Maintaining ACX1000 and ACX1100 Components

Purpose

For optimum router performance, perform preventive maintenance procedures.

Action

• Inspect the installation site for moisture, loose wires or cables, and excessive dust. Make sure that airflow is unobstructed around the router and into the air intake vents.

• Check the status-reporting devices on the font panel—system LED.

Purpose

For optimum router performance, verify the condition of the cables that connect to the network ports.

Action

On a regular basis:

• Place excess cable out of the way. Do not allow fastened loops of cable to dangle from the connector, because this stresses the cable at the fastening point. Putting fasteners on the loops helps to maintain their shape.

• Keep the cable connections clean and free of dust and other particles, which can cause drops in the received power level. Always inspect cables, and clean them if necessary before connecting an interface.

• Label both ends of the cables to identify them.

The following guidelines apply specifically to fiber-optic cables:

• When you unplug a fiber-optic cable, always place a rubber safety plug over the transceiver on the faceplate and on the end of the cable.

• Anchor fiber-optic cables to avoid stress on the connectors. Be sure to secure fiber-optic cables so that they do not support their own weight as they hang to the floor. Never let fiber-optic cable hang free from the connector.

• Avoid bending fiber-optic cable beyond its bend radius. An arc smaller than a few inches can damage the cable and cause problems that are difficult to diagnose.

• Frequent plugging and unplugging of fiber-optic cable into and out of optical instruments can cause damage to the instruments that is expensive to repair. Instead, attach a short fiber extension to the optical equipment. Any wear and tear due to frequent plugging and unplugging is then absorbed by the short fiber extension, which is easy and inexpensive to replace.

• Keep fiber-optic cable connections clean. Small microdeposits of oil and dust in the canal of the transceiver or cable connector could cause loss of light, reducing signal power and possibly causing intermittent problems with the optical connection.

  To clean the transceivers, use an appropriate fiber-cleaning device, such as RIFOCS Fiber Optic Adaptor Cleaning Wands (part number 946). Follow the directions for the cleaning kit you use.

After you clean an optical transceiver, make sure that the connector tip of the fiber-optic cable is clean. Use only an approved alcohol-free fiber-optic cable cleaning kit, such as the Opptex Cletop-S Fiber Cleaner. Follow the directions for the cleaning kit you use.

Purpose

For optimum performance, verify the condition of the uplink ports.

Action

On a regular basis:

• Check the port LEDs. The meaning of the LED states differs for various uplink ports. For more information, see LEDs on ACX1000 and ACX1100 Routers. If the router detects a port failure, the router generates an alarm message to be sent to the Routing Engine.

  A green status LED indicates that the port is functioning normally.

• From the CLI, issue the show chassis fpc pic-status command.

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  user@host> show chassis fpc pic-status
  Slot 0   Online      
    PIC 0  Online       8x CHE1T1, RJ48
    PIC 1  Online       8x 1GE(LAN) RJ45
    PIC 2  Online       4x 1GE(LAN) SFP, RJ45