With more and more fiber optical equipment applied in data center, cable management becomes important to ensure long-term network performance. Rack mount fiber enclosure(the picture below shows LC fiber cables connected with a rack mount enclosure)—a high-density cable management tool which can provide easy-to-manage environment and protection for fiber optic cables, has been well received by data center managers. There are various types of rack mount fiber enclosures available in different design and for different applications on the market. Among so many types, you have to choose the right one that suits your project. The following part will tell you how to make the correct choice.
Generally, the rack mount unit is designed for 19-inch rack mounting. (tips: A 19-inch rack is a standardized frame or enclosure for mounting multiple equipment modules. Each module has a front panel that is 19 inches (482.6 mm) wide. The 19-inch dimension includes the edges, or “ears”, that protrude on each side, allowing the module to be fastened to the rack frame with screws.) There are many options for rack mount units available, such as 1U (two panels, cassettes or modules), 2U (four panels, cassettes or modules), 4U (twelve panels, cassettes or modules), and so on (as shown in the following picture). So you should choose the proper rack mount enclosure in right rack unit height configuration depending on the space and port requirements of your project firstly.
As rack mount enclosure can provide a convenient and rugged termination point for fiber optic cable jumpers, it has been the most commonly used fiber enclosure type in data centers to offer a flexible connectivity system using a variety of adapter plates and MPO cassettes. There are mainly two types of rack mount fiber enclosure—Cover removable and slide-out rack mount enclosures (as shown in the picture).
Cover Removable Rack Mount Fiber Enclosure—The cover removable type is an early type of fiber enclosure with a removable lid. This design allows for easier field termination of connectors or installation of pre-terminated solutions, providing increased access between ports, thus enabling the ease of moving, adding and changing for improved reliability and cost saving. But using this rack mount enclosure, you may get fewer benefits during installation and maintenance than slide-out fiber enclosure.
Slide-out Rack Mount Fiber Enclosure—Compared with traditional fixed fiber enclosure, slide-out rack enclosure can provide easy access to the inner cabling and solid protection for fiber optic cables. The design of slide drawer can be easily pulled out from the rack without affecting other devices near, meeting the requirements of both high-density cabling and better cable management. However, slide-out rack enclosure is more expensive than other enclosures, and when you use this rack mount enclosure to hold cables, you should be careful, because fiber optic cables are sensitive to excessive pulling, bending and crushing forces.
As we all know, fiber optic adapters are the key parts of a fiber enclosure to accept different kinds of fiber optic connectors. Therefore, choosing an appropriate front panels is also essential. There are two designs of fiber enclosure front panels available, one is fixed front panel and the other is removable front panel (as shown in the picture). The fixed front panel can be loaded with proper fiber optic adapters, while the removable front panel can accommodate several adapter panels or cassettes. Thus the removable front panel, which can be equipped with the plug-and-play fiber adapters, ensuring flexibility and ease of network deployment, is more preferable than the fixed front panel.
Rack mount fiber enclosure has become increasingly popular with data center managers to ensure better and easier cable management. The above sections introduced several factors you should take into consideration during rack mount fiber enclosure selection. FS.COM provides a wide range of rack mount fiber enclosures with high quality and low cost. You can choose the proper one here.
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