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What is the difference between LSZH and OFNR?

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With the many types of fiber cables and then the components that make each of them up, it can be very confusing to know what fiber cable is the best overall for your business. One of the biggest questions we get is what is the difference between OFNR fiber cables and LSZH fiber cables. While they seem like the same thing, they are really two very different and very important attributes of fiber cables, and the same fiber cable can be both. To understand these attributes better, we have to understand the construction of fiber cables and the different rating levels associated with fiber optic cabling.

Optical Fiber Construction

There are several parts that made up the fiber cable. Each part starting from the cladding, then the coating, strength member and lastly the outer jacket is covered at the top of each other to give protection and shielding especially the conductors and the fiber core. Above all of these, the outer jacket is the first layer of protection and adds strength to the fiber to withstand different conditions such as fire, moisture, chemical, and stress during installations and operations.

Fiber Cable Outer Jacket Material Types

Fiber cable outer jackets can be classified into several types in terms of different materials. These materials have different characteristics and use that depends on the application’s setting. The list below shows the most popular types of outer jacket materials and its uses.

Material Characteristics and Uses
PVC
(Polyvinylchloride)		 Most commonly used material for outer jacket. It is low cost, strong, flexible, fire resistant and can be used in many applications.
PE
(Polyethylene)		 Very good electrical properties while maintaining high insulation. PE cables may be firm and solid but are more flexible.
PVDF
(Polyvinyl Difluoride)		 Has more flame-resistant properties than the PE cable and primarily used for plenum areas.
PUR
(Polyurethane)		 PUR is very flexible and scratch resistant that is mainly used in low-temperature environments.
LSZH
(Low Smoke Zero Halogen)		 LSZH is less toxic than PVC. It has a flame-retardant outer cover that doesn’t produce halogen when heated. Mainly used in confined installations.

The National Electrical Code (NEC) has a classification system for optical fiber cables. These requirements specify how the fiber cables will behave in case of fire conditions and categorize depending on its application for these different areas.

What is the Plenum Area?
A plenum area is a space used to move air to workspaces for the purpose of [Read more…] about What is the difference between LSZH and OFNR?

The Importance of MPO Cables, MPO Cassettes, and Fiber Patch Panels

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The number of network connections and the quantity of data transmitted worldwide is rising rapidly and growing exponentially. And so is the importance of cable management. Not only does proper and efficient cable management help maintain basic network functionality, it also protects your equipment from clogged airflow as a result of having unorganized cables.

Three important components of a well-run network facility are MPO cables, MPO cassettes, and fiber patch panels. Let’s take a look at how they benefit your network and why they are now considered a necessity for a modern data center.

What Is MPO?

First, we have to understand what MPO is. MPO stands for Multiple Fiber Push-on/Pull-off, an innovative technology used for a multi-fiber application that is required by high-speed data transmission such as a 10G, 40G or 100g network connections. Introduced and brought into use for the first time several years ago, MPO connectors are now widely used all over the world. The technology was developed to lessen the amount of time it takes for splicing individual connectors together. By combining multiple fibers (hence the name Multiple Fiber) in just one connector, it not only reduces the time it takes to connect fibers but also saves an abundance of space.

MPO cable

MPO Cables

Traditional or legacy fiber cables can make the storage center crammed and quite hard to manage. To get over this challenge, data centers need to deploy ultra-high density network cables to accommodate all of the required cablings. This is where MPO cables come in. MPO cables are composed of fiber optic cables and MPO connectors. The assembly brings together 6 to 72 fibers, with 12-fiber and 24-fiber arrays being the most commonly used.

The heart of an MPO cable assembly lies in its connector. It’s available in a female version that has no pins and a male version with pins. These pins make sure that the connector fronts are precisely aligned on contact and that the fibers’ endfaces aren’t offset. The top side of the MPO connector has guide grooves or keys that ensure the adapter holds the connector with the right ends aligned with each other.

The push-and-pull design of MPO cable assemblies enables simple insertion and removal which allow for quick and easy installation, reducing installation time by around 75% when being compared to traditional field-termination.

MPO cables also allow for higher density connections between network equipment, in turn saving significant rack space. They are also usually modular in design, proven very feasible for future expansion and easier system reconfiguration. Additionally, since installation is very easy, using MPO cables also reduces the overall cost of deployment and maintenance of the network.

fiber-cassette

MPO Cassettes

An MPO cassette is generally a modular module that permits users to get hold of the fibers from a trunk cable and distribute them to a duplex cable.  An enclosed unit that houses 8, 12, or 24 fiber factory terminated fan-outs inside. They usually include connectors such as SC, LC, or LT plugged into adapters on the front side of the cassette and an MPO connector plugged into the rear. The interface of today’s most popular 10G optics is the LC connector and at present, the three most widely used cassettes are 8-Fiber to 4xLC duplex cassettes, 12-Fiber to 6xLC cassettes, and 24-Fiber to 24xLC duplex cassettes.

Aside from the MPO-LC, there is another type of MPO cassette that is being used today. The MPO-MPO Fiber Cassettes. MPO conversion cassettes house 8, 12, or 24 fibers and have MPO adapters on both the rear and front sides. The most common ones used in the market today are the 2x MPO-24 to 4x MPO-12 and the 3x MPO-8 to 2x MPO-12 MPO.

Using MPO cassettes ensures adaptability for the ever-changing data center and network environment. Network administrators face technology refresh frequencies every 12-18 months, and using plug and play MPO cassettes offer a great advantage. When requirements for connectors change in the future, all you have to do is simply swap out the cassettes all while leaving the existing backbone infrastructure intact.

Fiber Patch Panels

A fiber patch panel, which is also called a cross-connect patch panel, can be likened to the nerve center of your cabling network. It offers a brilliantly simple solution for blending manageability, flexibility, and scalability into high-density fiber channels. Simply put, it is where all the infrastructure’s horizontal cabling is consolidated. Fiber patch panels enable the transmitted data to smoothly arrive at its destination. Definitely an indispensable component in today’s network system.

Furthermore, a fiber patch panel or enclosure acts as a unit that allows administrators to terminate several cable elements while providing a secure and organized chamber for splice units and connectors. It also helps with limiting wire clutter during setup. With a fiber optic patch panel installed, installations and repairs will be accomplished in a much faster and efficient way.

There are currently two versions of a fiber patch panel: the rackmount and the wall mount. Rackmount patch panels are generally made for the standard 19-inch rack mounting. It’s often available with flat or angled design in 1U, 2U, or 4U configurations.  The wall mount patch panel has a low profile and compact design, perfect for data centers where space is at a premium. Additionally, it provides clear and intuitive paths for cable routing and can easily be installed on your wall.

Using a high-density fiber patch panel comes with many advantages. Along with saving precious space, it also simplifies cable deployment by not needing to run jumpers across the room or under the floor and instead by just simply running a short fiber patch from your network switch up to the panel enclosure. High-density fiber patch panels will give you the highest level of scalability and density. Offering a cost-effective solution and seamless distribution for bandwidth from 10G, 40G, to 100G.

CablesAndKits: Your Partner in IT Procurement

CablesAndKits is a fast growing and privately operated network equipment dealer in the United States. We offer a wide selection of MPO cables, MPO cassette module, and fiber patch panels to keep your network running smoothly and efficiently. As experts in awesome, we go above and beyond what’s expected to provide you with a trusted and reliable interaction every time. We have free shipping over $99 plus same-day shipping if you order by 8PM EST. Not only that, but all purchases are covered by a lifetime warranty.

We are CablesAndKits. Get more, spend less.

Migrating to a 40g Network: Now a Necessity

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As data centers rapidly grow and develop, the need for a faster network connection also increases.  With the ratification of the IEEE 802.3ab in 2010, 40G has displaced 10G as the next network speed evolution in the enterprise.

What drives the need for 40G today is the same force that drove the need for 10G just over 10 years ago: increasing bandwidth demand. In the modern enterprise, bandwidth demand is driven by the changing nature of applications and advances in server and storage technologies. Let’s look at some of the benefits of upgrading to a 40G network.

high speed 40gb network [Read more…] about Migrating to a 40g Network: Now a Necessity

40GB (OM4) Fiber Cabling, Connector Types, & the Future of Cable Management

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Your network solution must meet many demands. Future growth, reduce operational costs, improve energy efficiency, and optimize infrastructure utilization. In the present age of improving and expanding storage area network environments, density has never been more important.

It has been proven that using denser fiber optic cables always equates to better space saving capability as well as better performance. However, most people are often confused as to what type of cable they should be using. Let’s take a look at them. [Read more…] about 40GB (OM4) Fiber Cabling, Connector Types, & the Future of Cable Management

What Are The Different Types of QSFP+ (40GB) Transceivers & How Do They Work?

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There’s been a rapid evolution of gigabit ethernet and a growing demand for equipment that handles this advancement. Data centers are now migrating to blazing fast 40G, and QSFP+ transceivers as a necessary component in making sure high speed internet stays high speed.

qsfp shot 2

QSFP+ stands for Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable Plus. A parallel and hot-swappable fiber optical module that provides high-density 40G connectivity options for high-performance computing networks and modern data centers. It has four independent receive and transmit optical channels that can terminate to another 40G QSFP+ transceiver, or can be distributed to four separate 10 Gigabit SFP+ transceivers. The QSFP+ modules , in a nutshell, connect the entire electrical circuitry of your system to an optical external network. [Read more…] about What Are The Different Types of QSFP+ (40GB) Transceivers & How Do They Work?

14 Additional Ways To GET MORE & SPEND LESS At CablesAndKits

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Yes, at CablesAndKits your dollar goes further with 40-60% discounts on physical IT infrastructure products like switches, routers, IP phones & transceiver modules. But, the savings don’t stop with our listed pricing. There are actually 14 other ways you can save even more of your precious dollars when you shop with CK. Below, we’ll walk you through your price saving options.

Get More. Spend Less. Partners In IT Procurement

1 – Join Our Email List & Follow Us On Social Media For Exclusive Coupon Codes

If you’re not on our mailing list, you’re missing out. In our “Get More. Spend Less.” marketing campaign, we’ve sent out coupons for switches, transceiver modules, and cabling. We recommend you stock these coupons up for easy access when you checkout on your next order.

[Read more…] about 14 Additional Ways To GET MORE & SPEND LESS At CablesAndKits