Agilent Technologies J3972A - Manual (Page 69)

Installation
Connecting the Probe
49
Connecting the Probe
The probe communicates with Agilent NetMetrix through Out-of-Band
connections using the 10Base-T/100Base-TX or Token-Ring (optional) telemetry
interfaces or by using a serial connection. You can connect to an ATM network
using the OC-3 ATM interface.
You can establish both telemetry and serial Out-of-Band connections to give you
the option of communicating with the probe either over the telemetry network or
over the serial link, respectively. The telemetry connection has the advantage of
being faster than the serial connection. The disadvantage of using only the
telemetry connection is that certain network or component failures can result in a
loss of communications with the probe.
The Out-of-Band serial connection can be used as the primary means of
communication or as a backup link in case of a failure on your telemetry network.
The disadvantage of using only the serial connection is that it is a slower means of
communications.
You can connect an Optical Bypass switch and cable (optional) to the probe’s
Bypass Power connector as specified in the bypass switch instructions. The
bypass switch allows uninterrupted network performance if the probe losses
power. The probe does not require the bypass switch to function properly.
Refer to one of the following sections in this chapter for specific information on
connecting the probe:
z “Connecting to the Network (Out-of-Band)” below
z “Connecting to an OC-3 ATM Network (In-Band)” on page 57
z “Connecting to the Serial Port (Out-of-Band)” on page 60