Effective Fiber Management in Data Centers

The surge in digital traffic has increased the demand for higher bandwidth, lower latency, and unprecedented I/O capacity.

This has led to an unprecedented growth in fiber deployment in data centers, especially in hyperscale data centers and 5G networks.

As fiber counts reach as high as 6,912 and the deployment of fiber-rich mesh architectures becomes more prevalent, effectively managing these fibers is becoming a full-time job.

Poor fiber management can lead to costly issues such as overfilling cable trays, which restricts airflow and increases thermal loading, making cooling systems work harder than necessary.

An inability to identify, access, and manage individual fibers can also affect resolution time, turn-up speed, and the efficiency of moves/adds/changes. Therefore, a well-thought-out cable management strategy is essential.

Importance of Cable Management

Most data centers invest resources in developing good cable management strategies.

These approaches can range from basic cable routing guidelines to more detailed requirements on tray capacities, segregating cables by type, and fiber labeling.

One common issue that often compounds congestion is the lack of protocols dictating how overhead cable pathways are used.

Best practices suggest segregating larger trunk cables from smaller patch cords: ladder racks for large trunk cables, fiber raceways for patch cords.

Likewise, copper and fiber patch cords should have their own pathways.

A good cable management strategy not only keeps the current cable plant serviceable but can also provide a template that makes network expansion and upgrades faster and more reliable.

Cable Raceway Design

A central component of any cable management system is the network of cabling raceways in the data center.

These systems are designed to manage, protect, and route thousands of fiber cables. They come in all shapes, sizes, and types and the standards governing their design and use are becoming increasingly complex.

New design tools incorporating applicable cabling standards and best practices are making the job of implementing a good cable management plan easier and less complex.

Best Practices for Managing Data Center Cabling

1. Label cables properly: Labeling simplifies troubleshooting and speeds up cable tracing, making it easier to avoid downtime and increase productivity. Follow labeling standards such as ANSI/TIA606-B.

2. Remove unused cables: Unused and discarded cables can block airflow and cause temperatures to rise, leading to downtime or wasted energy due to inefficient cooling.

3. Keep cables cool: Deploy and monitor temperature sensors to ensure all equipment and cables are properly cooled.

4. Use a cable manager: Cable ducts, cable loops, and cable ties are great for bundling cables and making their paths easy to follow.

5. Know where to place cables: Small data centers can mount cable bridges directly to the top of the rack. Larger data centers would benefit from a cable pathway that hangs from the ceiling.

6. Use patch panels: Patch panels can help organize large amounts of cables and provide greater flexibility in your network infrastructure.

7. Maintain accurate documentation: Track data and power circuits in real time to plan capacity accurately, perform failover analysis, and respond quickly to outages.

8. Deploy DCIM software: DCIM software makes it easy to implement many data center cable management best practices.

Need for Data Center Cable Management Software

Modern data centers need to manage a large number of IT assets, each with several associated power and data cables.

This requires accurate tracking and management to efficiently perform moves, adds, changes, understand port capacity, and resolve issues to minimize downtime. Data center cable management software can greatly assist in these tasks.

Contact fibeye for the most efficient data center solutions!