3Com 5104M-FL1 10BASE-FL and Foirl Ieee Standards Comparison, Theory of Operation

10BASE-FL and FOIRL IEEE Standards Comparison

10BASE-FL is a subpart of a IEEE standard called 10BASE-F (802.3, section 18), which standardizes three types of Ethernet-over-fiber optic cable.

Table 1-1 describes each 10BASE-F standard

Table 1-1. 110BASE-F Standards

10BASE-F Standard	Description
10BASE-FB	“FB”indicates “fiber backbone.” The optimal
	use for this version of fiber Ethernet is as a fiber
	backbone.
10BASE-FP	“FP” indicates “fiber passive” network. This
	standard specifies a fiber optic connection
	method that passively splits the fiber optic light
	from each station among all the others, entirely
	within the optical domain.
10BASE-FL	“FL” indicates “fiber link.” A superset of the
	1987 IEEE FOIRL standard, the 10BASE-FL
	standard ensures compatibility between FOIRL
	and 10BASE-FL equipment. However, observe
	the more limiting FOIRL parameters if you
	interoperate with FOIRL-compliant equipment.

Theory of Operation

Use the 10BASE-FL Module to connect directly to a 10BASE-FL or FOIRL-compatible device (such as the 3Com model 5101T-FL1 10BASE-FL Transceiver). However, you can also use the module as your network backbone link for connecting concentrators together. Connections of both types are shown in Figure 1-1

Introduction 1 - 3