Check out our archived webinar, “Preparing for the Next-Gen Data Center: 16G Fibre Channel.” James Mallon, Systems Engineer from Brocade, presented on the changes in the physical layer and hardware platforms when migrating to 16G Fibre Channel.

We’ve covered different fiber connectors in the data center with a series of quick, helpful blog posts.

Depending on your current and future data center infrastructure needs, your connector choice can either provide for easy or painful future upgrades and technology migration.

Connectors built for future technologies like 40/100 Gigabit Ethernet (like the MPO-style connector) are a smart investment, although they do present an upfront cost. On the flip side, if you’re still running into ESCON connectors, it’s time to upgrade!

Somewhere in the middle?

Use this as a guide for determining a plan for your cable connector needs.

Check out our other fiber connector posts on the MPO, LC, SC, MT-RJ, ST, FC and ESCON connectors.

You’ll see how fiber connector technology has advanced throughout the years and have more information tohelp you make the right decision.

Fiber Connector Resources

MPO Connectors

LC Connectors

SC Connectors

MT-RJ Connectors

ST Connectors

FC Connectors

ESCON Connectors

Still have questions?  Never fear.  You can bring your questions to any of our infrastructure specialists.  We are happy to talk with you about your specific situation and help guide you toward the right solution.

In this episode of Cable Talk™, Josh Taylor talks about the “Respect Layer One” message. It is important to view the cables within structured cabling systems as an investment rather than a cost. By viewing it simply as a cost, you could be short-changing your data center and miss the long-term vision of how your cabling infrastructure will need to grow and change. This is particularly true with migrating to 40/100G Ethernet and 16G fibre channel.

We geek out a lot over cables here – which makes total sense, since its our job to love all aspects of connectivity. But, I admit, we forget that not everyone appreciates polarity and fiber density the way we do. So I can’t entirely blame customers when they yawn in the middle of a presentation on migrating to 40/100G Ethernet or question me on whether FCoE really is that cool.

Your job most likely involves a LOT more than just worrying about your cabling infrastructure, so we get it. And when you do have time to deal with cables, you’re most likely just trying to check a few things off your to-do list.

That’s okay by me – just remember that we have our team of infrastructure specialists on hand to help you, whether you’re working with a picture perfect structured cabling system or a spaghetti cabling mess. Give us a call, tell us your cabling issue, and we’ll be there to help you get the most out of your cabling infrastructure.

High-performance cabling yields a higher return on investment (ROI).

Why? As hardware speeds increase, optical loss budgets decrease.

Installing high-performance cabling with low dB loss will be compatible with more generations of hardware, so you have to replace your cabling infrastructure fewer times. You’ll save money and avoid the frustration of having to completely overhaul your infrastructure with each hardware upgrade.

While purchasing high-performance cabling is an investment, it will pay off in the long term.

You will:

1. Get the most out of your networking hardware
2. Have to upgrade your cabling infrastructure less
3. Spend less time on maintenance

A side note to this point – be wary of “proprietary” high-performance systems – any possibilities of future-proofing your data center could be negated with proprietary connectors or polarity methods. Stick to the standards!