I'm sure I read about a way to do fiber, or that someone had developed a
device, that only involved removing a bit of the covering, not cutting into the
fiber at all.
Yes, there is such a device, and I've used one. The only problem with them is that the amount of attenuation that results from the tap is not very repeatable, but I'd bet there are military grade ones used terrestially that will consistently be undetectable. Remember, a few dB in an optical network can mean the difference between 'acceptable' operation (10e(-10) BER) and nearly complete dropout of the optical signal, initiating a protection switching event. (They also squeeze the fiber in a distinctly anisotropic way, which creates PMD which can kill an OC-192 signal in worst cases.)
Undersea, I've heard that NSA uses splices, and that NSA has its own sub for that purpose. (And the company I used to work for did some work on undersea NSA optical projects, so I tend to believe the rumors I heard there.)
-TD
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