Psiber Data Systems 25 BOX Contents, Battery, Technical Overview, Operation, Auto-Negotiation

BOX CONTENTS

• LanMaster 25 Link Tester	•	RJ-45 Coupler
• 9 Volt Alkaline Battery	•	User Guide
BATTERY

The LanMaster 25 operates on one 9 volt alkaline battery. Remove the battery cover at the bottom of the unit and insert the battery with the terminal orientation as shown. Battery polarity is marked on the back of the battery cover and inside the battery well for reference.

TECHNICAL OVERVIEW

The IEEE 802.3u Standard for 100BaseTX (Fast Ethernet) requires LAN equipment to use a signaling system to establish a Link between two devices called Link Partners. Standard Ethernet uses a single Normal Link Pulse to establish the Link. Fast Ethernet equipment (and some recent 10baseT products) use a burst of Fast Link Pulses(FLPs) to transmit a Link Code Word defining the configured capabilities of the device and to report faults . If both Link Partners have Auto- negotiation capability, a Link is established based on the following priority:

1.100BaseTX Full Duplex

2.100BaseT4

3.100BaseTX Half Duplex

4.10BaseT Full Duplex

5.10BaseT Half Duplex

The IEEE 802.3u Standard does not require Fast Ethernet equipment to support Auto-negotiation or more than one 100baseT mode of operation. A second type of signaling called Parallel Detection (a continuous MLT- 3 waveform) can also be used to establish a Fast Ethernet Link. Parallel Detection signaling does not differentiate between half duplex and full duplex mode which can lead to poor network performance if both Link Partners are not properly configured. Most Ethernet LAN

equipment can be manually configured to a specific mode of operation. Equipment in this “commanded” mode of operation may establish a Link with either a Link Code Word, an NLP or a Parallel Detection (MLT-3) signal. Knowing the type of signaling used on a Link is critical to optimizing system performance.The LanMaster 25 detects and decodes the different Link signals on Standard and Fast Ethernet networks and displays the equipment configuration, signaling type and reported faults. The LanMaster 25 does not test 100BaseT4.

OPERATION

The LanMaster 25 test consists of three steps: detecting Link signals, transmitting Link signals and

Auto-negotiating.

Insert the LanMaster 25 plug end in to the RJ-45 port of a hub, switch, network interface card, wall outlet, or attach to a UTP or STP cable with the RJ-45 coupler.

Press and release the “TEST” button. Wire pair 3,6 (Link signals from network) are scanned for

two seconds. If Link signals are detected, the indicator(s) for the operational modes or fault condition are illuminated. After one second, the LanMaster 25 automatically transmits a pattern of Link signals to the Link Partner. The “LAN” indicator blinks on and off as the signals are transmitted. The Link indicator on the hub or switch at the far end will also blink indicating which port is connected to the LanMaster 25. (Hubs/ switches have different Link indicator time delays. The blink rate of the equipment may not exactly match the blink rate of the LanMaster 25. Determine the blink pattern directly at a hub/switch port prior to running tests from a remote outlet.) When no signals are detected on the first wire pair, the unit scans wire pair 1,2 (Link

signals from node) for two seconds. Link signals are decoded and the indicator(s) for the modes or fault are lit. After one second, the LanMaster 25 transmits Link signals continuously to the NIC. The Link light on the NIC will light verifying two-way Link communications.

If no signals are detected, the “NO LINK” indicator is illuminated and the LanMaster 25 automatically transmits a tone pattern on both wire pairs. The “NO LINK” indicator blinks when the tone is being transmitted. A standard tone probe can be used with the LanMaster 25 to locate the physical layer problem.

The LanMaster 25 also detects Links with incorrectly installed reversed polarity pairs and displays “NO LINK” for this condition. (Links using NLP or FLP signaling only.)

AUTO-NEGOTIATION

When two or more operational mode indicators are lit, the Link being tested is capable of Auto-negotiat- ing to the highest common level of operation with a Link Partner.

After the LanMaster 25 begins transmitting Link signals, the Link Partner will Auto-negotiate to the 10TX or 100TX mode and the LanMaster 25 indica- tors for the negotiated

mode will light verifying the Auto-negotiation function. (Note: Auto-negotiation timing varies greatly therefore not all equipment will complete Auto-negotiation with the LanMaster 25. For equipment with long time constants, the capabilities are displayed but the negotiation to the 10TX or 100TX mode does not occur. Test a known good port to determine equipment response time.)