Dark Fiber

Evaluation with OTDR

Date: 27-03-2008
Version No.: 2.1

All Rights Reserved NORDUnet A/S

Dark Fiber Evaluation with OTDR Ver. 2.1
Date: Version: All Rights Reserved:
27-03-2008 1.0 NORDUnet A/S

Dark Fiber Evaluation with OTDR

1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 3
2 OBJECTIVE ...................................................................................................................................................... 3
3 TARGET GROUP ............................................................................................................................................ 3
4 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 4
5 OTDR TECHNIQUES ................................................................................................................................... 4
5.1 BACKSCATTER ............................................................................................................................................. 4
5.2 THE OTDR TRACE VIEW ............................................................................................................................ 5
5.3 SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO AND DEAD ZONE ............................................................................................. 5
5.4 AVERAGING THE TRACE .............................................................................................................................. 8
5.5 TWEAKING THE RESULTS............................................................................................................................ 9
6 INSPECTING EVENTS ............................................................................................................................... 9
6.1 FIBER EVENTS ............................................................................................................................................. 9
6.2 CONNECTOR EVENTS ................................................................................................................................ 10
6.3 SPLICE EVENTS ......................................................................................................................................... 11
7 MEASUREMENT REQUIREMENT ........................................................................................................ 11
7.1 NORDUNET REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................................... 12
7.1.1 Age of optical fibre ........................................................................................................................... 12
7.1.2 ITU-T specification ........................................................................................................................... 12
7.1.3 Attenuation of a submerged span of the Finland link ......................................................... 12
7.1.4 Attenuation of other submerged spans .................................................................................... 12
7.1.5 Attenuation and length of all other sections .......................................................................... 13
7.1.6 Additional specifications ................................................................................................................. 13
7.1.7 Documentation .................................................................................................................................. 13
7.1.8 Repairs .................................................................................................................................................. 13
7.2 MEASUREMENT SETUP .............................................................................................................................. 15
7.3 THE OTDR REPORT.................................................................................................................................. 16
8 EXAMPLE FILES ............................................................................................................................................ 16
9 DOCUMENT RELATIONS ............................................................................................................................ 17
10 DOCUMENT CHANGES ........................................................................................................................... 17
Dark Fiber Evaluation with OTDR Ver. 2.1
Date: Version: All Rights Reserved:
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1 Introduction

When the fiber section/span was first bought, BOL (Beginning Of Life), the
values of this fiber from end to end, most likely was near perfect or close to
it. Over time the cable, with the fiber inside, may be stressed for numerous
reasons. The stress imposed to the cable could be digging, the ground
moving, rocks pressing on the cable or other changes to the cable’s
environment. These changes are called aging, and change the fibers
possibilities and capacity to transport light with close to no loss to a little
more loss every time a change occurs.
This is why a fiber is said to have an EOL (End Of Life) as well as a BOL. This
is perfectly normal behavior during a fibers lifetime. Reaching EOL however,
does not mean the end of that particular fiber, just a change of purpose to
something less demanding, but this is entirely up to the owner of the fiber to
decide.

Unwanted factors that also play a role in the fibers lifetime is, direct damage
to the cable, in most cases a fiber cut. The fiber needs to be fixed as soon as
possible. To help find the location to dig up the cable in order to splice the
fibers together again, an OTDR (Optical Time-Domain Reflectometer) is used.
The OTDR instrument will produce a report of every fiber measured, and by
looking at those, it can be established what happened to the fiber and what
to do about it.

2 Objective

The objective of this document is to unify and standardize any received OTDR
report from any of NORDUnets fiber providers. Second objective is to make
sure all staff within NORDUnet has the same understanding of OTDR reports.

3 Target group

The target group is NORDUnet staff and fiber providers to the NORDUnet
optical network.
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4 Introduction

This document concentrates on defining how and why the OTDR reports
should look like they should in order to get the best possible results. Looking
into the future it is vital that the measurements follow the exact same
structure for easy comparison between old and the most recent OTDR
measurements.

The OTDR measurements physical elaboration is vital for the results, since
the results are used to maintain and further develop the existing network.

Interpretations of OTDR reports can be found in the OTDR course document.

5 OTDR techniques

This section explains in short the techniques behind any OTDR measurement;
this is done to point out why it is very important to understand how to
perform an OTDR measurement and what to consider when doing so.

5.1 Backscatter
The OTDR makes measurements on optical fibers by sending a very high
intensity pulse of light into the fiber, minute reflections occur along the
length of the fiber as well as at all discontinuities at such places as splices
and connections and reflect the light back to the transmitter (this is known as
backscattering, see Fig. 1).

Light Particle

Backscatter
Fig. 1 Light reflected in a particle backscatters light.

The launch pulse typically can be varied in length to accommodate different

lengths of fibers and measurement resolution. Generally speaking, the longer
the fiber is the greater amount of light must be injected into the fiber.

As an example, a 100 nanosecond (100 ns) pulse may be sufficient to make

measurements on a 1.000 meter length of fiber but attempting to measure a
20.000 meter length with the same pulse width may result in an insufficient
signal reflecting back to the OTDR from the far lengths of the test fiber.
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Increasing the pulse width to 10 microseconds (10 us) will allow more light to
travel down the fiber and consequently more light to be reflected back. In
effect, increasing the pulse width increases the signal to noise ratio and thus
allows for a longer measurement.

5.2 The OTDR trace view

When characterizing a fiber link using an OTDR, it is the reflected light that is
used to calculate the attenuation of the link, the characteristics of loss and
the length of the fiber span. The OTDR software displays obvious faults and
terminations (typically patch cables) on a generated graph, known as a trace,
and provides the loss value in dB as a function of distance. The faults, called
events, are listed in a table of events. Fig. 2 illustrates a typical OTDR
acquisition, displaying a trace and its corresponding table of events.

Fig. 2 Common OTDR trace view, showing events on a graph.

5.3 Signal-to-noise ratio and Dead Zone

Event detection, attenuation and length measurements depend on the signal-

to-noise ratio (SNR) the OTDR can reach at any given point of the trace
analysis. The SNR is the ratio between the back reflected signal and the noise
level, and depends on pulse width, sampling points, measurement distance,
receiver bandwidth precision, and averaging number.
The influence of these factors on event detection, attenuation measurement
accuracy and spatial resolution is often difficult to predict by the user. Some
OTDR manufacturers have user-definable parameters, while others integrate
routines that help the user optimize all parameters in order to get the best
results. See a simple explanation on SNR in Fig. 3.
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Fig. 3 OTDR measurement information depends on the SNR.

Pulse width determines the power of the backscatter-reflected signal. A long

pulse width amplifies the received signal, making it easier to distinguish it
from background noise and, therefore, improving the SNR (signal-to-noise
ratio). On the other hand, using a pulse width that is longer than the distance
separating two events will lead to inaccurate event detection and
measurements. Furthermore, if the pulse width is increased, the attenuation
dead zone is also increased, limiting the detection capability of other events
after an initial event.

There is a significant trade-off between increased pulse width and

measurement resolution. Calculating how long a section of fiber a 100 ns
pulse of light occupies, gives approximately 20 Meters (20.45 meters to be
more exact). Basically, this means that by the time an OTDR shuts off a 100
ns light pulse, photons from the beginning of the light pulse are already 20
meters down the length of the fiber. In effect, there is a 20 meter bar of light
traveling down the fiber. Changing the pulse to 10 us thus creates a 2000
meter long bar of light down the fiber!
Some OTDR operators may not know that the length of this pulse or
subsequent bar of light is important to the operational use of the OTDR. As
the launch pulse leaves the OTDR, the reflection from the fiber optic
connector on the OTDR front panel being generally greater than the back-
reflection from the fiber itself, results in saturation (overload) of the signal in
the OTDR. This reflection effectively "blinds" the OTDR for the duration of the
launch pulse. Since time equates to distance, the OTDR is effectively “blind”
to the first 20 meters of fiber if a 100 ns launch pulse is used, and 2000
meters if a 10 us launch pulse is used.
In addition to the above mentioned saturation, some older OTDR's may not
handle the intensity of the back-reflected signal from the beginning sections
of the fiber under test and result in an increase in the blind time. In older
OTDR's, once the receiver saturates, it takes some finite amount of time for
the receiver to start reacting normally – increasing the overall blind time
some more. This blind time is generally referred to as the "dead zone".
During the dead zone time, the OTDR cannot measure signal amplitudes and
subsequently cannot properly measure fiber loss. In effect, the loss cannot be
measured in the beginning length of the fiber under test during this period of
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saturation, see Fig. 4. It is important to note that distance measurements are

not affected by the saturation events as long as the user measures to the
correct edge of the reflection. In addition to dead zones from the front panel
OTDR reflection, reflections from subsequent connector to connector
interfaces (patch panels) may result in their own dead zone events.

Receiver saturated

Recovery
period

OTDR
receiving pulse
reflection

Pulse width Diffusion

period
Fig. 4 Dead zone spanning an event and recover period, notice the pulse width.

Why not bury this unusable measurement time in a piece of fiber that is not
part of the fiber under test? That is exactly what the test fiber (or so called
Dead Zone Eliminator, hence DZE) accomplishes.

By placing the DZE in front of the fiber to be tested and shooting the OTDR
through this device, the receiver can be in saturation while the light is still in
the DZE and has not yet traveled into the fiber under test. This lets the
receiver “recover” while the launch pulse is still traveling in the DZE. The
attenuation measurements are then starting at a point before the beginning
of the fiber under test – but still not right at a point inches from the start of
the fiber under test.
Why? Pulse suppressors still need to be connected to the fiber under test and
this interface will cause a reflection that may result in another dead zone.
Loss measurements cannot be made within these reflections.

So how does the Dead Zone Eliminator (DZE) allow the OTDR to measure
through this dead zone event? By allowing the OTDR to place a measurement
cursor in the linear (non-saturated) portion of the trace, prior to the start of
the fiber under test, and within the length of the DZE. This measures through
the dead zone events giving an indication of the loss of this section. When
measuring loss of fiber through these events it is important to realize that the
OTDR is measuring not only the fiber under test, but also a small length of
the DZE and the DZE to fiber connector pair. This method gives a good
indication of the quality of the initial section of the fiber under test, a loss
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indication that may not be available without the use of the DZE. For the same
technical explanation the DZE is used at the end of the fiber under test.

5.4 Averaging the trace

Signal averaging also increases SNR. The noise reduction is proportional to

the square root of the averaging number used. This provides improved event
detection and measurement as well as spatial resolution, particularly where
the signal is weak. The averaging number refers to the number of
measurements acquired on the same sampling point to obtain an average
value. Because of the uneven and arbitrary nature of background noise,
increasing the averaging number reduces the noise level, improving the SNR,
which, in turn, improves the event measurement accuracy and detection.
When studying closely spaced events, the averaging number also improves
spatial resolution because it helps to reduce noise during high-bandwidth
analysis. Averaging is determined by the OTDR’s sampling points and the
acquisition time for the measurement.

The influence of the receiver’s bandwidth resides in the fact that low-
bandwidth transmission smoothes down curves and attenuates sharp
transitions. Although this reduces noise and improves SNR at the far end of
long-range measurements, it increases dead zones. A high receiver
bandwidth, on the other hand, transmits sharp transitions from the
backscattered and reflected signals, but also lets through noise. This shortens
dead zones, but may require more averaging in order to reduce noise level.
A high receiver bandwidth has a limited range mainly due to the random
noise it contains. However, it improves front-end fiber link event
measurement accuracy and spatial resolution, especially when measuring
closely spaced events.

Sampling points have a more complex influence on the end results. Without
going into a detailed description of sampling rates and phases, it is safe to
say that the main influences of sampling points may be described as follows:

Increasing the number of sampling points decreases the distance

between the points.
A high-sampling-point count increases the measurement distance
(when not limited by the dynamic range).
Increasing the number of sampling points improves the spatial
resolution of events (when not limited by the pulse width).
For a given measurement range and averaging time, increasing the
number of sampling points decreases averaging on each point.
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5.5 Tweaking the results

OTDR measurements are an approximation of reality; they are based on

statistics and the analysis extrapolates the best possible characterization of a
given fiber span.
Every OTDR reacts differently to the above-mentioned parameters.
Consequently, in order to adequately select parameters for optimum
performance, the common outside plant OTDR user must have a thorough
understanding of the parameters that generally influence OTDR
measurements, as well as their impact on the specific OTDR unit used. For
example, using a high-bandwidth analysis and concentrated sampling points
while investigating a long pulse width may lead to noisy results, poor SNR
and, hence, poor fault detection, as well as erroneous event measurement.

Parameters such as the pulse width, the number of sampling points, the
measurement distance, the receiver bandwidth and averaging all affect the
SNR (ratio of back reflected signal-to-noise level). As a whole, these
parameters have a considerable impact on the end results and the influence
of these factors on event detection measurement and spatial resolution is
very difficult to predict as they interact differently in every OTDR. Changing
one parameter will modify others, which is something the user might not be
aware of or might not want to do.

When taking all parameters into consideration it is without a doubt a must to

use top trained and qualified personnel to execute the OTDR measurement as
well as a quality OTDR, well calibrated; an OTDR should be calibrated no less
than once a year.

6 Inspecting events

The OTDR techniques have been explained, this section uncovers what is
interesting to analyze from the trace result.

6.1 Fiber events

The fiber changes characteristics over time; however the most common
change to the fiber is a direct cut.
What an OTDR measurement uncovers is how well the fiber is spliced back
together again, but this is just in an event of a fiber cut. There are various
different events to look for in every fiber.
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If the span of the fiber is more than 20-25 km long, the span will also be
having changes in the core diameter, not much, and this too will have a
visual impact on the loss in the fiber span. The reason for the core change is
because a new roll of fiber is used to extend the first roll, each roll is typically
20-25 km long when arriving from the factory.

Fig. 5 Four of the most common changes in a fiber

Under production of the fiber small changes in temperature or tension when

pulling the fiber, will cause various occurrences to the fiber itself.
These occurrences can be density changes to the core which will influence the
reflection of light in all directions. It could be micro bends, which are small
changes on the core down the fiber. Or it could be impurities, such as air
bobbles or small dust particles

When the fiber is laid it can be bent excessively and fixed in this position, this
is known as a macro bend and can in some circumstances be accounted for.

All these small changes to the fiber can be identified when looking at a
correctly performed OTDR measurement. Fig. 5, crudely shows these
occurrences.

6.2 Connector events

Amongst other events, the OTDR is capable of identifying connector

terminations along a fiber span, that is, if the fiber is passing sites with patch
panels.
The patching needs to be perfect, leaving as low a loss to the total fiber span
as possible. This sets some requirements to the technicians performing this
work. The connector must be cleaned and visually inspected by the
technician to remove obvious high losses at this point. Sometimes a
connector must be rejected and replaced with a new connector. See Fig. 6 for
examples of connector tips.
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Light Rejected
Perfect Dust
scratch
Fig. 6 The perfect connector far left and far right a connector that needs replacement

The perfect connector can have as little as 0.2 dB loss. A dusty connector
needs to be cleaned, which in most cases is enough, but it is important that
all dust is removed since it can burn and stick to the connector causing it to
fail over time.
Visual inspection should be carried out at x400 time’s magnification, which
will reveal even the tiniest scratch the connector might have. A light scratch
on the connector on the ferrule part can be accepted since the power of light
is fairly low, but a scratch in or near the core of the fiber must be rejected at
once.
A scratch at the core could mirror the laser in a small space, accumulating
higher and higher energy which will make the connector explode when the
energy gets too high.

6.3 Splice events

At some point a fiber needs to be spliced with another fiber, this could be
when installing the fiber between point A and B, or it could be when the fiber
needs repair.
All splices are done with a fusion splicer, which align the two fibers cores to
each other and then splices the fibers with an electric arc. Depending on the
fusion splicer the result could be near zero loss or 0.1dB but normally a splice
should be no more than 0.16dB.
As with fiber events and connectors a splice event can also be identified with
an OTDR measurement.

7 Measurement requirement

When taking the technical and surrounding events into consideration this
implies strict requirements when measurements are performed.

For NORDUnet’s optical network, it is a requirement to keep loss levels, and

PMD and CMD levels as low as possible to give the best working conditions to
the DWDM equipment using the fiber spans, the requirements to the fiber
changes when the equipment is upgraded to greater speeds or more
bandwidth. This is why NORDUnet requires the fibers to be of the best
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quality, and why fibers shall be spliced opposed to patched wherever

possible.
The requirements for spliced fiber, shall be interpreted from end equipment
site to end equipment site, without exceptions.
In the following sections the requirements for fiber delivered to NORDUnet
are repeated.

7.1 NORDUnet requirements

NORDUnet requirements are outlined as values for events and total loss pr.
km.; this is a repetition of the part of the Telenor and Global Crossing
requirements. Offering.
A fibre connection of a span shall consist of an uninterrupted glass fibre end-
to-end; if this requirement is impossible to fulfil then every fibre span must
be considered on a case by case basis.
All of the requirements must be met within the 1530-1570nm wavelength
spectrum if not stated elsewhere.

7.1.1 Age of optical fibre

The optical fibre itself (not only the cable) shall have been manufactured
after 1992.

7.1.2 ITU-T specification

The Dark Fibre shall be specified according to ITU-T G.652 or ITU-T G.655.
For ITU-T G.655 the True Wave Classic shall not be accepted.

For each part of the infrastructure (Scandinavian ring, Southern cross,

Finland link) the same ITU recommendation shall be valid throughout that
part.

7.1.3 Attenuation of a submerged span of the Finland link

The attenuation at 1550 nm should not exceed 23 dB and shall not exceed 35
dB.

7.1.4 Attenuation of other submerged spans

The attenuation at 1550 nm should not exceed 23 dB and shall not exceed
26 dB.
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7.1.5 Attenuation and length of all other sections

The attenuation of a DF span at 1550 nm shall not exceed 23 dB and the

length should not exceed 80 km.

7.1.6 Additional specifications

The Dark Fibre parameters of the installed cable shall during the whole
contract period comply with the values in 1-7 below. The values include
effects of possible future splicing, repair, aging, etc.

1. Attenuation at 1550 nm shall be less than 0.25 dB/km and should

be less than 0.22 dB/km.
2. Bend losses shall not be accepted.
3. Seasonal variations in the fibre parameter shall not be accepted.
4. Connector losses shall be less than 0.5 dB.
5. Reflection shall at any point be below -40 dB.
6. Chromatic Dispersion at 1550nm (CMD1550nm) shall be less than18.5
ps/nm/km.
7. Polarisation Mode Dispersion (PMDQ) shall be less than 0.50 ps/ km
and should be less than 0.20 ps/ km.

7.1.7 Documentation

The supplier shall provide documentation for each span in an electronic

readable format stating:

1. Manufacturing date, manufacturer’s name and cable type

2. Attenuation at 1310nm and 1550nm
3. Bidirectional optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR)
measurements at 1310nm and 1550nm

If PMDQ exceeds 0.20 ps/ km then the Supplier shall provide measurement
reports or manufacturing data for each span in an electronic readable format
stating the Polarisation Mode Dispersion (PMDQ) value.

7.1.8 Repairs

Each repair loss in each direction shall be less than 0.5 dB at 1550nm.

Bend losses shall not be accepted.

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The Supplier shall perform quality testing of repair after damage.

After repair the supplier shall produce a test report, in original digital form,
containing the following data:

1. Bi-directional OTDR measurement at both 1310nm and 1550nm with

high resolution around the repaired location.
2. Attenuation at 1550nm.
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7.2 Measurement setup

The optimal OTDR measurement is done by;

1. Measuring with a DZE on each end of the fiber under test (FUT).
a. The DZE should be 200 meters long as a minimum and not more
than 2.5 km long matching the pulse width approximately.
b. A standard 2.5 km DZE is acceptable.

2. Cleaning the DZE connectors as well as the FUT connectors.

a. Making sure the patch cables are connected perfectly before
conducting any measurements on the fiber.
b. Using an x400 microscope to visually verify the connector ends.
c. Only use wet wipes to clean connectors if the dry cletop cleaner is
not sufficient, but always clean with dry cleaner afterwards.

3. Use correct settings when performing an OTDR measurement.

a. Pulse with set to a minimum, but large enough to reach end of
fiber span.
b. Acquisition time set to fit the length of fiber being measured.
c. Length set to cover the whole span, but not too much.

4. Measure at both 1310 and 1550 nm.

a. Measurements must be carried out in both directions.

See Fig. 7 and 8 for correct physical setup before performing the OTDR
measurement.

Fig. 7 Physical setup for measuring a single fiber at a time

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Fig. 8 Physical setup for measuring a pair of fibers, not longer than 80 km long in total

A single fiber measurement takes longer time, but allows greater detail and
resolution to the measurement and it allows the fiber to be up to 160 km
long.
The dual fiber measurement is only suitable for short fiber distances up to 40
km pr. fiber, but it decreases measurement time dramatically.

7.3 The OTDR report

An OTDR measurement report must consist of two sets of measurements;

1. One set done to determine the event needed to be fixed (a broken

fiber)

2. And one set done after the actual fiber work (splicing of the fiber).

Both sets of reports must be delivered to NORDUnet in their original format.

All file names shall be meaningful for easy identification.
E.g. Before_TUG-FRE_1310 and After_TUG-FRE_1310

All OTDR reports must be mailed to NUNOC@nordu.net and should be with a

headline stating “start site and end site”. This is information for
documentation reasons.
E.g. OTDR report – SE-TUG to SE-FRE
If possible with reference to NUNOC TT number or own internal identification.

8 Example files

A supplement to this document has been created in order to keep document

size to a minimum. Examples now refer to the document “Dark Fiber
Evaluation OTDR tests”. Within this document the effects of incorrect
measurement setup has been illuminated.
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From this document laboratory OTDR traces can be requested at any time.

9 Document relations

This document is related to the following documents:

Dark Fiber Evaluation Report

Dark Fiber Evaluation Report - Appendix 1
Dark Fiber Evaluation OTDR Tests

10 Document changes

2008.02.25
Firs official release of this document.

END OF DOCUMENT