television series, indoor cable through force access and branch connection. Fiber termination box is available for the distribution and termination connection for various kinds of fiber optic systems, especially suitable for mini-network terminal distribution, in which the optical cables, patch cores or pigtails are connected. In addition to that, fiber termination box can be applied to joint fiber pigtail, protect fiber optic splices and share out the connectivity to individual customers.

Conclusion

Fiber termination box nowadays plays an indispensable role in the field of communication network with greater reliability and flexibility. This article may simply provide you a guideline when choosing fiber termination box for your infrastructure, for more detailed information and tutorial, please visit www.fs.com.

First published: http://www.fiber-optic-components.com/fiber-termination-box-overview.html

Connectivity Solution for 10 Gigabit Ethernet

It is undeniable that 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) has become a commonplace for current network backbones, data centers, and server farms to support high-bandwidth, mission-critical applications. And with the continuous advancement and improvement in 10GbE technology, its influence and reach have extended to midmarket networks, for the purpose of ensuring faster data transmission and better network performance. Then, how to achieve an efficient and smooth 10GbE deployment? Let’s start from the most basic element: the connectivity solution for 10 GbE.

Necessities to Deploy 10 Gigabit Ethernet

Unlike in the past, nowadays the evolvement and maturation of Ethernet technology already made 10 GbE an desirable and much affordable choice with higher performance at lower costs. And there exists a distinct need for 10 GbE in network communication. The ever-increasing applications require considerable bandwidth to support the transfer and streaming of large data, video and audio files. Besides, since the network technologies develops rapidly and dramatically, companies must concern about their current infrastructure’s ability to keep pace. Moreover, re-cabling a network can be money consuming, thus organizations should take precautions to ensure their cabling systems can perform well in the long run.

10 GbE generally contains various advantages that would cater for the never-ending requirement of the service providers. Firstly, 10 GbE provides the very best assurance for being able to support forthcoming technologies and delivers utmost investment protection. And 10 GbE is an ideal technology to move large amounts of data quickly. The bandwidth it provides in conjunction with server consolidation is highly advantageous for Web caching, real-time application response, parallel processing and storage. Besides, 10GbE campus backbone establishment is a one-time expense that can provide significant cost savings when compared to monthly communications link bills.

Cabling Choices for 10 Gigabit Ethernet

Since you have decided to implement 10GbE technology, the next step is to consider the data carrying techniques that facilitate such bandwidth. Copper and fiber cabling serve as the prominent method for data transmission, and each of them has their own advantages and drawbacks.

Fiber Cabling Choice

Fiber optic cable is often employed in remote campus connectivity, crowded wiring closets, long-distance communications and environments that need protection from interference, such as manufacturing areas. Since it is very reliable and less susceptible to attenuation, it is optimum for sending data beyond 100 meters. However, fiber is also more costly and its use is typically limited to those applications that demand it. The following diagram summarize the standard fiber cables applicable to 10 Gigabit Ethernet.

Multi-mode fiber	62.5/125µm (OM1 grade) fiber	Previous industry standard
	50/125µm (OM2 grade) fiber	Previous industry standard
	50/125µm (OM3 grade) fiber	Current industry standard (new installations)
Single-mode fiber	9/125µm fiber	Current industry standard

Copper Cabling Choice

Copper serves as the standard for transmitting data between devices due to its low cost, east installation and flexibility. However, the working distance of copper is limited in short length, typically 100 meters or less. Besides, bundling copper cabling would result in interference, thus make it difficult to employ as a comprehensive backbone. Therefore, copper cabling is often used in communication among PCs and LANs. The following diagram provides copper cabling options for 10 Gigabit Ethernet.

Media	Copper cable	Range (max)	Average latency
CX4	Twin-ax copper	15m (49ft)	0.1 µs	IEEE.802.3ak-2004
SFP+ Direct Attach	Twin-ax copper SFP+CU	10m (33ft)	0.1 µs	MSA.SFF-8431.housing
10GBase-T	Twisted pair CAT6 RJ45	30m (98ft)-50m (164ft)	>1.5 µs	IEEE.802.3an-2006
	Twisted pair CAT6a RJ45	100m (98ft)	>1 µs
	Twisted pair CAT7 GG45	100m (98ft)	>1 µs

Transceiver Module for 10 Gigabit Ethernet

In addition to the cabling choice, service providers should also pay attention to the devices that connect their cabling to their network. Transceivers provide the interface between the equipment sending and receiving data and the cabling transporting it. There are various transceivers available to match each gigabit standard.

10 GbE has four defined transceiver types. These transceivers are the result of MultiSource Agreements (MSAs) that enable vendors to produce 802.3ae-compliant pluggable transceivers. The four types are:

• XENPAK—the first 10GbE pluggable transceivers on the market to support the 802.3ae standard transmission optics. They are large, bulky and used mainly in LAN switches. These transceivers are “hot pluggable” and support the new 802.3ak copper standard with vendors now producing transceivers to connect CX4 cables.
• X2—the smaller brother of the XENPAK pluggable transceivers, the X2 form factor is about 2/3 the size of the XENPAK. With the same “hot pluggable” specifications and supporting all the 10GbE standards (including copper), the X2 form factor allows for more port density on switches. X2 provides customers with a strong sense of assurance that this technology is the best choice for today and will have strong vendor support.
• XFP—the newest pluggable transceiver on the market, XFP is the closest in size to the SFP pluggable transceiver now used for gigabit technology. The XFP form factor will allow switch vendors to increase port density in a smaller area for cost savings.
• SFP+ —SFP+ transceiver is designed on the consideration to increase the capacity of the existing SFP. For many customers, the possibility of achieving 10G speeds and a mechanical form factor that allows 1G or 10G to reside in the same footprint, might prove attractive.

XENPACK	Large form factor	Previous industry standard
X2 (XPACK)	Smaller form factor than XENPACK	Previous industry standard
XFP	Smaller form factor than X2	Current industry standard
SFP+	Smallest form factor	Current industry standard

Conclusion

10 Gigabit Ethernet is becoming the prevalent technology which is used to upgrade networks and support bandwidth-intensive applications. Companies and organizations should have a solid  and comprehensive understanding of 10GbE technology before deploying it. Which would help to develop a sound migration and cabling method and surely benefit from 10 Gigabit Ethernet in the long run.

First published: http://www.china-cable-suppliers.com/connectivity-solution-for-10-gigabit-ethernet.html

Comparison of FBT and PLC Fiber Optic Splitters

The past few years have witnessed a great leap in advancements of fiber optic communication technologies, these progresses are made to cater to the ever accelerating demand for better and more efficient optical performances. Fiber optic splitter, which plays a significant role in optical networks by allowing signals on an optical fiber to be shared among two or more fibers. Basically, there are two types of fiber optic splitters: fused biconical taper splitter (FBT) and planar lightwave circuit splitter (PLC). And each of them obtains some merits and demerits respectively. This article intends to make a comparison of these two thus to provide some useful information about optical splitters.

Introduction to Fiber Optic Splitter

Fiber optic splitter, known as beam splitter as well, is suitable for a fiber optic signal to be decomposed into multi-channel optical signal output. It divides out a main light source into 1-N optical path and synthesizes 1-N optical path into a main light source and recovers this source. The picture below shows how light in a single input fiber can split between four individual fibers.

Basically, there are two types of optical splitters classified by their working principle: one is fused biconical taper splitter (FBT Splitter) made by the traditional optical passive device manufacturers using the traditional biconical taper coupler technology. The other one is planar optical waveguide splitter (PLC Splitter) based on optical integration technology. Since both of them have their own advantages, users can rationally choose different types of optical splitters depending on the occasion and demand. Besides, it is better to follow a brief introduction of these two devices just for reference.

FBT Splitter

FBT is the traditional technology in which two fibers are placed closely together, typically twisted around each other and fused together by applying heat. The fused fibers are protected by a glass substrate and then protected by a stainless steel tube. The quality of FBT splitters has improved over time and they can be deployed in a cost-effective manner. FBT splitters are widely accepted and used in passive optical networks, especially for where the split configuration is no more than 1x4.

However, when larger split configurations such as 1x16, 1x32 and 1x64 are needed. FBT technology is limited to the number of splits that can be achieved with one coupling. Under such circumstance, multiple FBT splitters can be spliced together in concatenation to multiply the amount of splits available. This is also known as a tree splitter or coupler. When using this design, the package size and the insertion loss increases with the additional splitters and splices used.

PLC Splitter

PLC splitters are used to separate or combine optical signals. A PLC is a micro-optical component based on planar lightwave circuit technology and provides a low cost light distribution solution with small form factor and high reliability. PLC splitters have high quality performance, such as low insertion loss, low PDL, high return loss and excellent uniformity over a wide wavelength range from 1260 nm to 1620 nm and have an operating temperature -40℃ to 85℃. When high split counts are needed and small package size and low insertion loss is critical, a PLC splitter is more ideal.

Differences Between FBT Splitter and PLC Splitter

In this part, we will take a look at the main differences between FBT splitter and PLC splitter from eight perspectives, which are listed in the following diagram.

Parameters	FBT Splitter	PLC Splitter
Fabrication Method	Two or more pieces of optical fibers are bound together and put on a fused-taper fiber device. The fibers are then drawn out according to the output branch and ratio with one fiber being singled out as the input.	Consists of one optical chip and several optical arrays depending on the output ratio. The optical arrays are coupled on both ends of the chip.
Operating Wavelength	1310 nm and ISSO nm (standard), 850 nm (custom)	1260 nm-1650 nm (full wavelength)
Application	HFC (network of fiber and coaxial for CATV), All FTIH applications.	Same
Performance	Up to 1:8—reliable. For larger splits reliability can become an issue.	Good for all splits. High level of reliability and stability.
Input/Output	One or two inputs with an output maximum of 32 fibers.	One or two inputs with an output maximun of 64 fibers.
Package	Steel Tube (used mainly in equipment), ABS Black Module (Conventional)	Same
Input/Output Cable	Bare optical fiber, 0.9 mm, 2.0 mm, and 3.0 mm	Same
Part Number Example	FOSPLT-T-FBT-1/2-E-SM-SC/APC	FOSPLT-T-PLC-1/2-E-SM-SC/APC

Conclusion

Although the outer appearance and size of FBT and PLC splitters seem rather similar, their internal technologies and specifications differ in various ways. I hope the comparison made by this article would help you have a better understanding of these two types of optical splitters, so you could choose a more appropriate solution for your network infrastructure.

First published: http://www.fiber-optic-solutions.com/comparison-fbt-plc-fiber-optic-splitters.html

Things to Know About Bend Insensitive Multimode Fiber

Bend insensitive multimode fiber (BIMMF) has become a very active area within the telecommunication industry once it was introduced and popularized. It typically signifies technical advancements in the production of multimode optical fiber for easier installation, and cable management for multimode fiber cables through improvements in bend insensitivity. This article will focus on some useful information about BIMMF from the perspective of its working principle, performance in networking and unique advantages as well.

What Is Bend Insensitivity?

An optical fiber consists of a core and a cladding. Although both of these regions are made from glass in telecommunications grade fibers, they are significantly different from each other. Each region is designed to capture light within the core and transmit it to the opposite end of the fiber. During this process, the light may follow many paths, depending on the angle at which the light hits the boundary, it is either reflected back into the core, or it gets lost into the cladding. Therefore, the light losses during transmission cause a weaker optical signal at the other end.

Optical fiber is sensitive to stress, particularly bending. When conventional fibers are bent tightly, some of the signal will leak out of the fiber at the site of the bend due to macrobend loss, which will results in system failure and unplanned downtime. Various attributes in the fiber determine when this occurs. The relative ease with which this happens is known as bend sensitivity. On the contrary, bend insensitivity is a positive feature that can provide for additional robustness and simplify installation of multimode fiber.

Introduction to Bend Insensitive Multimode Fiber (BIMMF)

Bend-insensitive multimode fiber (BIMMF) has an innovative core design that enables it to significantly reduce macrobend loss even in the most challenging bend scenarios. It is hence natural that bend insensitive multimode fiber can withstand tough treatment. The difference between traditional multimode fiber and BIMMF mainly lies in the fact that the BIMMF design can include an optical trench. This trench effectively improves the fiber’s macrobend performance by retaining more of the light that would have escaped the core of a traditional multimode fiber. So when compared with standard multimode fibers, BIMMF is proved to be a good candidate for loss and bend critical applications because of their higher immunity to bending losses, without loosing performances or compatibility to other standard high bandwidth multimode fibers.

Compatibility With Conventional Fibers

There is a lot of buzz around the issue of bend insensitive fiber— is it compatible with regular fibers? Can they be spliced or connected to other conventional fibers without problems? Modeling and testing on BIMMF has shown that an optimized BIMMF is backward compatible and can be mixed with non-BIMMF without inducing excess loss. Hence, BIMMF and MMF could easily be mixed in an optical channel without complicating the estimation of losses. Moreover, BIMMF may lead to higher tolerance to possible misalignments when two connectors are mated. This is an additional positive feature for 40 and 100 Gigabit applications.

In summary, a well-designed BIMMF complies with all relevant industry standards and adheres to the following:

• BIMMF OM2, OM3 and OM4 multimode fibers are fully compliant and fully backward-compatible with all relevant industry standards.
• BIMMF is fully backward-compatible and may be used with the existing installed base of 50/125um multimode grades including OM2, OM3 and OM4.
• BIMMF may be spliced or connectorized to conventional 50/125um fiber types with commercially available equipment and established practices and methods, no special tools or procedures are required.
• BIMMF not only meets all relevant macrobend standards, but sets a new level of bend performance.

Advantages of BIMMF

Bend insensitive multimode fiber is available in all laser optimized grades, OM2, OM3 and OM4, and exhibits 10 times less signal loss in tight bend scenarios and therefore protects enterprise and data center systems from unplanned downtime due to signal loss and associated significant revenue loss.

This fiber type offers extremely low bending loss at both the 850 and 1300 nm operating windows, while maintaining excellent long term fiber strength and reliability. The fiber can be installed in loops as small as 7.5 mm radius with less than 0.2 dB bending loss at 850 nm and 0.5 dB at 1300 nm.

Maximum induced bend loss performance at 850 nm	Standard for multimode fibers IEC 60793-2-10	Bend Insensitive MMF (no standard currently)
Bend radius	37.5 mm	7.5 mm
Number of turns	100	2
Conventional MMF	0.5 dB	-
Bend Insensitive MMF	0.05 dB	0.2 dB

In addition, bend insensitive multimode fibers enable new possibilities for cable and patch panel design to further improve the benefits of using fiber. Optical cable manufacturers can now design thinner, more flexible trunk cables, making for easier cable installation and further improving airflow in conduits, patch panels and racks. Due to the ability of the fib cable to be bent tightly with significantly less signal loss, connector modules can be made smaller which in turn leads to an increased density within racks and smaller racks.

Conclusion

Bend insensitive multimode fiber has been widely employed to enhance fiber management in data centers, high performance computing and enterprise LANs. Since it is a real advance to current standard multimode fibers, BIMMF is recommended for bend and loss critical applications. What should be noticed is that BIMMF also should be handled with appropriate care as all optical glass fibers.

First published: http://www.fiber-optic-components.com/things-to-know-about-bend-insensitive-multimode-fiber.html

Fiber Optic Transceiver Classification

With the technological advancements and improvements made in fiber optic communication, service providers nowadays are more inclined to choose fiber optic to achieve high-level data transmission. Fiber optics generally offer users higher bandwidth, more reliable data transfer and better overall performance, thus to enable a smooth and excellent communicating experience. Fiber optic transceiver, which is considered to be the core of optoelectronic device in the WAN, MAN or LAN infrastructure, plays an indispensable part in fiber optic networks for data communication and Ethernet applications. This article is intended to explain how fiber optic transceivers are classified according to different standards and principles, such as fiber mode, transfer rate and connector type.

Fiber Optic Transceiver Overview

First of all, let’s take a quick glimpse of what fiber optic transceiver is and how fiber optic transceiver works.

Fiber optic transceivers combine a fiber optic transmitter and a fiber optic receiver in a single module. They are arranged in parallel so that they can operate independently of each other. Both the receiver and the transmitter have their own circuitry and can handle transmissions in both directions. In fiber optic data links, the transmitter converts an electrical signal into an optical signal, which is coupled with a connector and transmitted through a fiber optic cable. The light from the end of the cable is coupled to a receiver, where a detector converts the light signal back into electrical signal. Either a light emitting diode (LED) or a laser diode is used as the light source.

Common Classification Methods

The classification of fiber optic transceiver falls into various categories based on their performance characteristics and end-use. Classified by characteristics, they often include: fiber mode, transfer rate and connector type.

Fiber Mode

Fiber mode is the most fundamental classification of fiber optic transceivers, here the “mode” refers to the type of fiber intended to be used with a transceiver. The two primary types of fiber mode types are single-mode fiber and multimode fiber.

Multimode fibers allow multiple modes of light to couple into the fiber. Since multimode applications are always short reach, very inexpensive transmitters and receivers are typically used in multimode transceivers. As shown in the table below, there are several popular types of multimode fibers in use today. OM1 and OM2 fibers are appropriate for low speed transmission, such as 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps, which often utilize LED transmitters. OM3 and OM4 are referred to as laser-optimized multimode fibers, as lasers are used as optical sources at 10Gbps and faster.

Fiber Classification	Core Diameter (microns)	Bandwidth* Length Product (MHz*km)
OM1	6.25	160-200
OM2	50	400-500
OM3	50	2000
OM4	50	4700

Single-mode fibers, however, only allow a single mode of light to couple into the core. The most common type of single-mode fiber is termed “OS1” by the ITU and is also known as “standard single-mode fiber”. So most optical transceivers are simply specified for operation over OS1.

Transfer Rate

Fiber optic transceiver modules also can be categorized by their data transfer rates. There are five popular rate categories used in fiber optic transceiver classification: 100GBase, 40GBase, 10GBase, 1000Base and 100Base. These rates refer to the speed at which a fiber optic transceiver is able to transmit data over Ethernet.

• 100GBase—100 Gigabits per second (100GE, 100GbE, 100Gbps)
• 40GBase—40 Gigabits per second (40GE, 40GbE, 40Gbps)
• 10GBase—10 Gigabits per second (10GE, 10GbE, 10Gbps)
• 1000Base—1 Gigabit per second (1GE, 1GbE, 1Gbps, 1000Mbps)
• 100Base—100 Megabits per second (Fast Ethernet, FE, 100Mbps)

Connector type

Optical fiber connectors couple and align transceivers so that light can pass through the core. Based on their connector types,transceiver modules can be classified into different groups. There are four main types of fiber optic connectors used in conjunction with optical transceivers: SC, LC, MPO, and ST.

Connector	Description	Form Factors Using
SC	Subscriber Connector (snap-in connector)	GBIC, X2, XENPAK, some QSFP (40G) and CFP (100G)
LC	Lucent Connector (small form-factor version of the SC connector)	SFP, SFP+, XFP
MPO	Multi-fiber Push-On (commonly 12 or 24 fibers per)	Some QSFP (40G) and CFP (100G)
ST	Straight Tip Connector (bayonet mount connector)	Not used on optical transceivers but popular at optical patch panels

Connector types generally follow a color code system. If a boot is used over the connector, then a blue boot symbolizes compatibility with single-mode fiber and a beige boot symbolizes compatibility with multimode fiber.

Conclusion

When you desire for fiber optic transceivers to achieve fiber optic link in your networking applications, the classifications listed above may provide you a guideline to select the most appropriate optical transceiver. Which will contribute to improving your network performance and reliability. Fiberstore offers a great amount of fiber optical transceivers which are fully compatible with major brands in the current market. For more information and details, you can visit www.fs.com.

First published: http://www.china-cable-suppliers.com/fiber-optic-transceiver-classification.html

Analysis of Backbone Networks

The past decades have witnessed a tremendous increase of Internet users, which directly lead to the growth of the traffic in backbone networks throughout the world. Besides, new services like video on demand, electronic distance learning and grid computing applications also contribute to the accelerating traffic in broadband networks. As a result, it is urgent and inevitable for service providers to increase the bandwidth of their backbone networks to account for this increase in traffic. And among various technologies, optical fiber technologies are proved to be the prime choice since it enables transmitting enormous bandwidth required by traffic growth in backbone networks.

Introduction to Backbone Networks

A backbone is the part of the computer network infrastructure that interconnects different networks and provides a path for exchange of data between these different networks. A backbone may interconnect different local area networks in offices, campuses or buildings. When several local area networks (LAN) are being interconnect over a considerable area, the result is a wide area network (WAN), or metropolitan area network (MAN) if it happens to serve the whole city.

On a large scale, a backbone is a set of pathways to which other large networks connect for long distance communication. Various networking technologies work together as connection points or nodes, and are connected by different mediums for transporting data like optical fiber, traditional copper and even wireless technology like microwave and satellites.

Backbones typically consist of network routers and switches connected by fiber optic or Ethernet cables. Computers normally do not connect to a backbone directly. Instead, the networks of Internet service providers or large organizations connect to these backbones and computers just access the backbone indirectly.

Types of Backbone Networks

In this part, we will briefly explain some backbone network types: serial backbone, distributed backbone, collapsed backbone and parallel backbone.

Serial Backbone

Serial backbone is the simplest kind of backbone with two or more devices that are connected in a daisy chain (linked serial). It can be made from both switches and from gateways and routers. What should be noticed is that when designing the backbone, it is of great importance to consider the limit of the devices that can be connected to the backbone. Because exceeding the limit may lead to unexpected errors and data loss in the network.

Distributed Backbone

Distributed backbone adopts hierarchical design of the network. In this type of backbone, a number of intermediate devices are connected to single or multiple connectivity devices. The central connectivity devices could be switches or routers. Distribution backbone features easily scalable and simple administration and management of the network. Therefore, it is rather relatively cost-effective, easy and quick to implement the distribution backbone network.

Collapsed Backbone

Collapsed backbone contains a single and powerful router which acts as the central connection point for multiple sub-networks. The central device is the highest level of the backbone, so it should have powerful computational power in order to manage big traffic coming in. The risk is that whenever the central device fails, the whole network would be down. But this backbone could be useful if someone wants to interconnect two types of sub-networks, then it is possible to manage and troubleshoot them.

Parallel Backbone

This type of backbone can be seen as a variation of the collapsed backbone, where devices are having more than one connection between them. There are multiple connections between the high level routers and the network segments. These connections ensure networks availability at anytime, higher speeds, and high fault tolerance. Since the amount of required cables increases dramatically, it inevitably results in higher expenditure. Fortunately, duplicate connections are not necessary for all the devices, therefore, to implement parallel structure selectively would tremendously decrease the overall price and make additional ports of the devices available.

Conclusion

To sum it up, a backbone is designed to transfer network traffic at higher speed, maximize the reliability and performance of large-scale, long-distance data communications. With the advance and maturation of the network backbone technologies, it surely will provide us more smooth and convenient network experiences.

First published: http://www.fiber-optic-solutions.com/analysis-backbone-networks.html