Connection Manager

Connection Manager is one of the most frequently-used tools in Fiber Manager . It allows users to view and edit the fiber connections at network junctions such as splices and patch locations. Connection Manager comes with a default look and feel; however, there are several ways you can update the dialog to suit your company’s needs.

IMPORTANT: Some Connection Manager configurations are accomplished using geodatabase domains. If updating domains in a production environment, always proceed with care. ArcCatalog allows you to remove coded values that have already been used in existing features. It does not delete the value from the feature’s field, but simply makes it unavailable for future edits. For example, if the Splice Type “Mechanical” has been used for 1,000 splice types, and then the value “Mechanical” is later deleted from the SpliceType domain, the existing 1,000 splice types remain as “Mechanical.” That option is not presented to the users going forward, and future QA/QC processes flag the 1,000 values as being out of compliance.

Name

The feature’s ArcFM Primary Display Field populates the name displayed in the Connection Manager title bar. For each fiber feature class, choose an appropriate and helpful name for your company. This is set in ArcCatalog using the ArcFM Properties Manager.

If the ArcFM Primary Display Field is null for the chosen feature, the feature’s ObjectID is displayed.

Tray Numbers

By default, Connection Manager provides a drop-down of trays 1 through 15 with no configuration needed. You can update this drop-down by adding a new domain to the geodatabase called TrayNumber, with that exact spelling (no space between the words). The coded values you provide in the TrayNumber domain override the default values. For example, the image below shows even numbers for the trays in the list of coded values:

IMPORTANT: Connection Manager does not use the Description column for this domain, only the values in the Code column. Because the Description column cannot be left null, we recommend you simply use the Coded value for both, as seen in the image above.

And the next time a user deploys Connection Manager, that same list of values is displayed:

Splice Type

Much like trays, splice types are also configured using a domain. In this case, the sample data provides four default values in the SpliceType domain. You can update this list in ArcCatalog. For example, in the image below the default value “Glue” has been updated to “Curable Bond.”

And the next time a user deploys Connection Manager, that value appears in the Splice Type drop-down:

TIP: List your most commonly-used splice type first in the domain. That way, it becomes the default splice type for end users.

Default Loss Values

Different splice types have different loss values. Fiber Manager uses these loss values to report total loss over distance. To assist the users, you can provide default loss values per splice type.

These loss values are set in the ArcFM Fiber Settings in ArcCatalog.

IMPORTANT: The ArcFM Fiber Settings tool does not come on the ArcFM toolbar by default in ArcCatalog. You can add it to the toolbar using the Customize menu.

In the ArcFM Fiber Settings, type the two loss values for each Splice Type, clicking Apply each time.

And the next time a user deploys Connection Manager, the values appear for each splice type and are applied automatically along with the actual splice:

If needed, the user is still able to adjust the loss for a specific splice.

IMPORTANT:

The Fiber System Settings are stored in the ArcFM Solution System Table MM_SYSTEM_PERSIST_INFO.
In ArcMap, an individual user is also able to set loss defaults using the ArcFM Fiber Settings. These user-specific settings are stored in the table MM_PERSIST_INFO, and the record of those user settings includes the user name.
When a user launches Connection Manager, the application first looks to see if that username has a record in the MM_PERSIST_INFO table. If so, it uses those loss defaults. If not, it uses the defaults in the MM_SYSTEM_PERSIST_INFO.
If you do not want users setting their own loss values, we recommend not including the ArcFM Fiber Settings tool on the ArcMap toolbar. Verify loss settings through your own auditing processes, and correct users through training, if needed. Blocking users from writing to the MM_PERSIST_INFO table is too heavy-handed, as the same table tracks other interfaces changes across all ArcFM applications. Yes, blocking write access to the table would prevent user-specific loss values, but it would also hamper a lot of other helpful functionality simultaneously.

Adding Columns

You can apply field model names to additional columns you want to make visible in Connection Manager.

FiberConnectionDisplaySortField: This field model name makes the field visible in Connection Manager, and at the same time, it is used to sort the table in Connection Manager. It is most typically assigned to the PortNumber field on all port-related object tables (for example, F_FrontSidePort, F_BackSidePort, F_DevicePort, etc.) and the FiberNumber field on the F_Fiber table.
IMPORTANT:
- This single field model name makes the field visible and uses the field to sort the table. You do not need to also assign the FiberConnectionDisplayField.
- Only one field per object table can have this model name. Do not assign it to multiple fields in the same object table.
- Do not assign the field model name to the F_FIBERCONNECTIONOBJECT table. The field model name should only be assigned to fields on connectable objects such as strands, buffer tubes, and cables.
FiberConnectionDisplayField: This field model name adds the field to the table in Connection Manager. For example, in the image below this field model name was added to the GlassType field for fibers, and now that field is visible for all users in Connection Manager:

IMPORTANT: Do not assign the field model name to the F_FIBERCONNECTIONOBJECT table. The field model name should only be assigned to fields on connectable objects such as strands, buffer tubes, and cables.