Data Center
Cabling in data centers
Fiber optic cables for high data rates are indispensable in data centers. OM3 to OM5 multimode fibers have become established here, transmitting data rates of 10, 40 and 100 gigabits per second in accordance with the IEEE 803.2 standard.
In data centers, flexibility with the shortest possible service interruptions and high connection density is the top priority (quality is a matter of course). Pre-assembled solutions have therefore established themselves here. Multi-fiber cables, usually with 12, 24 or 48 fibers, terminate on 12-fiber MPO/MTP® connectors or LC or SC duplex connectors. Pre-assembled cables can be laid if the operation of the data center allows it, often even during operation. When the new servers, switches or mainframes are then set up or moved, the cables are already in place ready for connection. Time-consuming stripping and stripping of wires and fibers, connector installation as well as gluing, grinding and polishing work are now a thing of the past. Appropriate pulling aids protect the connectors during cable laying and guarantee factory-tested quality even under difficult installation conditions.
Pre-assembled systems are not limited to fiber optic cables. Pre-assembled solutions for copper cables are also becoming increasingly popular. These solutions are available both with RJ45 sockets for distribution panels and with flexible cables and plugs as multiple patch cables, which offers an enormous time advantage, especially for large switches with many connections.
Tip
Pre-assembled solutions can be laid independently of the commissioning of servers, switches or mainframes in the data center. As soon as these machines have to go into operation, the pre-laid cables can be connected directly - without splicing, gluing, polishing or crimping. The customized cables can be ordered around the clock via the online configurator.
Parallel Optics and 40/100 Gigabit Ethernet
The transmission capacity of multimode fibers is significantly lower than that of single-mode fibers. Nevertheless, multimode fibers are used over short distances, as the transmission and reception electronics for multimode fibers are more cost-effective. With 40 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet, the data streams are therefore divided into channels of 10 gigabits per second each, which are transmitted simultaneously (in parallel), leading to the technical term parallel optics. For 40 Gigabit Ethernet, 8 fibers (4 fibers for transmitting, 4 fibers for receiving) are used, for 100 Gigabit 20 fibers (10 fibers for transmitting, 10 fibers for receiving).
Efforts to increase the maximum data rate of a multimode fiber to 25 Gbit/s are underway. This would make 100 Gbit/s possible with 8 fibers and up to 400 Gbit/s with 20 fibers. In both cases, the 12-fiber MPO connector could be used (at 400 Gbit/s with two connectors per side).
For the connection technology, the tried and tested MPO/MTP® connector is used, which has already proven itself in pre-assembled systems.
