Testing Network Connectivity, Length

11Troubleshooting

Length

The Length sub tab allows you to verify cable length and determine whether your configuration has the appropriate cable, which are calculated by cable loss and return loss algorithms. This utility allows you to determine whether the problem is with the adapter or in the cable plant.

1From the Cable Analysis/Length screen, select the NIC to be tested.

2Click Initialize, and then click Test to display the status of the selected adapter.

Interface components of the BASCS Cable Analysis window are described below:

■Cable Length Field

This field presents the estimated cable length in meter on each individual channel using two different algorithms.

■Margin

Margin yields the minimum distance between the measured cable pair and the maximum IEEE 802.3ab limits. The unit is in dB.

■Frequency Margin

This measures the minimum distance between the measured cable pair and the maximum IEEE 802.3ab limits in the frequency domain. The unit is in MHz.

Cable Diagnostics Display

The combination of the cable length and the cable status reveal the state of the cable connection between the local adapter and the far end node (hub/switch/routers). The cable status will display possible problems associated with the cable if the cable is not in working order. If the cable is not in working order, displayed cable length is meaningless, since the correct cable length cannot be calculated properly with a broken cable. The status window displays various error messages that diagnose possible problems associated with the cable.