Handling and Care of Fiber Optic Cables

Fiber optic cables are delicate and can easily be damaged when you disconnect the cables from the connectors. Fiber optic cables are also sensitive to dirt and to contaminants.

Follow these tips when handling fiber optic cables:
  • Do not bend the fiber optic cable beyond its minimum bend radius (MBR). The MBR can be expressed by multiplying 10 by the diameter of the fiber optic cable with the cable not in tension.

  • Do not use force or rock the connector from side-to-side or up and down to remove the connector because this action can damage the socket.

  • Do not pull the cables using a mechanical device. If you need to pull a cable, pull the cable manually.

  • Do not pull the cables tight when dressing the cables. Leave some slack in the cables.

  • Do not use tie wraps or any other crimping style of wrap on high speed cables (optical or copper) because they can crimp the cable insulation and cause data transmission problems. Only use Velcro strips to tie cables.

  • Do not push or step on a fiber optic cable or fiber optic connector.

  • Do not set any hardware components or other objects on top of the cables.

  • Do not let the cables get pinched by closed doors or by door lock hardware.

  • Do not twist the cable to secure the ends.

  • Do not wrap the fiber optic cables around your hands, your arms, or your shoulders, which can cause sharp bends or a small coiling radius.

  • Use the cable management arms (CMAs) so that the cables do not block access for replacing Oracle FS System components.

  • Use both hands to disconnect the connector in a module. Do not disturb or deflect other plugs or cables during the removal operation.

Caution
To disconnect the cables from the SFP connectors, carefully grasp the cable connector and, while pushing the connector gently into the socket, press the latch on the bottom of the connector to unlatch it. Then, gently pull the connector straight out to release the connector with the cable
Follow these tips to clean fiber optic cables.
  • Keep the end caps of the plugs installed whenever the plug is not installed.

  • Have a fiber optic cable cleaning kit available while handling fiber optic cables.

A fiber optic cable cleaning kit includes the following items:
  • Lint-free wipes

  • Isopropyl alcohol (IPA)

  • Special fiber optic cleaning swabs

  • Canned pressurized air