Saturday, May 17, 2008

Loopback Test - The Easiest Way to Ensure Your Fiber Optic Transceiver Is Working Faultlessly

What is a loopback test?

A loopback test is a hardware or software method which feeds a received signal or data back to the sender. It is used as an aid in debugging physical connection problems.

Fiber optic transceiver loopback test

Fiber optic transceiver is the fundamental part in any fiber optic communication network equipment. Its function is exactly the same as your computer's Ethernet Card. (although almost all modern computers integrate it on the motherboard, not as a separate PCI card anymore)

Fiber optic transceiver has two ports, a transmitter port and a receiver port. The transmitter port sends out laser signal to a linked transceiver and the receiver port receives laser signal from the other transceiver.

On fiber optic transceiver manufacturing floors and in R&D labs, we usually use a fiber optic loopback module to verify the transceiver is working perfectly as designed instead of using another transceiver as its partner.

Basically what the loopback module does is directly routing the laser signal from the transmitter port back to the receiver port. Then we can compare the transmitted pattern with the received pattern to make sure they are identical and have no error.

What types of loopback modules are available?

The most popular types of fiber optic loopback modules are SC, LC and MTRJ connector types. But each connector type is divided again by fiber type, connector polish type and attenuation.

Fiber Types

Each connector type is available for three fiber types. They are 50/125um multimode, 62.5/125um multimode and 9/125um single mode.

Connector Polish Types

Only PC polish is available for multimode type fibers. But for single mode fiber, two connector polish types are available: UPC polish and APC polish.

Working Wavelength

In addition to fiber type, working wavelength is the other important factor for choosing the correct fiber optic loopback module for your specific application. Available wavelengths are 850nm, 1310nm and 1550nm. 850nm and 1310nm are for multimode applications and 1550nm is for single mode applications.

Attenuation

You can specify how the signal power level should be reduced in the loopback path. This is because the receiver port cannot handle very high power. And in real life fiber optic network, there are always attenuations introduced by fibers, equipment and physical environment. So the transmitter power is attenuated to a safe level through the network before reaching the other receiver.

However since you are routing the transmitter directly back to the receiver, attenuation usually must be added to protect the receiver.

How much attenuation should be added depends on your transceiver type and you must decide it by yourself. Fortunately, there are a wide range of attenuation options available from 0dB, 1dB, 2dB to 24dB or even more.

Colin Yao shows you more secrets about fiber optic loopback, LC loopback, SC loopback and much more on our web site! Fiber Optics For Sale Co. is one of the largest distributors for fiber optic network products.

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Backing Up Your Computer Data for Safety

While using your computer, you might not routinely think about what can happen if you lose all your data or programs, but unfortunately such ugly incidents do occur. This is why it is vital that you back up your computer on a regular basis. That way if you lose your data, you can recover it from the storage media you used for the backup without losing much - if any - of your critical information.

By backing up data such as important programs you use frequently, business documents and other files, personal information such as passwords and your favorite web sites along with various folders, you are saving the information just in case you need it later. The most convenient way to store this information from your computer is to use the backup option that usually comes with your operating system.

Many people store their data on CD's, but those media hold limited amounts of data and may not be able to store everything you need. There are more options that retain larger amounts of information, such as removable media, external hard disk drives, and network drives. If you back up your data to your internal hard disk, you need to store the information on a separate partition on that drive in case one is damaged. Frequently, computers are configured with both a C and D drive, and most people use the C drive to hold all their day-to-day information. Thus in this scenario, the backup of that data would be stored on the D drive for recovery purposes.

Removable media - often called a flash drive - is a popular choice as well. Typically, it can hold one gigabyte of information, while more expensive ones store even more data. Prices for this backup option continue to fall, so it is increasingly appealing for its convenience and for the retention of smaller amounts of data. To use it, simply attach the flash drive to one of the computer's USB ports, back up your data, and pop it out afterward. Then to use its stored data later, place it into the USB port of either another computer or back in the original for data recovery.

Using a network drive is an option if it has sufficient disk space available. This could be your network drive or space that you "rent" from a third party provider. You are always limited by the amount of free space on a drive, so if you have a lot of data on your computer, you will need to be selective of the specific data you opt to store elsewhere.

Finally, there are different types of backups that you can perform depending on your needs. You can back up all your files, some of them, or only the files you have recently added or made changes to since your most recent backup. Depending whether you use your computer for personal or business needs, you should weigh the pros and cons of each backup option against cost and your time constraints.

For practical PC security software information, please visit http://www.pc-security-keys.com, a popular site providing great insights concerning issues that help you to combat viruses, spyware, adware, and more!

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