Category Archives: Cable Management

FS 1U Rack Mount Enclosure Comparison: FHD-1UFMT-N vs FHD-1UFCE

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Nowadays, rack mount enclosure (or rack enclosure) is widely used in enterprise data centers, server rooms, schools, etc. to manage network cables. As one of the most popular options, 1U rack mount enclosure is a priority choice in many situations. While, normally, there are two styles (slide-out style and removable style) of enclosures in the same 1U rack space. Then, how to choose a proper one for your cabling? Next, let’s take the comparison on two types of FS 1U rack mount enclosures as an example.

FS FHD-1UFMT-N 1U Rack Mount Enclosure

FHD-1UFMT-N is one of the FHD series products that self-developed by FS.COM. The FHD series products focus on easy-to-manage high density fiber cabling. It is a cost-effective and reliable solution for fiber cable management in data centers, server rooms, CATV (Cable TV), etc.

FS FHD-1UFMT-N 1U Rack Mount Enclosure Technical Information
  • Net Weight: 3.65KG
  • Dimensions: 44mm(H) x 430mm(W) x 281.9mm(D)
  • Material: Steel with black powder coating
  • Modular Design: 4 x FAPs or 4 x HD MTP/MPO cassettes can be loaded, up to 96 fibers
  • Accessories: Mounting hardware and accessory kit with labels included
FS FHD-1UFMT-N 1U Rack Mount Enclosure Key Feature: Removable Lid in Design

FHD-1UFMT-N is a 1U rack mount enclosure with an easy-to-move cover. That is to say, this rack mount fiber patch panel has a removable lid. You can remove its cover and then organize your cables with different solutions. It can hold up to 4 x fiber adapter panels or 4 x MTP/MPO cassettes of up to 96 fibers for cable management.

FS FHD-1UFMT-N 1U Rack Mount Enclosure Three Main Uses

This FHD-1UFMT-N enclosure can provide you with multiple solutions on fiber optic patching, terminating and splicing applications. Here are the three main uses of this 1U rack mount enclosure:

1) It enables fiber splice tray installation and removement. In addition, one FHD-1UFMT-N enclosure can hold up to 4 splice trays.

2) It can hold up to 2 slack spools for cabling.

3) It supports high-density cabling management with up to 4 MTP or MPO cassettes.

FS FHD-1UFMT-N 1U Rack Mount Fiber Enclosure Inside Cabling

FS FHD-1UFCE 1U Rack Mount Enclosure

FHD-1UFCE enclosure is also one of the self-developed products provided by FS.COM. This 1U rack mount enclosure offers you easy and quick installation within its 1U space.

FS FHD-1UFCE 1U Rack Mount Enclosure Technical Information
  • Net Weight: 5.6KG
  • Dimensions: 44mm(H) x 448mm(W) x 467.5mm(D)
  • Material: Steel with black powder coating
  • Modular Design: 4x FAPs or 4x HD MPO/MTP cassettes can be loaded, up to 96 fibers
  • Accessories: Mounting hardware and accessory kit with labels and bend radius bracket included
FS FHD-1UFCE 1U Rack Mount Enclosure Key Feature: Slide-out Style in Design

FHD-1UFCE is a 1U rack mount enclosure with a parallel sliding drawer. Compared with the normal design with removeable lid, this unique design saves your time and energy without removing the top cover whenever installation is needed. You can slide the drawer out and then install matching products to organize your cables with ease. It can hold up to 4 x fiber adapter panels or 4 x MTP/MPO cassettes of up to 96 fibers for cable management as well.

FS FHD-1UFCE 1U Rack Mount Enclosure Uses

The main uses of this 1U rack mount enclosure are the same as FHD-1UFMT-N rack enclosure. The FHD-1UFCE supports patch cord connections with slack spools, storage of spliced fiber pigtails and cabling management with MTP or MPO cassettes as well.

FS FHD-1UFCE 1U Rack Mount Enclosure Cabling Solution

Buyer’s Guide: FHD-1UFMT-N vs FHD-1UFCE

Normally, these two styles (slide-out style and removable style) of enclosures have much in common. However, they still differ from each other.

FHD-1UFMT-N vs FHD-1UFCE

Conclusion

For 1U rack mount enclosure choosing, you can take many factors into consideration. As for FHD-1UFMT-N vs FHD-1UFCE, the main applications are the same. They both can be used for patch cord connections, storage of spliced fiber pigtails and high-density MTP or MPO cabling management. Therefore, you can focus on their differences in price, installation design, dimensions, weight, etc. By the way, FS offers other rack mount enclosures such as 2U, 4U as well. You can choose a proper fiber enclosure according to your actual needs.

Related Articles:

High Density Rack Mount Fiber Patch Panel for Fiber Adapter Panels & MTP Cassettes

FS 1U Rack Enclosure Types and Selection Guide

Server Rack Cable Management: What Is the Best Practice?

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Data centers today consist of rows of server racks and network cabinets to support an abundance of data cables, power cords and network devices. Deliver proficient cable management within a confined and tightly-spaced server rack is quite difficult. However, cable management is no longer a nightmare if you follow the right guide and work with some test-and-tried tools. Here we’d like to offer useful advice for server rack cable management, and recommend some efficient and reliable management tools.

server rack cable management

Server Rack Cable Management Benefits

Server rack cable management, if not being handled properly, could bring you a succession of problems – it would result in cable damage and failure, which directly lead to data transmission errors, performance issues and system downtime. On the contrary, successful cable management in server rack can benefit you in every aspects, including:

Improved system performance: server rack cable management demands to separate power and data cables within the racks, which greatly decrease the chance for crosstalk and interference.

Enhanced availability: Effective server rack cable management allows easier access to cables and IT devices, yet to reduce human error.

Improved maintenance and serviceability: Effective rack cable management also ensures easier and safer access to individual components.

Increased cooling efficiency: let hot exhaust air out from the back, server rack cable management keeps cables organized and out of critical airflow paths.

Improved scalability: cable management in server rack simplifies moves, adds, and changes, making it easier to integrate additional racks and components for future growth.

Server Rack Cable Management Guide

Since we’ve made clear the benefits of server rack cable management, here is a step-to-step guide for you to further explain how to do it correctly:

  • Plan appropriately. It greatly contributes to smooth server rack management process. Consulting a professional cabling contractor can always be beneficial.
  • Determine the routes for power and data cables. Determine if they enter from the top or bottom of the server rack. Then plan the routes to separate power and data cables, and copper data cables and fiber.
  • Identify cables. Use colored cables as well as cable labers to ensure easier cable identification.
  • Route and retain cables. Cables must be protected at points where they might encounter sharp edges or heated areas. Cable ties and cable managers can be used to this end.
  • Secure cables. Cables and connectors should be secured to prevent excessive movement and to provide strain relief of critical points.
  • Avoid thermal issues. Ensure the airflow path is rather important, since restrained airflow can cause temperatures rise that would shorten devices’ expected lifespan.
  • Document and maintain organization. Documenting the complete infrastructure including diagrams, cable types, patching information, and cable counts is important.

Efficient Tools for Server Rack Cable Management

Here are top five management tools that can facilitate cable management in server racks:

1. Horizontal Cable Manager

Horizontal cable managers are excellent for any kind of cable – fiber, coax, patch cables, copper wiring and more to ensure that your cables are well-organized and protected. Horizontal cable managers come with rack-mountable 1U or 2U design, and some of them are built with finger duct and D-rings for easier finger access in server rack.

2. Vertical Cable Manager

Vertical cable manager work very well to organize and hold cables to ensure proper air flow, avoiding overheating in complex server rack environment. They’re also great for installations where you need to save space or need to make more room in the future to expand your network.

3. Cable Hangers and Trays

If you need to organize cabling within server racks, cable hangers can come in handy. Cable trays are excellent for running wires from one place to another and can be mounted on the floor or overhead in the ceiling.

4. Copper Patch Panels

For data and telecommunications networks a copper patch panel is essential. A patch panel is a board with a number of different ports to connect network wiring. Ethernet patch panels are available in a variety of different configurations depending on your cable types and needs: there are Cat5e patch panel, Cat6 patch panel and Cat6a patch panel, each with different port counts such as 24-port patch panel, 48-port patch panel, etc. Copper patch panel is also great for consolidating cables so that your server rack looks neat and organized.

5. Fiber Optic Patch Panels

Similar to data patch panels, fiber patch panels are designed specifically for fiber optic cables. Also known as termination units they can accommodate connectors, patch cables and more. Network technicians can easily connect cable fibers through cross connection, test the cable patch panel, and connect it to other network equipment. Grouping by the connector type, there are single mode and multimode LC/SC/MTP fiber patch panels with various port counts. You can also choose blank patch panel to mix and match your fiber and copper cabling.

Conclusion

Effective server rack management helps to improve physical appearance, cable traceability, airflow, cooling efficiency and troubleshooting time while eliminates the chance for human error. Hope our guide on server rack cable management would help solve your problem. FS.COM provide tailored cable management solutions for our customers, as well as management tools like cable manager, patch panelcable organizer and cable tie. If you need any help, please contact us at sales@fs.com.

Server Rack Choice: How to Make It Right?

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Data centers and server rooms house an abundance of server rack cabinets, which work to organize IT equipment into assembly order to make the most use of space and resources. Your daily operation and maintenance rely significantly on the server rack choice since it greatly affect the network reliability, serviceability and manageability. Not all the server racks are created equal, so we will walk you though some critical aspects for choosing the right server rack.

server rack buying guide

What Is a Server Rack and Why We Need It?

Typically made of steel or aluminum, rails and framework, a server rack is capable of holding hundreds or even thousands of pounds of equipment. For now, the vast majority of IT applications use 19-inch server racks and equipment. As the width of which is always the same, the height and depth can be various. Server rack is designed to hold all standard 19-inch rack-mountable equipment, as long as it isn’t too deep for the cabinet or too high to fit in the available rack spaces. Moreover, server rack also holds IT infrastructures and rack accessories that support the operation of the production equipment, including UPS systems, PDUs, cable managers, KVM switches, patch panels and shelves.

Common Server Rack Types

Basically, there are two types of server racks: rack enclosures (or rack cabinets) and open-frame racks. And based on where they are used, rack enclosures and open-frame racks are further divided into floor-standing server rack and wall-mount server rack.

Floor Standing
Wall Mount
Rack Enclosure
Open Frame
Rack Enclosure
Open Frame
floor standing rack enclosure
floor-standing open frame server rack
wall mount server rack cabinet
wall mount open frame server rack
Used when access control and equipment protection are important to you.
An economical way to organize IT equipment.
Ideal for housing IT equipment in sites with limited floor space. Also can be used as home server rack.
For small but secure places and provides excellent airflow and easy access.

What Should I Look for a Rack?

There exist a dazzling array of rack options, in terms of different heights, sizes and styles. When selecting the rack for your installation, here are some factors to consider:

Server rack size

Be sure to accurately assess the amount of rack space you need while allow for future growth. So always pay attention to the height and depth of a server rack. The height of a rack is expressed in “rack units” (a rack unit is 1.75 inches, or 44.45mm). The actual height of a 42U rack is therefore 42 x 1.75 = 73.5 inches.

AV vs. IT-based installations

The choice should better depend on the equipment being installed. IT racks are designed for traditional IT equipment in which the I/O and cabling is on the front of the rack. This makes easier troubleshooting and network monitoring. AV racks are typically shallower in depth, enabling a cleaner installation by using equipment with rear facing I/O.

Airflow and cooling

These two factors are critical to the performance and longevity of the equipment installed in the rack. Depending on the airflow condition of the place the rack located, you may need to increase the rack’s cooling capability.

Equipment width

With 19-inches being the traditional standard for rack mounted network hardware, some vendors make custom sizes for other types of equipment. Make sure to check what size of rack your equipment requires.

Security options

While there might be a great amount of expensive equipment installed on the rack, you have always to bear security in mind. A rack that meets the security goal is thus essential. Locking cabinet and tinted door glass can help protecting your network from prying eyes and hands.

Conclusion

The right server rack type that meets your demand helps you improve power protection, cooling, cable management, and physical security. Hope the knowledge and suggestions offered in this article will help you choose the perfect server rack/server rack cabinet. Taking the above factors into consideration and thinking thoroughly before making the choice. Should you ever need a server rack or associated cable management accessories such as fiber optic patch panel, Ethernet patch panel and cable organizer, feel free to contact us at sales@fs.com


Cat5e vs Cat6: Can Cat6 Use on Cat5e Patch Panel or Vice Versa?

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In the market, there exist both Cat5e patch panel and Cat6 patch panel. We know that Cat5e patch panels are meant to be used with Cat5e patch cable, and Cat6 patch panels are meant to be used with cable Cat6, but what’s the Cat5e vs Cat6 differences, and Cat5e patch panel vs Cat6 patch panel differences? Can I use Cat6 cable on Cat5e patch panels or can I use Cat5e cable on Cat6 patch panels? Answers will be provided in this blog.

Cat5e vs Cat6: Cat6 on Cat5e Patch Panel

Cat5e vs Cat6 Differences: Can I Use Cat6 on Cat5e Patch Panel?

There isn’t much practical difference in the patch panels themselves. There is a difference in the wire gauge specified between Cat5e/Cat5 vs Cat6 Ethernet cable. The Cat6 wire is thicker. Cat6 usually has 23AWG copper conductors compared to only 24 AWG in Cat5e cable. Another factor making Cat6 a larger wire than Cat5e is the fact that between each of the four pairs in a Cat6 cable there is a spline that will separate each pair from one another. Separating the pairs helps reduce cross-talk between the pairs and gives you a better signal. However, this spline also increases the diameter of the cable. Regardless of the size difference in Cat5e vs Cat6, the fact was that Cat6 cable is backward compatible with Cat5e. Yes, Cat6 is often times a larger cable, but this in no way affects its use with Cat5e patch panels. Feel free to use Cat5e patch panels if you already have them. You can always upgrade them later.

Cat5e vs Cat6: Can I Use Cat5e on Cat6 Patch Panel?

In addition to using Cat6 on Cat5e patch panel, we may also across some situations where we want to use Cat5e on a Cat6 patch panel. According to the passage above, we know that Cat6 cable is thicker than Cat5e, so if I use Cat5e on a Cat6 patch panel, will it be too loose? Although Cat6 individual twisted pairs insulation is usually thicker than Cat5e, this is usually never a problem with termination, only with how many cables you can stuff through a piece of conduit. So, will a Cat5e cable be “looser” terminated on a Cat6 jack, slightly yes, but electrically it will still make contact and work fine. But you should mind that your cabling channel will default to the lowest Catx component. Even though the patch panel says Cat6, with Cat5e cables you should only expect Cat5e performance on those jacks.

Conclusion

When punching down Cat5e wire on a Cat6, the Cat5e wire is enough smaller that it is possible to get what looks like a good punch, but the insulation on the wire is not actually penetrated or is only partially penetrated by the vampire jaw of the punch block. When punching down Cat6 wire on a Cat5e panel, the larger wire can end up bending or even breaking the vampire jaws on the punch down block. In both cases, using care and testing each connection, you can usually make it work. If you’re just doing one panel at home you are probably OK. Although it can both work well, we don’t recommend to do this. Use the Cat5e on Cat5e patch panel and Cat6 on Cat6 patch panel will get the best performance. FS.COM provide both high-density Cat5e patch panels for Fast Ethernet applications and Cat6 patch panels for 1-Gigabit Ethernet applications. Easy to management and conserves data centers rack space. For more information, please visit www.fs.com.

Related Articles:
How to Select the Suitable Copper Patch Panel?
Home Ethernet Wiring Guide: How to Get a Wired Home Network?
Quick View of Ethernet Cables Cat5, Cat5e And Cat6

High Density Rack Mount Fiber Patch Panel for Fiber Adapter Panels & MTP Cassettes

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When you’re dealing with fiber optic patch cables in your network, whether your installation is small or large, simple or complex, your fiber patch cables have to terminate somewhere, so make sure you’ve got the right fiber patch panel solution designed specially to protect them. As we know, fiber patch panels are either for patching or splicing applications. For patching fiber patch panel, which can hold either fiber adapter panels (FAPs) or MTP cassettes. Usually, a standard 1RU rack mount enclosure can hold 3 LGX FAPs or cassettes, however, a high density 1RU rack mount fiber patch panel can hold 4 HD FAPs or cassettes, which efficiently optimize space utilization and save more cost in rack cable management.

fiber-enclosures

Fiberstore’s FHD series high density rack mount fiber patch panel, including 1RU (FHD-1UFCE), 2RU (FHD-2UFCE) and 4RU (FHD-4UFCE) types, are designed to hold both FAPs and cassettes and can easily mount in EIA 19-inch racks or cabinets, which provide a comprehensive line of fiber distribution enclosures that provide a high density flexible and modular system for managing fiber terminations, connections, and patching in data center application to maximizing rack space utilization and minimizing floor space.

FHD-1UFCE—High Density 1RU Rack Mount Fiber Patch Panel

HD FAPs is an unloaded 1RU rack mount fiber patch panel that can support either 4 FHD fiber adapter panels or 4 FHD MTP modular cassettes, up to 96 fibers. Inside the fiber patch panel, you can install either slack spools or splice trays for patching applications or splicing applications, which provides a complete system solution for connectivity. As shown in the figure below, its size is 44.4mm(H)x483mm(W)x457.8mm(D). Besides the FHD-1UFCE, we also provide pre-loaded 4 FHD fiber adapter panels fiber patch panel.

High Density 1RU Rack Mount Fiber Enclosures

  • Related FHD Adapter Panel & FHD MTP Modular Cassette Size

Fiber Adapter Panels and MTP Cassettes

FHD-2UFCE—High Density 2RU Rack Mount Fiber Patch Panel 

FHD-2UFCE is an unloaded 2RU rack mount fiber patch panel that can support either 8 FHD fiber adapter panels or 8 FHD MTP modular cassettes, up to 192 fibers. Inside the fiber patch panel, you can also install either slack spools or splice trays for patching applications or splicing applications, which provides higher patch field density in fewer rack units saving valuable space. As shown in the figure below, its size is 88.4mm(H)x447mm(W)x414mm(D).

High Density 2RU Rack Mount Fiber Enclosures

FHD-4UFCE—High Density 4RU Rack Mount Fiber Patch Panel

FHD-4UFCE is an unloaded 4RU rack mount fiber patch panel that can support either 12 FHD fiber adapter panels or 12 FHD MTP modular cassettes, up to 228 fibers. Splice tray, cable management loops and slack spools accessories of FHD-4UFCE are simple, which assures flexibility and ease of network deployment and moves, adds, and changes. As shown in the figure below, its size is 177mm(H)x447mm(W)x414mm(D).

High Density 4RU Rack Mount Fiber Enclosures

No matter where your cabling is, or what function you need your fiber patch panel to deliver, FS.COM has the ideal fiber patch panel solution. Our fiber patch panels are available in any configuration and feature industry-leading port density. Both rack mount and wall mount fiber patch panel for single-mode and multimode applications are available. All fiber patch panels are highly adaptable and easy-to-configure design, holding FAP Adapter Panels or MTP Cassette with superior cable management, port identification, fiber accessibility and security.

How to Choose the Right Rack Mount Fiber Enclosure?

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Fiber enclosure can provide easy-to-manage cabling environments and strong protection for fiber optic cables. Since more and more cables used in today’s data centers, high-density cable management tools also become more popular and essential than before. However, there are so many fiber enclosure manufacturers and suppliers, and the rack mount fiber enclosures supplied therefore available in different sizes and applications. How to choose the rack mount fiber enclosures for your network?

Rack Mount Enclosures Configurations
The rack mount enclosure is generally made for standard 19 inch rack mounting. Depending on the number of connections required, they are available in one or more rack units (RU) height configurations, such as 1RU, 2RU or 4RU, etc. See the picture below, you should choose the most proper one depending on space and port requirement of your network.

fiber enclosures

Rack Mount Enclosures Mount Types
1RU rack mount fiber enclosures are the most commonly used size in data center server racks cable management. For convenient installation and cable management, there are cover removable, slide-out and swing-out three mount types fiber enclosures to choose from. The cover removable type is an early type of fiber enclosures. If your budget is sufficient, I will recommend you to use the slide-out type or swing-out type though they are more expensive than the cover removable type. But you may get more benefits during installation and maintenance, as they respectively feature a convenient slide-out support tray and an integrated swing-out tray so that you don’t need to remove the whole enclosure from the rack to gain internal access.

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Rack Mount Fiber Enclosures Applications
Fiber enclosure has various designs and applications. There are mainly three ways to use the fiber enclosures, which are depended on the accessories that are installed on the fiber enclosure. The following will take a slide-out 1RU rack mount fiber enclosure as example to illustrate the applications of the fiber enclosures in data center. Installed with splice trays, fiber adapter panels and MTP cassettes separately, fiber enclosure can provide cabling environment for different connections.

Application 1: Installing splice tray and FAPs
Installing four fiber adapter panels on the front panel and one or more splicing trays inside the enclosure drawer. This fiber enclosure can provide cable management and protection for splicing joints and connections.

splice tray and fiber adapter panels
Application 2: Installing Spools and FAPs
Installing two spools on the enclosure drawer and four FAPs on the front panel, this fiber enclosure can provide flexible high density cabling for fiber patch cables.

Spools and fiber adapter panels
Application 3: Installing HD MTP Cassettes
Up to four MTP Cassettes can be installed in this 1U fiber enclosure, which can provide 40G/100G to 10G high cabling density and easy transferring from MTP interface to LC interface.

MTP Cassettes

Conclusion
After reading the passage, we know that rack mount fiber enclosures may be available in different sizes, mount types and applications. Thus to choose a right fiber enclosure seems not a simple thing. FS.COM offers a wide range of rack mount enclosures, as well as custom service, which can help address all kinds of your requirements. For more details, please contact us via sales@fs.com or call 24/7 Customer Service: 1 (718) 577 1006.

Related Article: Upgrade to 40G / 100G Networks with High-Density Fiber Enclosures

Why Not Use Cable Lacing Bars to Manage Your Messy Cables?

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Cable lacing bars, also called lacer bars, consist of a metal bar that mounts to the rear of a standard 19″ rack or cabinet, behind a patch panel. These bars provide support and management of cables that are secured to the bar with cable ties or adjustable clips. Each cable lacing bar occupies 1/3 to 2/3 of a rack space and can secure and manage up to 24 cables in 1 RU. They are usually used to support and manage cables in telecommunication rooms, which provide strain relief, bend radius control, superior aesthetics and improve organisation and routing of cable.

cable lacing bars

How to Use the Cable Lacing Bars?
In fact, the process of installing a cable lacing bar is very easy. As shown in the figure below, we only need to install the cable lacing bar to the rack firstly, and then use the cable tie to fix the cables to the cable lacing bar.

lacing bars

Which Type Cable Lacing Bars Should I Choose?
In order to meet different cabling management needs, there are also many different cable lacing bars available in the market. Below some common cable lacing bars are listed, and you can choose the right one for your network according to your specific cabling environment.
1. Round Lacer Bars
Use the 1RU round lacer bar when a small profile is required and for lacing small or individual horizontal cable runs. 1/4” diameter rod with flattened ends.

Round Lacer Bars
2. Rectangular Lacer Bars
Use the 1RU aluminum lacer bar when lacing cables vertically or horizontally. Aluminum construction provides the ability to drill holes to attach tie saddles, mount electrical boxes, etc. This lacer bar can also be used to support the rear of equipment. 1/4” diameter rod with flattened ends.

Rectangular Lacer Bars
3. L-Shaped Lacer Bars
“L” shaped lacer bars are strong and provide fixed tie points. Recommended for larger runs of cable. They are available in 2”, 4” and 6” offset. Choose the appropriate offset bar based on the distance from the rear of equipment to the rack rail.

L-Shaped Lacer Bars
4. Round Lacer Bars with Offset
Use the round lacer bar with offset when lacing small bundles or individual cables off the rear of equipment, patch panels and other components to relieve cable stress from the connections. They are available in 1.5” offset and 4” offset respectively (figure below). Choose the appropriate offset based on the distance from the rear of equipment to the rack rail. 1/4” diameter rod with flattened ends.

Round Lacer Bars with Offset
5. 90º Bend Lacer Bars
These 90° bend offset lacer bars are similar to other offset round lacer bars, but feature 90° bends to provide full-width support. Can also be used to provide clearance around components that extend past the rear rack rail (16-5/8” open width). 1/4” diameter rod with flattened ends.

90º Bend Lacer Bars
6. Horizontal Lacer Panel
Use the horizontal lacer panel for lacing large amounts of cable or mounting devices. Two rack space high, the horizontal lacer panel features a large flange, numerous cable tie points and more surface for mounting.

Horizontal Lacer Panel

Cable lacing bars are a useful and cost effective cable management solution for rack or enclosure systems. These bars are essential in helping avoid cable strain especially when trying to run cables from one side of the enclosure to the other. FS.COM offers a full line of cable lacing bars to fit a variety of applications offering end users flexibility and convenience to prevent cable strain. Higher density applications may be addressed with FS.COM cable manager.

Why Demand for Ultra High Density Fiber Optic Enclosures?

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Increased demand for data to support streaming media and the increased use of mobile broadband communications has resulted in dramatic advances in network switching infrastructure over the past 10 years. Furthermore, this demand is expected to continue at a record pace. Since the transition from copper to fiber as the standard for high-performance data communications and the number of fibers used to support emerging standards, such as 100GBit/s Ethernet, for the individual connection has increased, to choose higher density fiber optic enclosures is certainly innate.

Currently, network switching products are available with port line cards that use more than 1,000 OM3 fiber and OM4 fibers per chassis switch for 10G duplex fiber applications. Future 40/100Gb switches are projected to use more than 4,000 fibers per chassis where parallel optics is used. These high fiber count requirements demand high-density cable and hardware solutions that will reduce the overall footprint and simplify cable management and connections to the electronics.

Fiberstore’s new FMT1-4FAP-LCDX series product allows customers to migrate from a standard 2U fiber enclosure that will house 3 adapter panels for a maximum of 72 LC connectors to our new 96 ports fiber optic enclosures that will hold 4 adapter panels in a 1U space allowing a maximum of 96 LC connectors! This gives users 33% (or 24 more) more LC connections in a 1U enclosure versus a 2U enclosure.

96 Ports Fiber Optic Enclosure

Besides, you can get more density by utilizing our MPO/MTP to LC cassette module. Our HDSM-12MTP/MPO rack mountable MTP cassette is loaded with 72 LC duplex connectors, giving it 144 ports total within 1U of rack space. And this 1U enclosures can be mounted vertically so you can match every blade in the switch to each enclosure. This high-density MTP cassette is constructed of light weight, yet durable, rolled steel. The shallow depth of the Ultra Panel makes it suitable for copper racking systems or telecommunication rack infrastructure.

144 Ports Fiber Optic Enclosure

With the rise in demand for higher bandwidth and faster download speeds, FS.COM high-density fiber optic enclosures were designed to keep pace with these requirements. In addition, both of these unique fiber optic enclosure lines offer installers easy terminations, and performance-driven connectivity. Couple that with FS.COM’s proven fiber optic cable, in particular, our HD push-pull tab patch cables, customers can expect an exceptional solution to fit their high-density needs.

Video Patch Panel With Patch Cable

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The jacks commonly used in patch panels in the U.S. conform to Western Electric standard dimensions. The number of insertion cycles a jack can endure should be rated in the tens of thousands. The factors affecting the life and reliablility of a jack include contact wear and failure of the termination switch. Descirable features include the following:

● Contacts fully isolated from the panel.
● Sealed metal housing to keep out contaminants and provide EMI protection.
● Easy replacement from the front of the panel.
● Low VSWR (below 600 MHz)
● High signal isolation (40 dB)
● 75 Ω characteristic impedance.
● Wide designation strips, making it easier to label the field and to allow more flexibility in selecting names that will fit on the lables.

If a patch cable is inserted in the signal path of a timed video system, it will delay the signal by an amount determined by its length and physical properties. The patch thereby alters the timing of the signal path. This can be avoided by using phase-matched normal-through fiber patch panels. The design of these patch panels anticipates the delay caused by a fixed length of patch cable by including that length in the loop-through circuit.

With phase-matched panels, the normaling connection in each connector module includes a length of cable that provides a fixed delay through the panel, usually 3 ft (0.914m). If a patch cord of the same length as the internal cable is used to make connections between patch points, the delay will be the same as that of the normal-through panel. When a fiber optic patch cord is plugged in, it is substituted for the loop cable through the swiching mechanism normally used in normalled patch connectors. Thus, critical timing relationships can be maintained.

In a normal uncompensated patch panel, when a cable is used to patch between two points on the panel, the length of the patch cord is added to that of the cables connected to the patch. The additional cable length delays the signal by approximately 1.52 ns/ft (5 ns/m). To avoid the delays associated with conventional patch panels, phase-matched normal-through video patch panels should be used.

If phase-matched patch panels are used, all of the patch cord must be the same length as the delay built into the patch panel. Obviously, if all of the patch cords must be the same short length for the phase-matched panel, it would not be possible to patch between panels that are separated by a longer distance than the cord can reach. This limitation should be considered when laying out patch panels in a fiber enclosure.

Color-coded cables can be specified. When different-length patch cords are specified, different colors can be used to distinguish one length from another for better cable management.

Fiberstore specializes in fiber optic patch cable assemblies and fiber optic network devices manufacturing since 1995, we are known as the fiber optic cable manufacturer for the excellent products quality, competitive prices, fast delivery and good service.  Our fiber optic cables are available with combinations of LC, SC, ST, FC, and MTRJ connectors and come in 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 meter lengths (and OM3 cables up to 30 meters).  We offer LC fiber optic cable, SC fiber optic patch cables, SC LC fiber patch cable ect. We not only offer OEM fiber optic patch cord assemblies to some world leading companies in this industry, but  also cooperate with many other companies from all over the world and support these partners to win in the market.

Punch-Down Block and Patch Panel

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The cable runs in a structured cabling environment terminate in a punch-down block, which is usually a 66-block or a 110-block, or BIX- or Krone-style blocks, “Cabling System Connections and Termination.” The 110-block is most commonly used for voice and data cabling termination, although you will find many installations that use a 110-block for termination voice systems and patch panel for terminating data systems. Punch-down block termination provides a cross-connect from one cable set to another, allowing for easier moves, adds, and changes (MACs) as the need arises.

What Is A Punch-Down Block?

A punch-down block is mounted to a backboard, which is usually made of plywood and secured to the wall of a TC. If you install cabling on more than the floor, each floor must have a separate punch-down block with terminations for the cable drops from the higher floors. Backbone cables should be installed with 10-foot service coils at the termination points, which are commonly located on the backboard in the closet. Figure 1 illustrates a typical TC.

Install patch cables from the punch-down block to a patch panel. The purpose of the patch panel is to connect the backbone system to networking equipment such as a hub or router. End-user equipment, which includes workstations, network printers and scanners, and other shared electronic equipment, generally connect to a hub (also called a concentrator) or router via RJ-45 cable jacks or outlets.

There are pros and cons to using cross-connect blocks. They offer higher densities and require less space than patch panels, and also are less expensive. On the other hand, they are the least friendly for making moves, adds, and changes to the configuration. Skill is involved in removing and rea-ranging cables. When using patch panels, almost anyone can rearrange the system. In both situations security, ease of attachment, expense, and physical space are all considerations.

What Is Fiber Optic Patch Panel?

Fiber optic patch panel is commonly used in fiber optic management unit. When you install and manage the fiber optic links, you may encounter hundreds or even thousands of fiber optic cables and cable connections, fiber optic management products are used to offer space and protection for the fiber cables and cable links, and they make it easier for the cable management and troubleshoot work. Our fiber optic patch panels are all sliding type, they are compatible to use with equipment and cable assembly products from other companies. Now you can see the two products from our store. They are SC fiber patch panel, 24 Port Fiber Patch Panel.

12 port  OS1/2 9μm Duplex Plastic SC Fiber Patch Panel

Features of FS001 SERIES MOLDED

● Compatible with Leviton fiber adapter panels
● Adapter panels offered in LC, SC, ST, and blank styles, fit for all Opt-X rack-mount and wall-mount enclosures and VertiGO® panels
● Equipped with plastic dust caps to make connecting panels tool-free and efficient
● Integrated couplers eliminate “rattle” and loose fit
● Captive push-lock pins allow for quick tool-less installationCaptive push-lock pins allow for quick tool-less installation
● Exceeds optical performance standards and meets all other applicable standards

12 pack LC Duplex 24 Port Fiber Patch Panel Blue

24 port Patch Panel

● Compatible with BlackBox Fiber Adapter Panel
● Adapter panels snap easily into all standard fiber enclosures, cabinets, and patch panels, including all Black Box® models.
● High-density panels with ST or LC connectors are available.
● The easy way to patch fiber cables to termination enclosures

We supply many fiber optic patch panels. They are with types to fit from 12 fibers to 72 fiber management demand. These fiber optic patch panels are with optional various kinds of fiber optic adapters and fiber optic pigtails, types including SC, LC, ST, FC, MU, E2000, etc.  We have a number of different customizable options available to fit whatever application you require. With products compatible with trusted brands including Black Box, Wirewerks, Mr-technologies, Corning, Leviton, Panduit Opticom adapter panel and more.