3com 2500 Quick Setup Guide

Page of 110
Ethernet Modules
4-11
Cabling the 10BASE-FL Module
The 10BASE-FL module contains eight 10BASE-FL 
ports that use ST connectors to provide Ethernet 
connections over fiber. To each port, you can attach 
an Ethernet/IEEE 802.3 segment that is up to 2Km 
long. As a result, Ethernet segments dispersed 
throughout a building or campus can be centrally 
connected to one CoreBuilder system.
Each pair of ST connectors comprises a fiber optic 
transmitter and a receiver attached to a duplex 
fiber cable. The transmitter for port one (1) is 
adjacent to the receiver for port one (1), and so on. 
You can attach to the transmitter and receiver of 
the individual ports either 50/125 
mm or 62.5/125 
mm fiber optic cable, terminated with ST connectors. 
If you terminate the cable with any other 
connectors, use an adapter cable between the 
module’s port and the cable plant termination. 
The 10BASE-FL standard is backward-compatible 
with the earlier Fiber Optic Inter-Repeater Link 
(FOIRL) method for transmitting Ethernet over fiber.
Any transceiver that attaches to a port through the 
fiber also has a fiber transmitter and fiber receiver. 
When cabling a transceiver:
Insert the module port’s transmitter into the fiber 
that is connected to the receiver of the 
corresponding transceiver. 
Attach the module port’s receiver to the fiber into 
which the transmitter of the transceiver is 
inserted. 
Because the 10BASE-FL standard is 
backward-compatible with the earlier Fiber Optic 
Inter-Repeater Link (FOIRL) method for transmitting 
Ethernet over fiber, you may attach a transceiver 
that is FOIRL-compatible to the 10BASE-FL port and 
it will function the same as a transceiver that is 
compatible with 10BASE-FL. 
When attaching fiber to a transceiver that is far 
away from the CoreBuilder system, you can identify 
which fiber is connected to the transmitter of the 
module’s port by holding the end of the cable 
against a sheet of white paper. When the 
CoreBuilder system is on, the fiber connected to 
the module’s port transmitter emits a red light.