Skip to content
AFL Hyperscale
  • Products
    • Fiber
      • Assemblies
        • Multi-Fiber Assemblies
        • MPO Assemblies
        • Cassette Assemblies
        • Patch Cords
        • Pigtails
      • Cable
        • SpiderWeb Ribbon® Cables
        • Inside Plant (ISP)
        • Inside Plant (ISP) / Outside Plant (OSP)
        • Outside Plant (OSP)
        • CPR Cables
      • Adapters and Connectors
        • Adapters
        • Attenuators
        • Connectors
        • Field Installable Connectors
    • Panels, Frames & Enclosures
          • Panels and Housings
            • Housings
            • Cassettes for Housings
            • Housing Accessories
            • Sliding Panels
            • Fixed Panels
            • Pivot Panels
          • Cabinets
          • Frames
          • Optical Distribution Frames (ODF)
          • Outside Enclosures
          • Wall Boxes
    • Cable Management
          • Cable Management Bars
          • Brush Strips
          • Blanks
          • Cable Management Accessories
    • Test and Inspection
    • Accessories and Cleaning
          • Accessories
            • Splice Cassettes
            • Splice Protectors
            • Fiber Management Accessories
            • Hand Tools
          • Cleaning and Consumables
    • Copper
          • Copper Cable
          • Copper Patch Cords
          • Copper Panels
          • Copper Keystone Jacks
          • Copper Accessories
            • Copper Faceplates
            • Copper Hand Tools
          • Sort by category
            • Cat 7A
            • Cat 6A
            • Cat 6
            • Cat 5e
            • Cat 3
  • Solutions
    • Data Center Solutions
          • Hyperscale
            • Hyperscale challenges
            • Our capabilities
            • Hyperscale infrastructure solutions
          • Colocation
            • Colocation challenges
            • Our capabilities
            • Colocation infrastructure solutions
    • Network Solutions
          • Ultra-High Fiber Count
          • Network Speed
            • 400G
            • 40/100G
          • Modular Connectivity
            • U-Series
            • H-Series
            • L-Series
            • ASCEND®
          • White Space
          • SpiderWeb Ribbon®
          • Building Entrance Facility
          • Mass-Fusion Splice
          • Pre-Terminated
          • Network Installation
          • Copper
            • CAT 5e Solutions
            • CAT 6 Solutions
            • CAT 6A Solutions
    • Enterprise
  • Resources
    • Corporate Information
    • Articles
    • Product Resources
      • Flash Cards
      • Platform Overview
      • Ordering Guides
      • Reference Architecture Documents (RAD)
      • Installation Guides
    • White Papers
    • Videos
    • Declaration of Performance
    • Glossary
  • About Us
    • Our Family
    • Our Values
    • News
      • Product News
      • EMEA News
      • Company News
      • Community News
    • Working With Us
    • Careers
      • Life at AFL Hyperscale
      • Our Community
      • Benefits
      • Candidate Resources
      • Opportunities
    • History and Milestones
    • Events
  • Partners
  • Contact
  • Log In
  • Subscribe
AFL Hyperscale
  • Products
    • Fiber
      • Assemblies
        • Multi-Fiber Assemblies
        • MPO Assemblies
        • Cassette Assemblies
        • Patch Cords
        • Pigtails
      • Cable
        • SpiderWeb Ribbon® Cables
        • Inside Plant (ISP)
        • Inside Plant (ISP) / Outside Plant (OSP)
        • Outside Plant (OSP)
        • CPR Cables
      • Adapters and Connectors
        • Adapters
        • Attenuators
        • Connectors
        • Field Installable Connectors
    • Panels, Frames & Enclosures
          • Panels and Housings
            • Housings
            • Cassettes for Housings
            • Housing Accessories
            • Sliding Panels
            • Fixed Panels
            • Pivot Panels
          • Cabinets
          • Frames
          • Optical Distribution Frames (ODF)
          • Outside Enclosures
          • Wall Boxes
    • Cable Management
          • Cable Management Bars
          • Brush Strips
          • Blanks
          • Cable Management Accessories
    • Test and Inspection
    • Accessories and Cleaning
          • Accessories
            • Splice Cassettes
            • Splice Protectors
            • Fiber Management Accessories
            • Hand Tools
          • Cleaning and Consumables
    • Copper
          • Copper Cable
          • Copper Patch Cords
          • Copper Panels
          • Copper Keystone Jacks
          • Copper Accessories
            • Copper Faceplates
            • Copper Hand Tools
          • Sort by category
            • Cat 7A
            • Cat 6A
            • Cat 6
            • Cat 5e
            • Cat 3
  • Solutions
    • Data Center Solutions
          • Hyperscale
            • Hyperscale challenges
            • Our capabilities
            • Hyperscale infrastructure solutions
          • Colocation
            • Colocation challenges
            • Our capabilities
            • Colocation infrastructure solutions
    • Network Solutions
          • Ultra-High Fiber Count
          • Network Speed
            • 400G
            • 40/100G
          • Modular Connectivity
            • U-Series
            • H-Series
            • L-Series
            • ASCEND®
          • White Space
          • SpiderWeb Ribbon®
          • Building Entrance Facility
          • Mass-Fusion Splice
          • Pre-Terminated
          • Network Installation
          • Copper
            • CAT 5e Solutions
            • CAT 6 Solutions
            • CAT 6A Solutions
    • Enterprise
  • Resources
    • Corporate Information
    • Articles
    • Product Resources
      • Flash Cards
      • Platform Overview
      • Ordering Guides
      • Reference Architecture Documents (RAD)
      • Installation Guides
    • White Papers
    • Videos
    • Declaration of Performance
    • Glossary
  • About Us
    • Our Family
    • Our Values
    • News
      • Product News
      • EMEA News
      • Company News
      • Community News
    • Working With Us
    • Careers
      • Life at AFL Hyperscale
      • Our Community
      • Benefits
      • Candidate Resources
      • Opportunities
    • History and Milestones
    • Events
  • Partners
  • Contact
  • Log In
  • Subscribe
  • Products
    • Fiber
      • Assemblies
        • Multi-Fiber Assemblies
        • MPO Assemblies
        • Cassette Assemblies
        • Patch Cords
        • Pigtails
      • Cable
        • SpiderWeb Ribbon® Cables
        • Inside Plant (ISP)
        • Inside Plant (ISP) / Outside Plant (OSP)
        • Outside Plant (OSP)
        • CPR Cables
      • Adapters and Connectors
        • Adapters
        • Attenuators
        • Connectors
        • Field Installable Connectors
    • Panels, Frames & Enclosures
          • Panels and Housings
            • Housings
            • Cassettes for Housings
            • Housing Accessories
            • Sliding Panels
            • Fixed Panels
            • Pivot Panels
          • Cabinets
          • Frames
          • Optical Distribution Frames (ODF)
          • Outside Enclosures
          • Wall Boxes
    • Cable Management
          • Cable Management Bars
          • Brush Strips
          • Blanks
          • Cable Management Accessories
    • Test and Inspection
    • Accessories and Cleaning
          • Accessories
            • Splice Cassettes
            • Splice Protectors
            • Fiber Management Accessories
            • Hand Tools
          • Cleaning and Consumables
    • Copper
          • Copper Cable
          • Copper Patch Cords
          • Copper Panels
          • Copper Keystone Jacks
          • Copper Accessories
            • Copper Faceplates
            • Copper Hand Tools
          • Sort by category
            • Cat 7A
            • Cat 6A
            • Cat 6
            • Cat 5e
            • Cat 3
  • Solutions
    • Data Center Solutions
          • Hyperscale
            • Hyperscale challenges
            • Our capabilities
            • Hyperscale infrastructure solutions
          • Colocation
            • Colocation challenges
            • Our capabilities
            • Colocation infrastructure solutions
    • Network Solutions
          • Ultra-High Fiber Count
          • Network Speed
            • 400G
            • 40/100G
          • Modular Connectivity
            • U-Series
            • H-Series
            • L-Series
            • ASCEND®
          • White Space
          • SpiderWeb Ribbon®
          • Building Entrance Facility
          • Mass-Fusion Splice
          • Pre-Terminated
          • Network Installation
          • Copper
            • CAT 5e Solutions
            • CAT 6 Solutions
            • CAT 6A Solutions
    • Enterprise
  • Resources
    • Corporate Information
    • Articles
    • Product Resources
      • Flash Cards
      • Platform Overview
      • Ordering Guides
      • Reference Architecture Documents (RAD)
      • Installation Guides
    • White Papers
    • Videos
    • Declaration of Performance
    • Glossary
  • About Us
    • Our Family
    • Our Values
    • News
      • Product News
      • EMEA News
      • Company News
      • Community News
    • Working With Us
    • Careers
      • Life at AFL Hyperscale
      • Our Community
      • Benefits
      • Candidate Resources
      • Opportunities
    • History and Milestones
    • Events
  • Partners
  • Contact
  • Log In
  • Subscribe

Home » Articles » Techsplainers » The Rise of Poor Cable Management and How You Can Make It Stop

  • Techsplainers
  • May 11, 2020

The Rise of Poor Cable Management and How You Can Make It Stop

When designing your network and physical data center infrastructure, basic concepts such as port densities, fiber volume, over vs under routing paths, and internal cabling specifications need to be carefully considered. 

The trend over the past few years is for higher density with a smaller footprint. This combination has become a challenge and a key driver for adequate fiber management.

Solution architects must ensure that fiber cables and other passive equipment have adequate access and provide improved serviceability over the lifetime of the installation. 

Adequate fiber management is often subjective, however, most prefer a high degree of accessibility at every point. This will eliminate the risk of bend loss due to poor installation practice. 

Whether it be underfloor or overhead, the containment setup must be based on the maximum volume of fiber cables with respect to the fiber count within these cables. 

Care must be taken to consider Crush Resistance and other factors that will result in potential attenuation, or loss of signal strength.

With overhead containment, there is a mix of cable types, fiber counts, and diameters often including traditional patchcords. 

As time goes by and the containment begins to fill, the top layers of cabling begin to crush the bottom layers. 

Along with potential attenuation, accessing the damaged cable becomes a challenge. Since it is already at the bottom of the cable pile, and may run over a long distance, through fire breaks, etc., it is practically unusable.

There are a many containment options available on the market, each of which have their own advantages. 

Whichever you choose to install, a key decision should be the volume of fiber needed to be contained, plus some additional capacity for growth. 

Cables are not liquid, they will not lay perfectly and fill the space. Standards define the fill ratio of containment as 60% full. With a given cable type and fiber count, the correct volume can easily be calculated.

Another important factor includes the routes in and out of the containment. When routing the containment, Bend Radius and Crush Resistance must be carefully considered. 

The allowable Bend Radius (BR) is defined by various international standards as a minimal dimension (millimeters), over a number of coils (typically 100) that the fiber can be wound. 

Exceeding this point will cause attenuation and loss within the fiber. If not sufficiently supported, the cables at the bottom of the containment will be damaged.

This cabling practice provides a defined route, and will also limit the risk of damaging the fiber beyond its BR. The Bend Radius of fiber ranges from 30mm down to 7.5mm. 

Fiber cable, on the other hand, has a BR specified as a multiple of the cable diameter, normally 20x during installation and 10x once installed.

The best practice for cable management is open to discussion. However, one thing is clear: care must be taken to consider port accessibility, moves, or modifications throughout the life cycle of the data center. 

Crush Resistance, containment setup, and Bend Radius are all basic factors that must be taken into account to ensure performance and relative ease of accessibility over the lifetime of the installation. 

AFL Hyperscale – The World. Connected.

Share Page

Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
XING
Email
Reddit
WhatsApp

Products

Fiber

Panels, Frames & Enclosures

Cable Management

Test and Inspection

Accessories and Cleaning

Copper

Solutions

Data Center Solutions

Network Solutions

Resources

Corporate Information

Articles

Product Resources

White Papers

Videos

Declaration of Performance

Glossary

About Us

Our Values

News

Events

Working With Us

Careers

History and Milestones

Our Family

Partners

Feedback

Your comments help us improve our website

Leave Feedback
Contact Us
Linkedin Facebook-f Instagram Twitter Youtube
Linkedin Facebook-f Instagram Twitter Youtube
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Slavery Statement
  • Cookie Policy
  • Company Registration Number: 02734823
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Slavery Statement
  • Cookie Policy
  • Company Registration Number: 02734823
Copyright © 2023 AFL Hyperscale. All rights reserved.

Get the latest
AFL Hyperscale news

AFL Hyperscale is launching a new bi-monthly newsletter filled with the latest company news, fiber optic and connectivity product highlights, industry updates, and installation tips.

By registering to receive our newsletter you agree to our Privacy Policy.

Get the latest
AFL Hyperscale news

AFL Hyperscale is launching a new bi-monthly newsletter filled with the latest company news, fiber optic and connectivity product highlights, industry updates, and installation tips.

By registering to receive our newsletter you agree to our Privacy Policy.