Attend our upcoming webinar, “Taking Your Network to 40/100G Ethernet,” to earn BICSI Credit!

We’re offering one BICSI Continuing Education Credit (CEC) for certifications in RCDD, RITP, DCDC, NTS, Installer 2 Copper/Fiber, Technician and Certified Trainer to attendees of next week’s webinar, “Taking Your Network to 40/100G Ethernet.”

Title: Taking Your Network to 40/100G Ethernet
Date: Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Time: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST

Presented by:
Josh Taylor, Senior Product Manager, CABLExpress

You’ve put effort, time and energy into your data center infrastructure. Sometimes you may have wanted to tear your hair out trying to meet industry standards and make use of every inch of valuable space.

Now is your time to enjoy the fruits of your labor! Send us a picture of your cabling infrastructure to receive a “Layer One Hero” AND be entered to win a pizza party for your team!

Visit http://www.cablexpress.com/land/do-you-respect-layer-one/ to learn more!

Fiber enclosures are junction points for structured cabling systems. They are very beneficial as they allow for rapid changes that happen frequently in the data center.

How do fiber enclosures work?

Typically fiber enclosures, also referred to as “patch panels,” are located at the top of a rack. A large bundle of cables will run under the floor or in overhead conveyance, and plug into the back of the fiber enclosure. Within the fiber enclosure are couplers. These couplers allow cable connectors to “mate,” or meet up. This is the critical component of the fiber enclosure. This allows for the rapid change out with use of a short “jumper” or patch cable to run from the equipment up to the fiber enclosure.

Benefits of fiber enclosures in a structured cabling system

Fiber enclosures are particularly helpful when installing new networking equipment that calls for a connector change. For example: say your data center is hooked up network cables that have SC connectors, but a new switch calls for network cables with an LC coupler. Instead of having to remove cables from underfloor or overhead conveyance and install entirely new cables with LC connectors, only the cable connecting the enclosure to the switch needs to be replaced. This not only vastly decreases installation time, but also reduces the risk of network downtime, as you’re not removing and replacing large amounts of cabling.

As a part of a structure cabling system, fiber enclosures play a critical role in effective cable management that reduces installation, creates easier moves, adds and changes, and decreases the chance for network downtime.

How to create space when there is no space in the data center.

One of the most common problems in today’s data center is real estate. For those that have seen their data center evolve over time, they may see that what was once an expansive open “white” space is now a maze of racks and cabinets that are stuffed to the brim with hardware and cables. Space has become a premium for many organizations. Combine this with a lack of flexibility and time to consolidate hardware and cabling because of the need for maximum uptime, and you now have the current state of affairs for most data centers today. “Space saving” products are needed!

There are many innovative products that address the space issue. Here are a few of them:

 Z-Mount Brackets:

These brackets eliminate the use of rack space for patch panels. They mount to any standard rack spacing with EIX-310D specs (which includes most racks and cabinets on the market today). This simple design allows for a TIA-942 recommended structured cabling system and utilizes no “U” space.

Ladder Rack Enclosure:

This is an enclosure that mounts above a rack or cabinet. It can be affixed to either ladder rack and/or basket tray. This is a good option for those that use overhead conveyance. Much like the Z-Mount brackets, it does not use rack space and allows for a TIA-942 recommended structured cabling system.

I have written at length about the different styles of cable connectors, from old-school ESCON to MPO. We’re strong believers in the MPO connector – in fact, it will be the go-to connector for data centers in the near future. Why? Because if you’re looking to migrate to 40 or 100G Ethernet, the MPO connector is necessary.

When looking at what changes must be made to cabling infrastructure in order to migrate to higher data center speeds, this is possibly the most drastic change data centers will undergo.

What is an MPO connector?

The MPO connector was developed by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT). “MPO” stands for “multi-fiber push-on.” A popular brand of the MPO-style connector, US Conec’s MTP®, is often incorrectly used to refer to all MPO connectors (similar to using “Band-Aid®” for “adhesive bandage”).

An MPO-style connector can house up to 72 fibers in one connector. However, when dealing with such a high number of fibers, it can be difficult to terminate the assemblies while staying within optical loss budgets. This is why twelve remains the standard number of fibers in an MPO-style connector, while leading-edge manufacturers currently offer up to 24-fiber MPO-style connectors.