The Light Connection and Data Centers



In 1999 The Light Connection was formed with the goal to produce the finest fiber optic cable and tubing in the industry. 20 years and 10 manufacturing lines later, TLC has become a leader in the market … producing the highest quality furcation tubing as well as fiber optic cable from 1 to 144 fibers.

The core principles of TLC:

  • Uncompromising quality
  • Competitive prices
  • Unsurpassed customer service
  • Irreproachable integrity

The core business practices of TLC:

  • Low minimum order quantities
  • Custom capabilities
  • Unbeatable stock positions
  • The best customer service in the industry
  • Shortest industry lead times

TLC’s forte lies in the manufacture of inside plant (ISP) and indoor/outdoor Fiber Optic Cable and Furcation Tubing. Included in this market and a big focus of TLC is Data Centers and the fiber optic cable products used for those applications. Based on extensive analysis and extensive customer feedback, TLC quickly designed products to support any/all Data Canter applications. Packaging, reliability and ease of termination of fiber optic cable and furcation tubing are what set TLC apart from the competition and are what have helped TLC become the gold standard in the industry.

Let’s take a closer look into Data Centers and the products/equipment required.

What are Data Centers, what are they used for, and how can The Light Connection help?

Data Centers are facilities that centralize information technology operations and equipment as well as store, manage and process data. The facilities are responsible for holding a system’s information that is vital to the day to day, month to month, and year to year operations. They can consist of smaller systems inside of existing businesses or be extremely large campus facilities requiring multiple buildings and many acres of land.

2 common categories of Data Centers are as follows:

Interfacing – This type of data center usually support very few applications, is browser based, and has many users.

Enterprise (or internal) – These generally have fewer users but support several, varying types of applications.

Regardless of the type or category, most if not all Data Centers require the following in order to be fully operational:

Usable Space (building(s)) – This is needed for all the Information Technology equipment which would include Fiber Optic Cable and Furcation Tubing, rack systems, electronics and switches. There is a high degree of importance placed on the design of each Data Canter as the efficient use of space is paramount in getting the most “bang for the buck”.

Power - Because data center can, and usually are, providing round-the-clock information, they are generally responsible to the most power consumption of any business. With this said, it is extremely important to have a dependable power source, a high degree of environmental control (heating / cooling) and a physical security system …all of which need to be uninterruptable.

Information Technology (IT) Equipment – This equipment includes extremely dependable servers, storage systems, Fiber Optic Cables and Furcation tubing, rack systems as well as varying security systems (firewalls).

Highly Trained Staff – Data Center staff is responsible for the monitoring of operations and maintain the IT equipment 24 hours as day / 7 days a week. It is paramount that the data system functionality is maintained at an acceptable level as it could mean millions of dollars in expenses/lost revenue should a malfunction occur. Data Center Personnel must have an expert knowledge of products and equipment needed for any/all types Data Centers. This knowledge would include the correct types fiber and fiber counts of the Fiber Optic Cable and the Furcation Tubing used in the termination of said Cables.

Data Centers have grown and evolved in recent years. As information requirements continue to grow in general and cloud based storage systems become more common, Data Centers, with the help of Fiber Optic Cable and Furcation Tubing, will continue to be in the forefront of technology and innovation for many years to come.

TLC Products for Data Centers

High Density Micro-Distribution Cable

TLC “HD” Fiber Optic Cable is composed of two contrasting color bound bundles of 12 colored glass optical fibers, aramid yarn, and a PVDF outer jacket. Cables are available in all 12 TIA standard colors or special colors. UL Listed OFNP cables are available.

Standard Micro-Distribution Cable

TLC Micro-Distribution Fiber Optic Cable combines high fiber counts with a compact, space saving design. 2 to 12 colored optical fibers with aramid yarn are positioned in a 2mm or 3mm buffer tube. 8 x 3mm tubes of 12 fibers are combined to make 96 fiber cables or 12 x 2mm tubes of 12 fibers are combined to make 144 fiber cables. Each subunit is numbered for ease of installation. UL listed cables include OFNR (riser - 3mm fiber tubes)/OFNP (plenum - 2mm or 3mm subs) … all of which are usually in stock and ready to ship.

Cable Preferences for Data Centers

There are many general advantages of Fiber Optic Cable vs. Copper Cable and many of which carry over to the Data Center Market. When making the decision as to what cable type to choose, the below considerations must be taken into account:

  • Bandwidth requirements
  • Density and space saving considerations
  • What technology of which to standardize
  • “Future proofing”

Advantages of Fiber Optic Cable

Fiber Optic Cable can provide several advantages over copper in a Data Center Application. Some of the advantages include greater bandwidth transmissions over longer distances, easier testing procedures and immunity to any/all electro magnetic interference. Also, and as space is always a consideration when designing a Data Canter, Fiber Optic Cable tends to be packaged in smaller, more compact cable designs. These smaller designs for Fiber Optic Cable require less space in cable trays and rack systems as well as floors and ceilings. This space savings allows for an overall smaller space required and potentially better performance in regard to cooling systems.

Fiber Optic Cable used to Support Higher Data Rates – Fiber has the ability to support higher data rates for not only existing applications but also emerging technology. Thus fiber optic cable is the safe bet for “future proofing” a legacy or newly designed system.

Multi-mode fiber optics (mainly OM3 & OM4) can support:

  • 10 Mbps/100 Mbps/1 Gbps/10 Gbps/40
  • 1/2 /4/8/16 Gbps Fibre Channel

The overall costs of fiber vs. copper are very comparable when all aspects are taken into consideration. With that said, optical data center solutions are designed to be extremely simple and user friendly and can lead to up to a 75% time savings during installation.

Whatever your structured fiber optic cabling needs may be, TLC has your solution!!

For all product information, pricing and availability, please send requests to sales@thelightconnection.com.