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Basic of Optical
Distribution Frame
(ODF)
Driven by requirements for high-speed data rate, the deployment of fiber optic has been growing.
As the growth of installed fiber optic, the management of optical transmission networks becomes
more difficult. Many factors should be considered during fiber optic cabling, like flexibility, future
viability, cost of the deployment and management, etc. To handle large amounts of fiber optic with
lower cost and higher flexibility, various optical distribution frames (ODF) are being widely used to
connector and schedule optical fiber. Choosing right fiber optic distribution frames is the key to
successful cable management.

What Is ODF?
An optical distribution frame (ODF) is a frame used to provide cable interconnections between
communication facilities, which can integrate fiber splicing, fiber termination, fiber optic adapters &
connectors and cable connections together in a single unit. It can also work as a protective device to
protect fiber optic connections from damage. The basic functions of ODFs provided by todays
vendors are almost the same. However, they come into different shapes and specifications. To
choose the right ODF is not an easy thing.

Types of ODF
According to the structure, ODFs can mainly be divided into three types, namely wall mount
ODF, floor mount ODF and rack mount ODF.
Wall mount ODF (shown in the following picture) usually uses design like a small box which can be
installed on the wall and is suitable for fiber distribution with small counts. Floor mount ODF adopts
closed structure. It is usually designed with relatively fixed fiber capacity and nice appearance.

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Rack mount ODF (shown in the following picture) is usually modularity in design with firm structure.
It can be installed on the rack with more flexibility according to the fiber optic cable counts and
specifications. This kind of optical distribution system is more convenient and can provide more
possibilities to the future variations. Most of the rack mount ODF is 19, which ensures that they
can be perfectly installed on to the commonly used standard transmission rack.

ODF Selection Guide

The selection of the ODF is not limited to the structure, many factors like applications should be
considered. Some of the most important are introduced as following.

Fiber Counts: with the number of fiber connections in places like data center increase, the need
for high density ODF become the trend. And it is very common to find ODF with 24 ports, 48
ports or even 144 ports for fiber optic cables in the market now. Meanwhile, many vendors can
provide the customized ODFs according to the customers requirement.

Manageability: High-density is the good but management is not easy. ODF should provide an
easy management environment for technicians. The basic requirement is ODF should allow for
easy access to the connectors on the front and rear of those ports for insertion and removal.
This requires that ODF should reserve enough space. In addition, the color of adapters installed
on the ODF should be remain consistent with the color code of fiber optic connectors to avoid
wrong connections.

Flexibility: as mentioned rack mount ODF is relatively flexible during applications with the

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modular design. However, anther aspect which can increase the ODFs flexibility effectively is
the port size for adapters on the ODF. For example, an ODF with ports of duplex LC adapter size
can be installed with duplex LC, SC or MRTJ adapters. An ODF with ports of ST adapter size can
be installed with both ST adapters and FC adapters.

Protection: optical distribution frames integrate fiber connections in it. The fiber connections
like splicing joint, fiber optic connectors are actually really sensitive in the whole transmission
network and is directly related to the stability and reliability of the network. Thus, a good ODF
should have protection device to prevent fiber optic connections from damages produced by
dust or stress.

Conclusion
The ODF is the most popular and comprehensive fiber optic distribution frame which can reduce
the cost and increase the reliability and flexibility of fiber optic network during both deployment
and maintenance. The high density ODF is the trend in telecommunication industry. Selecting an
ODF is important and complex which requires full consideration including applications and
management. The factors like structure, fiber counts and protection are just the basic elements. The
ODF which can meet the current requirements and the challenge of future growing and easing of
expansion without sacrificing cable management or density can only be selected with repeated
comparison and full consideration.

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Contact Us
Manufacturing R & D (China)

North America (United States)

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Technology Park, No.6, Keyuan Road,
Nanshan District, Shenzhen 518057,
China
Tel: +86 (755) 8300 3611
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Email: sales@fs.com

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W1B 3HH, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 2081441980

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Notice: This document is for informational purposes only and does not set forth any warranty, expressed or
implied, concerning any equipment, equipment features, or service offered or to be offered by Fiberstore.
Fiberstore reserves the right to make changes to this document at any time, without notice, and assumes no
responsibility for its use. This information document describes features that may not be currently available.
Contact a Fiberstore sales team for information on feature and product availability.

Fiberstore (FS.COM) | Basic of Optical Distribution Frame (ODF)