This status byte reports the software's view of this port's connection state. A single-station-only port can be no-connection(1), waiting-to-open(2), or active-connection(3); a port that can carry either a Tau or a single station can additionally be getting-config(4), initializing(5), or pre-active(6) on its way to active-connection(3). Admins use it as the detailed state-machine view behind the simpler fibTmuPortsEndConnection flag. For example, a port stuck in getting-config for an extended time would point to a Tau that isn't responding properly to configuration queries.