How to Speed up Your Network with Pre-terminated Cabling

High-density cabling has always played a big role in data center design with reliability, security, and resilience. Pre-terminated cabling provides a plug-and-play high-density cabling solution to link switches, servers, and other devices in data centers. This article highlights how to speed up your network with pre-terminated cabling, and how to choose the right pre-terminated cable for your data center networks.

Speed up Your Network with Pre-terminated Cabling

Pre-terminated cabling includes a variety of fiber optic cables, patch cords, patch panels, and cassettes. Compared to field-terminated cabling, pre-terminated cabling can speed up your network in a number of ways.

Fast and Easy Deployment

Field termination is often associated with extended deployment time, complex cable installation, and increased downtime. However, with pre-terminated cabling, you can accelerate installation time by leaps and bounds. All you need to do is unpack pre-terminated fiber optic or copper cables and set them up. They will connect quickly to your network infrastructure.

No Need to Test Network Performance

The transmission performance testing of pre-terminated cable assemblies is usually carried out by the cable manufacturer. It means you don't have to spend time testing the transmission performance before you purchase the pre-terminated cable assemblies. You only need to test on-site continuity and insertion loss for fiber and copper, which greatly reduces the overall testing time.

Flexible Management & Less Downtime

Pre-terminated cabling allows network operators to manage cable assemblies in data centers with ease and flexibility. You can make quick changes based on your shifting network requirements and business growth. In addition, in the case of disasters and unplanned downtime, you can use it to set up temporary data communications fast, greatly reducing downtime. After the situation is solved, pre-terminated cabling can also be disassembled quickly.

Minimize Clean-up Work

Compared to termination in uncontrolled field conditions, the process of precision factory termination is carried out in a clean environment. It means that optical fiber ports are much cleaner and usually uncontaminated, enabling better overall electrical transmission. Even when pre-terminated cables need a clean-up, it can be done with ease. Moreover, pre-terminated cabling solutions can help reduce waste and cater to green design and material reuse.

How to Choose the Right Pre-terminated Cable

Pre-terminated cabling is an optimal choice for data center networks that have high requirements for performance, reliability, and manageability. When selecting the right pre-terminated cables for your data center networks, you certainly have to take into consideration a number of aspects. We've summed up the most important ones for you.

Network Architecture

First and foremost, you have to be familiar with the architecture deployed in your network. Whether it is traditional tier-three architecture or two-layer spine-leaf one, whether your switch configuration is top-of-rack, middle-of-rack, or end-of-rack. Knowing your network architecture well can help you map out your cabling system, such as cable lengths and cable routes required.

Migration & Upgrade

When choosing pre-terminated cable assemblies, your future plans to migrate or upgrade also have to be considered. For example, if you need to migrate from 20/40 GbE to 100/200 GbE, there are many factors that require careful consideration, including cable length, connector types, optical fiber count, cable media etc. Naturally, you should opt for pre-terminated cabling products that suit your migration plan.

Reliable Providers

Last but not least, seek reliable providers that are able to offer high-quality services and cables with guaranteed performance. A pre-terminated cabling provider should also provide design assistance, necessary installation training, and after-sales support. In addition, you have to make sure that the pre-terminated fiber optic cables and copper systems purchased from a manufacturer are in line with international standards such as IEEE and TIA. For more info about how to choose the right pre-terminated cable manufacturer, please check out Choosing the Right Cable Manufacturer.

Conclusion

In summary, pre-terminated cabling can help speed up data center networks in a number of ways, such as fast and easy deployment, no need to test network performance, flexible management and less downtime, minimized clean-up time. Choosing the optimal pre-terminated cabling is not easy work. A wide range of factors have to be taken into consideration, including your network architecture, migration strategy, and possible pre-terminated cabling providers. Before that, never rush into any decision.