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From: eriks@yetti.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: anyone out there with American Photonics RL-5000's?
Message-ID: <209@yetti.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 24-Nov-87 11:12:41 EST
Article-I.D.: yetti.209
Posted: Tue Nov 24 11:12:41 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 27-Nov-87 04:16:43 EST
Reply-To: eriks@yetti.UUCP (Eriks Rugelis)
Distribution: world
Organization: York U. Computer Services
Lines: 29
Keywords: API, fiber optics, 802.3, transceiver cable, RL-5000

American Photonics Inc. manufactures something called an RL-5000.
They call it a 'Fiber Optic Ethernet Expander'.  What it is supposed
to do is to extend a transceiver cable over a fiber optic link (up to
over 3km).  It appears to be a convenient way of extending the
distance serviced by an ethernet without eating into the repeater
budget.

I've got a pair of these boxes on a trial basis to check them out but
have been having some difficulty in getting them to work.  It appears
that the boxes work SOMETIMES (!!) (i.e. they pass DECnet HELLO's but
nothing else... or they let me initiate a telnet connection but then
stop passing packets).

My test setup currently uses about 25 ft. of fiber optic cable
(62.5/125 micron).  The planned installation will use about 1400 ft.
of fiber.  API thinks that perhaps because the fiber run is so short
it is possible that the optical inputs are being over-driven and hence
data is not passing through cleanly.  I think that I'll just ask them
to send over another couple of units to see if they behave the same
way.  I'm just a little bit reluctant to go ahead and install the full
1400 ft. of fiber, only to find out that my terminating equipment
won't work.

Does anyone out there have reasonable theories or experiences w.r.t.
driving optical stuff at close to 0 dB? (it might be as little as -1dB)
Does anyone out there have any experience with this product? (good? bad?)

Thanks for any help,
Eriks