Fiber to the Desk, Why and How
By M.A. Polce, Northland Communications, and Fiber Instrument Sales
This session explores the growth of Fiber to the Desk and explains what's involved in designing and installing FTTD in enterprise networks. Discussion includes:
Advantages of FTTD - Accommodates need for higher speeds and bandwidth, requires relatively few active components, bandwidth capacity helps to "future proof" networks, easier to test than copper networks, lower power consumption, better data security.
Advanced Network Architectures - Advantages of centralized fiber optic LAN fiber cabling as an alternative to the traditional hierarchical star architecture. Discussion includes centralized electronics, improved port and chassis utilization, multiple configuration options for reliable and redundant connectivity, and collapsed backbones that eliminate the necessity and expense of multiple equipment closets. Open-office (zone) cabling vs. single-user cabling is also covered.
Cabling and Equipment - Discussed are network speeds and protocols, active and passive network components, cable sizing including backbone requirements. Connecting hardware, installation practices, distance limitations and testing procedures are also covered.
Existing Networks vs. New Builds. Topics explored include migration-path planning to achieve a gradual migration from copper to fiber such as can be achieved through the use of media converters.
Standards and Guidelines - Applicable commercial building telecommunications cabling standards and guidelines are addressed, including TIA TSB-72 and ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-A,B and C.
Cost Considerations - Installation and maintenance expenses are discussed regarding first costs versus life-time operating costs of a FTTD network.
Prime FTTD Candidates - Explains how FTTD and centralized optical-fiber cabling provides the greatest benefits to enterprises that have high network demands. Examples disussed include Ethernet, Token Ring, Fiber Distributed Data Interface, and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks.
2011 NFOC Exhibitors
