kwe@bu-cs.BU.EDU (kwe@bu-it.bu.edu (Kent W. England)) (06/07/88)
In article <8806070434.AA09530@infidel.lanl.gov.ARPA> peter%infidel@LANL.GOV (Peter Ford) writes: >Some of us still like those blinking lights on our gear and hope >that they come back in style on all equipment. > I heartily second that. One of the interesting things I note on the new unshielded twisted pair Ethernet gear from Cabletron is a "Link OK" status light. I was delighted to hear that Cabletron (and possibly others) are using a 1 MHz idle "tone" on the circuit to indicate "continuity" in the link. This is much better than a simple power light and should help find swapped pairs and dead circuits. I understand that the 802.3 committee is considering standardizing a "Link OK" idle signal (on UTP and fiber[?]). I hope they do. Never underestimate the power of a little LED. Kent England, Boston U