With all the innovations being discussed to enhance the intellectual infrastructure, bandwidth, and speed capability, one product is constantly brought up in conversation—fiber optic patch cable. Actually, the use of 50 µm and 62.5 µm multimode patch cable is gaining popularity. Multimode fiber designation OM1, 0M2, 0M3 are determined by he ISO 11801 standard, while OM4 (defined in TIA-492-AAAD) was finalized in August 2009. The following overview identifies some of the key features and benefits of OM1, 0M2, 0M3 and OM4.

Comparison Between OM1, OM2, OM3, OM4

OM1, for fiber with 200/500 MHz·km, has a core size of 62.5µm with an orange jacket which is at the wavelength of 850 nm /1300 nm. It can support 10 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up 33 meters but is most commonly used for 100 Megabit Ethernet applications.

OM2, for fiber with 500/500 MHz·km OFL bandwidth at 850/1300nm, typically has a core size of 50µm instead of 62.5µm. It commonly comes with an orange jacket and can operate at 850nm/1300nm. It supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up to 82 meters but is more commonly used for 1G Ethernet applications.

OM3, for laser-optimized 50um fiber having 2000 MHz·km effective modal bandwidth, is designed for 10 Gb/s transmission. OM3 fiber, optimized for lased based equipment which needs fewer mode of light, is 50µm core diameter with aqua jacket. As a result of this optimization, it is capable of running 10 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up to 300 meters. OM3 fiber is considered to be the best choice for 10 Gigabit Ethernet unless you need the extra distance provided by OM4.

OM4, for laser-optimized 50um fiber having 4700 MHz·km EMB bandwidth designed for 10 Gb/s, 40Gb/s, and 100 Gb/s transmission. It also has a suggested jacket color of aqua. It is a further improvement to OM3. It uses a 50µm core but it supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up 550 meters and supports 100 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up to 150 meters. OM4 fiber is widely applied in data centers. It provides the most cost effective solutions for data centers by avoiding the higher costs associated with single-mode laser source.

Further more, OM3&OM4 are superior to OM1&OM2. Both OM1 and OM2 work well with LED (light-emitting diodes) based equipment that can send hundreds of modes of light down the cable, while while OM3 and OM4 are optimized for laser (VCSELs) based equipment that uses fewer modes of light. As LED can not turn on and off fast enough to support higher bandwidth application, VCSELs are capable of modulation over 10 Gbit/s and are used in many high speed networks. Thus OM1 and OM2 can only used in 1G which are not suitable for highly speed network today. OM3 and OM4 are used for 10G mostly at present. But they can support 40G and 100G network, which will make them popular in the near future.

Multimode fiber is typically cost effective for inside buildings or corporate campuses. Fiberstore, as a leading fiber optics supplier, offers a large variety of multimode fibers, such as SC to FC multimode OM3 patch lead, FC/UPC to FC/UPC OM1, LC LC 50 125 OM3,etc. There are many types of multimode fiber that you can choose, but the key is determining which of these highly efficient multimode fibers is appropriate for the system installations you are designing or implementing.

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As the increasing requirement of more bandwidth continues to grow, wireless service providers must find cost-effective and efficient methods to meet the bandwidth demand. Traditional transport networks are no longer capable of adequately serving today’s cell sites, newer technologies such as GPON, WDM-PON, and Ethernet over CWDM/DWDM are all suitable to cost-effectively address the growing bandwidth needs of wireless service providers. This passage is aimed to give you a brief introduction to CWDM.

CWDM is short for coarse wavelength division multiplexing, which is fairly generic originally and means a number of different things. In general, these things share the fact that the choice of channel spacings and frequency stability is such that erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) could not be utilized. One common meaning for CWDM refers to two (or possibly more) signals multiplexed onto a single fiber, where one signal is in the 1550nm band, and the other in the 1310nm band. CWDM is a convenient and cost-effective solution for the adoption of Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel in campus, data-center, and metropolitan area access networks. Next, I will introduce you about some CWDM equipment.

CWDM Transceiver

An interesting and relatively recent development relating CWDM is the creation of GBIC and SFP transceivers utilizing standardized CWDM wavelengths. CWDM transceiver supports FC/APC, FC/UPC, SC/APC, SC/UPC, LC/UPC, LC/APC, etc. GBIC transceiver is larger than an SFP transceiver, the GBIC uses the larger "SC” style of connector while the SFP/SFP+ transceiver uses the smaller "LC” style of optical connector. Many times the optical patch cables will need to have different connector styles at each end, and example is having a SFP (LC connector) installed in a router connected to a SC port on a patch panel. The following picture present you a CWDM Transceiver.

CWDM MUX/DEMUX

Mux is short for multiplexer, yet Demux stands for deultiplexer. CWDM multiplexer is based on CWDM technology. It is a device to allow multiple optical signals at different wavelengths to pass through a single optical fiber strand. CWDM Optical MUX operates in the 1470nm to 1610nm range, which is usually passive device containing a very accurate prism to multiplex eight separate wavelengths of light along a single fiber pair. Passive devices can’t generate or repeat optical signals. The output signal of an optical multiplexer is referred to as a composite signal. At the receiving end, a demultiplexer separates all of the individual wavelengths of the composite signal out to individual fibers. Typically, mux and demux components are contained in a single enclosure. CWDM MUX/DEMUX is shown in the below picture.

1.CWDM MUX/DEMUX Types:

Duplex Bi-Directional CWDM MUX and DEMUXSimplex Bi-Directional CWDM MUX and DEMUXDuplex Directional CWDM MUX onlySimplex Directional CWDM DEMUX only

2.CWDM MUX/DEMUX Packaging:

A. 19'' 1RU Rack chassis or 23'' 1RU Rack chassis
B. LGX modules fit for 1RU Rack chassis or 4RU Rack Chassis
C. Field module type ABS boxD. Empty 1RU, 2RU Rack chassis and 4RU Rach Chassis on option

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100G Ethernet is expected by more and more internet users in order to satisfying their increasing need for higher internet speed and greater bandwidth. Under this circumstance, 100G Ethernet sprang up like the mushrooms in recent years. It is the rising star in the telecommunication industry, so we need to understand 100G Ethernet and its applications in the following content.

100G Ethernet refers to computer networking technologies for transmitting Ethernet frames at rates of 100 gigabits per second (100Gbit/s), respectively. This technology was first defined by the IEEE 802.3ba-2010 standard. It usually needs a variety of devices to build and support the 100G Ethernet. The100G transceiveris one of the essential one, because fiber connectivity is being condensed and simplified with plug-and-play, hot-swap transceiver miniaturization in higher-speed active equipment.

100G transceiver provides customers 100 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity options for data center networking, enterprise core aggregation, and service provider transport applications. 100G transceivers offer significant advantages over existing solutions in terms of reduced power dissipation and increased density with the added benefit of pluggability for reduced first installed cost. CFP is the common type of 100G transceivers

The CFP transceiver is defined as hot-pluggable optical transceiver form factors to enable 40 Gbit/s and 100 Gbit/s applications, which is specified by a multi-source agreement to produce a common form-factor for the transmission of high-speed digital signals. The c stands for the Latin letter C used to express the number 100 (centum). CFP transceiver was designed after SFP transceiver interface, but it supports much larger internet speed — 100G, which is realized by using 10×10Gbit/s in each direction. The 100G optical interconnects typically means 100GBASE-SR10 in 100 meter MMF, 100GBASE-LR10 and 100GBASE-LR4 in 10km SMF reach, and 100GBASE-ER10 and 100GBASE-ER4 in 40km SMF reach respectively.

CFP transceiver is currently defined two next generation 100G form factors — CFP2 and CFP4. Compared to the existing CFP, CFP2 and CFP4 will be respectively double and quadruple front panel port density. A brief introduction will be given to CFP2 and CFP4.

CFP2 optical transceiveris the half size of a CFP, but it enables users to double their front panel density. The typical size of a CFP2 optical transceiver is 41.5mm nominal width with 104 pin electrical connection. And there is no digital signal processor in package, relying on host card. On the other hand, CFP2’s power usage is less than 12w and it supports 10×10G or 4×25G or 8×25G lanes. CFP2 optical transceiver is available in 100GBASE-LR4 CFP2, 100GBASE-CR10 CFP2, 100GBASE-CR4 CFP2, etc. However, CFP4 transceiver is much smaller than CFP2, which provides 56 pin electrical connection. Its power usage is less than 6w and it also supports 10×10G or 4x25G lanes. In all, CFP2 and CFP4, compared with CFP, are not widely popular in the market due to the high cost of development and research.

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Fiber optic patch cable is also called fiber optic jumper or fiber patch cord, which is used to carry information via mode of transmission of light. This fiber optic patch cable is strands of optically pure glass as thin as human hair. The thick layer of protection is used to connect the optical transmitter, receiver, and the terminal box.

When searching for the classifications of fiber optic patch cables,multimode fiber patch cable and single mode fiber patch cable will firstly catch your eyes. Sometimes, people may get confused about how to choose between them. In this passage, I will make the decision easier by comparing the differences between the two, and why you should choose one over the other.

The main difference between multimode and single mode fiber patch cable is the size of core diameter. Multimode fiber patch cable has a much larger core diameter, typically 50-100 micrometers, which is much larger than the wavelength of the light carried in it. Light waves are dispersed into numerous paths, as they travel through the cable’s core typically 850 or 1300nm. Multiple paths of light can cause signal distortion at the receiving end, resulting in an unclear and incomplete data transmission. Due to the influence of dispersion, multimode fiber patch cable’s bandwidth is limited and the transmission distance is short. So multimode fiber patch cable is mostly used for communication over short distances, such as within a building or on a campus.

Yet single mode fiber patch cable has a core diameter between 8 and 10.5 µm and a cladding diameter of 125 µm. Light travels towards the center of the core in a single wavelength that will prevent dispersion. Single mode fiber patch cable gives you a higher transmission rate and up to 50 times more distance than multimode fiber patch cable. Therefore, single mode fiber patch cable is the best choice for transmitting data over long distances. It is usually used for connections over large areas, such as college campuses and cable television networks.

What’s more, multimode fiber patch cable typically uses the cost effective LDE as light sources. It is much cheaper than single mode fiber patch cable. And the jacket color is another characteristics to distinguish multimode fiber patch cable from single mode one. The use of a yellow jacket is for single mode fiber, while orange or aqua is for multimode fiber patch cable.

This passage presents a vivid description of the difference between multimode fiber patch cable and single mode fiber patch cable. To put it simple, transmission distance is always the determining factor when selecting them. For example, if you need to transmit signal in a short distance, multimode fiber patch cable, compared with single mode fiber patch cable, is more suitable and cost effective. But if you need to apply in the longer distance, single mode fiber patch cable is your best choice and it will provide a higher bandwidth to deliver up to twice the throughput.

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SFP ( small form pluggable ) transceiver, also called Mini-GBIC by the vendors, is a compact, hot-pluggable transceiver to transmit electrical signal into an optical signal, which is designed to support SONET, gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel, and other communications standards.

SFP transceivers are available with a variety of different transmitter and receiver types, allowing users to select the appropriate transceiver for each link to provide the required optical reach over the available optical fiber type (e.g. multi-mode fiber orsingle-mode fiber). SFP transceivers are also available with a copper cable interface, allowing a host device designed primarily for optical fiber communications to also communicate over unshielded twisted pair networking cable. Today we are going to talk about Cisco 1000BASE-T copper SFP—GLC-T.

1000BASE-T SFP transceiver moduleoperates on the 1000BASE T. It supports 10/100/1000 autonegotiation and Auto MDI/MDIX. 1000BASE T SFP transceiver module uses all four cable pairs for the link and five levels coding scheme. It sends and receives simultaneous transmission on each pair. And 1000BASE-T SFP transceiver can be a maximum length of 100 meters.

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IT elites or practitioners of technology industry may be quite familiar with SFP transceiver. But todaya brand new perspective will be presented to you. It is very worth reading!

SFP transceiver is a compact, hot-pluggable transceiver used for both telecommunication and datacommunications applications, which is not standardized by any official standards, expect multi-sourceagreement. It interfaces a network device, such as swich, router, media converter or similar device, toa fiber optic or copper networking cable.

SFP transceivers have a wide range of varieties that differs in transmission rate (range from 100Mbpsto 4Gbps or more), working distance (From 500m to 100km), wavelength (typically 850nm, 1310nm, 1550nm). SFP transceivers are commonly available in several different product numbers:

SFP-GE-F, SFP-GE-S, SFP-GE-L, SFP-GE-Z, GLC-SX-MM, GLC-LH-SM, GLC-ZX-SM, GLC-T, CWDM-SFP-1470, CWDM-SFP-1490, CWDM-SFP-1510, CWDM-SFP-1530, CWDM-SFP-1550, CWDM-SFP-1570, CWDM-SFP-1590, CWDM-SFP-1610.

GLC-LH-SM SFP is Cisco1000BASE-LX/LH SFP transceivermodule. 1000BASE-LX/LH SFP, compatible withIEEE802.3 standard, is not only made for single-mode fiber or multimode fiber. But this transceiver canbe used for both single-mode and multimode. It can achieve a distance up to 10km over single mode fiberand up to 550 m on any multimode fiber. When used over legacy multimode fiber type, the transmittershould be coupled through a mode conditioning patch cable

GLC-LH-SMcan be used in a variety of Cisco fibre channel switches, servers and other fiber-opticnetwork equipment. Currently GLC-LH-SM transceiver has a number of compatible transceiver that can begeneric version. This will effectively save time and costs.

GLC-LH-SM SFP transceiver from the distributor is a Cisco brand mini-GBIC but can be used to cooperatewith anyone that builds SFP ports such as HP, Finistar, and Juniper among many others. Finding acompliant GLC-LH-SM SFP will save lots of time for IT experts who are now updating network and T3systems.

You may get comfused about how to choose the GLC-LH-SM SFP. In order to solve your problems, I willgive you a hint on selecting an transceiver. First, you should always read the transceiver’s userdocumentation. Then you are supposed to figure out your needs, and then learn to choose the right GLC-LH-SM SFP. For example, a MCP should be used when your network’s installed optical cable is OM1 or OM2rated multimode fiber. In short, the MCP is an optical jumper that transmits fiber from a single modefiber to a multimode fiber.

This post is a reference source for the beginners in this field or those who are lack of knowledge withfiber optic transceiver but have a strong interest in it.

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