Fiber management system

A fiber management system (FMS) manages optical fiber connections from outside of fiber rack to the fiber routers. Fiber-optic cable duct containing many fibers comes from far end sites and terminates on the FMS using splicing technology. FMS has fiber in and fiber out ports. From fiber out port the fiber patch will go to fiber optics based router.

FMS is a process by which a fiber network is managed. It tracks functions or attributes of the system such as schematic design, physical locations of assets, splice points (mechanical/fusion), and more.[1]. FMS can also be used to plan, design, build, operate, analyze, and troubleshoot fiber optic networks.[2]

Background

Fiber management systems surfaced with fiber optic cable technology in the early 1970s.[3] Peter Schultz, Donald Keck, and Robert Maurer developed the first optical fiber that could transmit digital data more than 65,000 times faster than coaxial cables. In April 1977, General Telephone and Electronics launched the first optical network, in Southern California. The next month, Bell launched an optical telephone system in Chicago. Since the 1970s, fiber networks have grown to service over 80% of the world’s data and voice traffic.

Fiber optic cable is critical for 5G cellular networks. Through 5G, stakeholders in the wireless networking sector hope to achieve a multitude of performance gains over 4G.[4] Achieving these goals requires denser fiber infrastructure.[5] According to a Market Study Report, the 5G fiber optic cable market is expected to grow to $1.346 billion by the end of 2020.[6]

Modern fiber management

Fiber optic network management is used to:

  • Create and share cable capacity reports
  • Determine total cable lengths
  • Document fiber cable locations
  • Document splicing records
  • Estimate development costs
  • Identify dark fiber cables
  • Troubleshoot fiber breaks

Most organizations use software-based platforms, databases, and spreadsheets to execute these activities. With these tools, managers and installers can store data related to network components, connections, and tests that are valuable for planning future developments or troubleshooting issues as they arise.[7] Fiber optic management systems can generate reports that describe various network data points, including cable section lengths, loss budgets, network capacity, optical loss, splice and termination locations. [8]

Operators can also store geospatial data and documents if GIS capabilities are available.[9] Software-based fiber optic network management platforms with GIS features allow network managers to visualize cable routes and evaluate surrounding environments. There are many software-based fiber management systems today, such as:

  • Bentley
  • CircuitVision
  • Enghouse Interactive
  • FiberBase
  • GE Smallworld
  • OSPInsight
  • Patch Manager

Fiber maps

A fiber map is a visual representation of a fiber optic network.[10] Fiber maps are often used in fiber optic network management. Most fiber mapping is done digitally using web-based, server-based, or desktop-based GIS platforms. GIS fiber mapping enables users to assess how networks are spatially distributed across real-world landscapes. Network operators can layer network data on different GIS basemaps to study how certain environmental factors impact network performance. Fiber maps can store thousands of data points describing different elements, including cables, patches, and termination points.

See also

References
  1. Cope, Jason. "What is FMS?". FiberIntel. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  2. “Fiber Optic Network Management: The Ultimate Guide”. www.ospinsight.com. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  3. Alwayn, Vivek (April 23, 2004). "Fiber-Optic Technologies". Optical Network Design and Implementation. Cisco.
  4. Lavallee, Brian (February 4, 2016). "Why 5G Will Change Everything About The Network". Ciena. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  5. Mullaley, Kara (August 2018). "5G networks impact on fiber-optic cabling requirements". Corning. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  6. "5G fiber optic cables market size to reach $1,346 million by 2020 end". April 29, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  7. "Outside Plant Fiber Optic Network Design". The Fiber Optic Association. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  8. "User's Guide To Fiber Optic System Design and Installation". The Fiber Optic Association. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  9. "GIS in Fiber Optic Cable Mapping and Asset Management" (PDF). Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  10. "What is a Fiber Map?". GeoTel. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
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