Eye protection in DWDM systems -- what threshold?

Tue Jun 9 21:26:42 UTC 2009

On Tue, Jun 09, 2009 at 04:06:58PM -0400, Deepak Jain wrote:
> 
> This conversation has gone places I didn't expect. Leo, that card is 
> pretty cool, but for a few hundred $$ more, you can get a light meter 
> (if someone is smart enough to use the card...)

Now if only you could train people to use them... If I had a nickel for
every time an Equinix tech has told me I'm sending them a +67dBm signal
I'd be able to actually buy the laser to do that.

> Does anyone *use* any eye protection (other that not looking at the 
> light, turning off the light etc) -- I mean like protective goggles, 
> etc, when doing simple things like adding/removing patch cables from an 
> SMF patch panel.
> 
> I get that if you *know* the gear you are using has a Class 3 laser on 
> it, you should be careful... but when you are patching it into a 
> building's cable plant and some schmuck is patching the last leg in for 
> you (or has pulled it accidentally, etc).. um, "don't look at it" is our 
> community's BCP?

Come on, the closest thing to a dangerous laser you're going to find in
most colos is the laser pointer built in to the vendor pen schwag you
picked up at the last beer and gear. The class 3 lasers are few and far
between, and copiously labeled when you do come across them. Spend 5
minutes teaching people what the laser classes and how how to read the
label.

-- 
Richard A Steenbergen <ras at e-gerbil.net>       http://www.e-gerbil.net/ras
GPG Key ID: 0xF8B12CBC (7535 7F59 8204 ED1F CC1C 53AF 4C41 5ECA F8B1 2CBC)