Are you doing Data Center Maintenance? Remember these 5 Points!

In this post, we are going to discuss some important factors you should keep in mind while planning and conducting your data center maintenance routine. Please note that the following guidelines are general in nature and relevant for most data centers regardless of the size and the technology being used.

Carrying on with data center maintenance brings plenty of benefits such as:

• Lesser unplanned downtimes
• Better safety
• Extended reliability
• Cut in energy consumption
• Extended equipment life
• Training opportunities (etc.)
• data center maintenance

1. Consult Equipment Manuals

Networking equipment used in data centers comes with vendor documents such as operation and maintenance manuals. These manuals contain all the relevant information about recommended maintenance timelines and practices. As someone in charge of a data center you have to ensure complete adherence to what is mentioned vendor documents. A proper preventive maintenance plan does guarantees not only system performance but also provides validation of your warranty.

2. Maintain Flawless & Up-to-date Documentation

You can enjoy a faster and easier to manage maintenance plan by writing down the procedures you are following, their frequency and the issues being faced. Documenting these procedures and their preservation on paper eliminates questions about what, where, why and when a maintenance activity took place. Thus, the onboarding process will be a lot smoother for new workers. Technicians will know what to do, by which procedure and how often.

Well-Kept documentation can assist you spot equipment or reliability related issues early resulting in the minimization of unnecessary downtimes. Last but not least, its documentation can save the day if a system breakdown does occur. Were there symptoms present before the failure? Was a skipped routine maintenance procedure part of the problem?

3. Test & Inspect

This is a great time to test and check UPS systems, power generators, batteries, routers, and switches ensure that they are working as expected. In this way, you will be able to minimize downtime by addressing the uncovered issues.

Here it is important to mention that a visual examination of connections and cabling should be a part of this process. Are cables labeled accurately and adequately? Does everything look neat and tidy? Is there a cable being twisted or bent? Is there a cable stack that requires to be taken care of?

4. Don’t Forget to Clean

Data center maintenance does not involve inspections and tests only — it calls for seemingly simple cleaning tasks also. Dust, for example, can turn into a bigger problem by blocking airflow and creating overheating issues. Regular removal of dirt can make equipment perform better and last longer. So, keep this point in mind during the planning phase and ensure that you have the right inventory of tools such as vacuum cleaners and brushes available.

5. Perform Safety Checks

Safety and security systems are not related to data center performance directly. However, data center maintenance offers you an excellent opportunity to check certain security features. Ensure that the entry and exit doors of the data center close and lock correctly. Are the surveillance and access control systems operating normally and capturing the information you expect and need? Are the emergency exit signs working as expected? Moreover, you should also ensure the health of firefighting equipment also. Most data center operators get their firefighting cylinders refilled during turnarounds.

Conclusion

Data center maintenance offers excellent opportunities for the operations and maintenance team. However, you should go with a comprehensive plan and well-fabricated schedule. By involving your team and following the guidelines as mentioned in the vendor’s documents, you will be able to end up with a replenished data center at your service.

HTFuture aim to be your Reliable Partner for different kinds of Compatible transceiver (QSFP28 for data center, QSFP+, SFP, XFP, SFP+, PON, Tunable, Copper, BIDI etc) DAC, AOC | OTN optical transmission system|DWDM Mux Demux|OADM | OTU | EDFA | NMS | DCM | OLP | OBP etc| 

More information, welcome to contact Ivy, contact Ivy. Email: sales6@htfuture.com Skype: live:sales6_1683

HTFuture team are ready and happy to assist you.

WDM-PON Network: An Efficient Solution for 5G Deployment

Driven by the rapid development of mobile communication industry, 5G network has boomed. However, 5G also faces some challenges such as the higher transmission bandwidth requirement. How to solve these problems? The WDM-PON network may be a better solution. This post will explain the advantages of WDM-PON technology and how it helps the 5G deployment.

Overview of WDM-PON Network & 5G

As it’s known to all, WDM-PON (Wavelength Division Multiplexing-Passive Optical Network) combines WDM technology with PON topology structure that allows operators to deliver high bandwidth to multiple endpoints over long distances. It includes some technologies, including colorless ONU technology, Auxiliary Management and Control Channel (AMCC), optical modules, OAM, and protection switching. With these key technologies, WDM-PON is regarded as an ideal solution which can meet the 5G requirements and has attracted great attention nowadays.

5G stands for the fifth generation of the wireless mobile network. It will be built on the foundation created by 4G LTE to allow people to send texts, make calls, and browse the web, etc. These upgraded 5G performance targets contain higher data rate, energy saving, higher-quality and massive device connectivity.

5G network

Why Choose WDM-PON for 5G Deployment?

As mentioned above, WDM-PON owns some useful technologies, which have unique advantages in 5G applications, including high bandwidth, low latency, low costs, fiber savings, easy maintenance, etc. The following will focus on introducing some of its merits.

High Bandwidth

The WDM-PON technology allows for traffic separation within the same physical fiber by different wavelengths. This results in a network that provides logical point-to-point connections over physical point-to-multipoint network topology. Moreover, AMCC signal modulation helps stack a management channel onto each wavelength. Therefore, the solution for carrying 5G front-haul over WDM-PON can offer a dedicated wavelength and extensive bandwidth resources to each user, saves time and increases transmission efficiency.

Low Latency

Having AMCC technology to deploy 5G, there is no need to use frame processing or dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA) scheduling. This architecture provides low latency, low-frequency jitter, and flexible configuration of different front-haul interfaces.

Low Costs

With PON topology, it reduces the number of fiber needed by 5G front-haul networks with high site densities. The existing fiber infrastructure and equipment room are utilized, which saves the deployment and maintenance costs. What’s more, WDM-PON carries out an integrated front-haul/middle-haul (XHaul) transport network with the OLT. This OLT platform and the DU pool can be deployed in the same equipment room, which reduces the equipment construction costs. In addition, using the colorless technology of ONU in WDM-PON system results in low costs.

WDM-PON Network for 5G Deployment

Unlike the 4G which has the BBU and RRU two-level architectures, the 5G is constructed as three entities: CU (Centralized Unit), DU (Distribute Unit) and AAU (Active Antenna Unit). And 5G has three application scenario, including front-haul, middle-haul, and back-haul transmission. In the 5G Front-haul network, WDM-PON can be an efficient solution.

The following figure 1 shows the architecture of WDM-PON 5G front-haul network. Several RRUs and a DU are connected through a WDM-PON point-to-multipoint topology. The WDM-PON OLT is connected to the DU, CU, and ONU. ONU is also connected to RRUs. This OLT platform carries the front-haul traffic between the DU and RRUs as well as the middle-haul traffic between the DU and CU. In terms of the front-haul transmission or the connection between RRUs and DU, WDM-PON transmission interfaces play a significant role that enables the transparent user data transmission between them. In addition, the solution of applying WDM-PON to carry 5G is especially suitable for those operators who have to provide both wireless and wireline services in a greenfield scenario.

WDM-PON network

Summary

As boasting these advantages such as high capacity, low latency, cost-saving, etc., WDM-PON network is considered as an important solution for 5G. And the use of WDM-PON technology would become very common. To pave the way for the upcoming 5G network, HTFuture is striving to be the innovator in 5G communication. In fact, HTFuture has developed optical transceiver modules for WDM-PON network such as DWDM SFP+. If you have any needs, welcome to visit www.htfuture.com

HTFuture aim to be your Reliable Partner for different kinds of Compatible transceiver (QSFP28, QSFP+, SFP, XFP, SFP+, PON, Tunable, Copper, BIDI etc) | OTN optical transmission system|DWDM Mux Demux|OADM | OTU | EDFA | NMS | DCM | OLP | OBP etc| More information, welcome to contact Ivy, contact Ivy. Email: sales6@htfuture.com Skype: live:sales6_1683

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What are the differences between GPON, XG-PON and XGS-PON?

Specification Differences Between 10G GPON and GPON

XG-PON, 10-Gigabit-capable passive optical network, provides asymmetric 10G transmission (Maximum downstream line rate: 9.953 Gbit/s, Maximum upstream line rate: 2.488 Gbit/s ).

XGS-PON, 10-Gigabit-capable symmetric passive optical network, provides symmetric 10G transmission (Maximum downstream line rate: 9.953 Gbit/s, Maximum upstream line rate: 9.953 Gbit/s ).

The following table lists specification differences between the two technologies.

HTFuture aim to be your Reliable Partner for different kinds of Compatible transceiver (QSFP28, QSFP+, SFP, XFP, SFP+, PON, Tunable, Copper, BIDI etc) | OTN optical transmission system|DWDM Mux Demux|OADM | OTU | EDFA | NMS | DCM | OLP | OBP etc| 

More information, welcome to contact Ivy, contact Ivy. Email: sales6@htfuture.com Skype: live:sales6_1683

HTFuture team are ready and happy to assist you.

Overview of PON Network

PON has now became a popular network technology all over the globe. It first came in to being in 1995. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standardized two initial generations of PON — APON and BPON. And the advancement of PON network has never stopped. Until now, the recent PON standard of NG-PON2 has been put forward in 2015. With the maturity of PON, people are more easily accessible to networks today. But what does PON exactly mean?

 What’s the composition of PON network? The following part will give you the answer.

PON, also known as passive optical network, is a technology in telecommunication that implements a point-to-multipoint (P2MP) architecture. Unpowered fiber optic splitters are used to enable a single optical fiber to serve multiple end-points such as customers instead of providing individual fibers between the central office (hub) and customer. According to different terminations of PON, the network system can be divided into fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC), fiber-to-the-curb (FTTB), etc. To be specific, a PON is made up of an optical line terminal (OLT) at the service provider’s hub and a number of optical network units (ONUs) or optical network terminals (ONTs) near end users. And “passive” is just used to describe that no power requirement or active electronic component is included for transmitting signals in the system.

Types of PON Network

Here are some types of PON that have been used throughout the years:

1) APON

Its full name is asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) passive optical network. As the original PON system, APON uses ATM technology to transfer data in packets or cells of a fixed size. In APON, downstream transmission is a continuous ATM stream at a bit rate of 155 Mbps or 622 Mbps. Upstream transmission is in the form of bursts of ATM cells at 155 Mbps.

2) BPON

BPON, also known as broadband PON, is the improved version of APON. It adopts wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) for downstream transmission with the transmission rate up to 622 Mbps. It also provides multiple broadband services such as ATM, Ethernet access and video distribution. Today, BPON is more popular than APON.

3) EPON

EPON or Ethernet PON uses the Ethernet packets instead of ATM cells. Upstream and downstream rates of EPON are able to achieve up to 10 Gbps. It is now widely applied to FTTP or FTTH architecture to serve multiple users. With the advantages of scalability, simplicity, multicast convenience and capability of providing full service access, many Asian areas adopt EPON for their networks.

4) GPON

Gigabit PON is the development of BPON. It supports various transmission rates with the same protocol. The maximum data rate of downstream is 2.5 Gbps and upstream is 1.25 Gbps. It is also widely used for FTTH networks. But compared with EPON, its burst sizes and physical layer overhead are smaller.

Advantages of PON

• Low cost, simple maintenance, flexible extensibility and easy to upgrade. And no need for power during transmission saves a lot for long-term management.
• Using pure media network avoids the interference of lightning and electromagnetism. Thus PON network is suitable for areas under harsh conditions.
• Low occupancy of central office resources, low initial investment and high rate of return.
• As the P2MP network, PON is able to provide a large range of service to plenty of users.

Conclusion

PON network is for sure an effective solution for multiple network users. EPON and GPON are the most commonly deployed PON systems at present. Since people have been seeking for higher bandwidth provisioning, the capability of transmission will be greatly improved in the near future.

HTFuture aim to be your Reliable Partner for different kinds of Compatible transceiver (QSFP28, QSFP+, SFP, XFP, SFP+ etc) | OTN optical transmission system|DWDM Mux Demux|OADM | OTU | EDFA | NMS | DCM | OLP | OBP etc| More information, welcome to contact Ivy, contact Ivy. Email: sales6@htfuture.com Skype: live:sales6_1683

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How Much Do You Know About OADM

The OADM, or optical add drop multiplexer, is a gateway into and out of a single mode fiber. In practice, most signals pass through the device, but some would be “dropped” by splitting them from the line. Signals originating at that point can be “added” into the line and directed to another destination. An OADM may be considered to be a specific type of optical cross-connect, widely used in wavelength division multiplexing systems for multiplexing and routing fiber optic signals. They selectively add and drop individual or sets of wavelength channels from a dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) multi-channel stream. OADMs are used to cost effectively access part of the bandwidth in the optical domain being passed through the in-line amplifiers with the minimum amount of electronics.

OADMs have passive and active modes depending on the wavelength. In passive OADM, the add and drop wavelengths are fixed beforehand while in dynamic mode, OADM can be set to any wavelength after installation. Passive OADM uses WDM filter, fiber gratings, and planar waveguides in networks with WDM systems. Dynamic OADM can select any wavelength by provisioning on demand without changing its physical configuration. It is also less expensive and more flexible than passive OADM. Dynamic OADM is separated into two generations.

A typical OADM consists of three stages: an optical demultiplexer, an optical multiplexer, and between them a method of reconfiguring the paths between the optical demultiplexer, the optical multiplexer and a set of ports for adding and dropping signals. The optical demultiplexer separates wavelengths in an input fiber onto ports. The reconfiguration can be achieved by a cross connection panel or by optical switches which direct the wavelengths to the optical multiplexer or to drop ports. The optical multiplexer multiplexes the wavelength channels that are to continue on from demultipexer ports with those from the add ports, onto a single output fiber.

Physically, there are several ways to realize an OADM. There are a variety of demultiplexer and multiplexer technologies including thin film filters, fiber Bragg gratings with optical circulators, free space grating devices and integrated planar arrayed waveguide gratings. The switching or reconfiguration functions range from the manual fiber patch panel to a variety of switching technologies including microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), liquid crystal and thermo-optic switches in planar waveguide circuits.

CWDM and DWDM OADM provide data access for intermediate network devices along a shared optical media network path. Regardless of the network topology, OADM access points allow design flexibility to communicate to locations along the fiber path. CWDM OADM provides the ability to add or drop a single wavelength or multi-wavelengths from a fully multiplexed optical signal. This permits intermediate locations between remote sites to access the common, point-to-point fiber message linking them. Wavelengths not dropped, pass-through the OADM and keep on in the direction of the remote site. Additional selected wavelengths can be added or dropped by successive OADMS as needed.

HTFuture provides a wide selection of specialized OADMs for WDM system. Custom WDM solutions are also available for applications beyond the current product designs including mixed combinations of CWDM and DWDM.

HTFuture aim to be your Reliable Partner for different kinds of Compatible transceiver (QSFP28, QSFP+, SFP, XFP, SFP+ etc) | OTN optical transmission system|DWDM Mux Demux|OADM | OTU | EDFA | NMS | DCM | OLP | OBP etc| More information, welcome to contact Ivy, contact Ivy. Email: sales6@htfuture.com Skype: live:sales6_1683

HTFuture team are ready and happy to assist you.