Old fiber ethernet Standards
Malcolm Caldwell
We are about to clean up our campus network.
We have been using fiber to connect our buildings for ages - as we
live in one of the most lightning prone areas in the world (our power
company tell us we are the lightning capital of the world - but that
is probably their excuse for supplying unreliable power).
We have a mix of newer 10BaseF devices and older devices. Some of the
links currently use dec DEREPs and Decbridges. These do not appear to
work with newer 10BaseF equipment.
Another area uses chipcom oarnet devices.
I don't know much more than this, but it would appear that these
devices were created before the 10BaseF standards existed.
Does anyone have any idea what standards these devices ues - and
weather we have to replace all this old equipment. I don't really
care if we do - but I am a bit curious.
--
Malcolm Caldwell |Email:mal...@it.ntu.edu.au
Network Supervisor |Ph: +61 89 466631
Information Technology Support |Fax: +61 89 466630
Northern Territory University,Darwin|Mail:PO BOX 40146 CASUARINA 0811 Australia
Dan McDonald
>From: mal...@mango.ntu.edu.au (Malcolm Caldwell)
>Subject: Old fiber ethernet Standards
>Date: 15 Nov 1994 05:41:10 GMT
>Hello.
>We are about to clean up our campus network.
>We have been using fiber to connect our buildings for ages - as we
>live in one of the most lightning prone areas in the world (our power
>company tell us we are the lightning capital of the world - but that
>is probably their excuse for supplying unreliable power).
>We have a mix of newer 10BaseF devices and older devices. Some of the
>links currently use dec DEREPs and Decbridges. These do not appear to
>work with newer 10BaseF equipment.
Right, the DEREPs use FOIRL, but not a particularly standard breed.
>Another area uses chipcom oarnet devices.
This was the basis for the 10BaseF "B" draft. Chipcom, LANtech, Zenith, and
ATI are about the only companies that still support 10BaseFB
>I don't know much more than this, but it would appear that these
>devices were created before the 10BaseF standards existed.
Yup. Back then it was every fiber for himself. With some of the really old
DEREPs, you couldn't even be certain they would talk to each other. I recall
an FCO that came out in about '89 that changed the firmware in DEREPs so they
could talk to LanBridge 100s (or maybe it was 200s...)
>Does anyone have any idea what standards these devices ues - and
>weather we have to replace all this old equipment. I don't really
>care if we do - but I am a bit curious.
I don't know that you have to replace it, but I probably would, if for no
other reason than to get rid of thickwire backbone loops. In fact, I did just
that where I last worked after living with DEREPs for 4 years.
The worst thing about DEREPs that we noticed was that when the power went out
for a little bit, the DEREPs would not sync back up, and I would have to go to
each building and reset them all manually.
>--
>Malcolm Caldwell |Email:mal...@it.ntu.edu.au
>Network Supervisor |Ph: +61 89 466631
>Information Technology Support |Fax: +61 89 466630
>Northern Territory University,Darwin|Mail:PO BOX 40146 CASUARINA 0811 Australia
Daniel J. McDonald home: mcdo...@teleport.com
Telecom Designer work: 23...@idchq.attmail.com
Industrial Design Corporation pots: 1.503.653.6919
Disclaimer: my views are my own and no one else's
Szymon Sokol
: In article <MALCOLM.94...@mango.ntu.edu.au> mal...@mango.ntu.edu.au (Malcolm Caldwell) writes:
: >From: mal...@mango.ntu.edu.au (Malcolm Caldwell)
: >Subject: Old fiber ethernet Standards
: >Date: 15 Nov 1994 05:41:10 GMT
: >We have a mix of newer 10BaseF devices and older devices. Some of the
: >links currently use dec DEREPs and Decbridges. These do not appear to
: >work with newer 10BaseF equipment.
: Right, the DEREPs use FOIRL, but not a particularly standard breed.
: >Another area uses chipcom oarnet devices.
: This was the basis for the 10BaseF "B" draft. Chipcom, LANtech, Zenith, and
: ATI are about the only companies that still support 10BaseFB
If you mean "Allied Telesis, Inc." by ATI above, then I must add that they
do not mark their products as 10baseFB, but rather 10baseF. It got me when
I bought some FOTs from them, blindly assuming they are 10baseFL (and thus
FOIR-compatible). Alas! ATI's 10baseF is NOT compatible with FOIRL.
--
Szymon Sokol -- Network Manager
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