The Agilent/HP 37717C OmniBER 717C is a modular communications performance analyzer for PDH/DSn and SONET/SDH networks; with Options 110, 120, 131 and A3D installed it supports DS1/DS3/E1/E3 electrical interfaces, STS‑3/STM‑1 electrical SONET/SDH testing, 1310 nm STM optical interfaces, and remote/parallel/GPIB control.

Quick option table

Option	Primary capability	What it enables (practical)
110	DS1/DS3 and E1/E3 structured PDH/DSn interfaces	Allows transmit/receive and BER/jitter testing on DS1, DS3, E1, E3 electrical circuits.
120	STS‑3 / STM‑1 electrical SONET/SDH interfaces	Enables STS‑3/STM‑1 electrical line testing, framing, and SONET/SDH performance measurements.
131	STM‑0/STM‑1/STM‑4 optical interface (1310 nm)	Provides 1310 nm optical transmit/receive for STM‑0/1/4 testing (optical BER, loss, and overhead).
A3D	Remote control / printer / parallel + GPIB/RS‑232 interfaces	Adds remote control (HPIB/GPIB), RS‑232, parallel/printer and related I/O for automation and data capture.

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Technical description (what the instrument is)

The HP/Agilent 37717C OmniBER 717C is a rack‑mount, multi‑rate communications performance analyzer designed for installation, maintenance and manufacturing test of hybrid PDH/DSn and SONET/SDH networks up to OC‑12/STM‑4 rates when fitted with appropriate modules. It is a modular mainframe: you populate it with interface and feature options (electrical, optical, jitter, ATM, remote I/O) to match the network technologies you must test.

What each installed option does (expanded)

• Option 110 (DSn/PDH electrical interfaces): Implements structured PDH transmit/receive for DS1/DS3 and E1/E3 rates, including framing, payload mapping and BER/jitter measurements on those copper interfaces—used for legacy PDH network validation and BER acceptance tests. 
• Option 120 (STS‑3/STM‑1 electrical): Adds SONET/SDH electrical line interfaces so the unit can generate/analyze STS‑3/STM‑1 signals, measure overhead, alarms, and perform SONET/SDH BER/jitter tests without optical transceivers. 
• Option 131 (1310 nm optical STM interfaces): Provides 1310 nm optical transceiver interfaces for STM‑0/1/4 testing (optical BER, power, and overhead). This lets you test fiber links and optical line cards at the specified wavelength. 
• Option A3D (remote/printer I/O): Enables remote control (GPIB/HPIB), RS‑232 and parallel/printer interfaces and related firmware support so the instrument can be automated, integrated into production test rigs, or controlled from scripts. Firmware updates historically enabled full A3D functionality. 

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