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OFS just revealed its AllWave FLEX and AllWave FLEX+ Bend-Optimized Single Mode Fiber that has a 200um coating instead of the more standard 250um on almost all single mode fibers (such as Corning’s SMF-28e+ fiber). This coating enables a narrower fiber than those using traditional 250um coatings. The applications for this 200um coated fiber are fiber optic cables with higher fiber counts and microcables. OFS’s new MiDia 2FX microcables use this type of fiber. :: AllWave FLEX Fiber The AllWave FLEX version of the 200um fiber is an ITU-T G.657.A1 fiber. The benefits are space saving, resistance to macrobend and

  Fiber optic attenuators are used in applications where the optical signal is too strong and needs to be reduced. For example, in a multi-wavelength fiber optic system, you need to equalize the optical channel strength so that all the channels have similar power levels. This means to reduce stronger channels’ powers to match lower power channels.  Another example is when the received optical power is so strong that it saturates the receiver, you need an attenuator to reduce the power so the receiver can detect the signal correctly. This picture shows an example of a fixed optical attenuator. The

As the demand for faster speeds has grown rapidly over recent decades, new communications networking equipment and systems are constantly being developed to accommodate these requirements .  A result of these efforts is a series of established networking protocols and terminology that are used to identify various speed thresholds and the related equipment. The chart below is intended as a quick reference guide to help readers associate the various networking speeds with their respective protocol/service names. Max Throughput Speed Protocol / Service 64 kbps DSO / Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) 1.5 Mbps DS1 / T1 10 Mbps 10Base-T Ethernet

>> Cisco Enterprise Data Center Network Architecture The Cisco Enterprise Data Center Network Architecture – a comprehensive, adaptive network architecture designed by Cisco Systems for agile IT support of business needs – critically depends upon underlying physical facilities to provide the power, cooling, physical housing, cabling, physical security, and fire protection that allow IT to function reliably and seamlessly. This tutorial presents strategies for designing those facilities to support the emerging virtualized computing environment.   >> Introduction The Cisco Enterprise Data Center Network Architecture supports an IT organization’s immediate demands for consolidation, business continuance, and security while enabling emerging service-oriented

>> What are Data Centers? Data Centers house critical computing resources in controlled environment and under centralized management, which enable enterprises to operate around the clock or according to their business needs. These computing resources include: Mainframes Web and application servers File and printer servers Messaging servers Application software and the operating systems that run them Storage subsystems Network Infrastructure (IP or Storage-Area Network (SAN)) Applications range from internal financial and human resources to external e-commerce and business-to-business applications. Additionally, a number of servers support network operations and network-based applications. Network operation applications include: Network Time Protocol (NTP) TN3270 FTP