Recertified Test Reports: Are they really valid? Part 3

^{Figure 1. Store Plot Data turned On}

If you need to check that a link is capable of supporting Power over Ethernet (PoE), you must have the resistance values available.  Loop Resistance and the Resistance Unbalance results need to be available.  Without these, recertification for PoE support is not possible.

The same holds true for the higher categories (classes) of cabling.  You must have enough data to support the recertification limit.  Category 6 (Class E) tests are supported up to 350MHz on a DSX Series CableAnalyzer™ even though the upper frequency limit of this category or Class of cabling is 250MHz.  You will not have enough data to recertify a Cat 6 (Class E) link to Cat 6A (Class Ea) as the upper frequency limits of those standards is 500MHz.

For fiber optic recertification you must have both the loss and the length of the fiber, the original test data will hold the configuration information on connector and splice counts.  You can correct for the wrong index of refraction (IOR) setting when recertifying fiber links, but you can not add or subtract connectors or splices.  If the original settings were wrong, the link will need to be re-tested.

A re-certified result from a Fluke Networks DSX CableAnalyzer or CertiFiber Pro OLTS can be fully trusted as being a valid test result for the link that was installed. The raw data was not manipulated at all, just evaluated against the new limit that was selected, for all required tests. 

A recertified test result cannot be manipulated, the limits for the standards used in the recertification have been coded by Fluke Networks engineers with reference to the appropriate standards.  A user has no way to access this data and modify it, when using Fluke Networks LinkWare PC software.

Fluke Networks LinkWare PC is trusted by OEMs and consultants worldwide.  The format of the files generated is .flw (Fluke LinkWare), the file format is robust and can’t be manipulated or hacked.  In fact, if someone attempts to manipulate the file, LinkWare will either report the file as being corrupted or, will revert the file back to its original, untampered state so the original test result can be seen.