Glossary

An optical amplifier that uses a length of optical fiber doped with erbium and energized with a pump laser to inject energy into a signal.

The process of detecting errors during data transmission or reception. Some of the error checking methods including CRC, parity, and bipolar variations.

The frequency of errors detected in a data service line, usually expressed as a decimal.

A local area network (LAN) architecture developed by Xerox that is defined in the IEEE 802.3 standard. Ethernet nodes access the network using the Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detect (CSMA/CD) access method.

A European trade organization that issues its own specifications and is a member of the ISO.

(1) In a fiber-optic coupler, the optical loss from that portion of light that does not emerge from the nominally operational pods of the device. (2) The ratio of the total output power of a passive component with respect to the input power.

Any telephone building where switch systems are located. Also called exchange office or central office.

Extraction Tool - A small device (Metal or Plastic) used to remove contact/s from a connector insulator.

When describing a fiber-optic connection, the portion of loss that is not intrinsic to the fiber but is related to imperfect joining, which may be caused by the connector or splice, as opposed to conditions in the optical fiber itself. The conditions causing this type of loss are referred to as extrinsic factors. These factors are defects and imperfections that cause the loss to exceed the theoretical minimum loss due to the fiber itself (which is called intrinsic loss).