Dear all,
during our last meeting we discussed in the SPE enhancements study group the question about how many in-line connectors will be needed for a maximum length link segment.
While I agree that one in-line connector per 100 m link segment length is a good choice, I recommend to increase the overall number of allowed in-line connectors per link segment by an additional two connectors, allowing to substitute these two in-line connectors by Ethernet-APL auxiliary devices. In Ethernet-APL up to two auxiliary devices (typically surge protectors) can be added, while reducing the number of allowed in-line connectors by one per auxiliary device.
This is very similar to adding a PoE midspan PSE, which can be installed instead of one of the connection pairs in the floor distributor, as described in clause 33.4.9. Allowing for two additional in-line connectors in this context would also allow to use (potentially future defined) PoDL midspan devices being able to “upgrade” unpowered SPE switches by adding an external power coupling/decoupling circuit.
Just allowing e.g. 5 in-line connectors for a 500 m link segment, this would result in just having 3 remaining in-line connectors in applications, which use surge protection or future midspan PoDL devices, which would be 1 connector per 167 m only and thus require pretty long cable runs between two in-line connectors. Going for up to 7 in-line connectors (5 + 2) for a 500 m link segment would bring us back to the 1 in-line connector per 100 m range.
Best regards,
Steffen Graber
To unsubscribe from the STDS-802-3-SPEP2P list, click the following link: https://listserv.ieee.org/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=STDS-802-3-SPEP2P&A=1