Network topology upgrades usually come in the form of new switches and modems, but you should pay attention to the cables running between different servers. Since these are the primary way data centers communicate, upgrading them might help boost speeds more than anything else. So if you plan on installing any upgrades, consider the cable type you’ll be working with.
Different Qualities of Fiber Optic Cables
Like nearly anything else in the communications field, not all fiber optic cable is created equally. Some styles are considerably better than others, but installers will normally charge more for the privilege of putting it in. Dry block cables are usually the least expensive because they don’t have any gel filling, but this means that they also won’t be able to offer any protection to the fibers inside of them.
Think about what a cross-section of a glass cable might look like. They’re usually made up of a bundle of different fibers that are all held together with an outside plastic jacket. Higher-quality gel-filled cables feature a substance designed to seal up any gash that this jacket might experience. Investing in a good spool of fiber optic cabling is an excellent way to increase speeds while reducing the overall cost of ownership of your installation.
Though installing gel-filled cables might cost more upfront, you can bet that they will last much longer than conventional dry-block cables ever would. Block cables will automatically fill any gaps that would have otherwise brought a network down. Specification sheets for mission-critical applications may even call for this type of cable specifically.
External Protective Coverings for Cables
At one point, you would have only ever been able to find ribbon-style cables if you were looking to buy cords in bulk. These are covered with the same kind of plastic coating that you’d expect to find on consumer-grade ladder lines. As a result, organizations with cable installations from this era can benefit from tearing out all of the existing cords and replacing them with something that features a modern armored cable.
Harder jacketed lines might not be the best choice when bending a cord around sharp corners, but they’re ideal for external installations. Those who have to bury many glass cables may even want to invest in a solution with external armor. Metal coatings provide an additional level of protection compared to raw cables.
You won’t be burying any lines under the ocean, but the same technologies that were developed for these edge cases may prove helpful in less demanding circumstances. This is especially true in any situation where you may find yourself providing coherent communications in a distributed network topology that interfaces equipment across multiple buildings.
Upgrading Cabling in High-Traffic Areas
Long haul links almost exclusively rely on coherent communications technology, and it’s become a standard for anyone who moves more than 100 gigabits of data per second. While it’s possible to do this with any type of fiber optic line on the market, traditional G.652-style glass cords shouldn’t be used in such an application. Higher-quality G.654 lines offer more surface area in their cores, which usually translates into lower data loss when it comes time to back up the network.
Packets that end up headed for the bit bucket due to poor-quality fiber optic lines have to be resent. If the amount of lost packets start to exceed the number that receives an acknowledgment, servers could drop one of the connected clients. Instead, rely on cables with larger mode field diameters to reduce the risk of this sort of thing happening. Smaller cables might be more convenient and potentially less expensive, but they will be challenging to maintain in the long run.
Upgrading fiber optic lines may require you to take down your network for a long time. However, the promise of lower levels of packet loss coupled with higher speeds makes it all worth it, regardless of whether you represent a small business or a massive organization.
