Return 1. Can I use multimode optical cables to connect the
ConnTech 2000 to my singlemode DWDM equipment?
2. What happens if I use singlemode cables with the multimode
ConnTech 2000 optical interfaces?
3. Is there a singlemode option for the ConnTech 2000?
4. Can I link together sequential tests
from the ConnTech 2000 and run a mix of test patterns without stopping and starting
the unit?
5. What are the minimum PC requirements to run the ConnTech
2000 s/w?
6. I get occasional errors in my testing when using the analyzer
and tester.
7. Can I test two ESCON links simultaneously with the
ConnTech 2000?
8. Do I have the latest software?
9. I have plenty of optical power at the input to the
ConnTech 2000 but the test display indicates NO optical signal.
10. I see a message in the log window of the Tester that
says "Consecutive Idles Detected". What does this mean ?
11. What is the procedure for installing new Software
and uninstalling old software ?
12. I received an LOF indication during testing, what
does this mean and what caused it to occur ?
13. What conditions cause a No Light detection on the
ConnTech 2000 ?
14. Which s/w is appropriate for my ConnTech 2000 ?
15. There appears to be no way to search through the
captured data for an ESCON Trace. Is it possible to get the format of the RAW
capture file so the files can be searched /examined ?
16. My computer does not have an RS232 interface.
Does CTP offer a USB interface option for
the ConnTech 2000 ?
17. Can I send an Escon frame in the Generator mode of operation with an Abort
End of Frame delimiter?
18. When entering trigger settings in the Control side
of the trigger window, certain values are not retained when the send command
is issued. Specifically hex values 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A, 8A, 9A change
to 00. How Do I resolve this problem ?
Can I use multimode optical cables to connect the ConnTech 2000 to my singlemode DWDM equipment?
Yes, multimode jumper cables which are supplied with the ConnTech 2000 can
be used to connect directly to the DWDM optical receiver ports; however, the
DWDM transmitter outputs most likely will have to be attenuated before connecting
to the ConnTech 2000's receivers. Many DWDM Tx outputs are- 8 dBm and will
saturate the ConnTech 2000' receivers. A 15 dB attenuator is recommended between
the DWDM's Tx output and the ConnTech 2000's receiver Rx port to bring the
signal level to within the -14 to -32 dBm range.
Do not use the multimode jumpers if the interface to the DWDM connections
have intermediate singlemode jumper cables between a patch panel and the optical
receiver on the DWDM equipment. The introduction of singlemode cables will
add about 20 dB loss to the circuit providing a -36 dBm signal level at the
DWDM inputs.
What
happens if I use singlemode cables with the multimode ConnTech 2000 optical
interfaces?>
Using singlemode cables between the Tx multimode output ports of the ConnTech
2000 and your DWDM singlemode input ports will couple only a small amount
of the signal and provide typically - 36 dBm signal to your DWDM. It is recommend
to use singlemode jumper cables with singlemode transmitters.
The inputs to the ConnTech 2000's receivers from your DWDM outputs on the
other hand will work providing the signal level is kept within the -14 dBm
to -32 dBm.
Is there a singlemode
option for the ConnTech 2000?
Yes, for singlemode applications CTP offers an ESCON line interface module which has two Class I laser outputs in place of the standard multimode transmitters. The ConnTech 2000 can be field upgraded by replacing the multimode line interface module with the singlemode line interface module. See ConnTech 2000 User Guide page 91 for Class I laser specifications. Order the ESCON singlemode line interface module part number CBA0018-001.
Yes, a Test Matrix S/W program allows you to create your own test scenario for the ConnTech 2000. Up to ten tests can be defined and run sequentially where frame size, test pattern and test duration combinations can be created for each test. Each test suite can be run for a fixed length of time (user defined) or placed in a loop for continuous operation. The tests, once started, will run without operator intervention and will maintain activate data outputs during test changes. The same error log is active during the test scenarios to record the test start and stop times of each individual test along with any bit or line state errors detected.
What are the minimum
PC requirements to run the ConnTech 2000 s/w?
Any Pentium processor operating at 100Mbs or greater and having 10 MB free hard disk space and 32 MB RAM with a 16450 compatible UART and Windows 9x, 0x, ME, XP, or NT4 operating system.
I get occasional
errors in my testing when using the analyzer and tester.
When switching between ESCON Analyzer and ESCON Generator modes it is recommended to turn the ConnTech 2000 power OFF and then ON to clear any errors or setting from the internal registers. The Power OFF/ON is also recommended when switching between tester and analyzer.
Can I test two ESCON
links simultaneously with the ConnTech 2000?
Yes, you may operate two ConnTech 2000's in a head to head test mode where one ConnTech 2000 is connected at each end of the same link (i.e. uplink and downlink). Both ConnTech 2000's must have the same test patterns running at the same rate. The ConnTech 2000 at location A will transmit data on the uplink to location B where the second ConnTech 2000 will receive the signal. Location B will transmit an independent signal back to location A on the downlink and it will be received on unit A's Rx input. This feature is available on units with F/W Rev. G and higher. If your ConnTech 2000 is at a lower revision level, contact CTP for upgrade instructions.
Do I have the latest
software?
Contact CTP via email for the latest version of S/W used for the ConnTech 2000. ConnTech 2000's with older H/W revisions such as A001-xxxx-yyy with H/W Rev B and earlier will require hardware changes to the ConnTech 2000 to operate with the newer version of code.
The ConnTech 2000 receiver inputs are designed to detect signal transitions as well as having min. power levels. It is possible to over drive the receiver inputs where the ConnTech 2000 can not detect the transitions due to excessive optical power. The PC may display NO signal when in fact it can not recognize a transition. Measure the optical power at the input to the ConnTech 2000 receiver and verify optical power is within the range of -14 dBm to -32 dBm Install an optical attenuator if necessary to bring the optical power to within the recommended operating range.
The ESCON Specification states that a minimum of 4 Idles are required between
ESCON Frames. This message indicates that the Tester has detected less than
4 Idles between 2 consecutive Frames during a test.
What is the procedure
for installing new Software and uninstalling old software ?
Quick Instructions for using CTP ConnTech2000 5.11.003 Installation CD
to install ConnTech2000 BERT/Link Tester and Analyzer Software on a PC:
1. Check CTP ConnTech manual to verify that your PC has sufficient speed
and memory resources to run the CTP ConnTech 2000 Software.
2. Verify that the PC has at least one available COMM port, for the PC
to communicate to a ConnTech2000 Box.
3. Remove any pre-existing CTP ConnTech2000 software, currently running
under the PC's MicroSoft Operating System. This may be achieved by:
i. Selecting START>Settings>Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs.
ii. Using verical Scroll bar to select Existing CTP Program(s) and
then pressing Add/Remove button.
4. It is strongly recommended that you Re-Boot the PC, each time you
remove a program.
5. After Rebooting, insert the Installation CD, in an available CD Drive.
If your PC has Auto Run feature is enabled, the Installation process
will begin. Otherwise, use MicroSoft Windows Explorer to navigate to
the top level directory of the installation CD. Then, double click
on the "Setup.exe" application entry to start the installation process.
6. Once the Installation process has started, answer the questions that
are presented in a series of several dialog boxes. After reaching and
then pressing the "Finish" botton, reboot your PC.
7. Once Rebooted, you will find a BERT/Link Icon and an Analyzer Icon
on your windows desktop. Click on the former to start the BERT/Link
Tester, and the latter to start the Analyzer.
I received an
LOF indication during testing, what does this mean and what caused it to occur
?
LOF means the BERT device has loss framing due to excessive errors
in the payload field. The grey light will turn RED during this time and no errors
will be counted when the LOF light is RED. For all word patterns and PRBS patterns
the LOF ( Loss of Frame ) occurs when 30 or more bit errors are detected in
a block of 1000 consecutive bits. For fixed word pattens the LOF occurs when
three consecutive 4-bit patterns are received in error or 30 or more errors
are detected within 1000 consecutive bits.
What conditions
cause a No Light detection on the ConnTech 2000 ?
A No Light condition may be displayed by a black arrow indication
at the Rx box and in the event log under three condtions; one, an optical signal
whose power level is below - 32 dBm, two, an optical signal greater than - 14
dBm which saturates the Conntech 2000 receiver and three, an optical signal
within the acceptable power levels of -14 dBm and -32 dBm but contains non-ESCON
characters. Any one of these conditions will cause a No Light response.
Which s/w is appropriate
for my ConnTech 2000 ?
ConnTech 2000's with Chassis serial numbers A001-xxxx-yyy should
use Version 5.10.d.
ConnTech 2000's with Chassis serial numbers A002-xxxx-yyy should use Version
5.12.0006 for the LINK Tester. (Version 5.12.0008 for the analyzer features).
The 5.10.d version supports ESCON only while the 5.12.0006 supports both ESCON and Fibre Channel modules along with the new BERT summary screen. Using version 5.10.d with a A002- chassis will not allow the auto init feature to work, you must use 5.12.006 with a A002 chassis to access the auto init feature
There appears to be no way to search through the captured data for an ESCON Trace. Is it possible to get the format of the RAW capture file so the files can be searched /examined ?
Yes, the RAW data captured files can be interpreted by using the Raw Data capture document. Go here to download the document.
My computer does not have an RS232 interface. Does CTP offer a USB interface option for the ConnTech 2000 ?
Yes, Contact CTP for information on the USB expansion module allowing PC’s without RS 232 ports to be controlled through this adapter. Additional information on the optional USB module can be found here .
Can I send an Escon frame in the Generator mode of operation with an Abort End of Frame delimiter?
The current windows application code 5.10xx thru 5.1x.xxx does not support the generation of an Escon frame with an Abort End of Frame delimiter. The current application code will default to a valid Passive End of Frame or Disconnect End of Frame delimiter depending on the type of frame selected ie, command, status, control. Although an Abort End of Frame can become a valid delimiter with any Escon frame type this scenario has been masked out of the selection procedure. The next release of the Analyzer/Generator Windows application will address this issue.
When entering trigger settings in the Control side of the trigger window, certain values are not retained when the send command is issued. Specifically hex values 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A, 8A, 9A change to 00. How do I resolve this problem?
Fix: bug found in analyzer s/w and has been corrected with the
analyzer new release 5.12.0008.
Go here to get the new software.
Read this FAQ for instructions on installing to software.Go
here for instructions on installing