Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!mtunx!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!bu-cs!kwe
From: kwe@bu-cs.BU.EDU (kwe@bu-it.bu.edu (Kent W. England))
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: Wanted: Delni [blinking lights]
Summary: Keep those blinkenlights!
Message-ID: <23179@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Date: 7 Jun 88 13:33:00 GMT
References: <8806070434.AA09530@infidel.lanl.gov.ARPA>
Reply-To: kwe@buit13.bu.edu (Kent England)
Followup-To: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Organization: Boston Univ. Information Tech. Dept.
Lines: 16

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