Planning considerations

Fiber optic link planning should be approached similar to planning for any other cabling system. Depending on the location of data processing equipment, links can consist of various combinations of optical cables and components. Fiber optic channel links will become an integral part of an IBM® data processing system environment. They should, therefore, be considered a long-term investment in future communications requirements.

Links do not necessarily require distribution panels and trunk cables. For example, a link environment in one room could consist of only IBM duplex-to-duplex jumper cables. This method would not incur much additional cost because most devices are shipped with jumper cables. Because planning for links should include future growth, consider the following factors carefully.