Single-campus link environment

Data processing equipment can be located in a multiple-building (campus) environment in which distances between buildings could vary greatly. The buildings could contain separate data centers, with each having distributed resources similar to a multiple-floor environment. The major planning factor in a single-campus is that the user controls all the land, and cable routing does not involve right-of-ways.

In addition to the considerations that exist for the single-building links, planning for a single-campus link environment involves outdoor trunk cables (above ground, underground, or both). This environment can use either multimode or single mode trunk cable. The major consideration for which trunk type to use is the link distance and product features.

This environment could have existing facilities, such as utility poles or underground conduit, that can be used to install cables between buildings. When installing new trunk cable, only the building-to-building (interbuilding) facilities must be evaluated. If interbuilding trunk cable already exists, it must be evaluated and verified during cable installation planning. For example, users should supply information that specifies what cables, connectors, distribution panels, adapters and couplers are already installed. Interbuilding trunk cable installation could also involve using contractors who are familiar with installing and testing fiber optic cables.

Regardless of what facilities exist, each building in a single-campus link environment should contain a “building interface panel”. This panel provides a common access point for each building that can be used to splice trunk cable, prepare a fiber for installing a connector, and install connectors. Using a building interface panel is especially important when considering the possibility of damage to outdoor trunk cables caused by construction or some other activity. Using building interface panels, however, contributes to the total link loss because of additional connections. They should, therefore, be used only if the link loss introduced by additional connections will not exceed the maximum loss allowable for each link. If building interface panels are used, however, trunk fibers can be spliced at the panel rather than using connectors, thereby reducing the connection loss. See Specifications for link specifications.

This provides a common trunk (sometimes called a “backbone”) for these two buildings.