Optical LANs – Where They Have Been and Where They Are Going

Fifty years ago, hospitals ran on tongue depressors and surgical masks. Today, they run on data. Considering the number of networks, connected devices, and data-rich applications now integral to patient care, is it any wonder hospital systems like Guthrie Health and Lake Nona Medical City are at the center of an optical telecom renaissance? And it’s not just hospitals. Many of today’s biggest investments in hotels, casinos, high-rise buildings and college campuses are earmarked for optical networking technology. Consumers want fast access to cellular service, on-demand video streaming and a bevy of personalized applications. And all that voice-data-internet convergence takes bandwidth – a lot of it. Hence, more businesses are turning to fiber optics due to the virtually unlimited bandwidth, ease of installation, and lightweight composition.  But – haven’t we tried this before?   What a Difference Twenty Years Makes In the late ‘90s, carriers invested close to $100 billion in a nationwide fiber optic infrastructure. In 2000, nearly 20 million miles of optical fiber was installed in the United States. Upstart telecom carriers – the “fiber barons” – came out of the woodwork to feed an explosion of dot-com demand. Everyday businesses were also asked to make an investment. Connecting an office building to this fiber infrastructure meant simply running fiber cables vertically, from floor to floor. But getting fiber in the horizontal (from the vertical to the desk) meant converting inventories of legacy hardware. That required swapping hundreds – sometimes thousands – of RJ-45 ports on desktop computers with optical ports. The cost-benefit equation didn’t add up for most companies. For less money, they could tackle their bandwidth problems by running additional lines of CAT 5, 5e, 6, 6A, 7 or 8 copper. But the day has come when that’s no longer cost-effective, and space is limiting these additional copper runs – take a look inside any modern telecom closet and you’ll see. The equipment plugged into dozens of copper-based network connectors has increased the size of the average closet by a factor of three – meaning three times the space, energy use and HVAC costs. Even if installers could continue adding copper indefinitely, it’s a wasteful way to satisfy the nation’s appetite for data, which according to Cisco’s latest visual networking index (VNI) forecast, has barely been whetted. Global IP traffic will increase threefold over the next five years. And Mobile 2 Mobile connections will account for half of the total traffic by 2022. To meet that kind of growth, businesses will be required to rip and replace their copper cables year over year – a never-ending capital expenditure. And it’s worth mentioning that copper is heavy and cumbersome to install. Fiber, on the other hand, is stronger, lighter, more flexible and easier to pull. Thanks to advances in pre-terminated fiber cabling, optical installations are efficiently designed and cost-efficient.  Fiber to the Edge But what about those expensive hardware conversions that derailed fiber in the horizontal over a decade ago?  Cisco’s latest VNI forecast contains interesting figures on technology in decline–fixed wired computing devices. By 2022, for instance, fixed wired devices will account for just 29 percent of North American internet traffic. With fewer LAN ports and desktop connections, the cost-benefit of converting to fiber in the horizontal is suddenly quite appealing. Combine the decline in wired connectivity with the rise of mobile smart devices (more than half a billion new mobile devices and connections today) and Bring-Your-Own-Device policies (according to Gartner, 38 percent of global companies will stop providing devices to workers in the coming year), and the “tethered” office–beholden to RJ-45 port conversions – disappears. With fewer LAN ports and desktop connections, the cost-benefit of converting to fiber in the horizontal is suddenly quite appealing.  Furthermore, the copper-based Ethernet links left unconverted in horizontal networks are far from benign. Unlike fiber, copper Ethernet is susceptible to electromagnetic interference (EMI) that can corrupt, degrade or even derail data transmission. So businesses are using fiber optic converters to interconnect copper-Ethernet devices over fiber to ensure optimal data transmission. This is important in large facilities – like retail stores and distribution centers – where attenuation (loss in signal strength as cable length increases) limits copper-Ethernet network coverage to 100 meters or less; fiber provides two benefits here: Low attenuation, meaning network coverage of kilometers instead of meters No rise in attenuation as bandwidth increases, which means gigabit and 10-gigabit Ethernet connections are possible over greater distances, with lower-power transmitters. Businesses are converting to fiber in the horizontal for another reason – security. Because optical fiber is dielectric (doesn’t transmit an electronic signal), it can’t be monitored remotely – whereas spying on a copper-based local area network (LAN) requires nothing more than a sensitive antenna. The design of fiber cabling also makes it quite difficult to tap into, and quite simple for a tap to be detected. Unlike copper, fiber is non-flammable – which may improve public safety in sensitive environments like hotels and hospitals.   An Optical Future With a fiber deep network such as Passive Optical LAN (PON), businesses can create a digital backbone that can support all your wired and wireless connections. Guthrie Health, for instance, found that a converged gigabit PON and distributed antenna system (DAS) was the ideal solution for supporting its flagship hospital’s entire IT infrastructure – including numerous wireless applications, wireless LAN, and cellular coverage for multiple operators. Better yet, the passive optical architecture drove significant cost savings for Guthrie, while the converged deployment of PON and DAS shaved an additional 30 percent off the cost of the project. Perhaps best of all, the scalable fiber backbone ensures cost efficiency (and complete future readiness) in the years ahead. And more facilities are turning to composite cabling – offering a combination of fiber and low voltage power in the same cable. By leveraging Power over Ethernet (PoE) and remote powering you can now run phones, surveillance cameras, wireless access points, and thousands of other devices – or provide back-up power for critical devices in emergency situations.  Software-Defined Networking (SDN) Software-defined networking which has become a huge trend in itself can also be leveraged in the LAN environment. Software-defined LAN (SD-LAN) can provide flexibility and management of your fiber deep network and can be configured as either a Passive Optical LAN or an Ethernet Network.  While we can’t say for certain what future requirements will look like, they’ll likely pertain to cellular enhancements and multiple in-building applications including Wi-Fi, monitoring, video surveillance, building automation, and other IP services – many targeting a host of networked devices, the so-called “Internet of Everything.” The Time is Now It’s not merely performance, security, and reliability that are driving fiber’s resurgence. This fiber deep architecture is easier to adopt and less expensive to implement, operate, and manage than traditional copper-Ethernet LANs found in most corporate environments. An all-fiber enterprise has gone from cost-prohibitive and technically cumbersome to technically advantageous and – when factoring in return on investment and total cost of lifecycle operations – more cost-effective. All of which means that fiber in the horizontal is not only viable; it’s inevitable.  The opinions expressed in this piece are solely Corning's. They do not necessarily represent WESCO’s views.  

How Small Cell Networks Make a Big Difference

It’s no secret that wireless services have grown to become our “fourth utility” in the last decade. While this evolution has been revolutionary in terms of communications and connectivity, it has also exposed capacity limitations within in-building enterprise and office environments. Take out your cell phone and check the signal strength. Walk around your office, inside and outside of the building. Does the signal consistently reach five bars? To achieve true mobility in wireless communications, and to offer that within an enterprise infrastructure, we need to consider the evolution of cellular networks and how it affects us today. And while we explore this transformation, keep this in mind: wireless means a lack of cords, not necessarily seamless mobility. Cellular Networks of Old: An Outside Broadcast Cellular networks were and are designed with reliability in mind. Any network that must sustain thousands of simultaneous interconnects at high speeds requires intricate planning and capital considerations. The outdoor cellular networks and cell sites we often think of — with large towers, antennae, base stations, cabling, switches, etc.— were deployed for outdoor coverage. They are designed to transmit the signal as far possible, distributing maximum signal with the fewest cell sites for phone usage outside. These signals aim downwards essentially, meant to reach you as you walk down the street or drive in a car. The original intents was not for these signals to reach inside buildings to service landline infrastructures. In addition, accessing consistent cellular coverage has become more of a challenge in dense metro areas where brick and mortar block and modern-day energy-efficient windows deflect them. Times (and Data Usage) Have Changed  Today, roughly 80 percent of all cellular activity originates indoors, meaning that simply increasing the capacity of outdoor cell towers isn’t enough. When every cell phone downloads, streams, and accesses data-heavy files and sites, weak signal from a faraway outdoor cell tower simply won’t cut it. Even as networks move from 3G to 4G, delivering more capacity to each cell site, connectivity and user capacity can still be difficult from the windowless conference room on the 22nd floor.   When Antennae Aren't the Answer  In recent years, to deliver better in-building cellular service, many enterprise building operators have turned to Distributed Antenna Systems, or DAS. A DAS network uses small antenna nodes, often distributed by floor,  that connect with cabling to a common building base station, which in turn connects via backhaul to the carriers. While DAS networks successfully bring cellular indoors for large building environments, they may not be the ideal solution for some operators. DAS networks are sometimes considered difficult to scale, and are independently connected to the four major cellular providers in the U.S, on which they’re dependent on for base stations and backhauling. Further, installation and deployment can be complicated, and having enough subscribers within a building to justify the costs can also be a concern. But consider the frustration you feel when a building, be it a stadium or retail environment, doesn’t make cellular connectivity available to you. The negative impact alone from not funding a custom, in-building cellular system is often a strong, and ultimately expensive deterrent. Say Hello to Small Cell  Providing in-building cellular connectivity can be a true value driver for a variety of enterprise operations. From hotels and airports, to apartment buildings and office skyscrapers, indoor cellular capability is a must-have offering. Enter small cell networks. Small cell networks offer many benefits for enterprise operators. Essentially, small cells help deliver an entire cell site by way of a series of distributed small access points. In many building environments, rather than using a carrier’s base station for high-capacity cellular deployments, such as with a DAS, operators can deploy multiple enterprise-grade small cells throughout the building to achieve optimal cellular capacity. In addition, small cell networks provide enterprise operators with enhanced scalability, installation and distribution, and often make deployment simpler. Small cells are discrete and unobtrusive, typically as small as a WiFi access point, and can be mounted above ceiling plenum or in an IT closet. They can also be paired with external antennae if required. Is Small Cell Right for Your Need? As technology evolves and the demand for wireless mobility continues to grow, the importance of connectivity exponentially increases. Businesses and organizations of all types are more dependent than ever on mobile devices and most major mobile applications require robust, in-building wireless connectivity solutions. As a result, it’s important to create an environment conducive to how users live and work today. Further, most companies strive to meet this need while addressing energy use, maintenances costs and long-term adaptability. A small cell network may be underwhelming in footprint, but it has a substantial network impact.

Critical Connectivity: Why Healthcare Facilities Need Converged Networks

With the Internet of Things (IoT) driving bandwidth demands higher and higher, healthcare facility and infrastructure managers find themselves facing expensive and disruptive rip-and-replace scenarios for networks not able to scale, migrate, and keep up. To keep up with demand, infrastructure needs to be flexible. Learn how a converged network can deliver superior support while providing capital and operational expenditure savings. Networks Face Ever-Increasing Demands Creating an envelope of secure connectivity around patients and patient care is critical. Real-time data transfer required for Electronic Health Records (EHRs) is driving adoption of mobile devices as the primary means of communication between physicians, staff and administration. Multiple handheld devices use by staff and patients, as well as the adoption of data-heavy applications enabling digital diagnosis, drug inventory tracking, Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE), and Picture Archiving (PACS) are just a few of the requirements on a growing list of facility network demands. Add to this list the complexity of supporting LAN, cellular, Wi-Fi, security, AV and patient guest “always on” expectations. You quickly understand that with the current approach to network design, IT infrastructure managers will have to keep upgrading and juggling to handle demand increases on multiple fronts over multiple overlying networks. The majority of these network designs are simply not smart enough, not flexible enough, and certainly not sustainable for future growth and technology innovation. A Converged Solution Keeps Up in the “Always On” Era Imagine the peace of mind and cost savings a “wire it once” network infrastructure would provide. Unpredictable demands require flexibility. Healthcare facilities need more energy efficiency and smart control over capacity planning. Furthermore, is it possible to eliminate network downtime due to moves, adds and changes (MACs) and/or expansions? It’s not only possible, it’s happening. A converged solution strategy better enables future technology as well as capital and operational expenditure savings. An all-optical backbone can deliver support for LAN, cellular, and Wi-Fi as well as support for other building systems. What Converged Design Means for Healthcare Networks So what does “converged” really mean? In the simplest terms, converged means cabling systems use a single infrastructure with connectivity for multiple services like security or AV. The goal is to leverage the converged infrastructure to align the physical infrastructure to improve operational efficiency. The result is more bandwidth, more convenience, more customization and more content all over a secure, reliable, flexible, and converged optical network. The Advantages of a Converged Network What advantages does fiber actually provide? The benefits of fiber to the edge in a converged network design versus traditional copper deployment include: A more dynamic network with virtually unlimited bandwidth Smart control over capacity planning due to port prioritization An inherently secure network due to optimal connectivity and usage of single-mode cable Affordable scalability Energy efficiency of fiber optics Lightweight and easy-to-install components Small diameter and reduced footprint for space savings Wire it “once and done” infrastructure Flexibility to incorporate future technologies Preparing for Tomorrow’s Network Demands In today’s multiple-device and on-demand healthcare environment, physicians, staff, patients and guests expect “always on” access to consistent, unlimited wireless connectivity. This access is critical for patient care and faster new technology adoption. The expansion of patient care and the associated services provided requires a communication network that supports convergence. Future-ready solutions should be designed with the needs of healthcare facilities in mind: primarily the ability to run Wi-Fi, cellular and Ethernet backhaul over a single composite fiber cable. This converged architecture provides maximum flexibility to deploy new services as demand grows. Get off the Rip-and-Replace Treadmill Bandwidth growth rates will continue to be driven by the IoT. It’s time to rethink network design strategy and embrace a total cost of ownership mentality. Only then can designers step off the infrastructure rip-and-replace treadmill to construct the flexible, scalable, future-ready networks of tomorrow. The opinions expressed in this piece are solely Corning's. They do not necessarily represent WESCO’s views.

Supporting the Connected Learner: Network Scalability in Higher Education

Back to school time means college students across the country are eagerly cramming bedding, clothing and (most importantly) their multiple networked devices into dorm rooms that are roughly the size of a coat closet. We’ve all seen scalability in action on campuses throughout the country. Whether funding a dining hall renovation or a greenfield project supporting the expansion of the business school, educational institutions seem to be tireless in their efforts to increase their footprints. What does that mean for the existing network and what steps can be taken to build upon the old infrastructure? What are the potential challenges they might face when undertaking this sort of project? Until recently, answers to questions like these used to be quite convoluted, but new advancements in cabling technology have proven bigger isn’t always better. "Nice to Have" versus "Need to Have"  The average smartphone user checks their device 150 times per day, around 10 times each waking hour. That means most students are looking at their phone about once every six minutes. With that level of activity and demand there’s little tolerance for unreliable networks or potential disconnection. In this BYOD world, accommodating the connectivity needs for both faculty and students is a top priority. 58 percent of college students own three or more mobile devices, and 87 percent report using their smartphones, laptops or tablets for academic purposes. Reliance on these devices creates a need for an “always on” network. Students no longer think of connectivity as a bonus or luxury — it’s expected, and essential for academic success. While Wi-Fi connectivity is crucial in supporting that experience, the underground infrastructure is just as essential. The New Cable on Campus  In order to support recruitment and retention efforts, new buildings and facilities are consistently added to help the institution stay competitive and relevant. With each new building, a plan for new network infrastructure must be made for as well. Traditionally, this has led to removal of the existing cables and a resulting disruption of connectivity throughout campus. On campuses, effective use of real estate is a key factor for growth. Smart planning requires maximizing the opportunity for scale by minimizing the current dedicated footprint. These stipulations apply to both campus buildings as well as to the hardware and infrastructure that supports their core functions. In terms minimizing network infrastructure, it doesn’t get any smaller than micro cabling. This new trend can have a significant impact on network expansion by eliminating the interruptions that are typically experienced. The micro cabling process involves swapping loose tube cabling for micro cables and ducts, allowing for easier and less expensive fiber installation. Little Cables, Big Impact  What exactly is a micro cable? Just picture a shrunken version of traditional loose tube cable. Micro cables are about 50 percent smaller and nearly 70 percent lighter when compared to standard outside plant cable footprint. This size delta is attributed to a reduction in buffer tube diameter and a thinner outer jacket. Although they can be pulled at low tension over short distances, installation of micro cables usually requires that they’re blown or jetted into micro ducts using air-assisted machines. These micro ducts are typically used to sub-divide internal duct space into smaller compartments. They are available in single or bundled options depending on the need. Loose micro ducts can also be installed into empty or occupied legacy sub-ducts to optimize the use of available existing space. Multi-path bundles allow for flexible, scalable installations that support new high-fiber count and high-density cabling. What's in it for Higher Ed?  When it comes to higher education deployments, a micro cabling option adds value in three main ways: Scalable greenfield deployments From sky-rise dormitories to palatial brownstones, college campuses seem to go through endless expansion. The jetting technology used during the installation of micro cables allows you to lay pathways making future scalability simple and easy. Pay as you grow flexibility The true value of micro technology will be revealed upon performing a capacity upgrade. The only required cost associated with capacity increases for micro cable solutions involves the purchase and installation of new micro cable into existing vacant micro ducts. By comparison, loose tube expansions can incur significant costs for excavation, transportation and storage. Efficient, cost-effective installations Micro cable not only enables simple, economical capacity upgrades, but easier, more cost-effective installation. Because the cables are so small, installers can use less-expensive blowing machines, compressors and handholes. In addition, the entire installation project can be managed by as few as three workers – one to operate the blowing machine, another to pay-off the cable from the transportation reel and a third to monitor the cable as it exits the micro duct at the end of the span. A Future-Ready Solution  Due to its high-fiber density and small cable design, micro cabling offers a future-ready solution not only in higher education facilities, but across a number of different industries. From local municipalities to, healthcare facilities, to harsh industrial environments, the cost and time savings of micro cable offers value that extends far beyond initial deployment into the infrastructure’s future. The opinions expressed in this piece are solely Corning's. They do not necessarily represent WESCO’s views.

Future-Proof Your Network With the Right Connectivity

Article originally published Sept. 2, 2016, and updated for accuracy and relevance. Data centers face ever-increasing demands in today’s digital environment. Using the right fiber optic links is the first step to ensuring an efficient, future-proof data center. Learn the benefits of Base-8 and Base-12 connectivity so you can design a network that reaches long-term transmission requirements. An Introduction to Fiber Optic Links When describing fiber optic links, people usually point out the connector type and the number of fibers within the link. Base-2 is the easiest to understand and visualize. With Base-2 connectivity, links are based on increments of two fibers. This is commonly seen with LC duplex or SC duplex connections. Base-12 connectivity uses links based on increments of 12, including 12-fiber connectors like the MTP©. Base-8 connectivity solutions are also starting to appear. Base-8 systems still use the MTP style connector, but the links are built in increments of eight fibers. The systems use eight-, 16-, 24- and 32-fiber trunk cables. A Shift In the Industry Base-12 connectivity has served the data center industry for almost 20 years. As deployments of the 12-fiber MTP connector have grown over time, the MTP has become the de facto standard in the backbone for many data centers. But now there’s a greater need for Base-8 connectivity due to changes in: the types of transceivers that server, switch and storage makers use in their equipment; and the transceiver roadmap guiding the industry from 10G Ethernet to 40G, 100G and 400G. Fully Using Your Backbone Fiber One of the most common transceiver types is the QSFP, which uses eight fibers. Base-12 connectivity can be used to connect to QSFP ports. Many data centers operating 40G circuits now have Base-12 connectivity in their backbone. But plugging a 12-fiber connector into a transceiver that requires only eight fibers means four fibers are unused. In this scenario, there are solutions that enable full, 100 percent use of the backbone fiber via Base-12 to Base-8 conversion modules or harnesses. However, this will add more MTP connectors and insertion loss into the link, which isn’t optimal for cost or link performance. Moving Toward Base-8 Major transceiver, switch, server and storage makers are making it clear that we’re moving toward transceiver types based on Base-2 or Base-8 connectivity. All roads lead to two-fiber and eight-fiber connectivity solutions for Ethernet transmission ranging from 40G to 400G. There will be some short-lived solutions with 400G. This includes first and second generations of OM3/OM4 parallel transmission that are proposed as Base-32 and Base-16 solutions. These solutions aren’t expected to be widely deployed due to manufacturing cost and connector complexity concerns. (You probably wouldn’t want to introduce a 32-fiber connector into your network.) The third-generation Base-8 solution should gain widespread market acceptance for 400G using parallel transmission over OM3/OM4 fiber. One major appeal of the Base-8 solution is its divisibility. The number eight is wholly divisible by the number two. That means Base-8 backbone connectivity can be easily used for two-fiber transceiver systems, just like Base-12 connectivity. However, Base-8 connectivity is more flexible for what are expected to be the most common 40G, 100G and 400G transceiver types. It’s the better solution for 400G requirements because Base-12 is not optimal for eight-fiber transceiver systems. Base-8 vs. Base-12 Comparing Base-8 and Base-12 connectivity is largely a numbers game. Since 12 is greater than eight, Base-12 connectivity provides higher connector fiber density compared to Base-8. A greater number of fibers can be installed more quickly when using Base-12 connectivity. However, a greater number of 40G and 100G circuits are deployed using eight-fiber transceivers. The benefits of matching the fiber count in the MTP backbone connectivity with the fiber count of the transceiver tends to outweigh the density benefit of Base-12 connectivity. When using MTP to LC duplex breakout harnesses to connect to switch line cards, the Base-8 harnesses easily route to all common port-count line cards. All common line cards contain a number of ports wholly divisible by four, since a Base-8 harness provides four LC duplex connections. If Base-12 harnesses provide six LC duplex connections, the harnesses won’t easily route to line cards with 16 or 32 ports. (16 and 32 are not wholly divisible by six.) The Bottom Line Both Base-8 and Base-12 connectivity offer benefits and have a place in the data center. Which one gains market acceptance will depend on 40G and 100G transmission use. Don’t be concerned about using Base-12 connectivity if it’s working for you. Base-8 is another option in the network designer’s toolkit that ensures data centers have the most cost-effective, future-proof network available, with a migration path that easily scales out to 400G transmission. The opinions expressed in this piece are solely Corning's. They do not necessarily represent WESCO’s views.  

Why Fiber Optic Micro Cables Could Soon Change Our Networks

North America is fast learning that size matters when it comes to cable installation. Legacy conduits are becoming congested with large traditional loose tube cables. This has caused a demand for cost-effective smaller cables with higher fiber density. In Europe, the majority of fiber optical cable is installed underground. Over the years, the region’s bandwidth demands and fiber requirements have grown rapidly, reducing the amount of free space for new cable. This led Europe to develop micro cables in the early 2000s. North America now finds itself with a similar challenge. Of the 26.3 billion networked devices expected worldwide by 2020, 4.6 billion will be in North America. Forty-four percent of those will have mobile connectivity. Unfortunately, many network operators might be reluctant to undertake new cable deployments due to the high cost of civil works. Enter Micro Cable Micro cables are miniaturized standard loose tube cables that are 50 percent smaller and up to 40 percent lighter than traditional loose tube cables. While both cables perform equally, micro cables are less robust. This means they are always installed in a microduct — a small high-density polyethylene conduit. Micro cables are generally blown or jetted into microducts through air-assisted blowing machines. They can also be pulled at low tension over short distances. These microducts are typically used to sub-divide internal duct space into smaller compartments. They are available in single or bundled options, depending on need. Multi-path bundles allow for flexible and scalable high-fiber-count, high-density cabling in new installations. Loose microducts can be installed into an empty or occupied legacy sub-duct, allowing them to optimize the existing space. Where do we go from here? Like in Europe, the answer for bandwidth growth in North America might be micro cables. By switching to miniaturized micro cables and microducts, operators will be able to meet short-term fiber demands. They’ll also discover unique and cost-effective deployment techniques for flexible, scalable upgrades. Micro cables also reduce the total cost of an initial build by using smaller equipment, network components and installation crews. The true value of micro technology will be revealed upon performing a capacity upgrade. Adding more traditional loose tube capacity may require more months of excavation at great cost and lost productivity. Micro cables equal twice the cable on a transportation reel or smaller reels. This translates into lower transportation and storage costs. A capacity increase in a micro cable solution would only involve the cost to purchase and install a new micro cable into an existing, vacant microduct. This pay-as-you-grow business model is getting more attention from North American project managers, procurement managers and network operators. It that keeps up, we could soon see a major shift in the cable industry. The opinions expressed in this piece are solely Corning's. They do not necessarily represent WESCO’s views.