R&M recently introduced Anaconda, a high-capacity fiber distribution system that the company designed to meet the demands of modern data centers. “The system offers unparalleled flexibility to accommodate today’s major termination techniques and high-fiber-count cables,” R&M said. Components of the fiber distribution system are preassembled, dressed and labeled for quick deployment, and available in 19- and 23-inch rack-mountable versions. The system has 2.5-inch (63-mm) cable entry and routing ports. “Solutions are factory-scalable to over 3,456 ports in 288-port, 3RU increments,” the company added. “The heavy-duty chassis construction is forged from 0.90-inch aluminum or cold rolled steel, with a powder coat that offers maximum protection indoors and outdoors. The rack module offers internal slack storage for incoming cable and trunks.”
R&M noted that rapid growth in the volume of data being stored and managed in data centers in recent years has led to a need to realize maximum port density in the smallest available space. But increasing density often results in unmanageable cabling, the company said. This scenario of unmanaged cabling “makes moves, adds and changes, cable tracking, and fault-finding impossible,” it added. “Anaconda has been designed with the challenges of managing a futureproof data center in mind, targeting ease-of-use and flexibility in an increasingly high-density, complicated network environment.”
Anaconda’s universal cassette can be removed while the panel is deployed. An external steel breakout box and cable clamp assist and protect cable entry into the panel. “This is especially important when incoming cables have a large diameter and high fiber count,” the company said. “It allows the user to break out the cable outside the panel rather than inside. Taking advantage of this unique feature, the user can work with much smaller cable diameters inside the panel. Loading is assisted by a unique removable cassette-handling cradle. Medium-density 3RU, 288-fiber designs allow for the use of standard LC duplex patch cables. Termination options include MTP cassettes, direct termination of field-installable connectors, fusion splicing in a 0-RU splice shelf in the rear of the cabinet, and splicing inside of the splice cassette.”
Furthermore, R&M said, Anaconda’s modularity makes it possible to rapidly create assemblies for any type of configuration requirement. In most cases, the termination cassette is configured as a pigtail and routed to the splice tray shelf in the rear of the panel, saving rack space. Having the splice tray shelf in the rear of the panel allows fusion splicing in an 864-fiber shelf to be completed in approximately four hours. Users can define the splice tray’s location—top bottom, or middle—which is particularly practical when 1728 or 3456 fibers must be spliced. Splice-tray shelves can be located close together, which allows easy routing of the incoming cable’s fiber bundles into the shelf stack. The remaining rear shelves of the outer units remain mostly empty, and can house the incoming cable’s slack.
“Anaconda was developed on the basis of close analysis of customer needs in relation to today’s growing fiber counts and flexibility requirements,” said Thomas Wellinger, market manager for data centers at R&M. “By eliminating the time needed to splice at one location, Anaconda can help complete projects rapidly and at a lower total cost.”