Field Testing Update

Adrian Young
Fluke Networks
November, 2013
Singapore

Objectives for this session

Copper field standards update
Look at new copper field measurements
Fiber field standards update

IEC 61935-1 Ed.4

Defines field tester accuracy for ISO/IEC 11801:2010

Level IIe, supports Class D (100 MHz)

Level III, supports Class E (250 MHz)
Level IIIe, supports Class EA (500 MHz)
Level IV, supports Class F (600 MHz)
Level V, supports Class FA (1,000 MHz)

Status
Draft, publication Q2 2014?
Work can begin on 2 GHz field testing once published

ANSI/TIA-1152
Defines field tester accuracy for ANSI/TIA-568-C.2
Level IIe, supports Category 5e (100 MHz)
Level III, supports Category 6 (250 MHz)
Level IIIe, supports Category 6A (500 MHz)

Status
Published September 2009
Opened for review at TIA meeting in Portland (June 2013)
Editor: Fluke Networks

Work has begun on supporting 2 GHz field testing

Other measurements to be considered
Resistance, Resistance Unbalance

Possible new link definition(s)

Resistance Unbalance
Specified in IEEE 802.3af and IEEE 802.3at for the
successful transmission of Power over Ethernet

Resistance Unbalance
Difference in DC Resistance between conductors of the
same pair
1.87

1.85

Resistance = 3.7
Resistance Unbalance = 0.02

Resistance Unbalance
ISO/IEC 11801:2010
0.15 or 3.0% for the Permanent Link (Greater of the two)
0.20 or 3.0% for the Channel (Greater of the two)
Not a requirement in IEC 61935-1 field testing standard.yet

ANSI/TIA-568-C.2
0.20 or 3.0% for the Channel (Greater of the two)
Not a requirement in ANSI/TIA-1152 field testing standardyet

Copper Cladded Aluminum Cable

Limited data from the field suggests this measurement
could be used to detect the presence of such cable

CCA cable is not permitted in either TIA or ISO

ANSI/TIA-568-C.2-1
Category 8
Support proposed for 40GBASE-T
Supported Channel length now 30 m

Status
Working on laboratory fixtures to support 2 GHz testing
Need round robin testing between labs to see if there is good
correlation of measurements
Test plug performance to be decided
No fixture available to measure test plugs to 2 GHz

Field testers
Baseline accuracy demonstrated
No Channel measurement accuracy demonstrated
No Perm. Link accuracy demonstrated

ANSI/TIA-568-C.2-1
Baseline accuracy
Accuracy without adapters

Adapter development is the real challenge here

New FIELD copper measurements

Balance
Balance is critical for successful transmission
Reduces emissions
Mitigates external noise sources

Balance
Balance is critical for successful transmission
Reduces emissions
Mitigates external noise sources

Balance
Defined in ANSI/TIA-568-C.2
Channel limits only for TCL and ELTCTL
Not a requirement in ANSI/TIA-1152 field testing

Defined in ISO/IEC 11801:2010

Channel limits for only TCL and ELTCTL
Not a requirement in IEC 61935-1 Ed.4 (draft) field testing

Industrial Ethernet group very interested

TCL (Transverse Conversion Loss)

Transverse Conversion Loss is the ratio (in dB) of a common-mode
voltage measured on a wire pair relative to a differential-mode
voltage applied to the same end of the pair. The TCL value shows
you how well the impedances of the pairs conductors are
balanced.

TCL (Transverse Conversion Loss)

A high TCL value means that the impedances of the conductors
relative to ground are almost equal.

High TCL values correspond

to better noise immunity and
lower emissions.

TCTL (Transverse Conversion Transfer Loss)

Transverse Conversion Transfer Loss is the ratio (in dB) of a
common-mode voltage measured at the far end of a wire pair
relative to a differential-mode voltage applied to the near end of
the same pair.

TCTL values improve with longer links

We actually use Equal Level Transverse Conversion Loss (ELTCTL)

ELTCTL (Equal Level Transverse Conversion Transfer Loss)

Subtracting the effects of insertion loss normalizes the results for
length and produces ELTCTL values, which are not dependent on
length.
Because ELTCTL does not
depend on length, it is used
instead of TCTL to evaluate cable
performance.
High ELTCTL values correspond
to better noise immunity and lower
emissions.

Shield integrity
ALL wire mappers would think the shield was connected
Grounding of two racks makes this happen

Poor shielded terminations can result in poor Alien Crosstalk

Shield integrity
An incorrectly terminated shield can adversely affect
transmission properties such as Alien Crosstalk
The data below was taken from a data center where the shield was terminated incorrectly
Better

Worse

The traditional Wire Map passed the shield shield

Shield Integrity
New Wire Map approach
Use a Time Domain Reflectometer test to see if the shield is
truly connected by applying a differential signal between the
shield and all four pairs

Shield integrity
Even when the two connectors are grounded together

Shield integrity
Traditional Wire Mappers will show this connected

Modified Single Connector Permanent Link

IP camera and Wireless Access Point links are often
terminated with an RJ45 plug

Standards participants looking to define this link

definition which is already found in BICSI but no test
guidelines are given

Modified Single Connector Permanent Link

Recommended method at this time is to use a
Permanent Link Adapter at one end and a Channel
Adapter at the other
Use Permanent Link
test limits
Remote RJ45 plug excluded
from measurement

Channel Adapter

Perm. Link Adapter

Modified Single Connector Permanent Link

Using time domain techniques, it is possible to see if the
RJ45 plug is bad but there is no standard to support
this

Fiber Standards Update

ISO/IEC 14763-3 (2006)

This standard us under review
Two methods to measuring a Permanent Link
1 Jumper reference
Accepted as the measurement with the least uncertainty

3 Jumper reference

Required for legacy test equipment that has fixed input ports
Users often end up with negative loss readings
Negative loss readings rejected for warranty application
Measurement uncertainty in the field is unacceptable
Too many negative loss readings!

There was a proposal to a variation of the 3 Jumper Reference but it

was rejected over concerns of a change in reference planes

ANSI/TIA-526-14-B
Title: Optical Power Loss Measurements of Installed
Multimode Fiber Cable Plant
Localized changes being made to only require Encircled
Flux for OM3/OM4 installations
Was talk of bring back Coupled Power Ratio (Rejected)
Coupled Power Ratio has a measurement uncertainty of 40%
Use of expensive and difficult to get hold of launch
conditioners driving this change

Still recommends Encircled Flux compliant sources for

other multimode fibre types

ANSI/TIA-526-14-B
No option to use a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser
(VCSEL) as a source, previous 526-14-A did allow them

VCSELs have a spectral width 0.47 nm

Measurement uncertainty associated with VCSELs is
unacceptable with todays low loss components
Cabling vendors rejecting these results too

ANSI/TIA-526-14-C (In progress)

ANSI/TIA-526-14-B = Adoption of IEC 61280
ANSI/TIA-526-14-C = Adaptation of IEC 61280
ANSI/TIA-526-14-C
Make 50 m 850 nm normative for Encircled Flux
All other cases informative for Encircled Flux
Proposal for HOML for informative cases accepted

HOML = Higher Order Modal Loss

Experiments by FNET proved concept
Produces a field verification method that anyone could do
Not a substitute for Encircled Flux 20% confidence factor

HOML Procedure
Dual wavelength
light source

50 m or 62.5 m TRC

P0

STEP 1: HOML with TRC, 50 m or 62.5 m versions

Dual wavelength
light source

50 m or 62.5 m TRC

P1

5 Turn, 17 mm/22 mm

STEP 2: HOML with simple 5-turn mandrel, 50 m or 62.5 m versions

HOML is the difference in power comparing 0 turns with 5 turns (P0-P1)

32

TIA-TSB-4979
Title: Practical Considerations for Implementation of
Multimode Launch Conditions in the Field
Gives two options on being Encircled Flux compliant
Use a launch conditioner
User a test cord tuned to an Encircled Flux compliant source

Encircled Flux compliant sources reduce measurement

uncertainty due to launch conditions from 40%* to 10%

* Some experts are suggesting this is closer to 60% based on their testing

TIA-TSB-4979
Method 1: Launch Conditioner

Makes any LED source Encircled Flux compliant

User complain of bulkiness
Cost concerns
Can be difficult to get hold of

TIA-TSB-4979
Method 2: Matched source and test reference cord

EF

Tester vendor specific

More elegant
Significantly cheaper

EF

Is EF needed?
Yes
Data Centres are multi-connector environments
The use of low loss components is required

If the consultant or cabling vendor specifies a loss

budget (limit) based on these numbers, you may not
achieve it with a non EF solution

BICSI News
Available online

Questions?
Thank you for your time