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Comparison of FS 1U Rack Mount Fiber Enclosure

Since the demands for high-density cabling increase, data center operators should look for devices that can provide higher performance without expanding physical space. Now as a necessary fiber cable management component, the 1U rack mount fiber enclosure is widely used in data centers to house, organize, manage and protect fiber optic cables. The 1U rack mount fiber enclosure comes in different types. Today we will make comparisons of two types of FS 1U rack mount fiber enclosures as an example to give you some professional buying guidance.

What Is 1U Rack Mount Fiber Enclosure?

The rack mount fiber enclosure is generally made for 19 inch rack mounting and comes in rack units of 1U, 2U, 3U, 4U, or more rack units depending on the number of required connections. It offers full front and rear access with a drawer that slides forward and backward. FS 1U 19 inch rack mount fiber enclosure is generally loaded with four fiber optic patch panel, cassettes or modules. There are also two ways of pulling out the tray, cover removable type and slide-out type. The slide-out type is more expensive but is more convenient for high-density cabling deployment. The slide-out rack mount fiber enclosure features the pull-out sliding trays, so there is no need to remove the whole fiber enclosure from the rack to gain internal access.

Types of FS 1U Rack Mount Fiber Enclosure

There are two types of FS 1U rack mount fiber enclosures, FHZ premium fiber enclosure and FHD series fiber enclosure.

FHZ Series Fiber Enclosure

FS FHZ premium fiber enclosure provides solid fiber-optic-link protection and space-saving cable management. The highest fiber densities and port counts contribute to maximizing rack space utilization. FS FHZ series 1U rack mount premium ultra HD fiber enclosure use the FHZ cassette platform to provide a premium ultra high density solution for inter-connects or cross-connects between backbone horizontal cable and active equipment. It’s ideal for ultra high density fiber applications in data centers, equipment rooms, and central offices.

altComparison of FS 1U Rack Mount Fiber Enclosure FHZ Series Fiber Enclosure

FHD Series Fiber Enclosure

There are two different types of FS FHD fiber enclosures: FHD-1UFMT-N and FHD-1UFCE.

FHD-1UFMT-N

FHD-1UFMT-N can house 4 pcs FHD series MTP modular cassettes or fiber adapter panels. Equipped with a cover removable drawer, it provides a high-density flexible system for managing fiber terminations, connections, and patching in data center application to maximizing rack space utilization and minimizing floor space.

altComparison of FS 1U Rack Mount Fiber Enclosures FHZ Series Fiber Enclosure
FHD-1UFCE

FHD-1UFCE is designed to accept up to 4 series MTP modular cassettes or fiber adapter panels within a 1U space. It provides a modular system for managing fiber connections and offers best-in-class cable management for every installation. Equipped with a new-design parallel sliding drawer, FHD-1UFCE can be pushed or pulled more stably as well as faster. It also serves as a transition from backbone cabling to distribution switching, an interconnect to active equipment, or as a cross-connect or interconnect in a main or horizontal distribution area.

altComparison of FS 1U Rack Mount Fiber Enclosures FHZ Series Fiber Enclosure

Buyer’s Guide

Here we list three main factors for your consideration when purchasing a 1U rack mount fiber enclosure.

Scale Requirement

Firstly you should know the external specification you need, such as height, width, numbers of ports. Rack mount fiber enclosure usually comes in 48/96/144 ports. The more ports, the more expensive the enclosure will be. We suggest that you choose a bigger one for your existing requirements considering the near-future growth.

Accessibility Requirement

Secondly you should think about cover removable type or slide-out type enclosure to better suit your situation. Cover removable type enclosure can fit your current situation, but takes more energy and time to add, move or change cables without moving or disturbing active fibre cables in the future. While slide-out type provides larger adjustment space.

Budget

Most importantly, whether to choose a cost-effective one for current situation or a expensive one with high-quality for future. You should balance factors that matters to you and make the final decision.

Conclusion

Now that you have a comprehensive understanding of four different FS 1U rack mount fiber enclosures. I believe that you are able to choose the most suitable enclosure for yourself. If you have made the decision, you can visit FS.COM and bring your favourite enclosure home.

Related Articles:
Rack Enclosure Basics and Buying Guide
Which Type of Rack Mount Fiber Enclosures Should You Choose?
FS 1U Rack Enclosure Types and Selection Guide

Managed Gigabit Switch Buying Guide

Nowadays, the managed Gigabit switch has been a hot cake in small and medium enterprise networks. In the context of that, it’s necessary for us to catch the trend and learn something about the managed Gigabit switch so that you can buy it more wisely.

What Is Managed Gigabit Switch?

Before we introduce the managed gigabit Ethernet switch, let’s overview the background information of it firstly. Gigabit Ethernet switch, also called network switch, refers to a box-like device connecting together a number of other devices, such as computers, printers, and servers on a Local Area Network (LAN) and utilize the packet switching to forward data to and from those connections.

While a managed switch is a kind of fiber switch offering a more tailored experience to users. It not only offers tools and the means to monitor the network, but also control over LAN traffic. Managed switches are very much like Virtual Private Servers where you’ll be in charge of setting everything up, managing the device and take responsibility for any configurations that cause downtime.

1GE PoE+ Series Managed Switches

Figure 1: 1GE PoE+ Series Managed Switches

How to Choose a Managed Gigabit Switch as Required?

According to different features and standards, such as the managed level and the number of ports, the managed Gigabit switch can be grouped into different types. And users can select the required managed switches based on these features.

Managed Level

Based on different managed levels, the managed Gigabit switch can be grouped into the partially managed (smart) switch and fully managed (enterprise) switch. Smart switches have a limited number of options for configuration. However, comparing with the fully managed switch, it can be a cheap managed gigabit switch for home and office use. While fully managed switches are targeted at servers and enterprises, offering a wide array of tools and features to manage the complicated network better.

Number of Ports

Classified by the number of ports, the managed Gigabit switch has been known in a different way. Typically, there are four types are commonly found in the market: 8-port managed gigabit switch, 16-port managed gigabit switch, 24-port managed gigabit switch, and 48-port managed gigabit switch. These ports may be a combination of SFP or SFP+ slots for fiber connectivity, but more commonly they are copper ports with RJ-45 connectors on the front, allowing for transmission distances up to 100 meters. With fiber SFP modules, the distances can be supported up to 40 kilometers.

8-Port Gigabit PoE+ Managed Switch with 2 SFP

Figure 2: 8-Port Gigabit PoE+ Managed Switch with 2 SFP

Buyers Guide

After we have a basic idea of types of managed Gigabit switches. it’s time to remind you some factors should be taken into consideration when you buy a managed Gigabit switch. Firstly, you should clear about the location you want to install whether just for home, office or enterprise. It decides that whether you need to buy a partially managed switch or a fully managed switch.

Then you should review your network environment and think about the number of users your network supports. In a short, the larger your organization is, the more ports you’ll need. For example, if you are a home user, an 8 or 24 port switch is enough, but a 48 port switch, designed for medium or larger network environment, will be a waste of resource.

24-Port Gigabit PoE+ Managed Switch with 4 SFP

Figure 3: 24-Port Gigabit PoE+ Managed Switch with 4 SFP

Conclusion

Through this idea, we can have a basic mind about the background information of the managed Gigabit switch, such as meaning and types. Moreover, we also offer some tips for people who want to buy it. Hope this article can help you choose a right managed Gigabit switch.

All You Need Is 1U Cable Manager

Have you been fed up with a frequently messy network, performance issues, and data transmission errors? 1U cable manager comes in, all your problems out. As its name shows, the 1U cable manager is a device placed in front of a cabinet or rack and manage all sorts of cables, like fiber, coax, patch cables, etc. In that way, cables can be well-organized and protected. Here, “1U” refers to the height of racks or cabinets of a standard unit, usually 1.75 inches height. Therefore, 1U cable management also refers to the horizontal cable management.

Types of the 1U Cable Manager

Altogether, there are four common types of 1U horizontal cable manager in the market: horizontal cable managers with finger duct, D-ring, brush strip, and the L-shaped horizontal cable manager. Each type has its own traits and applications.

1U Horizontal Cable Manager with Finger Duct

The horizontal cable management device of this type is one of the most popular solutions to organize cables in the market. This 1U cable manager consists of three parts: 1U cable management panel with pass-through holes, finger ducts, and a removable top cover. The finger ducts and the pass-through holes are designed to route cables and reduce the cable strain. As for the removable cover, it makes bundled cables to be easily added or removed; besides, it protects cables from damage or dust. In most cases, this cable manager is made of plastic and is available in single-sided or dual-sided. The dual-sided horizontal cable organizer can support for front and back cable management in a more flexible way.

figure 1 single-sided and dual-sided 1u cable managers with finger ducts

Figure 1: Single-sided and dual-sided 1U cable managers

1U Horizontal Cable Manager with D-Ring

The horizontal cable manager with D-ring usually consists of the horizontal lacer panel and D-rings, and sometimes D-rings will be set with a 1U patch panel and a lacing bar. In most cases, it is made of steel providing great durability. And the robust ring can route large amounts of cable through it. Cable managers of this type can be used in multi-media applications with all coax, copper, and fiber optic cables. This 1U cable manager provides an open-access management tool with great flexibility. That is to say, following the demand to add or reduce cables, the D-ring can be added or removed as the requirement.

Figure 2: Different horizontal cable managers with D-rings

Figure 2: Different horizontal cable managers with D-rings

1U Cable Manager with Brush Strip

Horizontal cable manager with brush strip is often made of high-quality steel and high-density nylon bristles. This type is designed to increase overall airflow within the cabinet network, helping to prevent equipment from overheating, dust, dirt. This 1U cable manager is the best choice for routing cables from the front of the rack to the rear in a simply organized way.

figure 3 1u cable manager with brush strip

Figure 3: 1U cable manager with brush strip

L-Shaped 1U Horizontal Cable Manager

L-shaped horizontal cable manager or L-shaped horizontal lacing bar is made of high-quality cold-rolled steel plate. It is an efficient tool for rack or enclosure cabling. The manager’s angled “L” shape can ensure a proper cable bend radius so that it can greatly avoid cable strain and prevent damage to ports on your rack-mount equipment.

figure 4 L-shape-lacer-bar

Figure4: L-Shaped Horizontal Cable Lacer Bar with Angled 4” Offset

How to Choose a Cable Manager

There are various types of cable managers. Besides the 1U cable managers introduced as above, the vertical cable manager is also a common type found in the market. As for the vertical cable manager, it also consists of different kinds with different features for different applications. When you want to buy one, it’s easy for you to get lost. There are some tips that may help you with it. At first, you should have a basic idea of your situation of the equipment that the cable manager is going to place. Is the horizontal way or the vertical way more suitable for you? Then you should consider the cable you are going to manage, such as the quantity and the material. Are you going to handle with fiber, coax, or copper cables? Do you need a compact cable manager or a loose one? Would you prefer a single-sided one or a dual-sided one? Next, you still need to think about expecting functions for this manager. Apart from organizing cables, do you want to increase overall airflow, or prevent overheating and dust, etc? Then, you should take into account the size, making you managers’ sizes fitting for your cables and equipment placed with.

Conclusion

With 1U cable manager the messy network will no longer be a problem for us. It makes full use of our space in a scientific way. Making the network environment more organized and neat, and also avoiding some potential threats to out network safety. In addition, the cost for a 1U cable manager is within our reach. With so many strengths, you are never too early to buy one.