[72710] in North American Network Operators' Group
Re: T1 short-haul vs. long-haul - jack terminology
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Christopher Woodfield)
Fri Jul 23 15:24:21 2004
In-Reply-To: <E1Bo5FA-0007Mk-00@tino.semihuman.com>
Cc: nanog@merit.edu, Michel Py <michel@arneill-py.sacramento.ca.us>
From: Christopher Woodfield <rekoil@semihuman.com>
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2004 15:23:54 -0400
To: "Allen Kitchen" <allen.kitchen@earthlink.net>
Errors-To: owner-nanog-outgoing@merit.edu
OK, from my reading in Newton's Telecom Dictionary, it appears that NIU
is a generic term for "whatever the customer plugs their cable into",
be it a powered or a dumb device. Mea culpa.
However, the writeup on "smart jack" reads, in part:
"...installed on the premises as a semi-intelligent demarcation point,
the smart jack is completely passive until activated remotely by a
digital code, typically something like 'FACILITY 2', sent down the T-1.
This code activates a relay [that loops the circuit]."
That may not accurately define the Adtran and Westell devices that are
pictured (they appear to have additional features beyond this), but
it's a good guess they provide the remote loopback function described
above in addition to the monitor points and management console port. I
also doubt that the Hyperedge unit pictured does so, although I can't
seem to find any online documentation on the unit (it is, as you
described it, a 'glorified patch panel'). Feel free to correct me.
Hope this serves to clarify things...
-C
On Jul 23, 2004, at 2:57 PM, Allen Kitchen wrote:
> Christopher - FWIW, Michel's description tallies with common usage in
> Bell
> of PA and Bell of NJ territory (now Vz, of course). Seems like a
> counter-intuitive use of "smart" in "SmartJack" but the diff between
> it and
> a "regular" 8-pin RJ-type jack is the self-connecting loopback
> arrangement
> that is SUPPOSED to be buried in these. That's why they called it
> "smart" to
> begin with, according to legend here.
>
> ..Allen
>
> Allen Kitchen
> Special Projects Manager
> Diskriter Inc. / Pittsburgh, PA / 412-344-9700 x 313 /
> akitchen@diskriter.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-nanog@merit.edu [mailto:owner-nanog@merit.edu] On Behalf Of
> Christopher Woodfield
> Sent: Friday, July 23, 2004 2:51 PM
> To: Michel Py
> Cc: nanog@merit.edu; Andre Oppermann
> Subject: Re: T1 short-haul vs. long-haul
>
>
> I think we can probably chalk this up to a difference in dialect, for
> lack
> of a better word...what you're calling an NIU is exactly what I would
> call a
> smartjack and vice versa. Can you point to any sort of "official"
> documentation that defines these? I'm looking to see if anyone in my
> office
> has a Newton's as I speak...
>
> -C
>
> On Jul 23, 2004, at 12:15 AM, Michel Py wrote:
>
>>> Christopher Woodfield wrote:
>>> In the interest of complicating things further, I think you have NIU
>>> and smartjack backwards in your explanation..
>
>
