[c-nsp] Where do you put the optical attenuators?

[neal rauhauser]

  Well, BOFH style, I would say you put them where you need them :-)


   We had a problem with this last month - burned up a PA-POS-OC3 due to
having it on only 800' of dark fiber. We bought 3dB through 15dB attenuators
from Fiber Instrument Sales along with an inexpensive test kit ($1,000 or
so) and then fooled around until we got what we wanted. We ended up with 7dB
of input attenuation and 5dB of output.

   Place the stuff where it makes sense - out of harm's way, which can be
either at the device or at the patch panel. Get two of everything you use
*including the fiber jumpers*. I've seen people with one critical oddball
fiber jumper make a wrong move and then have *long* outages - this happened
with one customer when the change from SC to LC connectors was just starting
...

  Oh, and I don't have to tell you to document this, right? Use the system
in place, and if the system is "ad hoc" print a couple single page copies of
what was done and why, then laminate 'em and glue 'em to the wall in the
appropriate location :-)



On 10/26/07, Tassos Chatzithomaoglou <achatz at forthnet.gr> wrote:
>
> Does anyone know if in-line optical attenuator have to be connected on the
> receiver side only?
>
> For example in the following link
>
>
>     A---------------------C
> SW1                      SW2
>     B---------------------D
>
> SW1 is transmitting through A and receiving through B
> SW2 is transmitting through D and receiving through C
>
> Where is the best place to put the attenuators? B & C?
> Can i put them on A & B?
>
> I did some tests putting them on every possible side (as long as there is
> one on each fiber strand) and all of them worked, but i
> was wondering if there is a best practice about them.
>
> --
> Tassos
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