Rockwell Automation Allen-Bradley SynchLink 1756-DM Series Design Manual page 101

Glossary
Attenuation
The light loss of the fiber cable, specified in dB/km.
Base Block
A block that converts optical signals received from a SynchLink node
into electrical signals and then "retimes" and "retransmits" the signals
simultaneously to a maximum of four splitter blocks. The base block
also supplies power to splitter blocks.
Beacon Signal
Transmission beginning with the SynchLink time master that is
transferred between SynchLink nodes and used to maintain time
synchronization; the beacon is included in the control field of the
transmitted message. When SynchLink nodes receive the message
with the beacon signal, they adjust the 1 m S time base of their
respective node clocks to synchronize with the time master node
clock.
BER (Bit Error Rate)
The primary method of describing the data error rate. An acceptable
-9
error rate is 1 × 10 bit errors (or 1 error in 1000 Mbits transmitted).
Bend Radius
The maximum amount the cable can be bent and still function up to
specification.
Buffer
The material surrounding the fiber (core, cladding, coating) that
protects the fiber from physical damage. Tight buffers are in direct
contact with the fiber. Loose-tube buffers provide a free environment
for the fiber to float.
Buffered data
Data exchanged between SynchLink nodes. The data is appropriately
segmented at the transmitting module and reassembled at the
receiving module. Buffered data cannot be automatically forwarded to
the next node in the daisy chain configuration.
1 Publication 1756-TD008A-EN-P - August 2002