Customer Label Formats (Meta / Google / Microsoft / Anthropic)

The exact label templates used by each hyperscaler customer — field layout, line order, direction logic, and the common mistakes that make labels unreadable on site.

Each hyperscaler customer has a specific label format. Using the wrong format — even if all the data is correct — means the on-site tech can’t match your labels to their documentation, and fibers don’t get terminated correctly. TSmartLabel ships pre-built templates for all four customers.

The Direction Rule (Most Important)

Before getting into formats: every label shows the far-end address, not the local address.

If you’re labeling at Site A, the label reads “TO: Site B”. If you’re at Site B, the label reads “TO: Site A”. This is not a convention — it’s the physical reality of how technicians trace cables. The installer at Hudson needs to know where the other end goes, not where they’re standing.

Forgetting this rule is the single most common labeling error. TSmartLabel generates both the A-face and B-face label for every fiber chain automatically, with the direction set correctly in each.

Meta Format

Meta BHBZ8383
N1003160
F: HDSNCOAJ.002.007.8.C.B05
T: AULTCOAT.002.007.8.D.B12 TX
HDSNCOAJ to AULTCOAT

Line-by-line:

Line 1: Meta {piid} — customer name + PIID
Line 2: {netbuild} — Netbuild code
Line 3: F: {from_addr}.F{fiber_no} — from address (near-end)
Line 4: T: {to_addr}.F{fiber_no} {direction} — to address (far-end) + TX/RX
Line 5: {site_a} to {site_b} — human-readable span description

The TX/RX direction marker on line 4 indicates transmit vs. receive for DWDM wavelength assignment. TSmartLabel derives this from fiber polarity in the chain.

Google Format

Google BHBZ8383
FR: HDSNCOAJ.002.007.8.C F05
TO: AULTCOAT.002.007.8.D TX
HDSNCOAJ-AULTCOAT F(05)

Key differences from Meta:

FR: and TO: prefixes instead of F: and T:
Fiber number appended to the FROM address as F{nn}
No Netbuild code on its own line
Site pair on the last line uses - separator and F(nn) format with zero-padded fiber number

Google labels also typically include a QR code. The QR payload is {APP_URL}/f/{fiberchain_id} — scanning it opens the fiber detail page in the TSmartLabel dashboard.

Microsoft Format

MSFT BHBZ8383  N1003160
HDSNCOAJ.002.007.8.C.B05
↓
AULTCOAT.002.007.8.D.B12
FIBER 05 / TX

Microsoft uses a more compact layout with both the PIID and Netbuild on the first line. The arrow (↓) is literal text indicating directionality. Fiber number and TX/RX appear on the final line separated by /.

Anthropic Format

Anthropic BHBZ8383
HDSNCOAJ → AULTCOAT
OSX 002.007.8-C-B05 → 002.007.8-D-B12
F05 | N1003160 | Rack 302.03

Anthropic labels:

Use → arrow separators (not slashes)
Include the full OSX address on a single line with - separators
Include the colo rack code on the last line (unique among the four customers)
Fiber number, Netbuild, and rack are all on the bottom line separated by |

This is why rack mapping is especially critical for Anthropic: the rack code must be resolved before labels can be generated.

Self-Laminating Wrap Labels

All four formats assume a 25×38mm self-laminating wrap label. The label wraps around the fiber cable, so the top and bottom edges meet — meaning content at the bottom of the label template is physically adjacent to content at the top when installed.

TSmartLabel’s ZPL renderer accounts for the wrap geometry, placing content that needs to be visible from both sides of the cable in the correct horizontal bands.

Common Mistakes

Wrong fiber number format: Meta uses F{nn} (no leading zero sometimes), Google uses F{nn} (with space, zero-padded). Using the wrong format means the tech can’t match fibers in sequence.

TX/RX swapped: TX and RX are determined by optical polarity. If a fiber pair has polarity A→B for TX, then the A-side label says TX and B-side says RX. Swapping this is invisible until wavelengths are lit — then every fiber is on the wrong channel.

Rack code missing on Anthropic labels: Because Anthropic is the only format that prints the rack code, missing it doesn’t cause an obvious visual error — the label looks complete. TSmartLabel blocks Anthropic label generation if rack assignments are unresolved.