Transcript
The enclosed media converter comes with one or more of the following features:
Important Information About LinkLoss and FiberAlert
READ THIS! Black Box Corporation offers advanced troubleshooting features such as LinkLoss and FiberAlert on many of their products to assist in diagnosing network problems. LinkLoss and FiberAlert are disabled when shipped from the factory. When using LinkLoss and FiberAlert (i.e. you enable both these features), perfectly functioning units may appear faulty or even dead during initial installation if you do not do the following:
Make sure both the twisted pair and fiber cables are properly connected in order for the link LEDs to light. When LinkLoss and FiberAlert are disabled, the link LEDs will light when any ONE link is established. To learn more about LinkLoss and FiberAlert, please continue reading.
FiberAlert FO or FX LinkLoss (a.k.a. Fiber LinkLoss or “LinkLoss”) TP or TX LinkLoss (a.k.a. Twisted Pair LinkLoss or "Reverse LinkLoss")
These advanced troubleshooting features, can help you spot and locate "silent failures" on your network. However, it is vital that you understand exactly how FiberAlert and TP/TX LinkLoss and FO/FX LinkLoss work, and how they will react in your network configuration, before attempting to install the enclosed module/unit. Installing modules without understanding the effects of FiberAlert and LinkLoss can cause perfectly functioning units to appear flawed or even dead! If you are unfamiliar with FiberAlert and LinkLoss, Black Box strongly encourages you to read the following information. About Link Integrity During normal operation, link integrity pulses are transmitted by all point-to-point Ethernet devices. When a Black Box media converter receives valid link pulses, it knows that the device to which it is connected is up and sending pulses, and that the copper or fiber cable coming from that device is intact. The appropriate “LINK” LED is lit to indicate this. The Black Box media converter also sends out link pulses from its copper and fiber transmitters but normally has no way of knowing whether the cable to the other device is intact and the link pulses are reaching the other end. The combination of
2
FiberAlert and LinkLoss allows this information to be obtained, even when physical access to a remote device (and its link integrity LED) is not available. What Is FiberAlert? FiberAlert minimizes the problems associated with the loss of one strand of fiber. If a strand is unavailable, the Black Box device at the receiver end notes the loss of link. The device will then stop transmitting data and the link signal until a signal or link pulse is received. The result is that the link LED on BOTH sides of the fiber connection will go out indicating a fault somewhere in the fiber loop. Using FiberAlert, a local site administrator is notified of a fault and can quickly determine Local Site
X
Cable Break
XMT
RCV
Remote Site
RCV LED XMT
LED OFF = Broken Link
Black Box product with FiberAlert enabled — Remote Site stops transmitting Local Link LED is OFF indicating a break in the fiber loop
where a cable fault is located without having to go to the remote site. Note: FiberAlert should only be enabled on one side of a media conversion. Enabling it on both sides would keep both transmitters off indefinitely.
What Is FO/FX LinkLoss? FO/FX LinkLoss (a.k.a. Fiber LinkLoss or “LinkLoss”) is a troubleshooting feature. When a fault occurs on the fiber segment of a 3
conversion, FO/FX LinkLoss detects the fault and passes this information to the twisted pair segment. If a media converter is not receiving a fiber link, FO/FX LinkLoss disables the transmitter on the media converter's twisted pair port. This results in a loss of link on the remote twisted pair device. What Is TP/TX LinkLoss? TP/TX LinkLoss (a.k.a. Twisted Pair LinkLoss or “Reverse LinkLoss”) is another troubleshooting feature. When a fault occurs on the twisted pair segment of a conversion, TP/TX LinkLoss detects the fault and passes this information to the fiber segment. If a media converter is not receiving a twisted pair link, TP/TX LinkLoss disables the transmitter on the media converter's fiber port. This results in a loss of link on the remote fiber device. Note: TP/TX LinkLoss is only available on newer IMC Networks media converters.
Enabling and Using FiberAlert and LinkLoss In a central site to remote site media conversion, Black Box recommends you enable your media converters’ troubleshooting features as follows:
This will ensure that any faults, no matter where they occur, can be detected by an administrator located at the central site. If you are unsure of how best to implement these features in your configuration, please contact Black Box Corporation at: Customer Service
Call: (724) 746-5500 Phone orders 24 hours a day, 7:00 AM Monday to midnight Friday; 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Saturday (EST) Fax: (724) 746-0746 or in North America 1-800-321-0746 Mail order: Black Box Corporation, 1000 Park Drive, Lawrence, PA 15055-1018 Technical Support and fax orders 24 hours a day
Installation Troubleshooting During installation, first test your fiber and twisted pair connections with all troubleshooting features disabled. Then enable these features, if desired, just before final installation. This will reduce the features’ interference with testing.
When working with units where the features cannot be disabled, you must establish BOTH your twisted pair and fiber connections before the link LEDs will light!
To test a media converter by itself, you must have an appropriate fiber patch cable. First, connect the media converter to the twisted pair device with a twisted pair cable. Next, loop a single strand of fiber from the transmit port to the receive port of your media converter. Finally, verify that you have both twisted pair and fiber link on your media converter.
F I B E R A L E R T / L I N K LO S S C O M PA R E D
Feature
Fault Location
Disabled LEDs
FiberAlert
Fiber
Fiber
FO/FX LinkLoss
Fiber
Twisted Pair
TP/TX LinkLoss
Twisted Pair
Fiber
FiberAlert: TP/TX LinkLoss: Fiber LinkLoss:
Remote Site Only Remote Site Main* Site Only
* Note that FO/FX LinkLoss can be enabled on both the main and remote sides. The above are the recommended settings.
Make sure that you are using the appropriate twisted pair cable, or have the crossover/pass-through button on the media converter set correctly.
Whenever possible, set your devices connected to the media converter (hub, switch, NIC card) to the desired speed and duplex setting, and turn Auto-Negotiation OFF. (See your module’s installation guide for more information on Auto-Negotiation.) Also make sure that devices on opposite sides of the media converter are configured to operate at the same speed and duplex setting. Note: Some 10/100 devices can't be set by the end user, and have to autonegotiate to receive a signal.
1000 Park Drive • Lawrence, PA 15055-1018 USA TEL: (724) 746-5500 • FAX: (724) 746-0746 EMAIL:
[email protected] WEB: http://www.blackbox.com © 1999 2002 Black Box Corporation. All rights reserved. The information in this document is subject to change without notice. Black Box Corporation assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document. Specific brands or product names may be trademarks and are the property of their respective companies. Document Number 95-80900BB-00 B0
4
5
January 2002
6
