LC Duplex Connector for Data Center Cabling

In the telecommunication networks, fiber optic connector is a key component to provide a mechanical connection for the two fiber cables and align both cores precisely. There are various kinds of fiber optic connectors, such as LC, ST, SC, FC, MPO, MTRJ, among which the LC connector is the most common type. They’re terminated on the end of fiber cables, forming fiber jumpers, like SC SC patch cords, SC to LC fiber patch cable, LC to ST fiber patch cable or LC patch cord. The LC patch cord can be further divided into LC to LC multimode simplex and LC to LC multimode duplex one, for LC connector can be both simplex and duplex. This passage will focus on the LC duplex connector which is widely adopted in fiber optic connectivity of today's LANs (Local Area Networks) and data center cabling.

Standard LC Duplex Connector

The standard LC connector, namely the traditional type, was developed by Lucent Technologies. It is designed with a retaining tab mechanism that is similar to the RJ45 connector. The body of a standard LC connector is a squarish shape, which is similar to an SC connector. Thus, LC connector is also called mini SC connector. Standard LC duplex connector is LC connector in a duplex configuration with a plastic clip. The ferrule of an LC connector is 1.25 mm. As the basic type, standard LC duplex connectors are universal in various fiber optic network applications.

LC Duplex Uniboot Connector

The LC duplex uniboot connector is two LC connectors encased in a common housing with one boot, terminated on a single twin-fiber round cable. This type of connector LC duplex connector is more compact compared to standard LC duplex connector. Fiber patch cables terminated with uniboot LC duplex connectors are ideal for high-density cabling applications, for they greatly reduce fiber counts and cable management space. And you need to know that the boots of an LC duplex connector can be configured with various versions according to different requirements. In addition to standard connector boots and uniboots, there are mini boots, BTW (Behind the Wall) boots, short boots, and 45 or 90 degree angel boots in the market.

LC-HD Duplex Connector

If you have ever released LC duplex connectors from patch panels in high-density cablings, you might know how difficult it can be. In a high-density cabling, thumbs and forefingers have hard access to pulling connectors. LC-HD duplex connectors are ideal solution to this issue. With a flexible "pull-tab" or "push-pull tab", the LC-HD duplex connector can be disengaged easily from densely loaded panels without using special tools, which gives users easy accessibility in tight areas of high-density data center applications. And LC-HD duplex connectors with the uniboot design are more suitable to high-density cabling applications.

Mini-LC Duplex Connector

The mini-LC duplex connector is a variation of standard LC connector. It uses current industry-standard LC connectors but allows closer ferrule spacing by adopting the duplex clip (usually with color coding). Mini-LC duplex connector has a reduced center spacing of 5.25 mm compared to a standard LC duplex connector of 6.25 mm. This type of LC duplex connector is designed to operate with the Mini SFP modules and provides a higher density deployment for data center equipment.

Keyed LC Duplex Connector

Keyed LC duplex connector assemblies add more colors to the LC connector world as they use 12 color-coded keyed designs. Each color of keyed LC duplex connectors represents a unique keyed pattern. And each keyed design only allows its matched color-coded adapter to be mated. Keyed LC duplex connector can help to segregate or identify parts or paths within a network infrastructure, as well as to reduce the risk of accidental or malicious network access, particularly in shared access areas or in secure hierarchical environments.

Conclusion

LC duplex connectors come in many different varieties. With the increasing requirements and the development of technology, there will be more new members to join this family. Each of them has its unique features and functionality. Choosing which type of LC duplex connector mainly depends on your applications and particular needs. Hopefully, reading this passage can help you make a better decision.

Pre-terminated Fiber Cabling for 40G/100G Applications

In today’s data centers, the deployment and termination of fiber optic cabling cost much time and labor, especially in 40G/100G data centers where fiber optic networks are more complex. Risks of faults caused by manual fiber termination increase. To solve this problem and meet high density requirements of data centers, pre-termianted fiber cabling assemblies are introduced.

Why Pre-Terminated Fiber Cabling Emerges

Pre-terminated fiber cabling is a much easier way to install fiber optic cable. The connectors you specify are pre-terminated, and the fiber cable you specify is cut to the proper length that you require, such as LC to LC single mode fiber patch cable, SC to LC cable, SC to ST fiber cable and so on. Deploying a data center by using field termination methods might need a few days or more. Engineers have to terminate a lot of fiber optic links and connect them to the right ports. To make sure there are no wrong links or bad fiber optic splicing joints, a lot of checking should be done.

However, pre-terminated fiber cable assemblies, using the plug-and-play designed modules and cables, can largely improve the working efficiency, increase cabling density and decrease the total data center installation cost. For example, multi-mode fiber networks for 40G/100G applications use parallel transmission with 8 or 20 fibers per link utilizing 12-fiber MTP/MPO connectors, making it harder to terminate than a single fiber connector. Instead, a pre-terminated MPO cable would be much easier. In addition, the factory terminated fiber cable assemblies eliminate the need of fiber optic splicing and provide higher performance compared with field terminated fiber optic cable.

Pre-Terminated Fiber Cabling for 40G/100G Applications

Commonly used pre-terminated fiber cabling assemblies for 40G/100G high density cabling applications are MTP/MPO fiber cable assemblies, including MTP/MPO trunk cable, MTP/MPO harness cable and MTP/MPO cassette. Making good use of these components can largely increase cabling density and working efficiency in data centers.

MTP/MPO Trunk Cable

MTP/MPO trunk cable is a length of multi-fiber optical cable, which is usually used for backbone transmission in data center. 12-fiber MTP/MPO trunk cable and 24-fiber MTP/MPO trunk cable are commonly used for 40G and 100G applications separately. Generally, there are two versions of MTP/MPO trunk cable, single-strand MTP/MPO trunk cable and multi-strand MTP/MPO trunk cable. A multi-strand MTP/MPO trunk cable combines several single-stand MTP/MPO trunk cables together. For example, a 72-fiber MTP/MPO trunk cable has 6 strands of 12-fiber cables combining together and each strand is terminated with a 12-fiber MTP/MPO connector.

MTP/MPO Harness Cable

MTP/MPO harness cable is a fanout version of MTP/MPO optical cable. An MTP/MPO fiber optic connector is terminated on one end of the cable, and the fanout end is terminated with several other types of fiber optic connectors, which usually are LC fiber optic connectors. MTP/MPO harness cable is generally used for 40G to 10G transmission or 100G to 10G transmission. MTP/MPO harness cable also has various versions. The most commonly used types are 12-fiber MTP/MPO to 6 duplex LC harness cable for 40G duplex transmission and 24-fiber MTP/MPO to 12 duplex LC harness cable for 100G duplex transmission.

MTP/MPO Cassette

MTP/MPO cassette is a specially designed box which contains one or more small version of MTP harness cables inside it. Generally there is one MTP interface on the back rear of an MTP/MPO cassette and several LC interfaces on its front rear. It can be easily installed on the rack for easier cabling as shown in the following picture. In this way, the fiber optic connections are protected in this box and more fiber optic connections can be added to the data center without worrying about space limitation. The most commonly used are MTP/MPO LGX cassettes. However, driven by increasing need for high density, the size of MTP/MPO cassette gradually decreases. HD MTP/MPO cassette is also available in the market for higher cabling density.

Conclusion

Now you can install your own fiber optic cables without investing in training and equipment. Customize pre-terminated, pre-tested fiber optic cables from FS.COM. These assemblies can be ordered in either indoor (plenum) or outdoor variations, and in 2, 4, 6, 12 or 24 strand fiber counts, in multimode OM1, OM2, OM3 and OM4 or singlemode!

What Are Simplex, Half Duplex and Full Duplex?

When talking about fiber optic cables, such as duplex LC patch cable or LC SC single-mode simplex fiber patch cable, we came across simplex and duplex, or full duplex. What do all those words mean? Simplex and duplex are two kinds of communication channels in telecommunications and computer networking, which provide pathways to convey information. In fact, apart from simplex and full duplex, there is another communication channel named half duplex. This article will introduce these three communication channels commonly used in telecommunication networks.

A communication channel can be either a physical transmission medium or a logical connection over a multiplexed medium. The physical transmission medium refers to the material substance that can propagate energy waves, such as wires in data communication. And the logical connection usually refers to the circuit switched connection or packet-mode virtual circuit connection, such as a radio channel. With communication channels, information can be transmitted without obstruction. In this article, a brief introduction to these three communication channel types will be given.

Simplex

A simplex communication channel only sends information in one direction. For example, a radio station usually sends signals to the audience but never receives signals from them, thus a radio station uses a simplex channel. And it is also commonly used in fiber optic communication. One strand is used for transmitting signals or for receiving signals. The good part of simplex mode is that its entire bandwidth can be used during the transmission.

Half Duplex

In half duplex mode, data can be transmitted in both directions on a signal carrier but not at the same time. At a certain point, it is actually a simplex channel whose transmission direction can be switched. Walkie-talkie is a typical half duplex device. It has a "push-to-talk" button which can be used to turn on the transmitter but turn off the receiver. Therefore, once you push the button, you cannot hear the person you are talking to but your partner can hear you. An advantage of half-duplex is that the single track is cheaper than the double tracks.

Full Duplex

A full duplex communication channel is able to transmit and receive data in both directions on a signal carrier at the same time. It is constructed by a pair of simplex links that allows bidirectional simultaneous transmission. Take telephone as an example, people at both ends of a call can speak and be heard by each other at the same time because there are two communication paths between them. Thus, using the full duplex mode can greatly increase the efficiency of communication.

Simplex Fiber Optic Cable vs. Duplex Fiber Optic Cable

A simplex fiber optic cable has only one strand of tight-buffered fiber inside the cable jacket for one-way data transmission. The aramid yarn and protective jacket enable the cable to be connected and crimped to a mechanical connector. It can be used for both multimode and single mode patch cable. For instance, single-mode simplex fiber optic cable is suitable for networks that require data to be transmitted in one direction over long distance. Different from simplex fiber optic cable, duplex fiber optic cable has two strands of fibers constructed in a zipcord style. It is often used for duplex communication between devices to transmit and receive signals simultaneously. Duplex fiber optic cable can be applied to all sorts of applications, such as workstations, fiber switches and servers, fiber modems and so on. And single-mode or multimode cable is also available with duplex cables.

Conclusion

Simplex, half duplex and full duplex are three modes of communication channels. Each one can be deployed for different applications. To make a cost-effective decision, you can choose the right fiber optic cable according to the channel mode that you need. FS.COM offers a wide selection of fiber optic cable, such as LC to LC single mode fiber patch cable, LC to SC patch cable and so on. Both simplex and duplex fiber counts are available for your choice.

Fiber Optic Link With Keyed LC Connectivity Products

Introduction

In recent years, physically discrete fiber connection systems have emerged to respond to a growing demand for security in high-performance fiber networks. While security in the networks can be improved with sophisticated software tools, it is imperative that the right decisions be made in the early stage of the infrastructure design in order to protect the ever increasing amount of sensitive data being exchanged over today’s networks. Actually, risks of unauthorized or inadvertent data changes can be effectively reduced by using proper cabling hardware components. Keyed LC (also known as secure LC) connectivity products are suggested. How could keyed LC solve the problems that only complicated software tools can do? How to use them in the fiber optic network? This article will give you the answer.

Understanding Keyed LC Connectivity Products

The biggest characteristic of keyed LC connectivity products is their various colors. And behind these different colors are different keying features. Each color represents one unique pattern, which ensures that only the same-colored products can be connected to support the data link.

For example, the above picture shows the interfaces of a keyed LC connector and adapter which have yellow color and a unique keying pattern to ensure that they only fit each other. It is clearly showed that the inside structures of the yellow adapter and connector are different from the standard ones and are not compatible with the standards ones. All the other yellow-color LC products including LC patch cable, LC adapter panel and LC cassette which have the same keying feature. In a keyed LC connectivity system, connections can be identified directly by their colors. If the color does not match, the keying feature will prevent the connector from carrying the signal.

Full Series Keyed LC Connectivity Products

Some vendor can provide up to 6, 8 or 10 different colored keyed LC connectivity products. In FS.COM, the keyed LC connectivity products are available in 12 different colors. The above picture shows the 12 different keying features that are identified by colors.

The keyed LC connectivity might be needed in any point of the fiber optic network. To satisfy these requirements and increase the cabling flexibility, a full series of keyed LC connectivity products are introduced in FS.COM, including keyed LC connector, keyed LC adapter, keyed LC patch cable, keyed LC adapter panel, keyed LC fiber optic cassette. The keyed LC adapters are keyed on both the front and back to prevent installation errors and avid a possible security breach. The keyed LC patch cords are offered in multimode 62.5/125 m, 50/125um and laser-optimized 50/125um for the most demanding network performance. They are offered in standard lengths of 2 m (6 ft.), 3 m (10 ft.) and 5 m (16 ft.). Other lengths and configurations may be offered as custom orders. Please note different providers might have different keying pattern, even their keyed LC products are in the same color.

How to Use Keyed LC Connectivity Product in Fiber Optic Network

The using of keyed LC connectivity products is not much different from the standard ones. However, they are much more easier for identification and management because of their color-identification system. The above picture shows a typical fiber optic link that is commonly deployed in today’s fiber optic network from data center switch to the target devices.

The keyed LC connectivity solution allows manageable and easily identifiable network segregation by use of a range of physically unique keyed connector and adapter combinations. Each color features a unique keying pattern that only allows matched color mating. As the leading fiber optical manufacturer in China, FS.COM offers keyed LC connectivity products, including keyed LC patch cables, secure keyed LC adapter panels, keyed LC connectors and so on. Other types of high quality fiber cables like SC SC patch cord, SC ST patch cord are also available for your choice.

Typical Cable Components for Network Connection

With the development of fiber optic technology in recent years, fiber cabling plays a more and more important role in data center applications. Meanwhile, typical cable components involved in transmitting data from the network area to the telecommunications room or enclosure have caught more and more attention from users in the field of telecommunications. These typical cable components mainly include horizon cable, backbone cable, and patch cables which will be introduced in this article.

Patch Cords

Patch cords are used in in patch panels to provide the connection between field-terminated horizontal cables and network connectivity devices and connections between the telecommunications outlets and network devices such as printers, computers, and other Ethernet-based devices. They are part of the network wiring you can actually see. Since the fact that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Because of their exposed position in structured cable infrastructures, patch cords are always the weakest link. Patch cords include optical fiber patch cable.

Fiber optic patch cords refer to those fiber optic cables with connectors on both ends, which can be directly and rapidly connected to computers or other equipment. With a thick layer of protection, patch cords are usually used to connect the optical transmitter, receiver as well as the terminal box. It is widely accepted that in terms of transmission medium, the fiber patch cords can be defined into two categories: single-mode fiber patch cords and multimode fiber patch cords.

Horizontal and Backbone Cables

The name horizontal cable and backbone cable have nothing to do with the cable’s physical orientation toward the horizon. Horizontal cables run between a cross-connect panel in a telecommunications room and telecommunications room and a telecommunications outlet located near the work area. Backbone cables run between telecommunications rooms, and enclosures, and the main cross-connect point of a building, it usually located in the equipment room.

Whereas horizontal UTP cables contain solid conductors, patch cords are made with stranded conductors because they are more flexible. The flexibility allows them to withstand the abuse of frequent flexing and reconnecting. Although you could build your own field-terminated patch cords, we strongly recommend against it.

At first glance, patch cords may seem like a no-brainer, but they may actually be the most crucial components to accurately specify. When specifying patch cords, you may also require that your patch cords be tested to ensure that they meet the proper transmission-performance standards for their category. Fiber patch cables are used for fiber optic cabling. Usually it is divided into single mode fiber patch cord and multimode fiber patch cord. Single mode fiber operators to a long transmission distance, while multi-mode fiber is a short transmission distance.

Choosing the right cables for your job

Professional cable installed and cable-plant designers are called upon to interpret and/or draft cable specifications to fulfill business’ structured-cabling requirements. Anyone purchasing cable for business or home use may also have to make a decision regarding what type of cable to use. Installing inappropriate cable could be unfortunate in the event of a disaster such as a fire.

Cable plant designer can held accountable in court and held responsible for damages incurred as a result of substandard cable installation, Cables comes in a variety of ratings, and many of these rating has to do with how well the cable will fare in a fire.

Using the general overview information provided here, you should now have adequate information to specify the proper cable for your installation.

First, you must know the installation environment and what the applicable NEC and the local fire-code requirements will allow regarding the cables’ flame rating. In a commercial building, this usually comes down to where plenum-rated cables must be installed and where a lower rating is acceptable.

The second decision on cabling must be on media type. The large majority of new installations use fiber optic cable in the backbone and UTP cable for the horizontal.

For fiber optic cable, you will need to specify the fiber type first, single-mode or multimode. If it is multimode, you will need to specify the core diameter. That is 62.5/125 or 50/125. Most new installations use an 850nm, laser-optimized 50/125 multimode fiber, better know to the industry as OM3 fiber. A special fiber patch cable takes like LC SC fiber cable can be made with either OM1 62.5/125 types or OM2 50/125, simplex or duplex, connector types of ST-ST, ST-MTRJ, ST-LC, etc. The large majority of new networks use an 850nm, laser-optimized 50/125 multimode fiber, better knows to the industry as OM3 fiber. As for UTP cable, you need to specify the appropriate transmission-performance category. Most newly installations today use Cat6, and there is a growing migration to Cat6A. Make sure that you specify that patch cords are rated in the same or higher category than the horizontal cable.