Fiber Cassette Application for 10G/40G/100G Network Connectivity

As data traffic grows rapidly, enterprises also put forward higher requirements for data transmission speed. One of the best ways to implement high-performance network applications is to upgrade the current cabling system. As an integral part of cable management, fiber cassettes show great advantages due to their ease of management, high flexibility, and time-saving, which can realize high-density networks in data centers. The following will mainly focus on multiple application scenarios of fiber cassettes.

How Does Fiber Cassette Work?

MTP®/MPO Cassettes are pre-terminated units typically equipped with 8, 12, or 24 fibers. Generally, fiber cassettes are used to interconnect MTP trunks with LC or SC patches, achieving the transition from cables terminated with MTP/MPO connectors to the standard LC or SC connectors used on transceiver end devices. Besides, the fiber cassettes are compliant with multiple network cabling standards and are easy to add or replace during network upgrades.

In fact, fiber cassettes depend on fan-outs to achieve network connectivity. The fan-outs usually plug the LC or SC connector into the LC or SC adapter on the front of the cassettes, and the MTP MPO fiber connector into the MTP adapter mounted on the rear of the cassettes. In most cases, there are one or more fan-out assemblies installed inside the fiber cassettes, allowing the connection of up to two 12-fiber ribbon cables. Therefore, fiber cassettes are widely used in 10G, 40G, and 100G network applications in data centers.

Application Scenarios of Fiber Cassettes

The high-density fiber cassette solutions can be easily found in a variety of network connections, including 10G network connectivity, 40G network connectivity, 100G network connectivity, and 10G to 40G/100G network upgrades.

10G Network Connectivity

In 10G network connectivity, MTP/MPO fiber cassettes are used for the interconnection between two 10G devices, especially when their distance is very long. As is shown below, Type A and AF MTP fiber cassettes are used together to realize 10G-to-10G interconnection. The Type A MTP® to LC fiber cassettes is deployed in an FHD rack mount fiber enclosure, while the Type AF MTP® to LC fiber optical cassette is installed in an FHD wall mount fiber optic enclosure. This 10G network connectivity is ideal for security monitoring wiring, and campus network.

40G Network Connectivity

As for 40G network connectivity, MTP/MPO fiber cassettes enable connecting 40G devices to 40G devices. As the figure shows below, the Type A fiber cassette installed on an FHD 1U rack mount enclosure connects to a Type AF fiber cassette that is placed on the FHD fiber optic enclosure through an MTP® trunk cable. The two fiber cassettes are also connected to two 40G data center switches via LC UPC to LC UPC cables and six 40G optical transceivers respectively. Typically, the 40G-to-40G interconnect solution is used for backbone cabling and data centers.

100G Network Connectivity

In addition to 10G and 40G network connectivity, fiber cassettes are also used frequently in high-rate network interconnection because of their fast deployment and easy management. For instance, in the 100G network connectivity below, two FHD fiber adapter panels are used to connect to two 100G switches through an MTP® PRO patch cord and two 100G SR optical transceivers, which is a suitable option for high-density and long-haul enterprise networks and data center applications.

40G to 100G Network Connectivity

It is also worth noting that fiber cassettes can not only apply to direct network connectivity but also to network migration and upgrades. Generally, they are used in 10G to 40G or 40G to 100G network applications. With the help of fiber cassettes, network upgrades can be easily implemented without adding extra devices to the current network infrastructure, thus saving a lot of energy, time, and labor costs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, with the rapid growth of data traffics, enterprises should upgrade their network infrastructures accordingly and require some network devices that can be applied widely. With easy management and great scalability, fiber cassettes support a variety of network connectivity, such as 10G/40G/100G networks and even network upgrades, which are chosen by more and more enterprises and data centers.