To minimize the risk of optic contamination on your system, keep the following fibre optic handling guidelines in mind:
•Dust Covers: Dust Covers are provided with all optical components and should be kept in place when not used. Do not throw away the dust covers after initial installation. You may need them to protect optical interconnect areas if reconfiguration is required.
•When to Clean: The best rule of thumb for cleaning fiber optics is common sense. If you have handled fiber optic interconnects and think there may be contamination, clean it. If you need to use a fiber optic interconnect component that is found without the dust covers in place, clean it.
•How to Clean: First, wipe the optics with a lint-free tissue soaked in 100 percent Isopropyl alcohol. Next, wipe optics with a dry lint-free tissue and dry with compressed/canned air.
Fibre Channel Cable
The MSA Fabric Switch 6 is intended primarily for use with Shortwave SFPs and multi-mode Fibre Channel cables. While Longwave SFPs can be used with 9 um single-mode Fibre Channel cables, performance may not be optimal due to transmission latencies.
SW-SFPs and Multi-mode Fibre Channel cables are capable of supporting distances of 2 meters to 500 meters. These cables are for use with Shortwave SFPs only. However, three multi-mode Fibre Channel cable option kits are available from Compaq if longer lengths are desired. Each kit contains a multi-mode Fibre Channel cable with a connector attached to each end. The Modular SAN Array 1000 storage systems and associated host bus adapters ship standard with 2m and 5m Fibre Channel cables, respectively. Other available kits are:
•15-meter multi-mode Fibre Channel Cable option kit (part number 234457-B23)
•30-meter multi-mode Fibre Channel Cable option kit (part number 234457-B24)
•50-meter multi-mode Fibre Channel Cable option kit (part number 234457-B25)
To customize your system with multi-mode Fibre Channel cable at distances greater than 50 meters, contact an independent Fibre Channel cable supplier.