[CS-FSLUG] Long Copper Run and Fiber Media Converters

[Peter J. Vasquez Sr.]

I concur with Josiah.  Fiber is a precise art, especially in the
polishing of the ends.  My company has run many thousands of feet
across our area, and even with the thick/tough stuff, we have had
issues in some areas.  Also, unlike cat5/cat6 where you can use a pull
string to get it through, you will need special equipment that 'blows'
the fiber with a lot of force through the conduit to come out in the
other side without breaking or kinking it (this only works if there is
sufficient room, usually when the conduit is empty).

GigE over cat5/cat6 is the way to go.  If you're able to dig another
trench for the conduit and then use PVC to get it between the
buildings, that would be the best option if you can't use the existing
one.  I did this for my church a couple of months ago between
buildings (about 200ft), and it was really worth it to get several
cat6 lines in at once that we can expand to use in the future.  It's a
lot of work, but if you can do it, it really is the best way.  Let me
know if you need any additional information.  Thanks.

--
Peter

On Mon, Sep 24, 2012 at 7:48 AM, Josiah Ritchie
<josiah at josiahritchie.com> wrote:
> On Sun, Sep 23, 2012 at 8:52 PM, Timothy Butler <tbutler at ofb.biz> wrote:
>>
>>
>> I've searched a good deal about fiber, but most of the information I've
>> found has assumed the reader has a lot more experience with fiber than I
>> have had (i.e. none). Is there a good resource for a basic tutorial on
>> fiber? Basically, I could use some advice on which sort of connectors are
>> best out of the variety that seem to exist, how to crimp those connectors on
>> and what media converters are best to convert from fiber back to copper on
>> each end.
>
>
> In my experience, your best bet is to determine your equipment and then use
> that to determine the types of ends you want on the fiber. If you can
> purchases and run the fiber with the ends already on it, that is best.
> Terminating fiber is a very precise art. You are polishing glass to be very
> flat and come out to very precise tolerances so it isn't really a job for
> someone lacking experience in it. I've watched guys do it and it takes
> precise tools that most IT shops don't have lying around like high-quality
> optics to examine the fiber for proper polish before terminating and the
> equipment to polish it with. I've always brought the fiber into something
> like a 24-port switch, but there are conversion boxes out there. I have no
> experience with them. I haven't done fiber in awhile so this may be less
> substantial, but fiber does tend to be more expensive in every area in a
> significant manner.
>
> Also, make sure everyone knows where the fiber is run if it is underground.
> It is unfortunate to take out three buildings when a fellow runs underground
> power cable for street lighting right through three pair of fiber, not that
> I'd know anything about that. ;-) Also, If that does happen, be sure you
> don't have VoIP phones so that the huge crowds of unhappy office workers
> don't have to come to your office physically. We had that part right at
> least. :-)
>
> JSR/
>
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