HP Mainframe Connectivity Design Guide

Table 32 Rules for fiber optic cable connections

Description

Rule

number

The minimum bend radius for HP PremierFlex 50 µm OM4 and OM3+ fiber optic cable is 7 mm. Industry

standard bend radius for OM3, OM2, and OM1 cables is 25 mm for 50, 62.5, and 9 µm fiber optic

cables. HP recommends 50 µm fiber optic cable for new installations that require multi-mode fiber

connections. The 62.5 µm fiber optic cable is acceptable for existing installations. For supported maximum

cable distances, see Table 35 (page 74) through Table 38 (page 75).

HP does not support a mixture of 50, 62.5, and 9 µm cable in the same cable segment.

NOTE: A cable segment is defined as one or more cables connected serially between two transceivers.

HP does not support a mixture of different OM fiber cable types in the same cable segment.3

For all cable segments, you must use the same transceiver type at both ends of the cable (for example,

short-wave transceiver to short-wave transceiver, or long-wave transceiver to long-wave transceiver). HP

does not support mixing transceiver types in the same cable segment.

For fabric attachment, the minimum cable segment length between FICON components (transmitter and

receiver) is as follows:

• 0.5 m for 50 and 62.5 µm cable

• 2.0 m for 9 µm cable

The minimum length does not apply to patch cords through a passive patch panel; it applies only to the

total distance between the transmitter and receiver of each device connected through the patch panel.

For fiber optic cable lengths greater than 50 m, contact a third-party vendor. 50 µm cable must be duplex,

tight-buffered multi-mode 50/125 µm (Belcore GR-409 compliant). The connectors must be SC or LC

duplex low metal (Belcore and IEC compliant).

9 µm cable must be duplex, tight-buffered, single-mode 9/125 µm (Belcore GR-409 compliant). The

connectors must be SC or LC duplex low metal (NTT-SC Belcore 326, IEC-874-19 SC compliant).

Fiber optic cable loss budgets

Cable loss budgets are determined by the Fibre Channel Physical Interface Specification (see the

standards at http://www.incits.org/). The maximum distances are based on the use of nominal

bandwidth and higher bandwidth fiber optic cable. Nominal specifies modal bandwidth of 500

MHz-km at 850 nm for 50 µm fiber optic cable (type OM2), and 200 MHz-km at 850 nm for

62.5 µm fiber optic cable (type OM1). Higher specifies modal bandwidth of 2,000 MHz-km at

850 nm for 50 µm fiber optic cable (type OM3).

Table 35 (page 74) through Table 38 (page 75) list the maximum loss budgets for different

interconnect speeds at specific distances. Table 40 (page 77) through Table 45 (page 81) list the

maximum supported distances based on director-to-director (ISL) connectivity or device-to-director

connectivity.

NOTE: The following tables do not specify media losses due to variances between different fiber

optic cable manufacturers. In all cases, the maximum loss budget is the total channel insertion loss,

which includes media losses based on the indicated fiber optic cable bandwidth.

HP supports the use of optical fiber patch panels. The total channel insertion loss between the

transmitter and receiver for the cable segment routed through the patch panel must not exceed the

maximum listed for the connector and cable type.

72 FICON SAN fabric connectivity and director interoperability rules