Testing Optical Fiber Cabling

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• Testing Optical Fiber Cabling

Ver. 9-17-2003
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Testing Optical Fiber Cabling

• What equipment is used?
• What is the right tool for my customer?
• Why is FNET equipment the best solution?

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Where Fiber Is Used (Premises)
(To telecom connection or ISP)
Data Center
Backbone

• One switch per zone
• multiple horizontal zones
• multiple vertical floors

Horizontal
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High Speed Networking

• As data rates increase, loss limits get smaller
• Increasingly critical that the fiber plant is
  installed using best practices

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Recognized Fiber Types

• Horizontal
• Multimode fiber, 50/125 or 62.5/125 micron
• Centralized
• Multimode fiber
• Backbone
• Multimode or singlemode fiber

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Fiber Testing

• How to know if your premise fiber is good?

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What Exactly Is a Good Fiber?

• Look to the standards for guidance
• Per TIA/EIA-568-B.1 the definition of good
  depends upon the application and fiber type
• Applications
• Horizontal cabling
• Backbone cabling
• Centralized cabling
• Fiber types
• Multimode
• Singlemode

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Cabling Standards Around the World
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Cabling Certification Maintenance

• Primary functions of Cabling Test Equipment
• Certify Document for proof of performance to
  Industry Standards.
• US, European or other Region specifications for
  structured cabling standards
• IEEE physical media performance requirements for
  specified data rate Bit Error Rate.
• Maintenance/Service
• Moves, Adds, Changes and troubleshooting

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Good Horizontal and Central Cabling1
1 TIA/EIA-568-B.1 definition
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Good Backbone Cabling1
1 TIA/EIA-568-B.1 definition
spl splice, conn connection 1.0 dB/km ISP,
0.5 dB/km OSP
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Proposed Two-Tier Testing

• Tier 1 OLTS
• Losses and lengths conform to TIA-526-14A and
  TIA-526-7
• Most closely simulates system
• Verify polarity using OLTS or VFL

• Tier 2 Tier 1 plus OTDR trace
• Evidence that cable is installed without
  degrading events (e.g., bends, connection, splice)

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Fiber Testing Equipment

• What equipment is available?

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Fiber Testing Equipment

• Visual light sources
• Fiber microscopes
• Optical loss test kits
• Certification test sets (loss and length)
• Optical time domain reflectometers (OTDR)
• Integrated test platforms
• PC data management tools

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Visual Light Source

• A white or red light in the visual spectrum
• Pocket-size or hand-held
• Light weight
• A visual fault locator (VFL) is laser-based
• 635 - 670nm typical
• Bright enough to see some breaks

VFL
Small Flashlight
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When Is A Visual Light Source Used?

• To verify continuity of a fiber
• To find out where a fiber goes
• To verify polarity of a fiber pair

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Fiber Microscope or Video Probe

• Visually inspect the endface of fiber connectors
  under high magnification
• 200X to 400X most common
• Check connector condition
• Cleanliness and scratches
• Fiber microscope
• Directly view a fiber endface
• Simple and low cost
• Risk of eye injury
• Video probe and display
• video probe captures endface image
• No risk of eye injury
• 10 times faster when checking fibers in patch
  panels
• Can be used to check optical ports

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A Critical Fiber Optic Problem

• Dirty connector endfaces were cited as the number
  one problem encountered during the fiber
  installation process.
• Dirty and poor quality endfaces yield high
  optical attenuation

89 out of 100 network owners and contractors
cited dirty connector endfaces as the number 1
problem.
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What Do Dirty Endfaces Look Like?
?
?
?
?
?
?

• Dirt can migrate from a dirty endface to a clean
  endface

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Inspect Equipment Ports Too

• The endfaces in active equipment ports (routers,
  switches, NICs) get dirty too
• You can also check these connections with video
  probes
• Video probes allow simple and safe inspection of
  network equipment ports

Add switch
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When Is A Fiber Microscope Used?

• To check the cleanliness of installed fiber
  endfaces after installation
• To check the cleanliness of patch cords prior to
  use
• To check the cleanliness of equipment fiber ports
  after installation
• To check the cleanliness of OTDR ports

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Optical Loss Test Set (OLTS)

• Includes a power meter and a light source
• The light source can be either multimode or
  singlemode
• Measures the insertion loss (attenuation) of a
  fiber link
• Source LEDs or lasers at measurement wavelength
• Meter matched to dynamic range and wavelength of
  source
• Light source(s) and meter can be integrated into
  one box
• Hand-held and light weight

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When Is A Loss Test Set Used?

• It is the least expensive testing solution for
  fiber loss testing
• It is small and light
• It is very simple to use

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Loss/Length Certification Test Set

• Master/slave pair of optical loss test sets
• Tests two fibers in a single test
• Automatically tests both important wavelengths in
  a single test
• Insertion loss and length measurement
• Built-in standards-based PASS/FAIL analysis
• An optical source meter mainframe at each end
• Hand-held and light weight

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Fiber Optic Mandrels

• Multimode fiber mandrels
• Improve the repeatability and consistency of
  multimode optical power and loss measurements
  when using an LED source.
• Ensure that your measurements are compliant with
  standards.

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When Is A Loss/Length Tester Used?

• When you need to test loss and length
• When you need to certify against a standard
• When you need to save money by testing two
  fibers at the same time
• When you need to save money by testing both key
  wavelengths at the same time

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Fiber Test Adapters for DSP-4000 Series

• DSP-FTA440S
• Green Band
• Gigabit
• Sources
• 850nm VCSEL
• 1310nm FP Laser

• DSP-FTA430S
• Yellow Band
• Singlemode
• Sources
• 1310nm FP Laser
• 1550nm FP Laser

• DSP-FTA420S
• Solid Grey
• Multimode
• Sources
• 850 nm LED
• 1300 nm LED

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OMNIFiber Adapters for OMNIScanner

• OMNIFiber SM
• singlemode
• Sources
• FP 1310nm Laser
• FP 1550nm Laser

• OMNIFiber MM
• multimode
• Sources
• 850 nm LED
• 1300 nm LED

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FNET Solutions Save Time

• Example testing a 12-fiber cable at 850 nm in
  one direction

FNET solutions are three times faster!
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Other Testing Situations Save Even More Time

• Testing time is GREATLY reduced by Fluke Network
  solutions due to advanced dual-wavelength
  technology

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Reduced Test Times Save Money!

• If you test only three 24-fiber backbone cables a
  week, you save a lot of money in a year

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The DSP-FTA Solutions Cost More, But

• You very quickly pay back this cost
• Even when testing only three 24-fiber cables per
  week
• And the payback is even faster on bigger jobs

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So A Customer Who Wanted To Save Money
Would be CRAZY to buy something other than a
Fluke Networks Tester!
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Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR)

• An OTDR is an advanced diagnostic tool for
  optical fibers that allows you to take a
  snapshot of a fiber link

dB
Distance
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Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR)

• You can visually locate reflective events
  (connections, fiber ends, fiber breaks) and
  non-reflective events (splices, tight bends) by
  studying the graphical trace
• The power difference between two points on the
  trace is an estimate of optical loss

-0.00
-3.00

• Both benchtop and portable OTDRs are available

-6.00
dB
-9.00
-12.00
Bad Connection
-15.00
-18.00
500
0.0
250
Distance
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When Is An OTDR Used?

• When you want a picture of what losses and
  reflections look like in an installed fiber
• When you are troubleshooting a bad fiber
• When you have access to only one end of a fiber
• When you want to see what is causing losses in a
  fiber
• When you want to ensure the best quality of fiber
  installation

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Why Can An OTDR Increase Quality?

• 62.5/125 ?m cabling
• 100 m backbone cable
• 15 m patch cord
• 106 m to the wall outlet

Loss test result 2.15 dB
3.2 dB noted for Gigabit test limit
So this fiber would PASS. But is the
fiber really OK?
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Now Test With An OTDR
A problem!
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Fix The Problem And Retest
The OTDR trace now looks great!
Problem Fixed!
And the loss tester now reads a loss of only 1.42
dB!
The lower insertion loss results in a higher
quality installation!
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What People Use To Test Fibers
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Multi-Function Fiber Tester

• Integrates multiple test capabilities into a
  single instrument
• Advantages include enhanced productivity, testing
  efficiency, greater convenience and better
  results management

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Data Management Software

• Runs on a PC
• Connects to a tester via USB or RS-232
• Extracts test results from the tester
• Allows viewing of test results on a PC
• Allows results management on a PC
• Prints test reports

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When Is Data Mgmt Software Used?

• To upload test results from testers
• To manage test results from testers
• To evaluate test results from testers
• To print reports of test results
• Often contractors are required to document their
  work before getting paid

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PC Software

• LinkWare manages test data and packages it into
  professional reports
• Transforms a burdensome task into a painless
  exercise
• Supports both DSP and OMNI testers
• Supports both copper and fiber test results in
  the same folders
• Allows you to drag and drop results from one
  project folder to another
• Allows interactive analysis of test results
• Allows displaying test equipment screens a PC

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LinkWare Data Management Software

• LinkWare produces high quality test reports
• Reports can be created in PDF format
• Fiber test reports can include
• Endface images
• OTDR traces
• ChannelMap
• Loss/Length results

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LinkWare Data Management Software
And best of all, LinkWare is offered FREE OF
CHARGE!
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Networks are only as good as the foundation
theyre built on.
Ensure that your customers structured cabling
system is installed to the highest level of
quality, or your network will not be as good as
it could be.
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Testing Optical Fiber Cabling

• Recommending the right fiber test solutions for
  your customers

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Recommending Visual Light Sources

• Customers ALWAYS need a visual light source
• (and they usually know it)
• When the customer is installing new links
• When the customer is trying to figure out where
  the
• other end of a link is
• When the customer is having trouble with failing
  
• links

VFL
Small Flashlight
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Recommending Endface Inspection

• Customers ALWAYS need endface inspection
• (but they often dont know it)
• When the customer is installing new links
• When the customer is doing moves, adds, or
• changes
• When the customer is having trouble with poorly
• performing links
• Video probes for patch panels and equipment ports

FT120
FT140
FT300
FT400
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Recommending Loss Test Sets

• When the customer is doing small fiber jobs
• When the customer is installing new links
• When the customer is having trouble with failing
  
• links in small fiber installations
• When the customer doesnt have much money

DSP-FTK
SimpliFiber Meter and Sources
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Recommending Loss/Length Test Sets

• When the customer is doing anything more than
• small fiber jobs
• When the customer is installing new links
• When the customer must certify fiber
  installations
• against fiber standards
• DSP Series and OMNIFiber are needed for testing
• both copper and fiber installations

DSP-FTA420, 430, 440
OMNIFiber Adapters
CertiFiber
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Recommending An OTDR

• When the customer is installing new links
• When the customer wants to ensure the best
• quality of fiber installations
• When the customer needs to troubleshoot failing
  
• links
• When the customer wants to do single-ended
• testing
• Choose OptiFiber for
• Building and campus testing
• Fiber Inspector
• ChannelMap
• Auto and Manual OTDR
• Loss/Length certification
• Ease of use
• Small size and weight, ruggedness

OptiFiber
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Fluke Networks Fiber Test Products
Inspection Loss OTDR
Loss Adapters
Loss Kits
Inspection
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Other Solutions From Fluke Networks
Network Management, Monitoring, Documenting,
Troubleshooting
LinkRunner MicroScanner WaveRunner
NetTool OneTouch
HandHeld Test Tools for Ethernet Networks
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