Meridian Option 11C - Fibre Expansion Cabinet Problem

[nscripta]

Hopefully someone can work out an error in my installation..

I have changed an existing Meridian Option 11C installation as follows:

Previous Set Up:

Software Version: 24.55
1 * Meridian Option 11C with one NTDK80 fibre daughterboard.
1 * Meridian Option 11C with fibre receiver card

New Set up:
Software Version 24.55
1 * Meridian Option 11C with two NTDK80 fibre daughterboards
3 * Meridian Option 11C with fibre receiver card

My problem is that expansion cabinet 3 is not recognised by the system. The LED indicator on the fibre card is orange which according to the manuals indicate a problem with the fibre. I have proved the operation of the fibre receiver card in expansion cabinet 3 by connecting it to the fibre cable for expansion cabinet 2.
On the fibre cable for expansion cabinet 3 there is an incoming signal i.e. visible red light.

Prior to undertaking these changes I identified that release 24 and above can support up to 4 expansion cabinets.
What I am not sure about, is there a licensing issue with respect to the number of expansion cabinets you can connect?

If someone can point me in the right direction (hopefully not nortel?) I will be very grateful.

Nscripta

 

[tnphoneman]

Well I think you just proved that it is one of 2 things...

I have proved the operation of the fibre receiver card in expansion cabinet 3 by connecting it to the fibre cable for expansion cabinet 2.

It is one of 3 problems

1. Fiber Cable
2. Fiber daughterboard
3. SSC Card

How far are these cabinets from each other? You do know that the NTDK80

straight from NTP - The NTDK80 Fiber Receiver card works in conjunction with an NTDK79
Fiber Expansion daughterboard in the Main Cabinet.
Note: The NTDK80 supports only single-mode glass fiber-optic cable.

You do have the correct daughterboard and fiber right?

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[yyrkroon]

The NTDK80 is the Fiber Receiver for the NTDK79 single port daugther board.

So, if you have 2 single port duaghterboard, then your cabinets would be 1 and 2, not 1 and 3.

 

[nscripta]

Sorry for the confusion the setup is as follows:

Software Version: 24.55
1 * Meridian Option 11C with one NTDK22 dual fibre daughterboard.
1 * Meridian Option 11C with NTDK23 fibre receiver card

New Set up:
Software Version 24.55
1 * Meridian Option 11C with two NTDK22 dual fibre daughterboards
3 * Meridian Option 11C with NTDK23 fibre receiver card

All the expansion cabinets are within 5m of the main cabinet
Nscripta

 

[tnphoneman]

Well if you moved the fiber from cabinet 1 to cabinet 3 and it came up then the problems is with the Fiber or dual fiber daughterboard. Slim chance it is the SSC card.

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[nscripta]

I have this problem as follows:

The fibre from the dual daughterboard for expansion cabinet 3 has been tested successfully when connected to the dual daughterboard for expansion cabinet 2.
I have moved the fibre for expansion cabinet 3 to the designated connector for expansion cabinet 4 on the dual daughterboard, this was not successful.

The present situation is that expansion cabinet 3 has been connection to both the bottom port on the 1st daughterboard (the designated port according to nortel documentation) and the bottom port on the 2nd daughterboard (the designated port for expansion cabinet 4). With either of these configurations the cabinet is not recognised.

The fact that up to four expansion cabinets were only available in version 24 software is making me think there is something missing in the programming (although the respective main cabinet is running version 24.55 software).
Can someone confirm that the addition of expansion cabinets is not related to your site licence ( apart from with regard to the number of ports etc that you can use). If I can rule that possiblity out it means I am closer to a solution.

Nscripta

 

[tnphoneman]

There is no programming assiciated with this. It looks to me like the daughterboard is defective.

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[nscripta]

tnphoneman,

If it is the daughterboard that is faulty then that means 2 daughterboards are faulty as expansion cabinet 3 has been connected to both of the dual daughterboards (bottom connections - designated expansion cabinet 3 position for the top daughterboard and designated expansion cabinet 4 position for bottom daughterboard.
Is it not unlikely that there is two faulty daughterboards (as far as the bottom connectors are concerned)?

Nscripta

 

[yyrkroon]

Given: you have 2 Dual Fiber D/B
Given: you have 4 Exp Cab
Given: Cab 3 link is down

Fact: SSC is working or all Exp Cab will be down
Fact: Cab 1, 2 and 4 is up.

The only HW involved are: SSC, Fiber D/B, Fiber Receiver and Fiber and the Exp Cab/PS

Since Cab 1, 2 and 4 is working and you have already rolled Fiber Receiver/Cab with known working Cab and non working Cab...the only thing left is the Exp Cab itself.

There's no keycode, or license for Exp Cab

 

[tnphoneman]

It could be the loadware on the SSC card. It sounds to me like you have 2 expansion cabinets and the cabinet works when plugged into exp cabinet 1 and 2 but not 3 or 4 is that correct? If it is that is what has me thinking loadware on the SSC card. It is under utilities I think when you boot off the PCMCIA card. You must not be in the United States because there was no release 24.55 or you put in the wrong release in the post because there was a 23.55.

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[endurevp]

NTDK22 is a single port duaghterboard!

You need a NTDK84 Dual port daughterboard in one of the SSC duaghterboard positions if you want 3 expansion cabinets.

 

[nscripta]

Too many part numbers !!

It is the dual daughterboards that in installed in the main cabinet, they are ntdk84.

Your assumption are largely correct tnphoneman,
There are 3 expansion cabinets in total,
- exp cab 1 was part of the original setup
- exp cab 2 works ok when connected to its designated port on the second daughterboard
- expansion cabinet 3 works if it is connected to either of the ports for exp cab 1 or exp cab 2 but is not recognised when connected to the ports for exp cab 3 or 4.
- I am located in the UK and the software version is 24.55.

I will try and progress the loadware path and report back.

thanks for everyone's help to date.

Nscripta