Panduit FZ2RPU1U1ONM017 Opti-Core OM4 LC Duplex Uniboot Fiber Patch Cord - 17m
Panduit's FZ2RPU1U1ONM017 delivers OM4 50μm multimode performance in a space-saving uniboot form factor designed for high-density data center and telecommunications room deployments. This 17-meter plenum-rated patch cord terminates in duplex LC uniboot connectors at both ends, providing optimized insertion loss for 40GBASE-SR4 and 100GBASE-SR10 applications while reducing pathway congestion by 50% compared to traditional duplex LC designs. The aqua jacket provides instant OM4 visual identification per TIA-598-C color coding, and the integrated pull-boot design enables polarity reversal in seconds without re-termination — critical when troubleshooting cassette-based architecture or correcting A-to-B fiber orientation in cross-connect fields.
Key Features
- OM4 50μm multimode fiber supports 10G to 400m, 40G to 150m, 100G to 100m per IEEE 802.3 reach specifications
- Uniboot LC duplex connectors reduce panel footprint by 50%, enabling 288-fiber density in 1RU cassette enclosures
- Optimized insertion loss specification ensures margin headroom for multi-cassette tiered architectures and longer channel runs
- Integrated pull-boot mechanism allows polarity reversal without disassembly or re-termination tools
- 17-meter (55.77 ft) length accommodates data center row-to-EOR switch runs, TR-to-ER backbone extensions, and perimeter cabinet interconnects
- Plenum (OFNP) rated jacket meets NEC 770.179 for installation in environmental air spaces above drop ceilings and under raised floors
- Aqua jacket color per TIA-598-C provides instant OM4 visual identification during MAC work and troubleshooting
- RoHS compliant construction eliminates lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium per Directive 2002/95/EC
- Factory-terminated and tested to TIA-604-3 (FOCIS-3) and TIA-604-10 (FOCIS-10) endface geometry standards
The uniboot LC design addresses a fundamental problem in modern data center architecture: panel density versus cable management. Traditional duplex LC patch cords present two separate 1.25mm ferrules in a side-by-side housing, consuming roughly 14mm of horizontal panel space per connection. Panduit's uniboot consolidates both fibers into a single compact boot, reducing the effective footprint to approximately 7mm and allowing integrators to deploy 288-fiber cassette systems in standard 1RU enclosures without exceeding the 6-inch minimum bend radius in rear cable managers. The pull-boot mechanism integrates a sliding collar that releases the duplex connector from its clip retention, then allows the entire fiber pair to rotate 180 degrees within the boot body — converting Method A polarity to Method B (or vice versa) in under 10 seconds. This eliminates the need to swap fiber positions at the bulkhead or replace the patch cord entirely when cassette manufacturers ship opposite polarity from the installed base standard. For troubleshooting scenarios where a technician inherits an unfamiliar system with A/B polarity mismatches causing 40G QSFP+ links to fail on specific lanes, the uniboot design turns a 20-minute panel disassembly job into a 30-second fix. The OM4 50μm core supports laser-optimized multimode transmission at 850nm, delivering 4700 MHz·km effective modal bandwidth — sufficient for 40GBASE-SR4 to 150 meters and 100GBASE-SR10 to 100 meters per IEEE 802.3ba specifications. Panduit's optimized insertion loss specification (typically <0.25 dB per connector, <0.35 dB maximum) preserves link budget margin in tiered cassette architectures where a single 40G channel may traverse three mated pairs: server NIC to ToR cassette (0.5 dB), cassette-to-cassette trunk (0.5 dB), and cassette to EOR switch (0.5 dB), totaling 1.5 dB insertion loss before accounting for splice loss and fiber attenuation. The 17-meter length bridges the gap between standard 10-meter intra-rack jumpers and 30-meter inter-row trunks, covering data center scenarios such as middle-of-row switch to end-of-row aggregation (typical hot-aisle pod depth of 12-15 meters), telecommunications room to entrance room backbone extensions in multi-floor installations, and perimeter cabinet to core switch runs in secure operations centers where equipment distribution areas sit 40-50 feet from the main distribution frame.
In pre-terminated cassette deployments — where MTP trunk cables feed 12-fiber or 24-fiber cassettes that break out to LC duplex ports — the uniboot form factor directly addresses the rear cable management crisis that occurs when 288 discrete LC patch cords exit a single rack. Traditional duplex LC cords create a 4-inch-thick bundle at the cassette enclosure exit point, exceeding the 3-inch depth available in most vertical managers and forcing integrators to coil excess length in violation of the 6x cable diameter minimum bend radius (roughly 15mm for 2mm duplex LC assemblies). Uniboot cords reduce the exit bundle diameter by approximately 40%, allowing the full 288-fiber complement to route through standard 3-inch vertical managers with proper bend radius compliance. The plenum OFNP jacket rating meets National Electrical Code Article 770.179(A) for installation in spaces used for environmental air (plenums) without additional conduit, covering the 95% of data center deployments where fiber routes above a drop ceiling or below a raised floor that also serves as the HVAC return path. The aqua jacket color provides instant visual confirmation of OM4 fiber type during MAC work — critical when a data center houses a mix of OM3 (10G-optimized, aqua or sometimes orange in older installs) and OM4 (40G/100G-optimized, aqua) infrastructure, and a technician needs to verify that a newly installed 100GBASE-SR10 link is using OM4-rated patch cords rather than OM3 cords that would limit reach to 70 meters instead of the full 100-meter IEEE spec. The 17-meter length also supports hybrid use cases: in a telecommunications room where the main distribution frame sits at one end and the horizontal distribution frame sits 50 feet away, a single 17-meter uniboot cord can interconnect two cassette enclosures without requiring a mid-span splice or fusion joint that would add 0.2-0.3 dB insertion loss and introduce a failure point. For AV integrators deploying 12G-SDI video-over-fiber extenders in sports venues or broadcast facilities, the OM4 4700 MHz·km bandwidth supports 12 Gbps uncompressed video to the full 300-meter OM4/850nm reach per SMPTE ST 297, and the 17-meter length covers press box to control room runs or sideline camera to production truck interconnects.
Factory termination per TIA-604-3 (FOCIS-3) and TIA-604-10 (FOCIS-10) ensures endface geometry meets the 15-degree ferrule polish angle, <0.3 dB return loss, and <50nm apex offset required for reliable multimode link performance, eliminating the field-termination variables (cleave angle, epoxy cure, polish pressure) that cause 40G link flaps or 100G BER degradation in field-terminated assemblies. The RoHS-compliant construction allows installation in EU and California public-sector facilities subject to lead-free procurement mandates, and the TIA/EIA-568-C.3 and ISO/IEC 11801 compliance confirms compatibility with structured cabling warranties from Panduit, CommScope, Corning, and other Tier-1 manufacturers. For integrators managing polarity across a 2,000-port cassette deployment, the uniboot pull-boot design reduces the polarity correction labor from 6 hours (disassemble 100 panels, swap fibers, reassemble) to 30 minutes (flip 100 uniboot connectors), and the reduced panel density allows the entire 2,000-port fabric to fit in 7 racks instead of 10 — directly reducing facility lease cost at $200/RU/month colocation rates. This specific 17-meter length is the longest single-piece run you can deploy without moving to MTP trunk assemblies or fusion splicing, making it the default choice for perimeter equipment cabinets, cross-building entrance facility links under 60 feet, and any scenario where 10-meter cords fall short but 30-meter trunks leave excessive coiled slack that violates bend radius or creates a failure-prone service loop.
