Monthly Archives: September 2021

It’s no mystery why fiber optic technology has grown in popularity since it was introduced in the 1970s. Sending data via infrared light pulses on a fiber line, rather than electrically over copper cable, allows the transmitting of more information faster, over longer distances and with no threat of electromagnetic interference. That’s why it is often the choice for systems that demand high bandwidth over long distances, as well as short distances with large bandwidth requirements such as data centers.

But not everybody understands the crucial step onto and off of the fiber optic superhighway – the fiber optic transceiver.

A fiber optic (or optical) transceiver serves as both a transmitter and a receiver. It is a small device that is plugged or embedded into another device within a data network. At the on ramp, it converts an electrical signal from a switch or router to an optical (light) signal. At the off ramp, it converts the optical signal back to an electrical signal.

This blog explains some of the main terms you will encounter while shopping for optical transceivers.

Form Factors

A form factor indicates a transceiver’s shape and size. So that transceivers from different vendors are compatible, most manufacturers design them based on the same set of standards, known as the Multisource Agreement (MSA). We recommend you use transceivers that are MSA compliant.

Some common form factors include GBIC, SFP, SFP+ and XFP.  Which type you should use depends on the speed, throughput and distance you need to achieve.

Though many GBIC and SFP transceivers perform equally, SFPs are generally considered an upgrade. The SFP’s design is based on the GBIC but it is smaller and allows the placement of more transceivers per inch on a motherboard. Ideal for data communica

We’ve all seen the equipment rack or IT closet that lacks cable management. Confusion reigns, as masses of wires run in all directions and every patch bay looks like a rat’s nest. You feel sorry for whoever must go in and install or re-route cables or troubleshoot wiring problems.

The good news is that wire routing is a universal challenge, so there are products to tame the cable confusion. In fact, there are hundreds of cable management items to choose from, so let’s simplify things. Most of them can be divided into three groups: rack and cabinet attachments, cable routers along walls and ceilings, and ties and straps for bundling.

Rack and Cabinet Attachments

A well-organized equipment rack or cabinet usually has a few attachments for ordered cable routing. We touch on a few of the most popular devices here.

A cable manager is a housing that mounts either inside or just outside of a rack to hold and direct cables. A horizontal manager mounts inside, taking up one or two RUs (rack units). Some have built-in D-rings (distribution rings) to secure cables. For more permanent installations, another type of horizontal manager uses cable trays with finger ducts to direct cables. A particularly innovative tray for taming patch cables on the front of a rack is the two-RU Neat-Patch Cable Management Bay.

Vertical managers are designed for cables that need to run the length of a rack or cabinet. The openings are fairly large, and each opening is able to accommodate a sizeable number of Ethernet cables. One t