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There have been many changes in data center architecture over the past 30 years, and the evolution of the cable connector is an excellent way to walk through this rich history. Today I’ll cover the popular fiber cable connectors that have been used in data centers for the last 30 years.
The ESCON Connector
ESCON stands for Enterprise System Connection. It has 2.5mm ferrules in a duplex format. The ESCON connector was developed by IBM in the early 90’s and brought into the data center for use in IBM mainframes, replacing copper bus and tag cables. They were also used for peripheral hardware such as storage devices and tape drives.
The ESCON connector is very sturdy and robust but also has a large footprint. This was okay at the time, as there were not a lot of connections needed. This connector is an icon as it was the first fiber cable connector widely used in data center architecture.
To view more information about cable connectors, view our Connector Guide.