The

Volume 4Issue 1
JANUARYFEBRUARY 2003

Extension
A Technical Supplement to Control Network
2003 Contemporary Control Systems, Inc.

Using Ethernet With Fiber Optic Cabling

INTRODUCTION
The use of fiber optics in local area networks (LANs), such as Ethernet,
has increased due to the inherent advantages of using fiber. High data
rates can be maintained without electromagnetic or radio frequency
interference (EMI/RFI). Longer distances can be achieved over that of
copper wiring. For the industrial/commercial user, fiber offers
high-voltage isolation, intrinsic safety and elimination of ground loops in
geographically large installations. Ethernet will function with no
difficulty over fiber optics as long as some simple rules are followed.

CABLING BASICS
Optical fiber consists of three basic elements: core,
cladding and the coating. The core constructed of either glass
or plastic provides the basic means for transmitting the light
energy down the cable. The cladding prevents the light from
exiting the core and being absorbed by the cable itself. The
coating provides protection to the fiber core while providing
strength. Final protection is provided by an overall jacket that
may consist of other strength and protective elements.

Core

the option of traveling at an angle to the core axis while

attempting to exit through the cladding. This second effect is
called multimode operation.

Outer Jacket
Strength
Member
Optical Fiber
Figure 2: Fiber optic cable is available as paired cable (duplex
cable) with an appearance similar to zip cord.

Multimode Operation
With fiber core sizes of 50, 62.5 and above, multimode
operation will be experienced. Not only will the light transfer
down the axis of the fiber, but it will also travel away from
the axis and toward the cladding. The cladding helps reflect
the light rays back toward the fiber axis. The cladding
provides this effect because it has a lower index of refraction
than the core.

Index of Refraction

Cladding
Coating
Figure 1: A single fiber consists of three basic elements.

The index of refraction of a material (n) is defined as the

ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum compared to the
speed of light in the material. When light passes from one
material to another with a different density, part of the light
will be reflected and the remainder refracted. The angle of
the refracted ray will be different from the incident wave and
will obey Snells Law:
n1 sin 1 = n2 sin 2

Fiber Size
Optical fibers are classified by their diameter in microns
(1 micron = one-millionth of a meter). Frequently the core,
cladding and coating are specified using slashes (/) to
separate the values. For example, 50/125/250 means the core
is 50 m, the cladding is 125 m and the coating is 250 m.
These dimensions all pertain to the concentric diameters of
the various elements. A short form way of specifying the fiber
is to only list the core and cladding sizes. In the above
example, this fiber would be classified as 50/125. Core sizes
range from as small as 5m to as high as 1000m. Depending
upon the core size, either one or two modes of light
transmission will be experienced. The two modes are called
single-mode and multimode.

Single-Mode Operation
With very small diameter fibers in the range of 5 to
10 m, all light rays have a tendency to propagate along the
axis of the fiber. Since there is only one path for the light to
take, the light is termed to be experiencing a single-mode of
operation. As the core diameter increases, the light rays have

where n1, and n2 are the corresponding indexes of refraction

and the two angles are measured relative to a perpendicular
axis to the boundary of the two materials. At some angle
called the critical angle, 2 becomes 90. For all values of 1,
greater than the critical angle, total internal reflection will
occur. This is the fundamental principle of fiber optic communications. The light energy is constrained to the inner core.
The cladding with its lower index of refraction provides the
total internal reflection necessary for proper operation.

Multimode Signal Distortion

In multimode operation, light waves travel down the axis
of the fiber as well as a zigzag course bouncing off the
cladding. Since some of the light rays take a longer trip when
they exit the far end of the core (due to its zigzag course),
distortion of the original signal will occur as it recombines
with the light ray that took the shorter path down the axis of
the core. This results in pulse broadening at the receiver end.
This distortion is called modal dispersion because the paths
of the light rays are at different lengths. To counteract this
multimode phenomenon, graded-index fiber was developed.

(No part of the Extension may be reproduced without the written consent of Contemporary Controls.)

2
T

n2 < n 1

n1

crit

>crit

Figure 3: Total internal reflection occurs when the incident angle exceeds the critical angle.
With graded-index fiber, the index of refraction is
highest along the center axis of the fiber and gradually
decreases from the axis to the circumference. Light travels
slower with a higher index of refraction and faster with a
lower index of refraction.
With this approach, the light that travels down the center
axis is deliberately slowed to match the time required for
light to travel a zigzag course nearer the circumference. The
result is less distortion and higher bandwidth.
Bandwidth requirements are generally not an issue with
Ethernet. Multimode fibers have bandwidth specifications in
frequency-distance units (Mhz-km) that depend upon the
operating wavelength. Doubling the distance halves the
signaling rate; however, even at minimal bandwidth
specifications (160 Mhz-km or so), the attenuation limitations
of increased fiber length will be met before the
bandwidth limitations.
Lower bandwidth fiber exists with a 200 m core
diameter. This is step-index fiber meaning that only one
index of refraction exists in the core and another in the
cladding. This fiber is intended for shorter runs and is easier
to connect and is more resilient to physical abuse due to its
larger core size. This fiber is found in plant floor applications
but is not recommended for Ethernet.

It prevents over-tightening and provides repeatable insertion

loss. The SC connector is a low-cost, snap-in connector while
the similar style MIC connector was originally intended for
Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) applications.
In fiber optic implementations, a separate transmitter and
receiver are used instead of a transceiver. Fiber optic links
use a duplex cable for NIM-to-hub and hub-to-hub connections.
A transmitter at point A connects to a receiver at point B.
Point Bs transmitter attaches to point As receiver. Therefore,
a crossover function must be accomplished in the cabling.
Transmitters and receivers may or may not be color-coded so
care must be exercised to pair a transmitter to a receiver.

Operating Wavelengths

Figure 4: Step-index fiber has the lowest bandwidth, while

single-mode fiber offers the highest.

Fiber optic transmitters and receivers are generally

classified to operate in either of three frequencies. These
frequencies have been found to have the lowest attenuation
across a band of frequencies. The regions of lowest
attenuation are called windows. The particular frequencies
the industry uses are 850 nm, 1300 nm and 1550 nm. The
two lower wavelengths offer cost/performance tradeoffs that
are of interest in Ethernet applications. The 850 nm
technology is readily available at the lowest cost. However,
fiber optic cable attenuation is higher in the 850 nm band
than in the 1300 nm band and the bandwidth is less. This
attenuation is what limits the fiber optic segment lengths
when using Ethernet. The 1300 nm receivers and transmitters
are more costly but are recommended when long distances
are to be encountered or 100 Mbps operation is required.
The 850 nm technology is generally used with multimode
applications, while the 1300 nm technology is used with
either single-mode or multimode operation. Because of cost,
the 1550 nm technology is not popular with Ethernet.

Fiber Optic Transmitters

Both 850 nm and 1300 nm fiber optic transmitters can be
found in hubs and network interface modules (NIMs), and
the two technologies cannot be mixed. These transmitters are
available with either ST, SC or MIC connectors. The ST
connector operates similar to a small coaxial BNC connector.

Step Index (Multimode)

Source
Cladding

Light Rays

Core

Graded Index (Multimode)

Single Mode (Monomode)

Transmitter Power
Transmitters are rated in dBm with 0 dBm corresponding
to 1 milliwatt of power. Transmitter output can vary from
device to device, so it is important to 100% test transmitters
to ensure that none are shipped below the minimum
specified in the Ethernet standard. Testing is usually
accomplished by applying a square wave signal and
measuring the average power with an optical power meter.
Transmitter output also depends upon the fiber size. More
energy is launched into larger fiber sizes; therefore, a power
rating shown in a specification is based upon a particular
core size.

Receiver Sensitivity
Receiver sensitivity is also rated in dBm and is based
upon receiving the same square wave signal generated by
the transmitter. Typically only a maximum sensitivity rating is
given which represents the weakest signal discernable by the
receiving electronics. Separate receivers are required for
850 nm and 1300 nm operation. Receiver sensitivity is
typically the same over a batch of receivers and does not
exhibit the same variability as transmitters.

Optical Power Budget

10BASE-F

When specifying a fiber optic installation, attention must

be paid to the available optical power budget. The power
budget is the difference between the light source strength
minus receiver sensitivity expressed in dB. This value must
be compared to the link loss that is the total attenuation due
to optical cable and optical connectors. The link loss must be
less than the power budget. The difference is called the
power margin that provides an indication of system robustness.

The 10BASE-F standard is actually a collection of fiber

optic standards for 10 Mbps operation. It consists of three
separate standards10BASE-FL, 10BASE-FB and 10BASE-FP.
It is not sufficient to claim 10BASE-F compatibility because of
these three specific implementations. The -FB and -FP
standards are not popular and will not be discussed.

Link Loss
To determine the link loss, all losses due to fiber length
and cable connections must be summed. Fiber optic cable
attenuation is usually specified by the cable manufacturer.
Use this figure to determine the attenuation for a particular
length of fiber cable. It is also necessary to include losses
due to cable terminations. Connectors usually create a loss of
from 0.5 to 1 dB for each connection. For example, assume a
1500-meter run of 62.5 m cable which the cable manufacturer
specifies as having a cable attenuation of 3.5 dB per
1000 meters. The cable loss would therefore be 5.25 dB.
Assume there are two connector losses of 0.5 dB each for a
total of 1 dB. The link loss would therefore total 6.25 dB. If
the light source produced 20 dBm and the receiver sensitivity
is 30.4 dBm, then the power budget would be 10.4 dB
which is greater than the link loss by 4.15 dB. This
difference would represent a high degree of margin since a
3 dB margin is what is typically recommended to account for
aging. Recommendations on acceptable attenuation values
can be found in TIA/EIA-568-A Commercial Building
Telecommunications Cabling Standard.

Overdrive
Overdrive occurs when too little fiber optic cable is used
resulting in insufficient attenuation; thereby, saturating the
receiver. To correct this condition, a longer length of fiber
optic cable must be installed between the transmitter and
receiver. This is potentially a problem with larger core cable.
Another solution is to have a receiver with a wide dynamic
range. Over this range, the receiver will accept varying levels
of signal without overload.

Delay Budget
People frequently assume that with fiber optics, signals
propagate at the speed of light. This is not true. In fact, the
propagation factor is 0.67c or 5 ns/m which is slower than an
electrical signal over coaxial cable. The delay through cables
and hubs is an issue for shared Ethernet systems that operate
over half-duplex links and must obey the rules for collision
detection. It is not an issue for full-duplex links which avoid
collisions altogether.

ETHERNET STANDARDS
Ethernet standards are published in ISO/IEC 8802-3:2000
which is also known as IEEE Std 802.3, 2000 Edition. This is
an evolving standard with information on 10, 100 and
1000 Mbps operation. This is a very complex standard and is
over 1500 pages long. From the standard we will review
those portions dealing with fiber optics.

FOIRL
The Fiber Optic Inter-Repeater Link (FOIRL) was the
original fiber optic specification. It was intended to link two
repeaters together with a maximum of 1 km fiber optic cable
while operating at 10 Mbps. This standard has been
superseded by the 10BASE-FL specification.

10BASE-FL
This standard is the most popular 10 Mbps fiber
implementation. The standard calls for a maximum segment
length of 2 km of multimode fiber optic cable and a
minimum length of 0 km. This means that the transmitter
cannot create an overdrive condition. A 10BASE-FL unit must
be able to communicate with a FOIRL unit but be limited to
1 km. Connectors are the ST-style and a segment consists of
a pair of cables; thereby, allowing for full-duplex
communication. The operating wavelength of the receivers
and transmitters are 850 nm allowing for the less expensive
components. The minimum average transmit level is 20 dBm
while the maximum is 12 dBm. The receiver must be able
to distinguish a 32.5 dBm signal and not overload from a
12 dBm signal. That means that the receivers dynamic
range must be at least 20.5 dB and that the power budget
must be 12.5 dB. The intention is to use 62.5/125 fiber optic
cable. If a larger core is used, more energy will be launched
which could cause overdrive on short runs. Manchester
encoding is used just like 10BASE-T.

100BASE-X
Like 10BASE-F, 100BASE-X is not a unique physical
layer, but details the encoding for the two most popular Fast
Ethernet physical layers100BASE-TX and 100BASE-FX. One
physical layer is for copper and the other for fiber optics, yet
the standard applies to both. Much of the 100BASE-X
standard comes from the FDDI standard including the
4B/5B encoding

4B/5B
Data transfers over the Medium Independent Interface
(MII), defined for Fast Ethernet, are done with 4-bit nibbles
that represent actual data. With 10BASE-FL, Manchester
encoding is used which guarantees a transition within every
bit cell regardless of logic state. This effectively creates a 20
Mbaud signal for a 10 Mbps data rate. If the same encoding
were used for Fast Ethernet, a 200 Mbaud signal would result
making it difficult to maintain the same 2 km maximum
segment length due to bandwidth restrictions. A solution is
the 4B/5B code where the 4-bit nibbles being transferred
over the MII are actually encoded as five-bit symbols sent
over the medium. The encoding efficiency is 80% and the
baud rate increases to 125 Mbaud. This is still fast but not as
fast as 200 Mbaud. The 4B/5B scheme is used for both the
100BASE-TX and 100BASE-FX physical layers.

100BASE-FX
The actual governing specification for 100BASE-FX is
ISO/IEC 9314-3 which describes FDDIs Physical Layer
Medium Dependent (PMD). The 100BASE-FX fiber optic
physical layer is very similar in performance to 10BASE-FL.
Maximum segment length is 2 km for both technologies;
however, for 100BASE-FX this is only achieved on full-duplex
links. On half-duplex links the segment length cannot exceed
412 m. Either SC, MIC or ST fiber optic connectors can be
used, but SC is recommended. Multimode fiber optic cable
3

(62.5/125) is what is normally used; however, larger cores

can be substituted. Minimum transmitter power is 20 dBm
and maximum receiver sensitivity is 31 dBm. The signaling
on fiber optics is NRZI (non-return to zero inverted) since
there is no concern for EMI on fiber optic links.
With 100BASE-TX, 1300 nm technology is used and since
communication between 850 nm devices does not exist, there
is no support for the Fast Ethernet Auto-negotiation scheme.
For 100 Mbps operation, the fiber optic cable must have a
minimum bandwidth of 500 Mhz-km. This does not
necessarily require a cable change since the same fiber optic
cable used at 10 Mbps (160 Mhz-km at 850 nm) will have the
necessary bandwidth at 1300 nm. Therefore, the 2 km
maximum segment length can be maintained.
It is interesting to note that both 10BASE-FL and
100BASE-FX only specify multimode cable. The use of
single-mode cable is vendor specific. Therefore, it is best to
match the same vendor equipment at each end of the
single-mode link and observe maximum segment lengths.
Distances of 15 km are common but full-duplex operation is
a necessity.

100BASE-SX
Recently, the 100BASE-SX standard was released as a
low-cost upgrade in performance from 10BASE-FL systems. It
is basically the 100BASE-TX standard, but utilizes 850 nm
devices and ST connectors. Segment lengths are limited to
300m, but Auto-negotiation of data rates is possible with
other 100BASE-SX compatible devices.
10BASE-FL

100BASE-FX

Data Rates

10 Mbps

100 Mbps

Encoding

Manchester

4B/5B

Fibers

Cable

62.5/125 m

62.5/125 m

Frequency

850 nm

1300 nm

Propagation factor

0.67c

0.67c

Connectors

ST

ST, SC, MIC

Segment Length (max.)

2 km

412 m (half-duplex)
2 km (full-duplex)

Output power (average)

20 dBm (min.)
12 dBm (max.)

20 dBm (min.)
14 dBm (max.)

Sensitivity (average)

12 dBm (min.)
32.5 dBm (max.)

14 dBm (min.)
31 dBm (max.)

Table 1: The two most popular fiber physical layers are the
10BASE-FL and 100BASE-FX.

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CONCLUSION
Robust Ethernet networks can be designed using fiber optics
supporting the popular 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps data rates. By
utilizing full-duplex communications, high-speed reliable
communication can occur over large distances in a
LAN environment.

REFERENCES
EthernetThe Definitive Guide, Charles E. Spurgeon, 2000,
OReilly & Associates, Inc.
International Standard ISO/IEC 8802.-3 ANSI/IEEE STD.
802.3 2000 Edition, The Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers, Inc.
International Standard ISO/IEC 9314-3 Information
Processing SystemsFiber Distributed Data Interface
(FDDI)Part 3: Physical Layer Medium Dependent (PMD),
1990.
Industrial Fiber Optic Networks, John C. Huber, Instrument
Society of America, 1995.