Connecting to a Fiber Optic Link Segment

MAKING NETWORK CONNECTIONS

3.3 CONNECTING TO A FIBER OPTIC LINK SEGMENT

The physical communication link consists of two fiber optic strands between the adapter and the other Ethernet fiber optic device on the link: Transmit (TX) and Receive (RX).

The adapter Tx connects to Rx of the Ethernet device. The adapter Rx connects to Tx of the Ethernet concentrator. We recommend that you label the fiber optic cable to indicate which fiber is Receive and which is Transmit. When you buy fiber optic cable from Cabletron Systems, it is labeled so that at one end of the cable, one fiber is labeled 1, and the other fiber is labeled 2. This pattern is repeated at the other end of the cable.

ST connectors (Figure 3-4) attach to ST ports in the same way that BNC connectors attach to BNC ports. The connector is inserted into the port with an alignment slot on the connector inserted into the alignment key on the port. The connector is then turned until it is locked.

NOTE: Do not touch the ends of the fiber optic strands and do not let the ends come in contact with dust, dirt, or other contaminants. Contamination of the ends can cause data transmission problems.

If the ends become contaminated, clean them with denatured alcohol using a soft, clean, lint free cloth. If this does not work, use a fiber optic polishing kit to polish the end of the strand.

To connect to a fiber optic segment, attach the fiber labeled 2 to the adapter’s transmit port (light gray) (1). At the other end of the fiber optic cable, attach the fiber labeled 1 to the transmit port of the applicable device. Attach the fiber labeled 2 to the receive port of the fiber optic device.

At this time you should check to see that the adapter’s Link LED is lit. If the LED is not lit, verify that the power is on for the PC, and check that the power is turned on for the device at the other end of the fiber optic link.

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