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.

Our product team recently released a 12U H-Series Enclosure as part of our Skinny-Trunk fiber optic cabling solution.

Our CABLExpress 12U H-Series Enclosure is designed specifically to replicate 64 port high density SAN director class switches.

This allows users to fully replicate their director class switch in a main distribution area (MDA) as recommended in the TIA-942 Data Center Standard. The 12U H-Series enclosure allows significantly more spacing in between ports which makes working with the patch cables in this enclosure a breeze. 48 and 32 port modules also available to offer full replication for any density.

Features:

• Low loss components offer optimum performance and manageability
• Stable spring couplers minimize vibration
• Molded angled MTP couplers allow for optimum rear cable management
• Rugged design allows fiber to remain secure
• Slide out labeling tray with one to one port mapping

Download the 12U Fiber Optic Enclosure spec sheet.

We wanted to give you a sneak peak and the kind of resources you’ll find in our white paper, “Taking Your Network to 40/100G Ethernet.”

The chart above shows the evolution of Ethernet speeds and the IEEE standards that correspond with them. This chart also clearly demonstrates that as data center speeds increase, loss budgets decrease – from 12.5dB at 10 Mbps to 1.9dB for 100,000 Mbps (100G Ethernet).

This is a good resource to use when planning your migration to 40/100G Ethernet – without considering loss budget, the performance of your data center can suffer.

We talk a lot about how to reduce cabling congestion in the data center with high-performance fiber optic cables, a structured cabling system and following the TIA-942 standards.

But how does crowded cabling have a negative effect on your network?

1. Congested cabling reduces airflow.

When airflow is reduced, equipment cooling features are not able to work properly. Along with increasing energy costs, reduced airflow may increase server fan energy, reduce network speeds and even reduce the lifespan of equipment.

2. Cabling is bent unnecessarily.

Congested cabling often leads to surpassing the bend radius for cables. Bend radius is the minimum amount you can bend a fiber optic cable. When fiber cables are bent past the recommended limitation (set by the manufacturer), data loss is incurred. Too much loss, and you will experience downtime.

3. Adds, moves and changes are extremely difficult.

Performing maintenance, adding connections and moving equipment in a congested cabling environment is extremely difficult. You increase the chance of unplugging the wrong connector – and while it may or may not have a drastic effect on the network, plugging cables in and out also increases the probability of contaminating the end-faces of connectors.

Bottom line: congested cabling = decreased performance!