Anixter's Levels Lab Begins Testing Fiber Optics.

Business Editors\High-Tech Editors

SKOKIE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 3, 2001

Initial Tests Find That Multimode Fiber Handles Gigabit Ethernet 

Traffic Up to Twice the Distance Indicated by Standards

In its first test of fiber optics, The Anixter Levels(R) Lab found that enhanced 50 and 62.5/125-micron multimode fiber were able to support Gigabit Ethernet signals without error for distances of roughly 150-200% of the expectations, even with a large number of mated connectors.

"With 12 MTRJ connector pairs, 62.5-micron multimode fiber could, ostensibly, provide the backbone riser in a building taller than the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, the world's tallest," states Pete Lockhart, Anixter's Vice President of Technology.

During the last 10 years, companies have installed millions of feet of 62.5-micron fiber, and many network mangers are installing 50-micron fiber when additional cabling is needed. The Anixter Levels Lab devised a live data testing procedure using difficult waveforms in a real-world environment to find and compare the transmission limits of these two varieties of multimode fiber.

"Our preliminary results showed that 50-micron and 62.5-micron fiber from Corning Cable Systems are both capable of handling gigabit Ethernet traffic error-free over much longer distances than the minimum distance that the standards require," reports Lockhart.

Anixter, the world's leading distributor of data communications products, is widely recognized for its contribution to the creation and updating of industry standards for voice and data cabling, specifically for Cat 3, Cat 4 and Cat 5. The Anixter Levels Lab is used primarily to verify that the cabling in Anixter's inventory meets or exceeds all industry standards and can supply today's ever-increasing bandwidth-intensive applications.

According to Bob Pollock, Corning's Private Networks Marketing Manager, Anixter was an obvious choice as a participant in the fiber optics testing program. "Anixter's well-deserved reputation for its cutting-edge research on cabling systems made it a natural choice for the fiber optics project," explained Pollock. "We were confident that Anixter possessed the proper equipment, testing procedures, and expertise to do the job right."

"In discussions with Corning Cable Systems, we determined the need for tests on fiber optics to provide network managers with guidance on issues that are beginning to surface," states Lockhart. "Our first study was to investigate the limits of multimode fiber to address the perception that multimode fiber might not be adequate for transporting data over long lengths on Gigabit Ethernet links."

In August 2000, the Anixter Levels Lab received the Underwriters Laboratories(R) Engineering Agency Certification, the highest available certification under UL's Client Agency program. Anixter is among the few research facilities to receive this prestigious certification of equipment, personnel and procedures. More recently, it began working with the University of New Hampshire's InterOperability Lab and with consortiums providing active electronics for Gigaspeed applications.

Lockhart believes that a testing program for fiber optics cabling and components at the Anixter Levels Lab will help assure the industry that cabling solutions meet the requirements for high quality and the ever-growing demand for increased performance and bandwidth.

A white paper on this initial study, The Origins of the Anixter Fiber Testing Program, can be found on Anixter's Web site, www.anixter.com/techlib/whiteppr/cabling/d0504p10.htm.

Anixter Inc. is the world's leading distributor of data communications products and electrical wire and cable. Founded in 1957, the company now employs more than 5,000 people in 180 cities around the world. Anixter customers benefit from the company's technical expertise and market specialization and have access to best-in-class products through Anixter's partnership with the world's leading manufacturers.