Lesson 6.
1: Admin Solutions
1: Welcome To This Lesson.
In this lesson we will look at ranges of fiber administration solutions.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
2: Fiber Apparatus Solutions.
In the world of fiber optic connectivity solutions, there are a wide range of offerings to suit the
varied applications of individuals, enterprises, data centers and of service providers. From
flexible standards-based components, to high quality factory configured product, to fully pre-
configured tested and high performance solutions.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
3: Why Do We Use Hardware?
Before we look some patching hardware ranges, let's consider why we need hardware and what
its functions are. In general terms, the hardware contains, protects and helps manage
connections in a cabling infrastructure. More specifically it keeps out water, contaminants and
people who are not authorized to make changes. By organizing connections logically in one
place and labeling circuits, the hardware also makes it much easier to manage the physical
layer of the network. Moves, adds and changes are quicker and troubleshooting is simplified.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
4: Patching Solutions.
A patching solution should be a robust and reliable fiber optic solution that supports today's
standards-based applications and architectures, backed by extensive manufacturing, warranty
and installation. Patching solutions for fiber come in many 'off the shelf' sizes to suit everything
from a small office to a government comms room.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
5: Configurable.
To match the widest possible range of customer requirements, the patching and enclosure
solution should offer a wide variety of modules, connector panels, and shelves. All should be
designed to be adaptable and fast to install, making it easy for users to configure the system to
their needs. Trunk cables, patch cords, and fan-outs should also be available.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
6: Shelves.
Fiber optic shelves and wall mounts are for applications from updating or expanding
telecommunications closets to risers to small data centers in intelligent buildings, education and
government structures. Internal sliding shelves and locking wall mounts share a common panel-
style footprint with fiber connector panels and modules enabling field termination, field splicing
and factory termination in a single unit. This modular concept enables users to adopt new
technologies and fiber architectures over time by simply replacing modular components in
deployed shelves and wall mount units. Simplifying initial installation while enabling easy
network upgrades, modular design provides a future-ready platform for all fiber deployments. A
common footprint fiber supports LC, SC, ST and MPO connector deployments.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
7: Wall Mount Enclosures.
Wall mount enclosures support up to 48, 96, or even 192 fibers and also 16, 32, and 64 MPO
pass-through adapters. These locking wall mount units provide needed security for low security
environments.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
8: Shelves - Apparatus.
Adapter panels for shelves and wall mount enclosures come in SC, ST, LC, and FC
configurations. Any combination of adapter panels can be used in the enclosures, up to the
maximum number of openings. Fiber panels enable field termination and field splicing with
associated splice kits (usually ordered separately).
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
9: Shelves - Apparatus.
Migration from field-terminated units to pre-terminated panels should not require a different type
of shelf. The shelves and wall mounts can support mixed use of pre-term and field-term
applications. Pre-terminated modules combined with factory-terminated, factory-tested
hardware, backbone trunk cables, ruggedized MPO single-fiber fan-out patch cords, array cords
and standard fiber patch cords enable fiber infrastructure installation up to 8 times faster than
field termination options. Keyed versions are available for more secure applications.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
10: Splice Options.
You may decide to terminate fiber into the panels using mechanical or fusion splicing, rather
then direct connector termination. Shown here is the splice wallet and the RoloSplice kits used
in CommScope shelves. They provide easy access and administration of individual splice trays,
each taking either 12 mechanical or 16 fusion splices. These facilitate easy access to the
individual splice trays.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
11: That Completes This Lesson.
Lesson 6.2: Duplex Administration
1: Welcome To This Lesson.
Welcome to Lesson 6 part 2, Fiber Administration Design. In this lesson, we will cover fiber
duplex polarity.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
2: Fiber Duplex Administration.
Most fiber channels use separate transmit and receive paths between the active equipment. On
rare occasions a simplex channel is used. Therefore, it is important that the design of the fiber
system 'manages' the path so the administrator cannot make a mistake when patching active
equipment. There are two reasons for this. First is safety. If the design is not controlled there is
a temptation for the technician when patching to look down an active fiber to identify which of
the two connectors is the receive. This is not only a potential eye hazard but often fruitless as
the 850 nm wavelength is only just in the visible spectrum for humans and longer wavelengths
will not be seen at all. The second reason is that if plugged incorrectly at best it will not work,
and on some topologies it can isolate parts of the network. Both the SC and the LC can be
configured as simplex or duplex. The 12-fiber MPO requires duplex orientation. TIA-568, ISO
IS11801 and CENELEC EN50174-1 standards recommend duplex control. And, if used, require
the design/administration of duplex fiber connections to be by keying, labels, or both. Standards
recommend the 'cabling side' (link) of horizontal and backbone installations be in simplex
connectors. Keying or labeling at the outlet is recommended. And, it can be extended
throughout the design. If so, it must be consistent.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
3: Fiber Duplex Administration.
When you purchase a duplex fiber patch cord it is normally standards compliant and is supplied
as a cross-over. This is not always immediately obvious but it can be seen in the graphic that if
the cord from the left is placed into the two interfaces, TX goes to RX. What makes it a cross-
over cord is that the keys (the latches on the connectors and adaptors) are in the up position on
both ends. The reason cords are produced like this is to ensure that the old habit of looking into
the connector to check that the sparkling red light is in the transmit port, is not done. Unclipping
the connectors and swapping them over on a patch cord to suit your installation, is not the
correct way as you are back to guessing again! As discussed earlier in the course, when
working with laser transmission, the light becomes invisible to the human eye at around 1000nm
and that is why this system was introduced by the standards to prevent possible eye damage
and ensure polarity was always kept in the same order through any fiber links. Supplying a new
patch cord to the client means it will always work when plugged in rather than having to adapt it
first, or not, depending on the installation. As all cords then are actually have cross-over and
one is used at either end of the fiber link, it requires the link to also have a cross-over otherwise
the active equipment at either end will go TX to TX. The fiber link cross-over is accomplished in
one of two ways.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
4: Fiber Administration Symmetrical Duplex.
Duplex design diagrams can be difficult to follow. So, we have kept this as clear as possible.
The A and B sides of the circuit are represented by blue (transmit) and aqua (receive). The
upper channel 1A to 1B will not work. It starts at the left with a patch cord to the patch panel in
the Equipment Room at 1A. The coupler is in the 'key up' configuration. The duplex cord is
connected to the first two fibers, blue (1) and orange (2). At the Telecoms Room panel the blue
fiber goes to position 1 and the orange fiber to position 2, as before. The coupler at 1B is key
with the patch cord plugged into it. So, following it through from left to right you can see that the
TX goes to TX - not good! With the lower channel, 2A goes to 2B and all is the same until you
get to the panel position at 2B. Although the blue fiber goes to position 1 and the orange fiber
goes to position 2, as in diagram 1, here the coupler is inverted/turned over. This then forces
one end of the patch cord to be plugged in inverted, ensuring TX goes to RX ready to be
plugged into the eventual host. TIA calls this 'consecutive-fiber' positioning while ISO and
CENELEC refer to it as 'symmetrical duplex'. What they both mean is that the fiber order in the
panel at both ends of the link remain in the same order, straight through, 1-1, 2-2 etc. This
schematic is useful to a point. But let's look at it in another dimension.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
5: Fiber Administration Symmetrical Duplex.
You may find this diagram useful. It shows the same thing as the previous schematic, but for a
6-fiber cable. Notice the fibers in the link are consecutive (symmetrical): blue, orange, green,
brown, slate, and white at BOTH ends. However, the couplers on the lower panel are inverted to
accomplish the link crossover. Most panels can reverse couplers but remember the modules or
adapter panels are in groups of connectors. So you may only be able to invert a group of 6 or
12.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
6: Fiber Administration Symmetrical Pair Duplex .
So, what happens at intermediate cross-connects and interconnects? Here, we see a graphic
showing consecutive (symmetrical) duplex. The rules follow through without change. All cords
are crossover cords, A to B. No matter how many links in the channel, you keep inverting at one
end. The Consolidation Point is an interconnect where the coupler stays key up. The link to the
TO continues with the TO coupler inverted. Even if this channel did not have a Consolidation
Point and the Floor Distributor Horizontal Cross-connect blue field horizontal cable was
connected directly to the inverted TO coupler, the channel would work.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
7: Fiber Administration Symmetrical Pair Duplex.
All three cabling standards offer an alternative called 'reverse duplex' where the duplex coupler
is not inverted at one end. Looking at the schematic we can again see the faulty design in
diagram 1 if we keep the connectors, couplers and patch cords as standard all the way through.
Diagram 3 though is an example of reverse duplex. It is exactly the same in every respect
except that the orange fiber is crossed to position 1 and the blue fiber crossed to position 2.
They have been reversed in the backbone. This allows the coupler at 3B to remain key up. The
downside to this is that the backbone is no longer consecutive (symmetrical) so when testing
more accuracy is required. When testing fiber one, blue, the tester needs to be connected to
position two at the other end! Testing two, the other end of the tester will be required to be
connected to fiber one etc.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
8: Fiber Administration Reverse Pair Duplex.
Reverse pair positioning also works for intermediate cross-connects and interconnects. Again
just keep to the rules: position 1 to 2 on the backbone and consolidation point cables. But,
position 1 to 1 at an the interconnect. Note in the diagram all of the couplers are up and the TX
is running on the orange fiber.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
9: Fiber Administration Reverse Pair Duplex.
It should be noted that the fiber reversal or coupler inversion does not have to be done at the
Telecoms Room end. We have just used this in the examples. Looking at Example 1 in the
graphic it shows three buildings and a campus backbone from the Campus Distributor to
buildings 2 and 3. This is an easy design in which to control the duplexing. The 'U' in the
diagram means the couplers are up and the 'D' means couplers down. In example 2 an
additional link has been added for redundancy between buildings 2 and 3. At building 1 couplers
are up. At building 2 couplers are down but in building 3 it will have both up and down couplers.
This can start to get complex because the fiber panel in building 3 is where this has to be
managed carefully. Consider that you may be only able to invert a block of 6 or 12 fibers,
depending upon the connector type, but what happens if you have an 8-core fiber cable? It may
require you to leave coupler spaces in the panel unused, with no fibers connected, having to
start a new panel. This will have to be taken into account in the estimation phase and it will also
require detailed planning and documentation for the installation and testing teams. From the
customer point of view, they will just see that the labelling on the fiber shelf says 'fiber to
building 2' or 'fiber to building 1' so they will plug in the patch cords accordingly whether inverted
or the normal way up. Both these methods discussed are acceptable to the standards, meaning
that standard fiber patch cords can be used throughout.
Copyright © 2018 CommScope Inc and Cabling Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
10: That Completes This Lesson.
