Optical Network Tapping, also known as packet tapping or network monitoring, is a technique used to verify the performance and integrity of data streams as they flow between different devices on a network. This practice is often employed in data networks for various purposes, including network troubleshooting, security analysis, performance monitoring, and data collection. In this blog post, you will learn about the different types of network tapping, the most common optical split ratios, what  … Read more The post Optical Network Tapping appeared first on Network Infrastructure Blog ..read more

In the world of data centers (DC) and Intelligent Buildings (IB), copper and fiber cabling are widely recognized as the primary media types for network connectivity. The ability to seamlessly integrate these two types of cabling offers a multitude of installation options to address various cabling applications, network topologies, and equipment connectivity requirements. In this blog post, we will delve into the challenges faced by network engineers when dealing with the integration of copper and  … Read more The post The Benefits of Mixing Copper and Fiber in Data Centers and Intelligen ..read more

La fibra óptica se ha convertido en uno de los medios de cableado preferido en las implementaciones de nuevos Centros de Datos. Esto se debe a que la fibra ofrece mayor flexibilidad, escalabilidad y capacidad de ancho de banda para admitir el constante aumento en el volumen de datos. Al mismo tiempo, la cantidad de enlaces de fibra óptica entre switches, redes de área de almacenamiento (SAN) y otros equipos de IT continúa creciendo con  … Read more The post LightWays – El innovador sistema de enrutamiento de fibra de Siemon appeared first on Network Infrastructure Blog ..read more

Base-16 is an MPO plug and play cabling system that utilizes an MPO-16 connector vs. the MPO-12 connector that is used for more commonly in Base-8 or Base-12 cabling systems. The MPO-16 connector has specifications that are defined in TIA-604-18 released in 2018 and IEC 61754-7-1 released in 2014, but the connector has seen limited market adoption. With the recent introduction and promotion of Base-16 systems by some manufacturers, the time is right to share  … Read more The post Is Base-16 a Good Solution for the Data Center? appeared first on Network Infrastructure Blog ..read more

On September 29, 2022, ANSI released the latest revision of the ANSI/TIA-568.3-E, Optical Fiber Cabling and Components Standard.  A couple primary introductions of interest to most users will be the addition of two new connectivity (polarity) methods for array (MPO)-based duplex applications.  The revision also introduced revised guidance on pinning of connectors to better support future transition to end-to-end array systems. Prior to the release of this revision of the Standard, connectivity methods for array-based  … Read more The post ANSI/TIA-568.3-E Introduces New Polarit ..read more

Our own Gary Bernstein makes a lot of sense in his tech brief entitled “The Road to 400/800G is Paved!” As he points out, enterprise data centers are currently running 1G or 10G server speeds and 10G or 40G uplink speeds and are looking at migration paths for 25G or 50G for servers and 100G or 400G for uplinks. Perhaps a step further ahead, cloud data centers currently at 10G to 25G for servers and  … Read more The post What To Consider Before Hitting the Road to 400/800G appeared first on Network Infrastructure Blog ..read more

Plug and Play is a term that has been used to describe a product or solution that works seamlessly when the specific components are connected or plugged together. These words were first used as a feature of a computer system by which peripherals were automatically detected and configured by the operating system. The term has been readily adopted by the cabling industry to describe fiber optic structured cabling links used in the data center and  … Read more The post Why use Plug and Play Fiber Optic Cabling? appeared first on Network Infrastructure Blog ..read more

I created a blog on this topic back in April 2017…this content is updated with current standards and applications…but it is still very much true today…4 ½ years later…Make sure you work with people & companies you can trust that have your best interests in mind. Wideband Multimode fiber (WBMMF) was introduced as a new fiber medium in ANSI/TIA-492AAAE, in June 2016. The ISO/IEC 11801, 3rd edition standard is now using OM5 as the designation  … Read more The post Is OM5 Fiber a Good Solution for the Data Center? appeared first on Network Infrastructure Blog ..read more

The number of optical fiber links between switches, storage area network (SANs), and equipment continue to rise in data center environments due to increasing data and bandwidth needs. As connections between core, SAN, interconnection, and access switches push to 50, 100, 200 or higher gigabit per second (Gb/s) speeds and require low-latency transmission to effectively manage larger volumes of data, fiber is emerging as the dominant media type for data center infrastructure. As the flexibility,  … Read more The post The importance of protecting fiber optic cabling infrastructure appeared ..read more

Multi-fiber push-on (MPO) connectors like the superior MTP with either 8 or 12 fibers are commonly used in the data center to either connect fiber panels in duplex applications or in end-to-end parallel optic applications like 40, 100, 200 and 400 Gbps that transmit and receive using 8 fibers (4 transmitting and 4 receiving at 25, 50 or 100 Gb/s). Regardless of the application, there is one thing that most data center designers and operators  … Read more The post Master MTP Polarity Like a Pro appeared first on Network Infrastructure Blog ..read more