A fan-out unit for a data communication system includes: a plurality of
optical fibers; and a faceplate with a plurality of ports arranged in at
least one row, each of the ports being optically interconnected with a
respective one of the optical fibers and configured to received a mating
optical fiber. The faceplate includes a first visual indicia associated
with the ports that indicates an arrangement in which mating optical
fibers are to be inserted into the ports, the first visual indicia being
easily readable when the faceplate is in either a first horizontal
orientation or a first vertical orientation, but not being easily
readable when the faceplate is in a second horizontal orientation that is
inverted from the first horizontal orientation or a second vertical
orientation that is inverted from the first vertical orientation.