Description: This object indicates whether or not a port has detected SQE Test messages from its attached MAU. The value of this object persists between packets. This object is useful in detecting configuration errors which could seriously impact network performance.

According to the IEEE 802.3 standard, MAUs associated with repeaters must not implement the signal_quality_error (SQE) message Test function. MAUs implementing this function generate a short collision announcement to their attachment unit interfaces (AUIs) following the transmission of every packet. Repeaters may interpret this test message as an actual collision event and attempt to propagate the collision by transmitting a jam signal to all of its other ports.

A value of unknown(1) indicates that an implementation does not have the ability to determine if it is receiving SQE Test messages.

A value of sqeTestDetected(2) indicates that a SQE Test message was detected after the transmission of the last packet out this port. This message was interpreted as a collision, extended to a full Jam pattern and transmitted out every other repeater port.

A value of sqeTestNotDetected(3) indicates that a SQE Test message was not detected after the transmission of the last packet out this port.

A value of sqeTestMasked(4) indicates that a SQE Test message was detected after the transmission of the last packet out this port but this message was ignored and not interpreted as a collision. This value is used by those implementations which offer SQE Test Masking functions.