Tag Archives: MTP cable

How FS 400G MTP/MPO Cables Enable Efficient Connectivity

The demand for 400G transmission rates by major data centers and telecom carrier continues to grow and cabling solutions are constantly being updated. In order to achieve 400G data rates and save cabling costs, breakthroughs, higher connection density, and simplified network design approaches must be considered, so 400G MTP/MPO cables are becoming more and more common. FS offers MTP/MPO cabling solutions to meet the needs of high-performance 400G networks. This article will describe specific cabling application scenarios.

A Glance at FS 400G MTP/MPO Cables and Transceivers

MTP/MPO cables with multi-core connector are used for optical transceiver connection. There are 4 different types of application scenarios for 400G MTP/MPO cables.

Common MTP/MPO patch cables include 8-fiber, 12-core, and 16-core. 8-core or 12-core MTP/MPO single-mode fiber patch cable is usually used to complete the direct connection of two 400G-DR4 optical transceivers. 16-core MTP/MPO fiber patch cable can be used to connect 400G-SR8 optical transceivers to 200G QSFP56 SR4 optical transceivers, and can also be used to connect 400G-8x50G to 400G-4x100G transceivers. The 8-core MTP to 4-core LC duplex fiber patch cable is used to connect the 400G-DR4 optical transceiver with a 100G-DR optical transceiver.

Figure 1: SR8-vs-DR4-vs-DR8

FS 400G MTP/MPO Cabling Solutions for Typical 400G Network Applications

As the network upgrades and data centers migrate to 400G rates, how to transition from existing 50G/100G/200G devices to 400G, here are FS MTP/MPO cabling solutions.

400G-400G Direct Connection

500m span with 8-fiber/12-fiber MTP/MPO cable

400G short and medium distance direct connection usually consists of 8-core/12-core MTP patch cable with 400G-DR4 OSFP/QSFP-DD modules. The term “DR4″—”DR” stands for 500m reach using single-mode fiber and “4” implies there are 4 x 100 Gbps optical channels. Since one optical channel requires two fibers, an 8-fiber or a 12-core MTP/MPO cable can be used for the 400G-DR4 module to achieve direct connection. In the 8-fiber MTP cabling, the fiber utilization is 100%, while in the 12-core MTP cabling, four fibers remain unused. Take 400G QSFP-DD module as an example, the following picture is presenting the MTP cabling for 400G DR4 direct connection.

400G-400G Direct Connection Scenario 1.jpg

Figure 2: 400G-400G Direct Connection Scenario 1

Products	Description
400G DR4 QSFP-DD	Generic Compatible 400G DR4 QSFP-DD PAM4 1310nm 500m DOM Transceiver Module
MTP®-12 (Female) 12 Fibers OS2 Single Mode	OS2 Single Mode Elite Trunk Cable, 12 Fibers, Type B, Plenum (OFNP)

100m span with 16-fiber MTP/MPO cable

The 400G-SR8 transceivers require the use of a 16-core MTP cable. The term “SR8” – “SR” stands for a distance of 100 meters using multimode fiber, and “8” implies there exist 8 optical channels with each operating at 50Gbps. In this direct connection, the 16-core MTP cable has 100% fiber utilization. The primary adopters of these 400G-SR8 fiber transceivers are expected to be certain hyperscale cloud service providers in North America and China.

400G-400G Direct Connection Scenario 2.jpg

Figure 3: 400G-400G Direct Connection Scenario 2

Products	Description
400GBASE-SR8 QSFP-DD	Generic Compatible 400GBASE-SR8 QSFP-DD PAM4 850nm 100m DOM Transceiver Module
MTP®-16 APC (Female) OM4 Cable	OM4 Multimode Elite Trunk Cable, 16 Fibers, Plenum (OFNP), Magenta, 850/1300nm

400G-2x200G Direct Connection

100m span with 16-fiber MTP conversion cable

In the backbone and some more complex metropolitan area networks, the dual-carrier technology (2x200G) will be adopted to compress the channel spacing compared to a single-carrier 400G technology. Extending the transmission distance and improving the spectral efficiency, 400G-2x200G direct connection can help to deploy 400G backbone networks with minimum bandwidth resources.

In this case, 16-core MTP conversion cables terminated with MTP/MPO connectors on both ends are needed. With this type of cable, one 400G OFSP/QSFP-DD module and two 200G QSFP56 modules can be directly connected.

400G-2x200G Direct Connection Scenario.jpg

Figure 4: 400G-2x200G Direct Connection Scenario 3

Products	Description
400GBASE-SR8 QSFP-DD	Generic Compatible 400GBASE-SR8 QSFP-DD PAM4 850nm 100m DOM Transceiver Module
200GBASE-SR4 QSFP56	FS for Mellanox MMA1T00-VS Compatible 200GBASE-SR4 QSFP56 850nm 100m DOM Transceiver Module
MTP®-16 APC (Female) OM4 Cable	OM4 Multimode Elite Trunk Cable, 16 Fibers, Plenum (OFNP), Magenta, 850/1300nm

400G-4x100G Direct Connection

500m span with 8-fiber MTP/MPO trunk cable and 4-LC duplex patch cable

In the 400G to 4x100G migration scenario, an 8-core MTP-LC cassette that packaged in the fiber rackmount enclosure is adopted to realize the transmission from MTP to LC, and then an 8-core MTP/MPO trunk and 4-LC duplex patch cables are used to connect at both ports.

The 400G-4x100G architecture uses four optical modules with 100Gbps wavelengths. However, the current 100G technology is based on a 4x25G design and unable to scale to 400G. 100Gbps per channel can be achieved using PAM4 technology and then aggregated to achieve an overall 400Gbps speed with 4x100G. MTP/MPO cables allow splitting 400G bandwidth into multiple 100G or 40G data streams.

400G-4x100G Direct Connection Scenario.jpg

Figure 5: 400G-4x100G Direct Connection Scenario 4

Products	Description
400G DR4 QSFP-DD	Generic Compatible 400G DR4 QSFP-DD PAM4 1310nm 500m DOM Transceiver Module
100GBASE-DR QSFP28 Single Lambda	Generic Compatible 100GBASE-DR QSFP28 Single Lambda 1310nm 500m DOM Transceiver Module
MTP® Female to 4 LC UPC Duplex 8 Fibers	MTP Type B Plenum (OFNP) OS2 9/125 Single Mode Elite Breakout Cable 1310/1550nm
FHD MTP®-8 Cassette to 4x LC Duplex (Blue)	8 Fibers OS2 Single Mode, Universal Polarity, MTP® to 4x LC Duplex (Blue), 0.35dB max
Customized 8-144 Fibers MTP®-12	OS2 Single Mode Elite Breakout Cable
FHD 144 Fibers (LC) Enclosure	FHD High Density 1U Rack Mount Enclosure Unloaded, Tool-less Removable Top Cover, Holds up to 4x FHD Cassettes or Panels

400G-8x50G Direct Connection

500m span with 16-fiber MTP conversion cable and LC duplex patch cable

The rapid growth of 400G has contributed in part to the less popular 50G market, and MTP/MPO cables provide the technology to scale 50GbE to accommodate 400G (8x50G) network. For this scenario example, the MTP cassette is in the middle to connect the 16-core MTP conversion cable and the LC duplex patch cords together to realize the 400G-8x50G direct connection. Eight 50G lanes can support the optical link of 40Gbps aggregation via PAN modulation.

400G-8x50G Direct Connection Scenario.jpg

Figure 6: 400G-8x50G Direct Connection Scenario 5

Products	Description
400G DR4 QSFP-DD	Generic Compatible 400G DR4 QSFP-DD PAM4 1310nm 500m DOM Transceiver Module
MTP®-16 APC (Female) OM4 Cable	OM4 Multimode Elite Trunk Cable, 16 Fibers, Plenum (OFNP), Magenta, 850/1300nm
FHD MTP®-24 Cassette to 12x LC Duplex (Aqua)	24 Fibers OM4 Multimode, Type A, MTP® to 12x LC Duplex (Aqua), 0.35dB max
MTP®-16 APC (Female) to 8 LC UPC Duplex Cable	OM4 Multimode Elite Breakout Cable, 16 Fibers, Plenum (OFNP), Magenta,850/1300nm
FHD 144 Fibers (LC) Enclosure	FHD High Density 1U Rack Mount Enclosure Unloaded, Tool-less Removable Top Cover, Holds up to 4x FHD Cassettes or Panels

Scaling to FS 400G MTP/MPO Cabling System for 400G Networks

400G is increasingly becoming ubiquitous in many high-performance and high-density networking environments. 400G MTP/MPO cables have been widely used as cabling solutions for 400G network transmission rates due to their unique cabling simplicity and cost reduction benefits. FS offers a wide range of related 400G MTP/MPO cabling products and solutions to smoothly achieve high-speed data transmission.

Original Source: How FS 400G MTP/MPO Cables Enable Efficient Connectivity

High Density MTP Cables Assemblies and MTP Cassettes

IT operations are crucial to the organization for business continuity. Data centers are the central location for data interchange in IT operation of organizations and networked server farms. Ribbon fiber cables, array-based fiber connectors, and packaged breakout assemblies provide modular small form factor connectivity and enable fast, reliable interconnection of fiber optic links in high-density data center environments. Higher bandwidth requirement for 10G/40G/100G parallel optics, requirement to reduce cable size for better air flow, structured zone approach, reduction in rack space, higher density of servers and ports and reduction in installation time has brought in requirement for factory terminated high density cabling solutions. Factory terminated cable systems reduce installation time and offer scalable design and implementation. The following are MTP cable and high density MTP cassettes from FS.COM.

High Density MTP Cassette

MTP Cassette modules provide a secure transition between MTP and LC or SC discrete connectors. They are used to interconnect MTP backbones with LC or SC patching. LC to MTP and SC to MTP Fiber module provides a quick and efficient way to deploy up to 24 LC or 12 SC fiber ports in a single module. This factory terminated and tested ports are protected within the housing for reliably high performance and simply connected via 12-strand MTP ports. Modules are available in OM3, OM4 & SM fiber.

FS.COM MTP cassettes are enclosed units that contain 12 or 24–fiber factory terminated fan-outs inside. These cassettes serve to “transition” small diameter ribbon cables terminated with an MTP connector to the more common LC or SC interface used on the transceiver terminal equipment.

High Density MTP Cables

The fan-outs typically incorporate SC, LC connectors plugged into adapters on the front side of the cassette and an MTP connector plugged into an MTP adapter mounted at the rear of the cassette. One or more MTP fan-out assemblies may be installed inside the cassette to connect up to two 12-fiber ribbon cables for a total of 24 fibers. Alignment pins are pre-installed in the MTP connector located inside the cassette. Now the following is the MTP trunk cable.

Pre-connector MTP Cables are made up of 12, 24, 48 fiber LSOH jacketed micro cables terminated at both ends with MTP® Connectors (without pins). These are used as the backbone or horizontal cable interconnections. These plug and play solutions with micro core cable maximize bend radius and minimize cable weight and size. MTP Trunk Cable is factory pre-terminated, tested and packed along with the test reports. These assemblies are available in OM3, OM4 and SM fiber. Standard lengths of 5, 10, 25 meters are available. Custom lengths are also available on request. The MTP cables are packed as coils in lengths up to 50m long and on reels.

High Density MTP Breakout Cable

MTP Breakout Cable is a type of fan-out fiber optic cable ideal for data distribution to patch panels. These can be configured with 12 fiber, 24 fiber, and 48 fiber MTP connectors. They are available in both male and female MTP connectors, and also come with LC, SC, ST, and FC connectors on the fan outside.

Pre-connector MTP breakout cable assemblies are designed for high density applications which require high performance and speedy installation without onsite termination. MTP breakout cable is made up of 12 LSOH jacketed cable terminated at one end in MTP connectors, through a bifurcation unit, to SC or LC connectors terminated on 2mm OD simplex cables. These are used to connect equipment in racks to MTP cables. MTP cables are numbered for full traceability. Available in 12 core configuration, these space-saving assemblies come with either MTP Male or MTP Female Connectors on one end and LC or SC Connectors on the other end. They are available in OM3, OM4 or SM fiber in lengths of 5, 10, 25 meters, custom lengths are available on request.

We offer a wide range of MTP Cables including Trunk Cables, MTP to LC breakout cables and MTP cassettes (or patch panels). All the assemblies are fully compliant with IEC Standards 61754-7 and TIA 604-5. We also provide Customized Service such as optional fiber counts, cable types and lengths etc.

Fiberstore MTP Product Specifications

Multi-fiber technology is has exploded as a result of today’s high fiber counts and limited space requirements which Data Centers demand. Fiberstore is today’s leader in the manufacturing of MTP cables and MTP Cassette. Fiberstore engineers unique MTP solutions utilizing 12, 24, 48 and even 72 fiber MTP ferrules. Now the following is the feature and benefits of MTP cassettes and cable assemblies.

MTP cassettes and cable assemblies take their name from the MTP MPO connector, designed and introduced as a performance version of MPO connectors. MTP fiber systems are truly an innovative group of products. Each MTP connector contains 12 fibers or 6 duplex channels in a connector that is smaller than most duplex connections in use today. A 72 fiber trunk cable can be terminated with six MTP connectors and MTP connectors are manufactured specifically for multifiber loose tube or ribbon cable.

MTP connectors allow high-density connections between network equipment in telecommunication rooms. They use a simple push-pull latching mechanism for easy and intuitive insertion and removal. The ends of MTP brand connectors may be polished flat or at an 8° angle. An MTP brand connector is about the same size as a SC connector however it can accommodate 12 fibers, which provides up to 12 times the density, thereby requiring much less card and rack space.

A standard MTP cassette has one port in the back with a MTP coupler awaiting connection of an MTP cable assembly that has 12 fibers in the connector. The MTP cable plugs into the back and through the adaptor. The cable connects to another MTP assembly inside the cassette that “fans out” to 12 SC or LC connections. One MTP cable can connect up 12 different ports. From there you simply plug in your patch cables.

APPLICATIONS

* Suitable for high-density switch to patching and distribution in Data Center Applications (based on 72 fiber MTP ferrule)
* Used in optical transmitters and receivers, MTP brand connectors offer up to 36 times the density of standard connectors, providing significant space and cost savings.
* Compact design addresses high fiber count applications, with small and lightweight cables ideal for use with installation space limitations.
* MTP brand cable trunks offer flexibility in changing the connector style in the patch panels. New cassettes can be installed with the new connector style on the cross-connect side of the patch panel without having to change the connector on the cable trunk.
* The MTP brand connector is the standard for delivery of 40G (in its 12 fiber version) and 100G (in either a duplexed 12 fiber cable or 24 fiber ferruled cable) using QSFP transceivers.

Multi-fiber technology will eventually replace the standards for fiber optics as we know it. Even now people are tearing out their existing infrastructure and placing MTP cassettes in their patch panels to route data for thousands of network electronics. MTP cassettes, cables, connectors and adapters are essential to backbone infrastructure. The high fiber count in one connector creates endless possibilities. Imagine a 1U rack mount patch panel that can supply data to run an entire 288-port switch. With today’s increasing demand for higher through-put, ST, SC, MTRJ, LC, FC, etc, will all be a thing of the past.

MTP Fiber Optic Cables are multi-fiber patch cords suitable for high-density back plane and PCB solutions. MTP patch cords offer up to 36 times the density (based on a 72 fiber ferrule) of traditional patch cords, providing significant space and cost savings. There are several configurations for MTP brand cable assemblies. The most popular is a MTP connector to MTP connector patch or trunk cable that connects an MTP brand cassette to another MTP brand cassette. If an MTP adapter panel is installed in a patch panel, then an MTP cable to MTP brand can be used as well.

Another configuration is MTP connectors to LC or SC fiber connector. These can be used in different applications for both back end and front end adapter panels, for instance, plug one MTP connector into the back and plug an MTP cable to LC cable into the front and have the 12 LC connections go to other equipment. If there is an MTP cassette that needs to be lit up by using a 12-fiber LC adapter panel, plug each of the 12 LC connections in the LC adapter panel. The MTP side then plugs into the back of the cassette. Increase the transfer speed with 10 Gig 50 Micron multimode cable or increase the distance the signal can travel using singlemode. Cables may be constructed of ribbon fiber, small form factor loose tube assembly cable, or subgrouped trunking cable. The options are only limited by the application.

MTP/MPO Cassettes are specially designed to reduce installation time and cost for an optical network infrastructure in the premises environment. MTP/MPO Cassettes provide secure transition between MTP/MPO and SC, LC, ST, or FC connectors. They are used to interconnect MTP/MPO backbones with LC/SC/ST/FC patching. Fiberstore MTP cassettes come in a variety of connector styles and modes. From Multimode to Singlemode, from SC to LC, MTP brand solutions can be the solution to save space, time, and energy.

By plugging an MTP brand cable into the back, 12 or 24 (with quad LC) connections are being lit up . For the 24-fiber application, either one 24-fiber MTP brand cable or two 12-fiber MTP brand cables can be used. The cassette can be snapped into any standard fiber optic patch panel including both rack mount and wall mount. A RAC-1X holds three of these cassettes which could potentially contain 72 active LC connections using only three (or six) MTP brand cables. Clean up the clutter and increase your possibilities using MTP brand cassettes.

We supply MPO/MTP fiber optic cables, such as MPO MTP trunk cable, MPO/MTP breakout cable. These are available in Female to female or a male to male and male to female configurations. The male version has MTP pins. These can be made with 12 fiber MTP connectors, 24 Fiber MTP connectors, 48 Fiber MTP connector variations. We use USConec MTP fiber optic connectors for all of our MTP and MPO terminations so that the highest performance is accomplished. Many additional options and combinations are available. All multi fiber optic cables are customizable.

MPO/MTP Fiber Interconnection Products FAQs

The increasing demand on today’s higher fiber counts has exploded the development of multi-fiber technology. FiberStore is one of the main manufacturing of MPO/MTP fiber patch cable and cassettes, and many other MPO/MTP fiber interconnection products, which engineers unique MTP solutions using 12, 24, 48 and even 72 fiber MTP ferrules.

What is an MTP Trunk Cable?
An MTP trunk cable provides 12 to 144 fibre connectivity, by using 12-fibre push/pull optical connectors, it minimized errors and reduced spaces. The MTP trunk cable allows for lower bend radii and smaller slack loops. It enables up to 6x the cable tray capacity over traditional bulkier cabling solutions, saving up to 65 percent space. MPO trunk cable features round furcation legs that provide easy routing and improved storage. With the small profile furcation plug, it allows stress free cable mounting, leaves no legs outside the housing and shipped with strain-relief mounting cradles.

What is MTP Extender/MTP Extension Trunk?
The MTP extension Trunk extend subsets of links from zone distribution into equipment zones, which feature pinned (male) MTP connector on one end and non-pinned (female) MTP connectors on the other. It pinned MTP side mates with trunks via MTP connector panels, while not pinned MTP side plugs into modules or harnesses.

What is MTP couplers?
MTP couplers are simple plastic rectangles that hold two MTP connectors together. One cable going into an MTP coupler needs to have a male connector. The other cable must have a female connector. MTP couplers can be either key-up to key-up, or key-up to key-down. MTP cable has a clip on the top of the connector. On a key-up to key-up coupler, the clips are pointed in the same direction on both of the cables. On a key-up to key-down coupler. On a key-up to key-down coupler, the clips are on opposite sides. This also affects the polarity of the signal. Key-up to key-up couplers invert polarity. Key-up to key-down couplers retain the original polarity. This was initially counter-intuitive to me. It made sense once I thought about it though.

What is MTP harness?
An MTP harness breaks out 12 fiber MTP terminations into LC duplex connectors. It connects to trunks through a pinned MTP connector plug into dual fiber electronics ports with LC uniboot duplex connectors. It is occupying less space than 6 duplex jumpers improve airflow for cooling efficiency. By easing handling of cable connections on high-fibre count SAN directors and switch blades, it enables higher density in equipment patch panels. MTP harnesses are available in two lengths: short harness legs for minimal cable slack and long harness legs for mounting flexibility within a cabinet.

MTP VS MPO: What’s the Difference?

In regard to multi-fiber connector, many will think of MTP connector while the others will think it is MPO connector. In most cases, these two kinds of connectors can be considered the same. Actually, they are a little different not only in names but also in some other aspects. MTP VS MPO: what’s the difference? This post will clarify the differences between these two.

MTP VS MPO: What’s an MPO Connector?

As the industry acronym for “Multi-fiber Push On”, MPO is developed to provide multi-fiber connection in one connector to support higher bandwidth and higher density applications. MPO connector is standardized in the international regulatory framework (the IEC 61754-7 standard) and the U.S. (TIA-604-5 Standard ). At present, the most common fiber counts are 12 and 24, and 48 to 72 fiber counts are also possible in limited applications.

MTP VS MPO: What’s an MTP Connector?

MTP is a registered trade mark of US Conec. In other words, MTP connector is used by US Conec to describe their multi-fiber connector initially. Now MTP is commonly referred to as a high performance MPO connector. So MTP connectors are fully compliance with all generic MPO connectors and can interconnect directly with other MPO based infrastructures.

MTP VS MPO: What’s the Difference?

As mentioned above, MTP connector is an enhanced version of MPO connector. This means Generic MPO connectors are limited in performance and are not able to offer the high performance levels of MTP connectors. Generally, MTP connectors are superior to generic MPO connectors in the following aspects:

Mental Pin Clamp

The MTP connector has a metal pin clamp to ensure a strong clasp on the pins and minimize any inadvertent breaking when mating connectors. While MPO connectors are often manufactured with inferior plastic pin clamps which may lead to effortless breaking of pins with constant cable mating.

Floating Ferrule

An important feature of MTP is its floating ferrule, which will help to improve mechanical performance. To be specific, The MT ferrule of MTP connectors can float inside to keep physical contact over a mated pair under an applied load. Generic MPO connector do not have this ferrule float feature.

Elliptical Shaped Guide Pins

MTP connectors use tightly held tolerance stainless steel elliptical guide pin tips to reduce guide hole wear. Unlike single fiber connectors, the adapters for multi-fiber connectors are only for coarse alignment. Thus the guide pins are critical for accurate alignment when mating two MT ferrules. The elliptical shaped pins of MTP connectors does not chip the ferrule material which helps to reduce the amount of debris that may fall into the guide pin holes or on the ferrule end face. Generic MPO connectors have chamfered shaped guide pins which will produce more debris when used.

Removable Housing

The MTP connector is designed to have a removable housing. This allows users to re-work and re-polish the MT ferrule, to easily get access to performance testing and to smoothly change the gender after assembly or even in the field.

Higher Optical Signal Performance

The generic MPO connector is recognized as an international standard for network architects who require density and strive for shorter install times, as well as simplified cabling infrastructure for their 40G/100G data centers. However, in higher fiber count MPO cabling, using MPO connectors will have problems with optical loss (measured in dB), dropped packets and diminished network visibility.

The MTP connector is a high performance MPO connector with multiple engineered product enhancements to improve optical and mechanical performance. It is designed to ensure the precision alignment of the female and male sides. This is critical to reducing insertion loss and return loss in dense, multi-mode fiber connectivity. MTP/MPO connector

Conclusion

MTP VS MPO: Do you know the differences between them now? They are both widely used in high density cabling networks, especially in 40G/100G data centers. MPO is an internationally recognized standard interface for connector manufacturers. While MTP is one type of MPO connector. It is a brand owned by US Conec. If you are planning to build a multi-fiber network, a cable with MTP connectors will give you the best over-life performance. MPO connectors will also work, but may not perform to the same level.

MTP/MPO Cable Assembly – the Game Changer of Data Center Cabling

Fiber Optic Cabling Solutions

The largest solutions of pre-terminated fiber optics, including multimode and single-mode patch cords, MTP/MPO fiber trunks and harnesses, plug-n-play modules/cassettes and fiber enclosures.