William Petriw

Problem Analysis

11/30/2014

Common causes of fiber optic malfunctions-Anyone whos ever done network

troubleshooting knows its a complicated process, so its helpful to know where to start
looking for a problem. To help you make an educated guess about the cause of your
networks troubles, here are some of the most common fiber optic cable problems with
their possible causes:

Broken fibers because of physical stress or excessive bending

Insufficient transmitting power
Excessive signal loss due to a cable span thats too long
Excessive signal loss due to a contaminated connector
Excessive signal loss due to faulty splices or connectors
Excessive signal loss due to having too many splices or connectors
Faulty connection of fiber to the patch panel or in the splice tray
Typically, if a connection is completely dead, its because of a break in the cable.

However, if the connection is intermittent, there are several possible causes:

The cables attenuation may be too high because of poor quality splices or too

many splices.
Things like dust, fingerprints, scratches, and humidity can contaminate

connectors.
There is low transmitter strength.
There are bad connections in the wiring closet.

Gathering information-When fixing a problem the first thing to do is gather some basic
information about the problems symptoms and possible causes. As with any other
medium, the key to getting good information is knowing the right questions to ask. Here
are a few questions that can get you started.
Have there been any changes to the PCs hardware?-Upgrading a PCs hardware
can also cause problems. The cable could have been disconnected and either not
reconnected, reconnected improperly, or contaminated prior to being reconnected. Its

William Petriw

Problem Analysis

11/30/2014

also entirely possible that the cable was never disconnected during the hardware
upgrade. If thats the case, theres a chance that the cable could have been
overextended when the PC was moved, or the PC could have been accidentally
smashed against the back of the desk or the wall, damaging the connector.
Its also possible that the cable was never damaged or hooked up incorrectly, but rather
that the new hardware is preventing the NIC from working correctly. The exact method
by which youd determine whether or not the NIC is having problems varies with your
operating system. However, if youre using Windows 9x, Me, 2000, or XP, you can use
the Device Manager to examine each of the systems hardware devices to see what is
and isnt working.
I also recommend temporarily removing the new hardware and returning the system to
its previous state, if possible. This could show if the systems new hardware is causing
the problem, or if the problem is related to something else.
A quick-and-dirty test-Time is usually a critical factor when Im troubleshooting an onsite problem. Users need to be back online quickly, and I usually have plenty of other
jobs waiting. Because of this, I try to diagnose the problem as quickly as humanly
possible.
One way is to begin the process with a highly unscientific but effective test. I disconnect
both ends of the fiber cable and hold a laser pointer up to the cable to see if the light
comes out the other end. If you dont have a laser pointer, a bright flashlight works just
as well. Fiber optic cable is designed to conduct light, so you dont have to worry too
much about exactly lining up the cable with the light source. If no light comes through

William Petriw

Problem Analysis

11/30/2014

the cable, then the cable is broken and needs to be replaced. If light does come through
the cable, it doesnt necessarily mean that the cable is good; it just means that the fiber
inside the cable hasnt been completely destroyed. However, if the light comes through
the cable and the cable run is shorter than a hundred meters, then the cable will often
be good enough to use.
Additional diagnostic techniques-If the laser pointer or flashlight can pass light
through the fiber optic cable, then its time for some further diagnosis. I tend to favor the
process of elimination when diagnosing fiber optic problems.
I usually begin by disconnecting the troubled computer from the fiber optic cable and
connecting a PC or laptop--that I know to be good--to the cable. If the good PC is able
to function, then I know that the cable isn't the problem. It could be due to a damaged
NIC, or a configuration problem could be preventing the computer from recognizing the
NIC properly. For example, the NIC might be conflicting with another device in the
system, or a necessary DLL file might be corrupt.
If the good computer also fails to function when attached to the fiber optic cable, then
the problem is either in the cable itself or in the port that the cable is connected to at the
other end. Leave the good PC connected to the cable and attach the other end of the
cable to a known good port. If the PC still fails to function, then the cable is bad. If, on
the other hand, the PC begins to function, then the port is bad.
Sometimes the process of elimination just isnt an option. For example, you might not
have a spare computer or a spare port available, or the fiber optic cable may span too

William Petriw

Problem Analysis

11/30/2014

long a distance to make this type of troubleshooting effective. If this is the case, there
are other troubleshooting methods and tools that you can use.
Diagnostic tools-The technique involves connecting a source generator to a power
meter. You can set the dBm range and the wavelength that you want to test on the
source generator. You then attach the source generator to the power meter, which
measures the signal and reports on the signals losses. Typically, the process involves
using a cable you know to be good as a reference to establish a baseline measurement
before you test an unknown cable. If the unknown cable is good, then its losses should
be similar to the losses of the reference cable.
Testing-The actual type of test equipment youll need depends on what type of cable
and connectors youre using. Obviously, not every connector will attach to every tester.
Likewise, you cant expect a tester thats designed for single-mode cable to test
multimode cable. There are a wide variety of fiber optic testers on the market. Some
test only a single type of cable, while others are designed to function as all-in-one
testers. In my opinion, Fluke Networks makes the best network testing tools available.
A fiber optic microscope-Fiber optic contamination is caused by things like dust,
scratches, or epoxy on the ends of the fiber optic connectors. The best way of testing
for such contaminants is by using a fiber optic microscope.
A fiber optic microscope is a special microscope designed specifically for inspecting
fiber optics. Traditional fiber optic microscopes range in price from just under US$100 to
about US$800.

William Petriw

Problem Analysis

11/30/2014

If youre considering the purchase of a fiber optic microscope, there are several things
to look for besides price. The first thing that you should look for is a connector to hold
the cable in place. Many of the cheaper portable microscopes require you to hold the
cable in front of the microscope. At high magnification levels, its almost impossible to
hold the cable and the microscope still enough to perform a thorough inspection.
The next thing that you should look for is the magnification level. Typically, the
magnification levels of fiber optic microscopes range from 100X to 400X. The higher the
magnification level, the more detail youll be able to see when inspecting the cable.
Finally, you should check to see if the microscope is optical or electronic. Some higherend fiber optic microscopes actually display the image on a video monitor rather than
requiring you to look through a microscope barrel. Such systems typically display a 3
mm cable end magnified to the size of a tennis ball.
A company called Prior Scientific has even produced a software-driven fiber optic
microscope. This microscope takes all of the subjectivity out of cable inspections and
certifications. The software looks for specific things in the image produced by the
microscope and makes a decision based on the image.