Professional Documents
Culture Documents
HIGH-PERFORMANCE
PRETERM
OPTIONS PAGE 5
R&D PAGE 26
Our optical solutions have led the industry since our ready, fully upgradable solutions, we help our customers
scientists created the first low-loss fiber in 1970. solve the problems that matter most.
And with inventions like Corning® ClearCurve® bend-
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11 INSTALLATION
Tel: (603) 891-0123, www.cablinginstall.com
Differences between multimode
CORPORATE OFFICERS
Testing for today's applications fiber types: Fact versus fiction Chairman Robert F. Biolchini, 1939-2017
Vice Chairman Frank T. Lauinger
PATRICK MCLAUGHLIN DR. RICK PIMPINELLA President and Chief Executive Officer
Mark C. Wilmoth
Executive Vice President, Corporate Development
15 FIBER OPTICS 32 DESIGN and Strategy Jayne A. Gilsinger
Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial
Fast MPO connector inspection PoE-powered lighting approaches Officer Brian Conway
DEPARTMENTS Cabling Installation & Maintenance ® (ISSN 1073-3108), Volume 26, No. 9.
Cabling Installation & Maintenance is published 12 times a year, monthly by
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PennWell® Corporation, 1421 S. Sheridan, Tulsa, OK 74112. Periodicals postage
paid at Tulsa, OK 74112 and at additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIPTION
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International $108 1 yr., $180 2 yr.; Digital $60. POSTMASTER: Send
Hope to see you soon address corrections to Cabling Installation & Maintenance, P.O. Box 47570,
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trademark. © PennWell Corporation 2018. All rights reserved. Reproduction
INFRASTRUCTURE INSIGHTS in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. We make portions of our
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subscriber list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and
PRODUCT FOCUS Tracking passive optical LANs services that may be important for your work. If you do not want to receive those
offers and/or information via direct mail, please let us know by contacting us at
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STANDARDS
LiFi standards effort begins Where can you find dozens of cabling products
and systems available for your perusal, with the
opportunity to get more-detailed information
if you'd like? A few places, actually. One place is
the lengthy set of pages toward the back of this
month's issue. Another place will be at the BICSI
Fall Exhibition in San Antonio, Texas taking place
NETWORK CABLE September 10 through 12.
High-density ribbon-fiber PATRICK McLAUGHLIN It's not a coincidence that you'll find this infor-
platform patrick@pennwell.com mation in both places. We reached out to the com-
panies and organizations that will exhibit at the
BICSI show and asked them to share with us, so we could share with you, what
they'll have on display in their booths. We were pleased with the response, so
keep flipping for the opportunity to see 12 pages filled with what's on deck at
BICSI. For those of you who will attend the show, we hope you'll find the section
to be a worthwhile preview, and we hope it prompts some meaningful discus-
WIRELESS sions with product and system providers. Each organization's booth number is
China outspending U.S. listed so you'll know where to find them.
in 5G race Also if you'll attend (or if you're at the conference and expo right now as you
read this), please stop by and see us. We'll be at Booth 403 throughout the exhi-
bition times on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Of course we realize not everyone can attend such a gathering. So we made
the "BICSI preview" section interactive to an extent. For those of you who re-
ceive and read this magazine in digital format, each description contains a live
TESTING link to a web page where you can find more information on the specific product
Pocket-sized coaxial line, or on the company or organization. For the stalwarts who like the feel of
continuity tester glossy paper in their hands and don't mind ink smudges here and there, so pre-
fer to receive the magazine printed and snail-mailed, we've included the web ad-
PROJECT MANAGEMENT dress for each organization. Not exactly "interactive," but I believe the collection
Concert hits milestone of products and systems described on those 12 pages can open the door to use-
400,000th rollout project ful and productive interactions between you the reader, and some of the solu-
tions providers serving our industry today.
If I don't see you at the BICSI show, I hope you'll consider letting me, and your
peers, see some of the work you have accomplished. Our online "must-see pho-
tos" section has no shortage of train-wreck cabling messes. But it also includes
makeover images, displaying before-and-after photos of cabling nightmares met
and conquered. If you deserve some bragging rights for your work, email them
to me. I, and others, are eager to see what you've accomplished.
Preterminated connectivity:
Higher-performance solutions
Several preterminated solution types are available, period. Standards were used more for
each with its own benefits for data connectivity. reference than certification.
Now, consider the current state of
BY DAVID RIFKIN, HellermannTyton North America the art. Today’s networks achieve up to
400-Gbit/sec links instead of 500 MHz,
running kilometers instead of meters to
connect equipment. Along with the ad-
Think back to the dawn of network con- The process was labor-intensive and vent of Power over Ethernet and short-
nectivity. Installers set up and deployed inconsistent, relying on each installer wave division multiplexing (SWDM),
networks using cable assemblies fully understanding their part. They had to quality, reliability and consistency be-
manufactured onsite. This involved follow the proper processes for each step come paramount to not only func-
mixing and matching the available com- and use appropriate tooling or fixtures tioning, but also to avoid costly up-
ponents and relying on their wits to se- to complete and verify the installation. grades every time a new technology
lect, purchase, receive, measure, cut, In those days, performance wasn’t is implemented.
terminate, inspect and test (or at least the driving force behind a network in-
most of those steps) to piece together a stallation. Low bandwidth and short What does preterminated
one-of-a-kind network link or full con- distances were commonplace, and really mean?
nectivity solution. good enough to work was good enough, Put simply, preterminated refers to com-
mercially available, factory-assembled
cabling solutions with the connectors
already attached.
However, preterminated solutions
come in several flavors. It’s important to
know just how much of the solution is
truly “open and install.”
Factory-manufactured cable as-
semblies such as copper pigtails,
whips, trunks, permanent links, mod-
ular cassettes and fiber patch cords
are the ultimate in preterminated op-
tions. Reputable cable assembly houses
or factories typically employ a wide va-
riety of fixtures, termination and pol-
ishing tools, automated machine and
Direct-connect solutions like HellermannTyton’s RapidNet, shown here, reduce state-of-the-art inspection and measur-
complexity and cost for structured cabling deployments. This article looks at the ing tools, all of which lead to the ability
considerations to make when choosing a preterminated system. to manufacture assemblies consistently,
reliably, with high efficiency and lower Planning, however, needs to be taken have a spool of cable and a stock of fac-
overall costs. seriously when using factory-manufac- tory-terminated pigtails; can run the
These assemblies usually include in- tured solutions to ensure the right as- cable as needed through conduit, trays
spection and test results, giving the net- semblies are selected with the proper or walls; cut cable to the exact length
work installer and owner peace of mind. polarity and in the needed lengths— and still have the benefit of near-factory
Besides the assumed high quality of plan twice, order once. A “figure-it-out- manufactured reliability and perfor-
workmanship, testing means the assem- as-you-go” approach ultimately will lead mance. The downside to this method is
blies will work the first time. to extra costs and delayed installations that the installer must own or rent a fu-
Eliminating onsite assembly ter- to order or reorder the more appropri- sion splicer, precision fiber cleaver and
minations can be a significant bene- ate materials or figure out a way to deal the skill set needed to perform, identify
fit. Reduced installation times, trouble- with excessive slack. and protect a good splice.
shooting and rework mean substantial Splice-on preterminated fiber Some fusion splicers are extremely
cost savings over do-it-yourself projects. pigtails are the next best thing to facto- basic (even manual), while others fea-
Many factory-made solutions will ry-manufactured solutions. This model ture automation as well as greater
further reduce onsite labor, including uses factory-assembled cable ends made speed, costing a couple thousand dol-
patch and trunk, preinstalled enclo- using the same precision fixtures, termi- lars to more than $50,000. Fusion
sures, direct connect trunking and mod- nation and polishing tools, automated splices must be protected—within a
ular-style cassette solutions that provide machines and state-of-the-art inspec- splice tray or other purpose-designed
different levels of both preterminated tion and measuring tools, but with just a enclosure—to prevent bending and
and preconfigured networking. short length of cable. other stresses from adversely affect-
Preconfigured direct connect solu- Pigtails allow bulk or unterminated ing long-term performance. This op-
tions are further able to reduce con- optical cable to be installed from point tion may not be practical for the occa-
nection losses by minimizing the num- to point and can be cut to the exact sional installer but could be beneficial
ber of connection points. Preterminated length needed. An optical fusion splicer for more active installation compa-
and fixed cabled cassettes simplify the permanently connects the bulk fiber ca- nies. This method can cost somewhat
installation while still providing the ble to the factory-terminated and pol- more than using fully factory-termi-
granularity needed to be flexible in ished pigtail ends. The greatest benefit nated solutions, but it provides the
the deployment. to using this method is the installer can flexibility to measure or re-measure
When your distributor says they can sell you some cheap, “min. compliance” cables, they actually mean, “buy at your own
risk - I am not responsible.” One failed job and your company’s reputation goes down the drain. At ICC, we make sure every
cable with Reelex II® tangle-free winding achieves “FULL COMPLIANCE”. Plus, our pricing is 20% - 40%* below those “min.
compliance” cables. Call one of our stocking distributors for our pricing and don’t fall for the “min. compliance” scheme.
lengths at the time of cabling to ensure a pre-cleaved and factory-polished fi- these mechanical solutions tend to have
minimal slack and maximum installa- ber stub, allowing the bulk cable fiber a much wider loss range and are more
tion flexibility. to be precision cleaved and inserted. susceptible to mechanical stresses such
Splice-on connectors are a hybrid be- The fiber is accepted through the con- as cable pulling, side loading or extreme
tween pigtails and factory-terminated nector body into an alignment tube or temperature variation.
connectors, providing the flexibility and V-groove that aligns the cleaved fiber This solution is significantly more ex-
pensive than the standard field-termi-
Preterminated solution feature Benefit nation connectors or factory-manufac-
Speed of deployment Unpack, route, plug-in tured assemblies but requires minimal
Significantly less onsite labor Faster site installation
tooling and no polishing, making it fast
Consistently high quality First-pass certification is typical
to install. Care must be taken to select
Lower insertion losses Guaranteed to meet industry performance standards
Fewer onsite consumables and tools Lower deployment costs and less cleanup
and use the proper fiber type as each
Preconfigured options Reduces troubleshooting due to polarity issues connector is assembled with a specific
Factory-grade termination and testing Long-term reliability fiber, i.e., multimode needs to be speci-
Economies of scale Lower overall installed costs using factory terminations fied as OM1, OM2, or OM3/OM4.
Preconfigured solutions are de-
performance of a splice-on pigtail solu- with the preterminated fiber stub, most signed specifically for data networking
tion but the convenience of not needing using some form of index matching gel applications. They are provided with as-
a place to store and protect the splice to improve the optical light transfer semblies terminated and, in some cases,
long-term. The connectors are slightly and performance. Removing or activat- factory loaded into enclosures, housings
longer and factory polished like the pig- ing a mechanical clip or wedge, the fi- or modular cassettes. Benefits include
tailed solution, but instead of having ber is mechanically held into alignment advanced polarity management (mak-
the fiber cable exit the connector, the with the internal fiber stub. ing sure the light travels to the right po-
bare fiber is cleaved within the connec- This method benefits from the per- sition within a connector and to the
tor body during the factory-termination, formance of a factory termination and port it is defined for), modular break-
creating a fiber stub. polish, but does have a wider variation outs, fiber aggregation trunking, fiber
Splice-on connectors do require spe- in performance due to the varying qual- demarcation and ability to support fu-
cialized fusion splicers that stage the ity of the cleave and the process of in- ture upgrades.
connector on one side and provide align- serting the fiber into the connector. Depending on the needs of the de-
ment for the bulk cable on the other. The Because the fiber is not epoxied in place, ployment, preconfigured solutions can
fusion splice is completed within the
connector, typically through specialized
ports on the side, creating a reliable fi-
ber connection. As with the pigtail solu-
tion, performance can vary based on the
quality of the bulk cable cleave and the
installation process, but once installed,
these assemblies are used the same as a
factory-terminated assembly.
Preterminated connectors, also
known as prepolished or mechani-
cal splice-type connectors, also per-
mit the use of bulk cables and provide
factory-polished endfaces but elimi-
nate the need for the expensive fusion Preterminated fiber pigtails use factory-assembled cable ends that are made
splicers and local electricity. They have using the same precision fixtures, termination and polishing tools, automated
a mechanical splice integrated into machines and state-of-the-art inspection and measuring tools, with a shorter
the back of the connector body with length of cable.
Formally recognized in the TIA’s 568.2-D doesn’t necessarily mean the MPTL can Ethernet. In cases like this, as well as in
standard, the MPTL “is nothing more be tested. Depending on the manufac- applications deploying the technology
than an Ethernet cable that is terminated turer of the certifier, the standard chan- Power over HDBase-T, Fluke Networks
with a female socket (jack) on one side nel adapter may not test the plug, result- emphasizes the importance of the elec-
and a male plug on the other,” explains ing in a bad plug or termination that does trical-performance parameter DC resis-
Ideal Networks’ Dan Payerle Barrera in not meet required performance going un- tance unbalance. In its AV-focused pa-
the document “The Rise of Modular Plug noticed. The only way an MPTL can be per, the company states that because
Terminated Links.” But, Barrera warns, properly and accurately tested is with a both HDBase-T and IP-based systems
“Installing is one thing, testing is another. channel adapter that uses the specific deliver DC power via POH and PoE, “DC
“When certifying an MPTL, one centered socket required for certification resistance unbalance is a key parame-
would expect all they need to do is of plugs.” In some cases, he notes, that ter to test for, as too much DC resistance
change the adapters on the certifier so means using a patch-cord test adapter or unbalance can distort a picture.
one end has the test cord with a plug and a test cord with a centered socket. “While too much DC resistance un-
the other end has the adapter with the balance can be avoided by choosing
socket. Unfortunately,” he points out, “it’s Parameters that matter quality cable from reputable manufac-
not quite that simple. Measuring the per- IEEE 802.11-based wireless communi- turers and by ensuring quality work-
formance of the plug at the end of the cation technologies, and IP video cam- manship with consistent terminations,
MPTL takes special care. A non-cen- eras, are the two most commonly refer- it’s a good idea to test for it as it could
tered socket cannot be used to mea- enced end devices that take advantage have a significant impact on the perfor-
sure the performance of a plug. So sim- of MPTLs. In many cases, these de- mance of AV systems. If the difference in
ply changing the adapter on the certifier vices also receive power via Power over DC resistance between two conductors
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or between any two pairs is greater than In fall 2017, Netscout Systems Inc. in- “With LinkRunner G2 technicians
the maximum allowed, there’s a pretty troduced LinkRunner G2, an Android- can review installation documentation,
good chance that your HDBase-T and based network tester. The company test loaded PoE and network services,
IP-based video application won’t be pic- explains the tester “accelerates deploy- document the results, and use other
ture perfect.” ments and eliminates finger-pointing by vendor-specific apps to configure and
The coexistence of data and power combining high-wattage PoE and cop- triage connected devices,” according
on twisted pairs has prompted not only per and fiber network connectivity test- to Netscout. u
new emphasis on long-known electrical ing with vendor apps on the Android OS.
characteristics, and new considerations This creates a more-effective workflow. Patrick McLaughlin is our chief editor.
MPO connector characteristics connector shell, to physically pre- • While some pluggable optical trans-
and complexities vent cabling errors. A fast MPO in- ceiver modules use MPO con-
MPO connectors, unsurprisingly, are spection tool that can handle both nectors (such as popular QSFP28
available with both multimode fibers types (either with different-posi- 100GBase-SR4 type), many others use
(typically with flat ferrules) and single- tion keyed adapter tips or “keyless” duplex LC connectors, so MPO-to-
mode fibers (typically with angled fer- adapter tips) is helpful. duplex LC breakout cables are com-
rules). While this article is not intended • Worldwide technical standards com- mon in the industry. As such, a fast
to be a tutorial on MPO connectivity, mittees (specifically the IEC, the IPC, MPO inspection tool that also offers
there are elements of MPO cabling that and the TIA connector subcommit- a single fiber inspection coupler or
adapter option for LC and duplex LC
connectors can be valuable.
• MPO is a keyed connector, which es-
tablishes an unambiguous fiber num-
bering convention. The MPO con-
nector is said to be “key up” or “key
down” in any particular application.
MPO adapter sleeves, which enable
MPO connectors to be mated, are ei-
ther “key up, key up” (referred to as
“aligned”) or “key up, key down” (re-
ferred to as “opposed”). A fast MPO
inspection tool that has an easy
AFL’s FUSEConnect®, shown here, is an example of a 12-fiber connector. Many method for the user to record key ori-
fiber-networking configurations use only a subset of the fibers available in an entation is helpful to avoid network
MPO connector. polarity problems.
• MPO connectors are typically full du-
should be carefully noted, as they bear tees) have defined MPO connectors plex in application, meaning that half
directly on the feature sets found in with up to 6 rows (72 fibers for MPO- of the fibers are used for transmit
emerging fast MPO inspection tools. 12 and 96 fibers for MPO-16), so fast (TX) and the other half of the fibers
• MPO connectors mate with pins MPO inspection tools should be able are used for receive (RX). Obviously,
(male or jack configuration) and to scale to 6 rows with 16 fibers per it is critically important that, for ex-
holes (female or plug configuration). row with firmware upgrades. Note ample, the TX fibers on a compute
It can be helpful to view at least some that neither MPO-16 nor arrays larger server are connected with the RX fi-
portion of the pins and holes with a than 2 rows have proliferated ex- bers on a top-of-rack or end-of-row
fast MPO inspection tool, as some in- tensively in commercial data cen- Ethernet switch. Typically, data cen-
dustry experts believe that contam- ters as yet. The impetus for MPO-16 ter operators manage this critical po-
ination (such as dust) can migrate came from the early days of the IEEE larity challenge by adhering to one
from the benign pins and holes to the 802.3bs 400G project, which defined consistent cabling scheme across
all-important individual fiber ends 400GBase-SR16 for 100-meter-reach their data center network equip-
over time, in a mechanism thought multimode applications using 25- ment infrastructure. According to
to be caused by fans and other local Gbit/sec NRZ signaling per fiber (25 the TIA-568 specification for MPO
sources of vibration. Gbits/sec x 16 fibers x 2 for TX/RX cabling, there are three methods of
• There are now both MPO-12 (12-fi- duplex = 32 parallel fibers). More re- polarity management—Method A
ber) and MPO-16 (16-fiber) connec- cent 400G physical layer specifica- (straight through), Method B (mir-
tor standards. The MPO-12 key is tions focus on “100G single lambda” ror reverse), and Method C (pair re-
symmetrically aligned to the con- methods using PAM-4 modulation, verse). Multifiber cable polarity is a
nector shell, while the MPO-16 key reducing the parallel fiber count to a complex subject beyond the scope of
is asymmetrically aligned to the more manageable count of 8. this article, but suffice it to say that a
• Be small, light and ergonomically de- and Base 10, to avoid false-negative operators, with compelling operating ex-
signed for ease-of-use with support pass/fail results pense reduction. Fast MPO inspection
for both exposed ferrule (i.e. patch • Support the reporting of MPO con- should be used by data center techni-
cord) and bulkhead (or socket or nector inspection ideally with PDF cal personnel, not only for maintenance
patch panel or receptacle) inspection. file generation for multi-platform file operations, but also for turn-up opera-
(Either MPO alignment sleeves or fe- compatibility for documentation and tion, to ensure that infrastructure equip-
male-type “plug-in” adapters are ade- invoicing purposes—cloud-based ment and structured cabling is perfectly
quate for patch cord inspection, with platforms are superior in terms of ro- clean and will not degrade the optical sig-
the mechanical precision [no stacked bustness and reliability nal to noise ratio across even short links.
tolerances] of female-type adapter • Support the transfer of images and Fast MPO inspection systems meeting
tips preferred) data to other fiber-optic test instru- all end customer requirements are now
• Offer a composite view of the en- ments, such as OTDRs and loss test available. The dramatic order of magni-
tire MPO connector endface, high- sets, so that inspection results can be tude time savings associated with these
lighting passing and failing fiber merged with test results for compre- systems suggests that previous notions
ends, while providing an optional hensive reports around the economic (opex-oriented) fea-
zoomed-in detailed view of the indi- Multifiber inspection solutions with sibility of 100 percent data center connec-
vidual fiber ends these characteristics will provide many tor objective auto-analysis-based inspec-
• Affordable, ideally less than $5000 years of service for enterprise and hyper- tion must be seriously reconsidered. u
single-unit list price for a full-fea- scale network operators.
tured kit with adapter tips In conclusion, fast multifiber connec- Maury Wood is senior product line manager
for inspection products with AFL’s Test and
and accessories tor inspection using new tools is now
Inspection Division.
• Provide easy connectivity to feasible even for hyperscale data center
Windows-based reporting software
over USB, to mobile apps (both iOS
and Android) over both Bluetooth When it comes to Data Center Cable,
and WiFi, and to a cloud-based work-
flow management platform for data The Light Connection
robustness and ultrahigh availability
• Support UPC and APC ferrule inspec-
is here to help.
tion with appropriate adapter tips TLC is excited to announce the addition
• Provide at least partial visibility of of 96 fiber and 144 fiber armored
MPO pins and holes with a wide field micro-distribution (indoor loose tube)
of view (FoV) to our offerings!
• Support inspection of both MPO-12
and MPO-16 connectors with up to 6 • TLC is currently stocking 144 fiber in
rows of fibers Singlemode, OM3 and OM4
• Support objective (auto-analy- • Eliminates the need for inner duct or conduit
thus saving installation time
sis-based) single-fiber inspection of • Offered in plenum only
LC and duplex LC connectors • Offered in 2mm subunits only
• Support easy recording of MPO con- • Provides added protection in applications that
require it
nector-key orientation to enable easy
• No minimum order quantities for Singlemode,
management of facility-wide cabling OM3 or OM4
polarity, ideally using a cloud-based
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Jorne Skaane, LMD’s chief execu- and cost and scalability are in the top • Achieve and maintain annual reduc-
tive officer, commented, “We can facili- four attributes customers use to se- tions in building energy use and im-
tate all known concepts for white space lect a colocation provider.” The company plement energy efficiency measures
solutions, and the facility structure en- cited its own Colocation Data Center that reduce costs
ables a streamlined solution for contain- Usage Report as the source of this infor- • Ensure that new construction and
ers in different shapes and sizes. We can mation. Vertiv introduced the Liebert major renovations conform to ap-
also customize power density, tempera- EFC Indirect Evaporative Freecooling plicable building energy efficiency
ture, humidity, operation equipment, Tier Solution (400 kW capacity), the Liebert requirements and sustainable de-
level, and all related services, ensuring DSE Packaged Freecooling System sign principles
the right solution for all our customers.” (400 kW capacity), and the Liebert DSE • Consider building efficiency when re-
The facility is located “next to a deep, Freecooling System (250 kW capacity) newing or entering into leases; imple-
cold fjord with a stable and ample supply at that time. ment space utilization and optimi-
of price-leading, CO2-neutral hydroelec- Digital Realty’s vice president of global zation practices; and annually assess
tric energy,” LMD added. “It has excellent design, Kevin Dalton, said, “Digital Realty and report on building conformance
links to the local road network, shipping and Vertiv co-developed the new Liebert to sustainability metrics
port, communication and fiber networks, DSE 250-kW solution as an extension of CPI then noted, “Considering data cen-
two local airports and a helipad on site.” the Liebert DSE pumped refrigerant tech- ters are among the most energy-hun-
LMD collaborated with IBM and nology that we used in our data centers gry facilities, both federal and private
Rittal to develop both container and for more than four years. Our solution data centers can benefit from current en-
whitespace facility offerings to custom- helps us achieve our sustainability objec- ergy efficiency strategies.” The company
ers. At the time of the facility’s open- tives and better serve our customers with pointed specifically to its passive cooling
ing, Rittal explained that water from the a cooling technology that reduces energy solutions, and power distribution units
fjord close to the facility is the source consumption, eliminates water usage (PDUs) that can be monitored and man-
of its cooling. “The energy costs are low, for cooling and stabilizes the data center aged, as technologies that can help facili-
and the system achieves a Power Usage thermal environment.” ties achieve these objectives.
Effectiveness of 1.15,” Rittal said. As always, a common thread among The company’s passive cooling solu-
Rittal’s chief executive officer Karl- cooling solutions is efficient energy con- tions “offer innovative airflow manage-
Ulrich Kohler, added, “The Lefdal Mine sumption—whether the facility is a hy- ment techniques, helping data centers
Datacenter project is impressively perscale, colocation, enterprise or edge maximize their cooling efficiencies with-
demonstrating how convenient it can be data center. On May 17, U.S. President out the need for additional CRAC [com-
to establish a secure, efficient and cost-ef- Trump signed Executive Order 13834 puter room air conditioning] units, in-
fective data center in a very short time. Regarding Efficient Federal Operations. row air conditioners or liquid cooling
This solution’s high degree of standard- On its CrossConnect Blog, Chatsworth solutions,” according to CPI.
ization combined with the location ad- Products Inc. (CPI) summarizes some of Additionally, CPI’s eConnect brand
vantages of the western coast of Norway this order’s implications. The order, CPI, PDUs enable data center managers to
result in an excellent total-cost-of-own- says, “establishes streamlined goals for “boost operational efficiency by manag-
ership analysis. Significant cost savings federal energy efficiency, renewable en- ing and monitoring power at the rack and
of up to 40 percent can be achieved com- ergy efficiency, and other aspects of man- device level,” the company says. “Power
pared to a cloud data center, for example, aging operations of federal buildings. management within the data center—
in Germany.” “Through the executive order, the ad- and particularly inside a cabinet—is criti-
ministration will drive continued action cal to ensuring availability of all IT appli-
Collaborative development and focus on increasing efficiency of facil- cations, as well as to minimize the overall
When announcing new cooling systems ities and accomplishing goals in a man- energy footprint of the data center.”
for colocation facilities in late 2017, Vertiv ner that increases efficiency, eliminates
stated, “Nearly 60 percent of enterprise unnecessary use of resources, and pro- At the edge
data center managers report that they tects the environment.” As part of IHS Markit’s ongoing data
will increase their use of colocation and The order specifically lists the follow- center market analysis, analyst Maggie
cloud hosting over the next 12 months, ing goals, among others. Shillington recently issued a brief titled
“Designing for the Edge.” In it, she accommodate 36 rack units Chatsworth Products
writes, “Edge has become an exciting of equipment and as much Inc.’s eConnect power
buzzword for data center infrastructure as 25 kW of IT load. distribution units can be
manufacturers. However, for suppliers In May, Vapor IO and monitored and managed as
of edge deployments, the power required BasX Solutions announced a part of a facility’s energy-
and the location of deployment are the cooling system they say was efficiency efforts.
most important considerations for prod- custom-developed for edge
uct design—not solely whether or not it environments. “By integrat- system is advantageous. 3)
is an edge deployment.” ing BasX’s patent-pend- Component-level redundancy
Her analysis further explains that A) ing hyperscale-grade cool- is important because of many
how harsh the environment is, and B) ing system with Vapor IO’s edge facilities’ hard-to-reach
how remote it is, dictate much about the Vapor Edge Module, the locations and lights-out sta-
product characteristics that will deter- companies are able to de- tus. 4) Despite all the above,
mine the selection of a specific product liver the smallest-footprint edge facilities still must be ca-
type or brand. And cooling comes into multi-tenant micro data pable of powering and cool-
play as well. “Active cooling can be placed center with more than 150 ing substantial amounts of
in an enclosure for high-density appli- kW of critical IT load in IT equipment.
cations, like high-performance comput- edge environments,” they “We had to uniquely con-
ing or in environments where the tem- said. “The solution provides figure our cooling system
perature is uncontrollable,” Shillington all the benefits of free and to perform in that compact
explains. “In addition to active cooling economized cooling, which space and create safe and ex-
within the enclosures, the rPDU [rack is today’s gold standard, act air-handling conditions in
power distribution unit] can be leveraged with none of the drawbacks frequently rugged conditions,”
to provide environmental monitoring. associated with outside air said Matt Tobolski, BasX presi-
These environmental monitors can mea- economization or evapora- dent and co-founder.
sure the temperature and humidity out- tive water consumption.” Cooling systems and ap-
side the cabinet, which can be extremely They said the first of proaches, like data center fa-
important for dense power applications, these modules would be de- cilities, are varied and often
which often push the limits of both.” ployed in the third quarter of this cal- customized. Nonetheless, Bill Kleyman,
In her reporting on edge computing, endar year, and they expected to be director of technology solutions for EPAM
IHS Markit’s Shillington also discusses able to deploy them at scale by the Systems and a regular blogger for Upsite
newly introduced products, technolo- fourth quarter. Technologies, recently wrote in an Upsite
gies, and systems that are noteworthy. “BasX has specially adapted their hy- blog post, “Whether you’re working with
In her most recent reporting, Shillington perscale cooling technology to the Vapor a primary data center or an edge location,
referenced Vapor IO, which she explains Edge Module, reconfiguring it for a you need to take into consideration the
“believes that while software is vital for small footprint and remote operation in way you’re delivering power and cooling
edge applications, the related hardware rugged edge locations,” commented Cole to your critical systems. The good news
is equally important.” The company’s Crawford, Vapor IO’s founder and chief is that vendors and partners see the in-
Vapor chamber “encapsulates this dual executive officer. crease concerning rack density and have
focus by creating an edge infrastruc- The companies said that when develop- capable systems which can meet the de-
ture solution that is empowered by the ing this system for edge facilities, they de- mands of the modern data center.
software,” Shillington says. “The Vapor signed according to the following realities “This means working with better rack-
Chamber can contain up to six individ- about edge computing. 1) Edge locations ready cooling solutions, improving air-
ually accessible wedges to keep users’ lack access to on-site water supply, mak- flow within the data center, and even
IT equipment secure from others being ing some water-consuming cooling op- applying modular cooling solutions,”
able to access it.” tions untenable. 2) Because edge data cen- Kleyman advised. u
Each wedge in the cylindrical, ters must exist in a small footprint, a fully
7-feet-high, 9-feet-wide chamber can integrated rather than bolted-on cooling Patrick McLaughlin is our chief editor.
Differences between
multimode fiber types:
Fact versus fiction
Detailing the actual differences among laser- Due to process variations in the fiber
manufacturing process, there is a rela-
optimized multimode fiber types tively large distribution of MMF band-
widths. Following the fabrication pro-
BY DR. RICK PIMPINELLA, Panduit cess, based on the fiber’s measured
EMB, the fibers are sorted as OM3 and
OM4, where OM3 has an EMB of at least
2000 MHz·km and OM4 has an EMB of
Since the standardization of 10-Gbit/sec but at this time it suffices to say EMB is at least 4700 MHz·km at the measure-
Ethernet (10GBase-SR) and laser-opti- a measure of the MMF’s ability to min- ment wavelength of 850 nm. Therefore,
mized OM3 multimode fiber (MMF) in imize the distortion of the transmitted the only difference between OM3 and
2002, the deployment of MMF has been optical signal as it propagates through OM4 is the minimum guaranteed EMB.
rapidly growing and is now common- the fiber. The higher the EMB, the lower However, EMB alone is not sufficient to
place in most data communication net- the optical signal distortion. predict the performance of an optical
works. However, with the relentless de-
mand for increases in Ethernet data Fig. 1 Optical paths for three possible modes
rates and the need for longer reaches, Fiber core
new MMF types including OM4, OM4+, a)
and OM5 have appeared on the scene, Light path
n1 R Δ
n(r) = n1 1 – 2 —
[ ( ) ] der” mode (such as the skew mode
shown in the figure) encounters a lower
where, refractive index on average, thereby in-
2 α ~ 2 for 850 nm creasing the speed of the mode. In this
1 n2 way, no matter which path the light trav-
n2–n 2
r Δ=—
1 2
els, the average velocities are equalized so
0 R = 25 µm
2
2n1
that all optical modes—each carrying a
Δ = 1.02% portion of the signal power—arrive at the
output end of the fiber at the same time.
c
ν=—
n
Any relative delay in the modes has the
effect of increasing the width of the op-
tical signal. This is called modal disper-
sion, and graded-index multimode fiber is
designed to minimize modal dispersion,
Core
thereby increasing the bandwidth.
Cladding The EMB value is determined by first
measuring the relative delays of the fiber
mode groups, called differential mode
A multimode fiber with a refractive index profile that resembles profile 1 in this delay (DMD). Next, weighting factors
illustration will exhibit modal-chromatic dispersion compensation. In such a fiber, that represent laser emission patterns
higher order modes will travel faster, because the refractive index is lower. Lower- are applied to the DMD data, and finally
order modes will travel slower. Fibers with these characteristics have a peak EMB mathematical computations are per-
at a wavelength longer than 850 nm. formed to calculate the minimum EMB.
Hence, EMB is a calculated metric.
channel. As we will discuss, the spectral paths are mathematically described by
pattern of the light emitted by an optical the so-called wave equation, where the Laser modes
transmitter also plays a critical role in solutions to the wave equation are de- Multimode optical transceivers utilize
the total bandwidth of the MMF chan- fined as modes. lasers fabricated on wafer substrates
nel, which can be enhanced by OM4+ Figure 1 illustrates the optical paths called vertical cavity surface emitting la-
type fiber. To understand the overall for three possible modes. For standard sers (VCSEL). During the development
bandwidth of an optical channel, we 50-micron core MMF, the fiber can sup- of 10-Gbit/sec Ethernet and OM3 fiber,
must first consider how light propagates port as many as 380 discrete modes for it was assumed that VCSELs launch the
through an optical multimode fiber. light having wavelengths in the 850-nm same optical spectrum into all the differ-
spectral region. Although the modes ent modes uniformly. However, in 2008
Fiber modes represent different optical pathways, Panduit fiber researchers discovered that
Light is a self-sustaining propagating many of them are indistinguishable in is not the case. Shorter wavelengths are
electromagnetic field exhibiting wave- terms of their propagation properties emitted at large angles normal to the sur-
like properties. Due to its wave nature, and therefore can be grouped into 19 so- face of the VCSEL and consequently, cou-
when an optical signal enters the core called mode-groups, where their rela- ple into higher-order fiber modes near the
of the fiber, the light splits and travels tive propagation delays are used to cal- outer region of the fiber core. Conversely,
through the fiber core along discrete op- culate the fiber’s EMB. The objective in longer VCSEL wavelengths are emit-
tical paths called “modes,” where each of fabricating MMF is to vary, i.e. “grade,” ted at smaller angles and tend to cou-
the traveling waves carry portions of the the refractive index of the glass compris- ple into low-order modes close to the fi-
optical power and do not destructively ing the fiber core so that light travers- ber-optic axis. Because different fiber
interfere among themselves. The opti- ing a direct path close to the optic axis modes contain different wavelengths,
cal paths are called modes because the experiences a high refractive index on in addition to modal dispersion due to
These images show the location of spectral wavelengths from an 850-nm VCSEL measured at the output of an OM4 fiber.
variations in refractive index, the modes EMB when operating as an optical com- example 849.108 nm, propagates far-
undergo a chromatic dispersion due to munication system. ther away from the core center. Due to
their differences in wavelength relative In Figure 2 we show measurement the chromatic dispersion effect in glass,
to each other. data illustrating how the different different wavelengths propagate at dif-
Depending on process variation in VCSEL wavelengths tend to propagate ferent speeds in the fiber, thereby alter-
the manufacturing of the OM3 and OM4 in the different fiber modes. We observe ing the mode group delays, and conse-
fiber, when coupled to a VCSEL, the that the longest wavelength (850.452 quently, the total combined fiber-VCSEL
combination of modal and chromatic nm) is confined to propagate in the in- channel bandwidth. In other words,
dispersions will either improve or de- ner modes, indicated by the yellow color, as a result of this spectral-spatial cou-
grade the fiber’s DMD and therefore, the whereas the shorter wavelengths, for pling of VCSEL modes into fiber modes,
new fiber OM5. Table 1 lists the types of whereas the EMB of OM4 can vary from relative to parallel optics is only realized
laser-optimized MMF available today. 1450 MHz·km to 2700 MHz·km. when channel reaches exceed 100 me-
To understand the difference between Note that for transceivers operat- ters, the maximum specified distance,
OM4 and OM5, we refer to Figure 4. In ing at 850 nm as specified in IEEE 802.3 at which point the lower structured ca-
Figure 4, we plot the EMB wavelength (Ethernet) and T11 Fibre Channel stan- bling cost offsets the higher cost of the
dependence for two minimally com- SWDM transceiver. It is also import-
pliant OM4 fibers. Due to manufactur- Fiber type EMB at 850 nm EMB at 953 nm ant to note that OM5 comes at a pre-
ing process variation, all OM4 fibers will (MHz·km) (MHz·km) mium, and Ethernet and Fibre Channel
have peak EMBs at wavelengths below or OM3 2000 NA transceivers using parallel optics en-
above the nominal wavelength of 850 nm. OM4 4700 NA able switch-port breakout. SWDM
These two fibers represent the extreme OM5 4700 2470 does not support breakout, nor are
Signature Core 5500 2000
variations in peak EMB wavelength de- they compatible with Ethernet or Fibre
pendence. OM4 is only specified for 850 Channel transceivers.
nm and therefore, the bandwidth at lon- dards, OM5 is equivalent to OM4 (EMB One final point regarding OM5 is its
ger wavelengths, e.g. 953 nm is unknown. of 4700 MHz·km) and provides no bene- chromatic dispersion. During the devel-
The specification for OM5 EMB fit. There is, however, one 400-Gbit/sec opment of the TIA 42.12 OM5 specifica-
wavelength dependence is shown by the Ethernet (400GBase-SR4.2) and several tion, it was brought to the attention of the
dashed line in Figure 4. For typical 850- non-standard SWDM transceivers that subcommittee that the chromatic disper-
nm transmission, OM4 and OM5 have specify OM5 to a guaranteed advertised sion of OM3 and OM4 fibers is less than
identical EMB specifications of 4700 channel reach. that specified in industry standards. A
MHz·km. At 953 nm, OM5 has a spec- Although SWDM applications use round-robin among six companies (in-
ified minimum EMB of 2470 MHz·km, duplex fiber cabling, the cost benefit cluding Panduit) was conducted to ver-
ify a lower chromatic dispersion for MMF
can be specified. As a result, it was de-
higher performance. The power margin about 25 percent. Channel performance projected high-speed data rates, max-
is the optical attenuation that was added testing at a U.S. Air Force base using 100- imum required channel reach, and
to the channel before the BER exceeds Gbit/sec SWDM-4 transceivers showed needless to say, cost. u
the industry standards limit. These high- that OM4+ outperformed OM5, achiev-
speed channels are bandwidth-limited, ing a 100-Gbit/sec channel reach of 505 Dr. Rick Pimpinella is a Panduit Fellow, Optical
Fiber Research. He received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D.
and not attenuation-limited. Data was meters versus 467 meters for OM5 using
degrees in Physics from New York University
obtained for four 100G SWDM-4 trans- beta transceivers. Tandon School of Engineering. He joined Panduit
ceivers, labeled TX1-TX4. The data shows In conclusion, the selection of a in 2002, where he has managed the fiber busi-
OM5 and OM4+ (SigCore) have equivalent MMF type should be based on future ness unit and fiber research department.
performance for SWDM-4 transmission,
and they both provide the same reach
and power margins ranging from 3 to 7
FAT.ACCURAT.RLIABL.™
dB over standard OM4 fiber.
It has been advertised that OM5 has
four times the bandwidth of OM4; this is a
play with words. All laser-optimized MMF
types can carry four-wavelength transmis-
sion and therefore, can be characterized as
having four times the bandwidth of only
one wavelength. The only difference be-
tween these fibers is the maximum chan-
nel reach over which the four wavelengths
can be transmitted. OM5 provides greater
reach than OM3 and OM4, and equivalent
to SigCore OM4+.
So, what is fact and what is fiction? TEST WITH CONFIDENCE
The longer reaches specified for SWDM-4
transceivers are not due to a lower chro-
Th--W-®d,
matic dispersion or higher bandwidth for vddubh
OM5, but instead due to the fact that the yuccu.
transceivers are optimized to meet these
extended reaches. It is, however, fair to
say OM5 is better than OM4 for SWDM-4
applications because the EMB at 953
nm is specified for OM5. For all but the
one SWDM Ethernet transceiver (IEEE
802.3cm 400GBase-SR4.2), OM4 and OM5
are equivalent.
Our Signature Core brand OM4+ is se-
lected from the OM4 production popula-
tion based on a uniquely specified DMD
requirement that enables the compen-
sation of chromatic and modal disper-
sions, thereby reducing the total disper-
sion and significantly increasing the EMB
of the channel. Dispersion-compensating
OM4+ improves overall channel perfor-
mance and extends channel reach by
DFR getairscout.com
www.cablinginstall.com WF®AzA 800-642-2155
PoE-powered lighting
approaches and considerations
The technology holds promise for cabling-system are reasons PoE lighting adoption has
installers and managers. Like other emerging been slow—by some reports only about
2 percent in the United States,” ex-
technologies, it requires planning and consideration.
plained Transition Networks product
manager GlenNiece Kutsch. “Control
BY PATRICK MCLAUGHLIN systems have been proprietary, not in-
teroperable, costly, and complex to in-
stall and reconfigure.” Despite that, she
emphasized, there are reasons to be-
Power over Ethernet (PoE) or re- “LED lighting solutions have been lieve that technological improvements
mote-powered lighting is a technol- used within the enterprise space for will lead to wider adoption. “The cost
ogy that, by many accounts, holds sig- quite some time,” Berk-Tek continues. and performance of LED lighting itself
nificant promise for professionals who “There are numerous advantages to in- has been gradually improving, so that’s
specify, design, install, or manage com- corporating your lighting system into one thing that will allow us to see im-
munications cabling systems. It is a your IP networks [including that do- proved adoption in the future,” she said.
current example of a building sys- ing so] can provide you with action- Furthermore, she added, “improvements
tem that can operate over the type of
wiring typically used to support data
transmission. Additionally, in
many cases an intelligent lighting
system can operate on less energy
than a traditional lighting system
in the same building space.
On Berk-Tek’s website, the company able data to
explains, “More and more organizations improve the efficiency of your busi- Transition Networks’ 24-port
are seeing the cost savings and efficiency ness. For example, based on analytics managed PoE++ switch line supplies up to
benefits of converging their building au- gleaned from your smart lighting sys- 90 watts of power per port for applications
tomation systems onto their IP [Internet tem, you could reconfigure your floor like PoE lighting. Features like device-
Protocol] networks. Smart lighting is space to improve your space utilization management software and autodiscovery
one area of building automation that from 80 percent to 90 percent.” can be beneficial to installers and users of
is growing rapidly and will quickly be- PoE lighting systems.
come the preferred technology for light- Bright horizon
ing in schools, hospitals and other enter- A cynic’s definition of a “promising in PoE as well as PoE++ will open the
prise facilities. It offers greater control technology” may be one that hasn’t yet door to cover more of the LED lighting
over building automation applications, is amounted to very much. As of mid- that exists.”
cost/energy efficient, and provides an im- 2018, that definition could apply to in- As of the time of this writing,
proved user experience. telligent PoE-powered lighting. “There the completion of the IEEE’s 802.3bt
without passing through a service con- “embedded device-management soft- arrangements must transform to bet-
centration point. For optimized design ware. The switches have features in- ter accommodate the requirements that
efficiency, Siemon recommends that cluding PoE scheduling,” she explained, PoE lighting can apply to a network.
zone enclosures be positioned at least 30 “which allows users to set up timeframes “Building automation networks pro-
meters from the TR.” for devices that only need power during vide services such as access control, se-
certain hours. The switches also report curity cameras, and environmental sen-
More design considerations the power being used by the attached de- sors. Whether to converge these services
Panduit’s manager of network archi- vices, which makes energy-consumption with the lighting network is a choice
tecture, Brian Kelly, authored the pa- reporting easier.” that must occur prior to installing the
per “PoE Lighting Benefits and Design Another of the switches’ features is the PoE lighting network.
Considerations,” in which he also ad- ability to autodiscover and remotely con- “Several requirements must be met
dresses a zone-cabling architecture’s figure powered devices. They offer topol- to successfully converge a building auto-
ability to support this application. “Zone
cabling is a standards-based structured “Traditionally building automation networks have been operated by
cabling strategy where all system net- a separate, dedicated network.”
works are converged within common
pathways from the TR to consolidation ogy, floorplan, and Google Maps views. mation and PoE lighting network. First,
points,” Kelly explains. “This strategy These capabilities are useful for cabling all building automation components
is well-positioned to enable PoE light- installers as well as cabling-system end must be IP-based or can be connected
ing deployments.” users, Transition Networks points out, to an IP network through an adapter or
Within that paper, Kelly also ad- because they essentially provide as-built converter. Second, the installed network
dresses other cabling-architectural drawings. “You can input a floorplan and cabling must be capable of handling PoE
considerations, including whether PoE drag-and-drop powered devices onto that (generally 28 AWG to 22 AWG twisted
switches should be centralized or dis- floorplan,” Kutsch pointed out.” pair copper cabling). Finally, to gain the
tributed. He says, “The most common Like other switches from Transition full value of a converged building auto-
strategy is a centralized deployment, Networks, the Smart Managed PoE se- mation and PoE lighting network, a sin-
where the PoE switches are centrally ries devices offer Auto Power Reset, gle pane of glass management software
located in the TR. From the TR, cop- which monitors and when necessary, au- package would be required.”
per cable runs to a patch panel within tomatically restarts edge devices. This Siemon concludes its planning guide
the zone enclosure, then from the patch saves network administrators from hav- by advising, “There are a number of
panel to the lighting troffers. ing to manually restart such devices. large variables that must be considered
“The distributed strategy results prior to identifying the PoE lighting sys-
from newer, smaller PoE switches de- Another type of convergence tem that is best suited for a particular
signed for a distributed architecture. Additionally, Kelly considers converged building environment, and the process
The PoE switch is in a zone enclosure, versus separate building automation to design and deploy lighting devices
usually in the ceiling, closer to the light- and lighting networks, noting that con- and balanced twisted-pair cabling in
ing troffers. This allows for lighting trof- verging the enterprise local area net- coverage areas can be complex and con-
fers to be at a greater distance from the work into the building automation fusing. As a result, Siemon recommends
TR and uses less cable. The uplink from and lighting network is not suggested. the use of a digital lighting partner to
the TR to zone enclosure box can be fi- “Traditionally building automation net- provide assistance in designing and in-
ber or copper. Fiber connections allow works have been operated by a sepa- stalling the low-voltage cabling systems
for greater distance.” rate, dedicated network,” he explains. for PoE lighting deployments.”
Transition Networks offers a portfo- “Building automation networks have As PoE lighting’s promise begins
lio of PoE switches for applications like also tended to be controlled by facilities/ to be fulfilled, planning and technical
lighting. Kutsch pointed to the company’s operations teams with little to no IT in- considerations will increase the likeli-
Smart Managed PoE+ and the more-re- volvement in the day-to-day operations hood of success. u
cently introduced Smart Managed PoE++ of the network. With the introduction of
switches, emphasizing the switches’ PoE lighting, some of these traditional Patrick McLaughlin is our chief editor.
S
Multi Media
CU
OD
FO
UC
Enclosure
T
FIRE-RESISTIVE CABLES
cleaner, dust-free application when cardboard is not will be on hand to recount the
permitted in the data center. Cord memory is no longer development and release of its Drybit
an issue, with the packs laid out flat in a bundle. Having Category 6 indoor/outdoor plenum-
the bag tear from both ends provides quick connectivity rated cables. Per the company, “The
options and improves cable management during Drybit cables offer a design that
installation. The EZ Patch Flat Pack by Legrand means a is appropriate for both wet places
simplified installation – faster installation, less packaging and plenum spaces. The unique dry
waste and no more twist ties to deal with.” core cable design allows the owner
to safely bridge two distinct cable
Legrand North America, www.legrand.us Booth 427
environments using one single cable.
Since the Drybit cables eliminate
the need to physically transition
3-cell Vis Divide from one cable type to another, they
Milliken’s Cable Management business will showcase its newest product for also eliminate the space, materials
the telecommunications industry, the 3-cell Vis Divide. Per the company, “Vis and costs associated with doing
Divide with three cells is an expansion of Vis Divide, a segmented high-density so.” The Drybit cable is UL listed
polyethylene (HDPE) rigid conduit that provides dedicated CMP (plenum) and UL verified for
pathways for the placement of more than one cable in a electrical performance to ANSI/
single conduit. Where previous versions of Vis Divide have TIA-568-C.2 Category 6. The Drybit
two available pathways, this new product offers three. The design is also tested and verified for
fabric divider molded directly into the Vis Divide conduit long term water exposure per UL
helps improve efficiency by utilizing all the available space test A826376. The Drybit cabling is
within the conduit, while avoiding the risk of cable-over- intended for PoE applications and will
cable damage. The extra pathways in the 3-cell Vis Divide support devices per IEEE 802.3 af,
allow for ease of futurization by eliminating the need to at and bt up to 100 watts. Available
install new conduits.” Installation of the Vis Divide is similar in both unshielded and shielded
in procedure to a traditional HDPE conduit, requiring no special equipment or designs, the cable is made in the US
training. For installation ease, each pathway in Vis Divide comes with color- at HCA’s Manchester, NH facility.
coded Vis pulling tape already installed. The new 3-cell Vis Divide is available Hitachi Cable America,
for purchase immediately. www.hca.hitachi-cable.com
Milliken Cable Management, infrastructure.milliken.com Booth 601 Booth 827
Transition Networks will display its new 24-Port Managed data centers to meet these emerging high-speed applications
Gigabit Ethernet PoE++ Switch line at the BICSI show, and should consider the Leviton Opt-X Unity Fiber Migration
the product will be featured in the exhibition’s “What’s New, System. Billed as a "single, simple connectivity solution that
What’s It Do?” theater. The next-generation SM24TBT2DPA reduces costs and saves time by reusing the fiber backbone,"
switch can supply up to 90 watts of power per port (1560 the Opt-X Unity platform makes it easy to migrate from 10 to
watts total) for high-powered devices. The switch provides (24) 40-, 100-, 200- and 400-Gbit/sec networks. Via its system of
10/100/1000Base-T ports with IEEE 802.3bt PoE++ capability trunks, harnesses and
and (2) additional 100/1000 dual speed SFP slots. Transition modules using best-
in-class MTP multi-
fiber connectors,
and available in both
singlemode and
multimode fiber,
the Opt-X Unity 24-F
Networks has added new Device Management System cabling system offers
(DMS) software that provides a unique set of value-added among the strongest returns on infrastructure investment
features and capabilities for the switch, enabling security among multifiber connector cabling options, says Leviton. As
integrators to lower overall cost, reduce downtime, and part of the company's HDX patching platform, the Opt-X Unity
simplify management and maintenance of the entire network. 24-F cabling system is designed to improve patching density,
The embedded DMS software allows users to establish and speed tech refreshes, and reduce network downtime.
document a baseline deployment and automatically discover Supporting multimode (OM4+, OM4, OM3) and singlemode
and remotely configure attached IP-powered devices including (OS2) fiber types, the system relies on the company's 8-
surveillance cameras and wireless APs. and 12-fiber ULL and 24-F MTP cabling and cassettes with
premium LC patch cords, and e2XHD and HDX enclosures
Transition Networks, www.transition.com Booth 728
and panels for 96- or 144-fiber-port deployments.
Leviton Network Solutions, www.leviton.com Booth 518
• Quality tested
• Produced with best in class
components
• Manufactured in Ilsintech’s
Indonesia and South Korea facilities
which means no added import tariffs
• Available in a variety of configurations
• Readily available stock for standard
lengths (most ship same day)
• America Ilsintech’s quality
Dura-Line will showcase its FuturePath Figure-8 Self-Support Aerial. Per the Category 6 twisted pair cabling
company, “There’s not actually room on a power pole for seven attachments and supports high-speed wireless
for seven different fiber networks, but with FuturePath Figure-8 Self-Support access points. In a perfect
Aerial, seven MicroDucts are bundled into one conduit. Not only is it a safer world, this would mean doubling
option for linemen because it cleans up the pole, it keeps fiber networks transmission speed without the
company says its FuturePath However, how can you be sure the
have chosen to lease out the extra will pinpoint faults and distance to
pathways,” asserts the company. Noting that “the strand does all the work,” faults along the way. You’ll know if
Dura-Line states that with the FuturePath Figure-8 Self-Support Aerial your network can deliver 2.5G/5G;
“generally, poles are placed 150 to 200 feet apart and the tension on the and if not, you’ll know exactly what
line is between 1,500 and 2,500 lbs. The FuturePath Figure-8 Self-Support to fix in order to optimize your
Aerial has been product tested to support up to 6,500 lbs. of linear tension. wireless upgrade.”
Dura-Line has accounted for rain, wind, and ice loading as well as a certain Softing, itnetworks.softing.com
amount of sag between poles. Booth 611
Dura-Line, www.duraline.com Booth 715
America Ilsintech will introduce its new line of Fiber Optic Cable Assemblies. native MPO connectivity, adds Viavi.
Using advanced manufacturing processes, the fiber-optic cables are With the MPOLx, field technicians
produced and quality tested in Ilsintech’s Indonesia and South Korea can perform all the necessary test
facilities. Per the company, “The new product family includes Simplex requirements for Tier 1 (Basic)
and Duplex, Multimode and Singlemode, UPC and APC patch cords in certification in a single solution,
LC, SC and ST configurations, as well as multi-fiber pigtails in SC, LC and including measuring MPO length
optic cables are manufactured with MPO testing, asserts Viavi. With
Corning Glass and Ilsintech’s Swift line can inspect MPO end faces and
of ferrules and connectors. All cables perform tests from either end of the
are produced in compliance with the connection without the need for fan-
tested and serialized. Additionally, Ilsintech assemblies are shipped with back and forth between the two units,
no added tariffs.” The company says its Dallas, TX warehouse offers ready notes the company.
stock for standard lengths and configurations that in most cases can be Viavi Solutions,
ordered and shipped on the same day. www.viavisolutions.com
America Ilsintech, https://americailsintech.com Booth 406 Booth 302
Trans Cable, www.verticalcable.com Booth 713 the industry’s first Android-based smart
network testers, the LinkRunner G2
features a built-in camera, speaker and
microphone and a large color display.
In-wall device charger and The tester runs Android apps to configure
Ethernet data port and triage connected devices and
According to maker PoE Texas, “the GAF-USB2 in-wall device charger test the network. Test results can be
and Ethernet data port belongs anywhere people use mobile devices automatically uploaded to Netscout’s
and laptops (which encrypted and highly secure Link-Live
means everywhere). results management database at the
Unlike other in-wall completion of each test. Per Netscout,
charging stations, the the LinkRunner G2 “empowers network
WT-GAF-USB2 can be professionals responsible for device
installed without costly deployment and troubleshooting, while
electrical upgrades. It facilitating collaboration between teams.
connects to the existing For organizations challenged by the rapid
data network cables growth of network-connected devices, this
and uses Power over next-generation test tool enables network
Ethernet for charging professionals to accelerate deployments,
phones, tablets, and other USB devices. The built-in RJ45 data port speed problem identification and
provides a Gigabit data connection for laptops, WiFi, smart TVs, deliver installation validation in a single,
or any other networked device.” The company adds that the unit’s ruggedized unit.” The tool enables
two USB ports are optimized for fast charging of Apple and Android and more-effective installation and
devices, “and they don’t connect to to the data network, so they’re troubleshooting workflow, Netscout adds.
guaranteed secure.” Netscout, www.netscout.com
PoE Texas, www.poetexas.com Booth 810 Booth 628
INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
AEM International, LLC ............................... 33
AFL.................................................................2
Brother Mobile Solutions Inc. .................. CV4 ADVERTISING SALES OFFICES
Corning Optical Communications LLC..... CV2
MAIN OFFICE INTERNATIONAL
Greenlee Communications..........................31 61 Spit Brook Road AUSTRIA, EUROPE, GERMANY,
Hiachi Cable Manchester Inc......................17 Suite 401, Nashua, NH 03060 NORTHERN SWITZERLAND
(603) 891-0123 Holger Gerisch
ICC Premise Wiring ......................................7 +49-(0)8847-6986656
Ilsintech Co. Ltd. ........................................ 39 GROUP PUBLISHER Fax: +49-(0)8801-9153792
Alan Bergstein holgerg@pennwell.com
Jameson Corporation..................................12 (603)-891-9447
ISRAEL
Light Brigade, The ................................... CV3 alanb@pennwell.com
Dan Aronovic
Micro Care Corp .........................................41 NATIONAL SALES MANAGER +972 9 899 5813
Multilink Inc................................................ 35 Susan Smith aronovic@actcom.co.il
(603) 891-9260
Oberon Inc.................................................. 30 ASIA
susans@pennwell.com
Adonis Mak
Ortronics Inc. ................................................9 REPRINTS +852 2 838 6298; Fax: +852 2 838 2766
Platinum Tools ............................................10 Susan Smith adonism@actintl.com.hk
R&M USA Inc. ..............................................25 (603) 891-9260 JAPAN
susans@pennwell.com Masaki Mori
SENKO Advanced Components Inc. .............14
DIRECTOR, LIST RENTAL +81 3 3219 3561
Siemon Company........................................ 28 Kelli Berry mori-masaki@ics-inc.co.jp
Specified Technologies Inc. ...................... 20 (918) 831-9782 TAIWAN
Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corp.............13 kellib@pennwell.com Ms. Rebecca Tsao
+886 2 23965128 ext.203
The Light Connection ..................................19 Fax: 886 2 23967816
Universal Electric Corp.................................4 rebecca@arco.com.tw
Wirewerks .................................................. 23
SHOULD YOU NEED ASSISTANCE CREATING YOUR AD, PLEASE CONTACT MARKETING SOLUTIONS
Kaci Wheeler
The index of advertisers is published as a service, and the (918) 832-9377; kaciw@pennwell.com
publisher does not assume any liability for errors or omissions.
and partners sioned by Tellabs, Hanover’s researchers presented results in the firm’s
October 2017 “Passive Optical LAN Survey Analysis.” To better understand
survey market the adoption and perception of passive optical LAN technology, the study
targeted the following objectives: “to determine the level of awareness
traction, growth among IT professionals with decision influence on equipment, including per-
ceptions and manufacturer awareness; to understand positions of industry
opportunities for awareness and perceptions of POL equipment and services; and to delin-
passive optical eate characteristics that shape the market and the rate of adoption of POL.”
According to the Hanover Research report, 88 percent of industry pro-
LAN technology fessionals considered POL more appealing than copper-based LANs. Aware-
ness of the technology also appeared to be on the upswing, with 83 percent
The Association for Passive Optical LAN of respondents saying they have heard of POL technology, and with 44 per-
(APOLAN), an organization driving both cent being familiar with details surrounding the technology.
education and adoption initiatives for passive “The findings from the Hanover Research Passive Optical LAN Survey
optical local area networks (POL) technology, Analysis showcase how the industry perception of POL has evolved very
recently announced its work with quickly over the last few years,”
market research and analysis states John Hoover, Tellabs’ senior
firms Gartner, Hanover Research product manager and APOLAN
and The Building Services board member. “The most appeal-
Research and Information ing benefits driving this growth,
Association (BSRIA), with the goal according to survey participants,
of showcasing “the unprecedented are product quality, reliability, lon-
increase in demand and growth gevity and POL’s centralized man-
opportunities for POL in various agement capabilities.”
market segments.” For its part, Gartner provides
The latest BSRIA POL report Photo: Hanover Research additional insight into the challenges
brings an external and indepen- and opportunities POL technology
dent view of the global POL market. The has to offer in its recent report, “Does Passive Optical LAN Have a Future in
research sheds light on the market evolution, Your Access Network?” According to this report’s synopsis, passive optical
the global value of passive and active com- LAN technology can be an alternative to the traditional structured cabling and
ponents, as well as insight into several other Ethernet network when new LAN cabling infrastructure is needed. Gartner
market segmentations. This includes nam- recommends potential deployers consider POL to help reduce building con-
ing the most significant advantages of POL, struction costs in situations where there is a need to simplify network opera-
which are cited as: capex/opex savings; the tions for greenfield deployments, where there is a lack of local IT staff, where
ability to easily scale and be futureproof; the there is a need for long cable runs, and when security is the highest priority.
highest level of security; and up to 90 per- Alan Bertsch, Qypsys president and APOLAN chairman, concludes, “The
cent space savings capabilities. findings from these industry experts are a true testament to the techni-
cal superiority of POL and the industry’s need to digitally transform now to
Matt Vincent, Senior Editor
m at t v @ pe n n w el l . co m keep pace with network demands of the future.”
Laminated labels in variety of colors Full-size detachable keyboard Convenient storage compartment