Comparison of the PreCONNECT® OCTO cabling systems

  

Overview of applications and cabling systems using the MTP®, LC, SN® Quad and MDC Quad connectors

Fiber-optic cables can be equipped with various connector types. Rosenberger OSI is able to supply the PreCONNECT® OCTO cabling system factory-assembled with any of the four connector types described below - MTP®, LC, SN® Quad or MDC Quad. The following table provides an overview of the most important characteristics of the systems.

PreCONNECT® OCTO is a comprehensive system for the parallel optics cabling of data centers and is perfectly suited for multimode SR4 and singlemode DR4/PSM4, InfiniBand 4X applications. The cabling systems permit multifiber cabling thanks to the use of eight channels = four channels per trunk leg with MTP® OCTO 4+4, LC-COMPACT, SN® Quad and MDC Quad 4-channel granularity.

Contents:

  

Description of the fiber-optic connectors

MPO/MTP® connectors

MPO stands for “Multi-fibre Push-on Connector”. It is a push-on connector for multifiber cables consisting generally of 6, 8, 12 or 24 fibers. The MPO connector is also often referred to as an MTP® push-on connector, with MTP® being a registered trademark of US Conec Ltd. These push-on connectors are in widespread use in modern data centers because they represent a space-saving way of achieving high data transmission speeds.

LC connectors

The LC is a small-form-factor connector system for optical fiber cabling as defined in standard DIN EN 61754-20. It is available for both singlemode and multimode applications and can be supplied as an LC/PC or LC/APC variant. The LC/APC connector has a higher return loss, making it the preferred solution for singlemode cables. The most recent generation of LC Compact connectors has a compact end housing which protects the fibers and permits reliable strain relief for various cable types.

MDC connectors

The MDC (Miniature Duplex Connector) from US Conec is a genuine push-pull-boot duplex push-on connector and is standardized in IEC 61754-37. It is manufactured on the basis of 1.25-mm fully-ceramic ferrule technology and belongs to the category of Very Small Form Factor (VSFF) push-on connectors. Among other applications, it is used as an optical interface push-on connector for SFP-DD, OSFP and QSFP-DD transceivers and both the singlemode and multimode versions are available as MDC/PC and MDC/APC variants.

SN® connectors

The SN® (Senko Nano) from Senko is a genuine push-pull-boot duplex push-on connector and is standardized as an SAC connector in IEC 61754-36. It is manufactured on the basis of 1.25-mm fully-ceramic ferrule technology and belongs to the category of Very Small Form Factor (VSFF) push-on connectors. Among other applications, it was developed for use as an optical interface push-on connector for SFP-DD, OSFP and QSFP-DD transceivers and both the singlemode and multimode versions are available as SN®/PC and SN®/APC variants.

  

Comparison of the PreCONNECT® OCTO cabling systems - MTP®, LC, SN® Quad and MDC Quad

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Characteristics

Standardization
market penetration

Transceivers: Multimode SR4 and Singlemode DR4/PSM4, InfiniBand 4X

Time efficiency during installation

Protection of connector surfaces against dirt and damage during trunk installation

Insensitivity to dirt when patched frequently during operation

Inspection and cleaning

MTP®

high


available

 



medium
 

yes, with PURE

 

 

medium

 

demanding

LC

high


not available

 



low


yes, with PURE

 

 

medium

 

medium

SN® / MDC Quad

growing


available

 



high


yes

 

 

medium

 

medium

  

Characteristics

Duplex port breakout

During service work, individual duplex channels accessible at each plug connection
throughout the entire transmission channel and at the transceiver

Max. duplex port density per HU

Trunk leg dividers

Min. possible leg diameter

Polarity

Connector gender

Ferrule material

MTP®

using cassettes/harnesses

 

no

 

 

384


not necessary

2 mm


complex

male/female

plastic-glass composite

LC

direct 

 


yes

 

 

96


necessary

1,6 mm


simple

male

ceramic

SN® / MDC Quad

direct 

 


yes

 

 

128


necessary

1,6 mm


simple

male

ceramic

  

Characteristics

Max insertion loss SM (IL) according to IEC61300-3-4 as per reference method B

Max insertion loss OM4 (IL) according to IEC61300-3-4 as per reference method B

Min. return loss SM PC (RL) according to IEC61300-3-6 as per reference method 1

Min. return loss SM UPC (RL) according to IEC61300-3-6 as per reference method 1

Min. return loss SM APC (RL) according to IEC61300-3-6 as per reference method 1

Min. return loss OM4 PC (RL) according to IEC61300-3-6 as per reference method 1

Min. return loss OM4 APC (RL) according to IEC61300-3-6 as per reference method 1

MTP®

Standard: Basic 0.4 dB
Elite: Basic 0.3 dB / PURE 0.2 dB

 

Elite: Basic 0.35dB / PURE 0.25dB

 

There is no
MTP® SM PC 

 

There is no
MTP® SM UPC



Basic: 55 dB /
PURE 70 dB



Basic: 30 dB /
PURE 30 dB




Basic: 50 dB /
PURE 55 dB

LC

Basic 0,3 dB /
PURE 0,2 dB



Basic 0,15 dB /
PURE 0,15 dB



Basic: 45 dB /
PURE 45 dB



Basic: 55 dB /
PURE 55 dB



Basic: 65 dB /
PURE 70 dB



Basic: 35 dB /
PURE 40 dB




not applicable

SN® / MDC Quad

Basic 0,3 dB /
PURE 0,2 dB



Basic 0,15 dB /
PURE 0,15 dB



Basic: 45 dB /
PURE 45 dB



Basic: 55 dB /
PURE 55 dB



Basic: 65 dB /
PURE 70 dB



Basic: 35 dB /
PURE 40 dB




not applicable

  

The PreCONNECT® OCTO cabling systems are particularly suitable as infrastructure and IT room cabling for the following data center applications:

  

Ethernet-, FibreChannel and InfiniBand standards

  • 40GBASE-SR4 - 850 nm, channel length: OM3 max. 100 m, OM4 max. 150 m, OM5 max. 150 m  
  • 100GBASE-SR4 - 850 nm, channel length: OM3 max. 70 m, OM4 max. 100 m, OM5 max. 100 m
  • 200GBASE-SR4 - 850 nm, channel length: OM3 max. 70 m, OM4 max. 100 m, OM5 max. 100 m
  • 400GBASE-SR4.2 - 850/910 nm, channel length: OM3 max. 70 m, OM4 max. 100 m, OM5 max. 150 m 
  • FC 4 x 8 = 128 Gbit/s, 850 nm, channel length: OM3 max. 70 m, OM4 max. 100 m OM5 max. 100 m
  • FC 4 x 16 = 128 Gbit/s, 850 nm, channel length: OM3 max. 70 m, OM4 max. 100 m OM5 max. 100 m
  • FC 4 x 32 = 128 Gbit/s, 850 nm, channel length: OM3 max. 70 m, OM4 max. 100 m OM5 max. 100 m
  • 100GBASE PSM4 - 1310 nm, channel length: max. 500 m
  • 200GBASE-DR4 - 1310 nm, channel length: max. 500 m
  • 400GBASE-DR4 - 1310 nm, channel length: max. 500 m
  • 4x10 GBASE-LR - 1310 nm, channel length: max. 10 km
  • InfiniBand 4X
  

Singlemode or multimode?

The trend is clearly towards singlemode cabling. Singlemode fibers outperform multimode fibers thanks to their high reach and their transmission capacity. Singlemode fibers are also more economical than their multimode counterparts.
Singlemode transceivers are still usually a little more expensive than the multimode variants.  Higher transmission speeds and lengths can be achieved using singlemode solutions. At the same transmission speed, the serial lane speed of singlemode transceivers is higher than that of multimode transceivers, meaning that fewer singlemode than multimode fibers are needed in parallel optics solutions of the same wavelength.

  

Author:
Harald Jungbäck, Product Manager FO cabling systems

Harald Jungbäck draws his fiber optic expertise from his many years of work at Rosenberger OSI. In 1993 he started his career in product and manufacturing process development. Today he is responsible for the consistent expansion of the product range and the technological innovation process in this area.

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