1. Hardware Installation and Maintenance Guide
  2. Installation
  3. Cabling the Acme Packet System

Cabling the Acme Packet System

After mounting the Acme Packet 4900 in an equipment rack and installing all components into the chassis, connect all appropriate data cables to the ports before powering the system up and configuring it.

Oracle recommends using fully shielded CAT5e or CAT6 Ethernet cables for media and management Ethernet connections to protect the Acme Packet 4900 from potential damage.

You can install and remove Ethernet and GbE optical cables while the Acme Packet 4900 is operational. Not every port needs to be utilized for proper operation. However, when a cable is disconnected and the link is lost, an alarm is generated.

Note:

The intra-building ports of the equipment are suitable for connection to intra-building or unexposed wiring or cabling only. The intra-building ports of the equipment must not be metallically connected to interfaces that connect to the Outside Plant (OSP) or its wiring. These interfaces are designed for use as intra-building interfaces only (Type 2 or Type 4 ports, as described in GR-1089–CORE, Issue 6) and requires isolation from the exposed OSP cabling. The addition of primary protectors is not sufficient protection to connect these interfaces metallically to OSP wiring.

Note:

Intra-building ports include Media and Signaling Network Interfaces, Network Management Ports, Alarm Ports, and Console Port.

Console Port

The Acme Packet 4900 has one console port located on the rear panel. The Acme Packet 4900 ships with a console adapter that allows you to connect a standard DB-9 serial port to the Acme Packet 4900’s RJ45 console port.

Diagram showing the Console Port

Chassis Console Cabling Procedure

This section explains how to create a serial connection to the Acme Packet 4900 console port. Use the serial management port for permanent connections to a terminal server or other serial device.
To connect a cable to the serial management port:
  1. Locate a twisted pair console cable to connect to the Acme Packet 4900.
  2. Remove the rubber dust cap from the Chassis console port if present.
  3. Insert the RJ45 connector on the end of the console cable into the serial management port. The release tab on the RJ45 jack clicks into place when you insert it properly.
  4. Lead the cable neatly away from the rear panel toward a terminal server or other component where this serial connection terminates.

Cabling the T1/E1 Port

While the Acme Packet 4900 does not include a T1/E1 interface, the Acme Packet 3950 has an optional T1/E1 interface.

If you purchased the optional one-port or four-port T1/E1 interface module for TDM, you must cable the T1/E1 port. In centralized SIP trunking topologies this module preserves voice services in the event of a corporate WAN connectivity disruption. In distributed SIP trunking topologies the module preserves voice services in the event of a local SIP trunk interface disruption.

Note:

The RJ48C connector looks very similar to an RJ45 connector found on a typical CAT5 cable, but they are very different. A RJ48C connecter is fastened on to an Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) cable, not the standard Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) CAT-(1-5) cable. An RJ48C also uses a different pin out arrangement, voltage level, and line capacitance than an RJ45.

To create a physical T1 or E1 connection to the Acme Packet 4900 T1/E1 port, use the rear port or ports marked T1/E1 for a permanent connection to Wide Area Network (WAN).

T1E1 ports
  1. Insert the RJ48C connectors on the end of the cable into the T1/E1 ports.
  2. Lead the cable neatly away from the rear panel toward the component where this connection terminates.

Management Network Ports

Standard shielded CAT5e or CAT6 (or higher) Ethernet cables with RJ45 jacks are used for connecting the Acme Packet 4900 management Ethernet ports to your network. These ports support 10/100/1000 Mbps speeds.

All management ports can be used to connect the Acme Packet to your LAN. If you are going to use High Availability (HA), use ports 1 and 2.

Note:

Keep Ethernet cables separated from power cables by at least 60mm where possible and never run them in the same channel of a trunking system without segregation.

Note:

As a rule, Mgmt0 should be reserved as the boot/maintenance interface. Mgmt1 and Mgmt2 are available for high availability.

To connect Ethernet cables to the rear panel Ethernet ports:

  1. Locate the Ethernet cables you plan to connect to the Acme Packet 4900.
  2. Insert the RJ45 connector on the end of the Ethernet cable into one of the management Ethernet ports. These ports are labeled Mgmt0, Mgmt1, and Mgmt2. The release tab on the RJ45 jack will click into place when you insert it properly.
  3. Route the cable away from the Acme Packet 4900. Make sure that the Ethernet cables are not stretched tightly or subject to extreme stress.
  4. Repeat Steps 1 through 3 for each additional management Ethernet cable you will connect to your Acme Packet 4900.
    Diagram showing Management Ports

Media and Signaling Network Interfaces

The rear panel is available with either copper or optical SFP Ethernet connectors. For media and signaling, you may use either (a) any combination of P0, P1, P2, and P3 ports or (b) the P4 and P5 ports.

Note:

Perform all cabling procedures according to the established standards for your organization.
Diagram showing signaling and media interfaces

Ethernet Cable Procedure

The Acme Packet 4900 may be configured with Ethernet interfaces. Shielded CAT 5e or CAT 6 (or higher) Ethernet cables with RJ45 jacks are used for connecting the Acme Packet 4900 to your network.

On the Acme Packet 4900 you may use either the 1Gb ports (P0-P3) or the 10Gb ports (P4-P5); both cannot be used simultaneously.

To connect Ethernet cables to the signaling and media ports:
  1. Locate the Ethernet cables you plan to connect to the Acme Packet 4900.
  2. Insert the RJ45 connector on the end of the Ethernet cable into one of the 1GbE copper NIU media and signaling ports. The release tab on the RJ45 jack will click into place when you insert it properly.
  3. Route the cable away from the Acme Packet 4900. Make sure that the Ethernet cables are not stretched tightly or subjected to extreme stress.
  4. Repeat Steps 1 through 3 for each additional Ethernet cable you connect to your Acme Packet 4900.

Fiber Optic Cable Procedure

The Acme Packet 4900 may be configured with optical interfaces. Standard single mode or multimode fiber optic cabling with duplex LC connectors are used to connect the Acme Packet 4900 to your network.

When handling a fiber optic cable:
  • Never touch the polished end of fiber cable.
  • To prevent serious eye damage, never look directly into a fiber optic cable connector or mating adapter.
  • Clean all fiber optics before installing them into your network according to prescribed procedures.
  • Ensure that the bend radius of your fiber cables is kept to a minimum of 3” or that specified by the fiber cable manufacturer.
  • Perform all cabling procedures according to the established standards for your organization.
  • Use only the 1GbE port or the 10GbE port.
To connect network optical cabling to the optical physical interface cards:
  1. Locate the fiber optic cables you plan to connect to the Acme Packet 4900.
    • P0 - P3 are 1GbE ports
    • P4 - P5 are 10GbE ports
  2. Connect the optical cables to their corresponding ports.
  3. Route the cable away from the Acme Packet 4900. Make sure that the fiber optic cables are not stretched tightly or subjected to extreme stress.
  4. Repeat Steps 1 through 3 for each additional fiber optic cable you connect to your Acme Packet 4900.