[BBLISA] Rent/Borrow Fluke or similar for Cat6 horizontal testing

[Jon Young]

Thanks for the advice but it won't help in this case because in this
particularly enormous and complex client, we only have access to portions
of the data.  For example, I won't have access to the switch error log nor
will I be able to trust it if I'm given that info.  On this particular
segment, we have about 3000 drops for this project (many more in the
building coming online) and we have 100 or so that appear to be
autonegotiating improperly and some of those are acting funky.  We're
trying to rule out (or in) the physical layer on a sample of these before
we check on other things.  For some of this highly specialized equipment,
we've had autonegotation issues that are not physical layer and have
resolved those by forcing both ends to the correct speed.  We've also had a
large number of physical layer issues but, working with the union
contractors to check each of the portions of each
segment independently will take weeks if not longer and I just can't wait.

This is a case where I really do need to do some physical layer testing
with proper test gear.  Some day, if we're talking at a bar, I'll give you
the scoop on this but I can't give more details on a public mailing list on
the convoluted process I must work within.

Thanks,
Jon


On Thu, May 30, 2013 at 10:23 AM, Edward Ned Harvey (bblisa4) <
bblisa4 at nedharvey.com> wrote:

> > From: bblisa-bounces at bblisa.org [mailto:bblisa-bounces at bblisa.org] On
> > Behalf Of Jon Young
> >
> > BBLisa,
> > Does anyone have or know where I might be able to rent a quality fluke or
> > similar cable testing to spot test some questionable Cat6 horizontal runs
> > where I don't trust the wiring contractors test reports?  I'd need it
> for a few
> > days to a week ASAP.  I've bought these before but never needed to rent
> > one so I don't know the going rate for rentals or where I might be able
> to
> > rent one locally.
>
> I have a better idea, because I've gone through this a zillion times.  If
> you get a tester, you're going to see the same results the contractor saw.
>  But that doesn't matter, if you plug in a computer and it doesn't work, or
> it works suboptimally.  Test the thing you care about:
>
> Get two laptops with GB cards, and connect them across that wire.
>  (Obviously you'll have to have some patch cables, and either a switch at
> one end, or a crossover cable, assign static IP addresses.)
>
> Make sure they auto-negotiate 1Gbit.  Then, push several hundred megabytes
> across the wire in each direction.  Watch the error counter statistics on
> the network cards at each end.  (Easiest if you're using linux).  If you
> get *any* result other than auto-negotiated 1Gbit and a total of *zero*
> error packets, then there is a wiring fault.
>
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