There is no doubt that singlemode fiber systems can achieve great distances, but when it comes to the data center, deploying a singlemode solution designed to reach 10,000 meters is vast overkill in both capability and cost. In the data center, multimode solutions are the perfect fit. With speeds in the data center now increasing from 10 Gbps to 40 Gbps and eventually to 100 Gbps, different optical technologies and cabling infrastructure are required. OM4 has already been a preferable cabling choice. This article will mainly talk about OM4 optical fiber cabling.

OM4 is a laser-optimized, high bandwidth 50µm multimode fiber. It is optimized for the 850nm transmission of vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL)-based transceivers. The TIA-492AAAD OM4 detailed fiber standard was released in August 2009. Laser optimized multimode fiber allow designs of laser transmission systems utilizing multimode optical fiber without the use of mode conditioning cables. When paired with new low cost VCSEL technology, they are allowed for 10G transmission. A picture of OM4 cable is shown below.

OM4 provides an opportunity to future-proof cabling infrastructure. OM4 is completely backwards-compatible with existing OM3 systems. As a result, these two grades of glass are interchangeable within the transmission distance limitations outlined above. The additional bandwidth and lower attenuation of OM4 provide additional insertion loss margin. As a result, users of OM4 gain additional safety margin to help compensate for less-than-ideal cabling installations as well as provide margin for degradation due to moves, adds, and changes over the life of the installation.

OM4 fiber has been on the market since 2005. The OM4 designation standardizes the nomenclature across all manufacturers so that the customer has a clearer idea of the product that they are buying. OM4 is completely backwards compatible with OM3 fiber and shares the same distinctive aqua jacket. OM4 was developed specifically for VSCEL laser transmission and allows 10Gb/s link distances of up to 550m (compared to 300m with OM3). The effective modal bandwidth for OM4 is more than double that of OM3. While OM3 fiber will still be future proof in most applications, allowing speeds of 10Gb/s up to 100Gb/s, OM4 fiber offers users longer length distances and more wiggle room in optical budgets.

It is important to note that OM4 glass is not necessarily designed to be a replacement for OM3. Despite the relatively long-standing availability of OM4, there are no plans to obsolete OM3 fiber optic cabling. For most systems, OM3 glass is sufficient to cover the bandwidth needs at the distances of the current installation base. Most system requirements can still be reliably and cost effectively achieved with OM3.

As increased bandwidth requirements are called out in new installations, particularly 40Gb/s and 100Gb/s standards, transmission distances over fiber optic cables contained in existing infrastructure may become increasingly limited. OM4 effectively provides an additional layer of performance that supports these applications at longer distances, thereby limiting the number of installations that truly require OS2 singlemode fiber. OM4 can provide a minimum reach of 125m over multimode fiber within the 40 and 100 GbE standards. OM4 is a "universal medium" and supports all existing multimode applications.

Choosing the right fiber for your network application is a critical decision. The throughput and reliability of a 40/100 Gigabit Ethernet installation is directly related to the cabling, the choice of connectivity, and proper installation. Fiberstore's superior cable and connectivity designs provides you with superior levels of performance and operation. Other than OM4, we also offer other kinds of cables and transceiver modules for your applications, such as 40G QSFP, 100G CFP, or QSFP+ cable. You can buy from us with confidence.

Posted by: jowang at 09:30 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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