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Re: T1 short-haul vs. long-haul - jack terminology

  • From: Christopher Woodfield
  • Date: Fri Jul 23 15:26:11 2004

OK, from my reading in Newton's Telecom Dictionary, it appears that NIU is a generic term for "whatever the customer plugs their cable into", be it a powered or a dumb device. Mea culpa.

However, the writeup on "smart jack" reads, in part:

"...installed on the premises as a semi-intelligent demarcation point, the smart jack is completely passive until activated remotely by a digital code, typically something like 'FACILITY 2', sent down the T-1. This code activates a relay [that loops the circuit]."

That may not accurately define the Adtran and Westell devices that are pictured (they appear to have additional features beyond this), but it's a good guess they provide the remote loopback function described above in addition to the monitor points and management console port. I also doubt that the Hyperedge unit pictured does so, although I can't seem to find any online documentation on the unit (it is, as you described it, a 'glorified patch panel'). Feel free to correct me.

Hope this serves to clarify things...

-C

On Jul 23, 2004, at 2:57 PM, Allen Kitchen wrote:

Christopher - FWIW, Michel's description tallies with common usage in Bell
of PA and Bell of NJ territory (now Vz, of course). Seems like a
counter-intuitive use of "smart" in "SmartJack" but the diff between it and
a "regular" 8-pin RJ-type jack is the self-connecting loopback arrangement
that is SUPPOSED to be buried in these. That's why they called it "smart" to
begin with, according to legend here.

..Allen

Allen Kitchen
Special Projects Manager
Diskriter Inc. / Pittsburgh, PA / 412-344-9700 x 313 /
[email protected]

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
Christopher Woodfield
Sent: Friday, July 23, 2004 2:51 PM
To: Michel Py
Cc: [email protected]; Andre Oppermann
Subject: Re: T1 short-haul vs. long-haul


I think we can probably chalk this up to a difference in dialect, for lack
of a better word...what you're calling an NIU is exactly what I would call a
smartjack and vice versa. Can you point to any sort of "official"
documentation that defines these? I'm looking to see if anyone in my office
has a Newton's as I speak...

-C

On Jul 23, 2004, at 12:15 AM, Michel Py wrote:

Christopher Woodfield wrote:
In the interest of complicating things further, I think you have NIU
and smartjack backwards in your explanation..