How to Select the Right Rack Mount Fiber Enclosure?

Fiber enclosure is a vital component that often used to organize cables and protect fibers in fiber optic cabling and terminations. And it is extensively used in specific fields like data centers, server rooms, FTTX, CATV and so forth. Since data center configurations and requirements can be various, different types of rack mount fiber enclosure is designed to meet those special needs. The right fiber enclosure can effectively boost network performance, enhance working efficiency and reduce expenditure. So here we will introduce several types and designs of rack mount fiber enclosure and offer some suggestions on how to select the right one.

Types and Designs of Rack Mount Fiber Enclosure

As one of the most commonly used fiber enclosure in data center, rack mount fiber enclosure provides a convenient and rugged termination point for fiber jumper cables. This rack mount enclosures offer a flexible connectivity system using a variety of adapter plates and MPO cassettes.

Rack Mount Enclosure Configurations

The rack mount fiber enclosure is generally made for standard 19 inch rack mounting. Depending on the number of connections required, they are available in one or more rack units (RU) height configurations, such as 1RU, 2RU or 4RU, etc. The following picture shows different size of enclosure configuration, and according to it, you could choose the most proper one depending on the space and requirements of your project.

Cover Removable Type, Slide-out Type or Swing-out Type

Generally, there are three types of rack mount enclosure: fiber enclosure with a removable lid, slide-out fiber enclosure and swing-out type enclosure. The slide-out type and swing-out type is generally more expensive than the cover removable type, but with these two designs, you can benefit a lot during cable installation and maintenance, since you do not need to remove the whole enclosure from the rack to gain internal access. It is proved to be time and energy saving.

Fixed Front Panels or Removable Front Panels

As for the design of the fiber enclosure front panel, there exist fixed front panel and removable front panel. The fixed front panel can be loaded with appropriate fiber optic adapters, while the removable front panel can accommodate several fiber optic adapter panels or cassettes. Nowadays, the removable front panel is becoming more popular because a plug & play fiber adapter panel assures flexibility and ease of network deployment.

Applications of Rack Mount Fiber Enclosure

Basically, rack mount fiber enclosure can be used in the following three circumstances.

For Fiber Splicing Joints

For fiber splicing joints in fiber enclosure, splice tray and FAPs are needed. When installing four fiber adapter panels on the front panel and one or more splicing trays inside the enclosure drawer, this fiber enclosure can provide cable management and protection for splicing joints and connections.

For Patch Cord Connections

This kind of fiber enclosure usage is very common. Simply by installing two slack spools and four fiber adapter panels on the fiber enclosure, it could make fiber patch cables management much easier. The following picture shows a breakout fiber patch cable installed in the fiber enclosure and being well organized by the spools.

For MTP to LC Interface Transferring

The popularity of 40G/100G network makes the transferring between 40G/100G MTP interfaces and 10G LC interfaces an important issue. MTP cassettes are widely used to reduce installation time and ensure the connection quality. A 1U rack mount fiber enclosure can hold up to 4 HD MTP cassettes. The picture below shows the fiber enclosure with four HD MTP cassettes which are connected by several input MTP trunk cables.

Guide to Select Rack Mount Fiber Enclosure

In this part, we will solve the problems that troubled some data center operators—how to choose the most suitable rack mount fiber enclosure. Here we offer a reference guide for you to follow.

Physical requirement

First, list all the requirement of the enclosure and the complete measurements: height, depth, width, and weight, which will ultimately determine what type of rack mount fiber enclosure you need. Note that always select a bigger fiber enclosure for all your existing equipment and for future growth.

Critical accessories

A fiber enclosure should provide plenty of access points through the rear and top of the cabinet, as well as through the bottom for raised floor installations. Not only are the fiber optic cables mounted in the fiber enclosure, but devices like hubs, routers, patch panels, and monitors are needed to be mounted in the enclosure-network. Remember that any accessories that are not rack-mountable will require additional trays, shelves and mounting accessories.

Budget

Choosing an affordable rack mount fiber enclosure that within your installation budget serves as a basic requirement. We sometimes are stuck in a dilemma that whether to choose an equipment optimum for now or the expensive one for future. However, a premium rack mount fiber enclosure is a durable item that will provide services for years to come.

Conclusion

Rack mount fiber enclosure has become increasingly popular in data centers to ensure better cable management and maintenance. Besides, it can also be employed for fiber splicing joints, patch cord connections and MTP to LC interface transferring. Since several types and designs are available, just making the choice based on your specific need, then take the physical demand, accessories and budget into consideration. For more information and details about fiber enclosure, please visit www.fs.com.

First published: http://www.fiber-optic-solutions.com/select-right-rack-mount-fiber-enclosure.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