Cabletron Systems FOT-F3 User Manual

FOT-F3

FIBER OPTIC

TRANSCEIVER

USER’S MANUAL

CABLETRON SYSTEMS, P.O. BOX 5005, Rochester, NH 03867-0505

NOTICE

NOTICE

Cabletron Systems reserves the right to make changes in
specifications and other information contained in this document
without prior notice. The reader should in all cases consult Cabletron
Systems to determine whether any such changes have been made.

The hardware, firmware, or software described in this manual is
subject to change without notice.

IN NO EVENT SHALL CABLETRON SYSTEMS BE LIABLE FOR
ANY INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
LOST PROFITS) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS
MANUAL OR THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT, EVEN IF
CABLETRON SYSTEMS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF, KNOWN, OR
SHOULD HAVE KNOWN, THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

 Copyright October 1991 by:
Cabletron Systems, Inc.

P.O. Box 5005, Rochester, NH 03867-0505
All Rights Reserved

Printed in the United States of America
Order number: 9030461 Oct. 91

LANVIEW is a registered trademark of Cabletron Systems, Inc.
LAN-MD, FOT-F3, FOMIM-32/36/38, MMAC, and IRM are trademarks

of Cabletron Systems, Inc.
Velcro is a registered trademark of Velcro Industries, B.V.

i

FCC NOTICE

FCC NOTICE

This device complies with Part 15 of FCC rules. Operation is subject
to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful
interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

WARNING: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with
the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of FCC
Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a
commercial environment. This equipment uses, generates, and can
radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed in accordance with
the operator’s manual, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is
likely to cause interference in which case the user will be required at
his own expense to correct the interference.

If this equipment does cause interference to radio or television, which
can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the
following measures:

• Re-orient the receiving antenna.

• Relocate the transceiver with respect to the antenna.

• Move the transceiver away from the receiver.

• Plug the Ethernet device into a different outlet so that the device
and the receiver are on different branch circuits.

If necessary, the user should consult the dealer or an experienced
radio/ television technician for additional suggestions. The user may
find the following booklet prepared by the Federal Communication
Commission helpful:

“How to Identify and Resolve Radio TV Interference Problems”
This booklet is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office,

Washington D.C. 20402 - Stock No. 004-000-00345-4.

ii

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Using This Manual ..................................................1-1

1.2 Getting Help............................................................1-2

1.3 The FOT-F3 Fiber Optic Transceiver......................1-3

1.4 Related Manuals.....................................................1-8

CHAPTER 2 INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS/

SPECIFICATIONS

2.1 Network Design Guidelines ....................................2-1

2.1.1 Fiber Optic Requirements.............................2-2

2.1.2 AUI Requirements ........................................2-3

2.2 Operating Specifications.........................................2-3

CHAPTER 3 INSTALLING THE FOT-F3

3.1 Unpacking the FOT-F3 ...........................................3-1

3.2 Connecting FOT-F3 to the Network........................3-2

3.2.1 Setting the SQE Switch.................................3-2

3.2.2 Connecting the AUI Cable ............................3-4

3.2.3 Connecting the Fiber Optic Cable.................3-5

iii

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 3 (Cont.)

3.3 Mounting the FOT-F3 .............................................3-8

3.4 Cable Support Installation.......................................3-9

CHAPTER 4 TESTING AND USING LANVIEW

4.1 Installation Checkout...............................................4-1

4.1.1 Testing the Fiber Optic Link Segment..........4-2

4.1.2 Testing the FOT-F3

Fiber Optic Transceiver................................4-3

4.2 Using LANVIEW......................................................4-6

iv

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Cabletron Systems’ FOT-F3 Fiber Optic
Transceiver User’s Manual. We have designed this

manual to serve as a simple installation and reference
guide for the Cabletron Systems FOT-F3 transceiver.

The FOT-F3 allows you to connect two Ethernet devices
using single mode fiber optic cable. The FOT-F3 uses the
same signaling protocols specified by FOIRL and is
completely IEEE 802.3 compatible at the AUI interface
(the AUI port connects the transceiver to a device or
workstation via an AUI cable).

You should read through this manual to gain a full
understanding of the FOT-F3 transceiver and its
capabilities.

1.1 USING THIS MANUAL

Chapter 1, Introduction, discusses the capabilities of
Cabletron Systems’ FOT-F3 Fiber Optic Transceiver. The
chapter concludes with a list of related manuals.

Page 1 - 1

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 2, Installation Requirements/Specifications,
contains a list of hardware, software, location and
environmental requirements that must be met before you
install the FOT-F3. A list of FOT-F3 specifications is also
provided.

Chapter 3, Installing the FOT-F3, contains steps for
unpacking the FOT-F3, setting the SQE switch,
connecting the transceiver to the network, connecting the
transceiver to an active Ethernet device, and, if desired,
mounting the transceiver with the Velcro



mounts provided

with the unit.
Chapter 4, Testing and Troubleshooting, contains

procedures for verifying the proper installation of the
FOT-F3. It also describes LANVIEW



LEDs and their

function.
You should have a general working knowledge of Ethernet

or IEEE 802.3 type data communications networks and
their physical layer components before installing the
FOT-F3.

1.2 GETTING HELP

If additional support is needed related to the Cabletron
Systems FOT-F3, or if you have any comments,
improvements, suggestions, or questions relating to this

Page 1 - 2

INTRODUCTION

manual, feel free to contact Cabletron Systems’ Technical
Support at:

Cabletron Systems
P.O. Box 5005
Rochester, NH 03867-0505
Phone: [phone]

1.3 THE FOT-F3 FIBER OPTIC TRANSCEIVER
Connections

The Cabletron Systems FOT-F3 Fiber Optic Transceiver
(Fiber Optic Medium Attachment Unit or FOMAU)
(Fig. 1-1) easily connects two active Ethernet devices
through a fiber optic link segment. Devices such as
repeaters, multiport repeaters, multiport transceivers or
host systems can be connected using fiber optic cable.

The FOT-F3 is fully compatible with IEEE 802.3 and uses
the same signaling specified in FOIRL specifications. It
provides the flexibility to connect to networks using
Ethernet Version 1, Version 2, and/or IEEE 802.3
equipment through an AUI port. However, the FOT-F3
uses 1300 nm wave-length optical transmitters and
receivers (not the 850 nm specified by FOIRL) and should
be used only with Cabletron Systems' Ethernet single
mode products such as the FOMIM-36, FOMIM-32, and
the FOMIM-38.

Page 1 - 3

INTRODUCTION

Figure 1-1. FOT-F3

A fiber optic cable is connected to the transceiver through
ST fiber optic ports on the FOT-F3. This provides an
optical link to connect the device to the network. The fiber
optic link segment can run from the FOT-F3 to any
Ethernet FOIRL compatible fiber optic device.

Distance and Cable Type

The FOT-F3 supports single mode fiber optic cable for
sizes such as 8.3/125 µm, 8.7/125 µm, 9/125 µm, and
10/125 µm. You can also use multi mode cable such as

62.5/125 µm, but signal distance will be much shorter.
The signal distance is dependent on the cable type and
the overall system fiber optic budget. If the system
budgets and timing constraints are met, then a distance of
over ten kilometers is possible with single mode cable. If
using 62.5/125 multi mode cable, signal distance will be
about 2 km.

Page 1 - 4

INTRODUCTION

An AUI cable, up to 50 meters long, is used to connect an
Ethernet device to the AUI port on the transceiver. The
AUI cable must meet specifications for either IEEE 802.3
or Ethernet Version 1 or Version 2.

Signal Quality Error (SQE) Test

The FOT-F3 has a Signal Quality Error (SQE) Test Enable
Switch that allows you to enable or disable the SQE
(“heartbeat”) test function. The SQE test allows the
transceiver to generate a signal to ensure that the collision
circuit and path are operational between the FOT-F3 and
the Ethernet device attached to the transceiver’s AUI port.
The SQE test signal is generated after the FOT-F3 has
transmitted a data packet. This signal is generated only
between the FOT-F3 and the device; it will not be
transmitted onto the network. The SQE Test must not be
used when the FOT-F3 is attached to a repeater or
Ethernet Version 1 equipment.

LANVIEW LEDs

The FOT-F3 incorporates Cabletron Systems’ LANVIEW
diagnostic and monitoring system. LANVIEW is a series
of LEDs incorporated into all Cabletron Systems’ products.
If a problem arises, troubleshooting of power failures,
collisions, cable faults, or many other problems can be
diagnosed rapidly using a series of LEDs.

Page 1 - 5



INTRODUCTION
Application

The FOT-F3 can be configured into your network in many
ways. For example, a fiber optic link segment (4, Fig. 1-2)
can be attached to a Cabletron Systems’ Multi Media
Access Center (MMAC) (5) with a FOMIM-32/36/38.
The MMAC serves as an intelligent repeater hub that links
the fiber optic link segment to other network segments,
regardless of media type. The link segment is attached to
an FOT-F3 (3). An Ethernet device, such as a workstation
(1), is connected to the FOT-F3 through an AUI cable (2).

3

1

1. Workstation

2. AUI Cable

3. FOT-F3

4. Fiber Optic Link

5. MMAC with Fiber Optic MIM

2

4

5

Page 1 - 6

Figure 1-2. FOT-F3 Setup, Example 1

INTRODUCTION

In another example, an FOT-F3 (3, Fig. 1-3) is connected
to an MMAC (1) by an AUI cable (2) attached to an
Intelligent Repeater Module (IRM) in the MMAC. A
lengthy fiber optic link segment (4), up to ten kilometers,
runs from the FOT-F3 and to a Cabletron Systems’
NB25 bridge (7). Through the bridge, the host device
communicates with other devices on a larger Ethernet
network attached to the bridge’s AUI port.

1

1. MMAC

2. AUI Cable

3. FOT-F3

4. Fiber Optic Link

5. FOT-F3

6. AUI Cable

7. NB25 Bridge

Figure 1-3. FOT-F3 Setup, Example 2

456 7

3

2

Page 1 - 7

INTRODUCTION

1.4 RELATED MANUALS

The manuals identified below should be used to
supplement the procedures and other technical data
provided in this manual. The procedures contained in the
manuals below will be referenced only.

Cabletron Systems’ LAN-MD Portable Ethernet Tester
User’s Manual.

Cabletron Systems' FOMIM-32/36/38 Fiber Optic Interface
Module Installation Guide.

Page 1 - 8