Chapter 4: Ethernet Standards

Question 1

100BASE-T
Speed
Distance
Node Limit
Cable Type

Answer 1

Speed: 100 Mbps
Distance: 100 m
Node Limit: 1024 nodes per hub/switch
Cable Type: Cat 5 or better UTP or STP

Question 2

Why would UTP cabling and other copper cabling, in general, be inappropriate to use in high security environments?

Answer 2

Because it is easy to tap and read the data moving on it.

Question 3

100BASE-FX
Speed
Distance
Node Limit
Cable Type

Answer 3

Speed: 100 Mbps
Distance: 2 km
Node Limit: 1024 nodes per hub/switch
Cable Type: Multimode fiber-optic (generally OM1) with ST or SC connectors

Question 4

100BASE-SX
Speed
Distance
Cable Type

Answer 4

Speed: 100 Mbps
Distance: Short
Cable Type: Multimode fiber-optic OM1 or OM2 with ST, SC, or LC connectors

Question 5

Define: Full-Duplex Ethernet

Answer 5

A NIC can send and receive at the same time. This doubles network bandwidth.

All NICs today run on full-duplex.

Question 6

What is the IEEE 802.3ab standard called?

Answer 6

1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet)

Question 7

What is the IEEE 802.3z standard called?

Answer 7

1000BASE-X (Gigabit Fiber-Optic)

Question 8

Define: Wavelength

Answer 8

The wavelength of a signal refers to the distance the signal has to travel before it completes its particular shape and start to repeat.

Different colors of lasers signals feature different wavelengths.

Question 9

What are the two small form factor (SFF) fiber connectors?

Answer 9

Mechanical Transfer Registered Jack (MT-RJ)

LC (Little Cubes)

Question 10

Define: Physical Contact (PC) connector

Answer 10

Fiber connectors (SC, ST, LC, etc.) where the two pieces of fiber touch when inserted.

They are highly polished and slightly spherical, reducing the signal loss at the connection.

Question 11

Define: Ultra-Physical Contact (UPC) connector

Answer 11

Fiber connectors (SC, ST, LC, etc.) that are extensively polished and reduce signal loss significantly over PC connectors.

Question 12

Define: Angled Physical Contact (APC) connector

Answer 12

Adds an 8-degree angle to the curved end, lowering signal loss further than UPC connectors. Their connection also doesn’t degrade from multiple insertions.

Question 13

1000BASE-T
Speed
Length
Cable Type
Cable Details

Answer 13

Speed: 1 Gbps
Length: 100 m
Cable Type: Cat 5e/6 UTP
Cable Details: Four-pair/ full-duplex

Question 14

1000BASE-SX
Speed
Length
Cable Type

Answer 14

Speed: 1 Gbps
Length: 220-500 m
Cable Type: Multimode fiber, OM2 or better

Question 15

1000BASE-LX
Speed
Length
Cable Type

Answer 15

Speed: 1 Gbps
Length: 5 km
Cable Type: Single-mode fiber OS1 or OS2

Question 16

What is a media converter?

Answer 16

A device that allows any type of Ethernet cabling to connect together (fiber to twisted pair, fiber to coaxial, SMF to MMF, etc.)

It enables connection between two different types of network.

Question 17

What is the Gigabit Interface Converter (GBIC) transceiver standard?

Answer 17

A standard for modular ports.

Electronically, the switch or other gigabit device is just Gigabit Ethernet, so the physical connections don’t matter.

Question 18

What is a GBIC Transceiver/optic?

Answer 18

A removable module that enables connectivity between a device and a cable.

Question 19

What is a Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFFP)?

Answer 19

A much smaller modular transceiver than GBIC that has the same hot-swappable networking standards.

Question 20

Explain the 10 GbE fiber standards for connectors.

Answer 20

That standards do not define the type of connector to use and instead leave that to the manufacturers.

Question 21

Define: Multi-Source Agreements

Answer 21

Agreements among multiple manufacturers to make interoperable devices and standards.

Question 22

10GBASE-SR/SW
Speed
Length
Cabling

Answer 22

Speed: 10 Gbps
Length: 33-400 m
Cabling: Multimode fiber (OM3 or better)

Question 23

10GBASE-LR/LW
Speed
Length
Cabling

Answer 23

Speed: 10 Gbps
Length: 10 km
Cabling: Single-mode fiber (OS2 required to reach the full distance)

Question 24

10GBASE-ER/EW
Speed
Length
Cabling

Answer 24

Speed: 10 Gbps
Length: 40 km
Cabling: Single-mode fiber

Question 25

10GBASE-T
Speed
Length
Cabling
Cable Details

Answer 25

Speed: 10 Gbps
Length: 55/100 m
Cabling: Cat 6/6a UTP
Cable Details: Four-pair/ full-duplex

Question 26

What is Wave Division Multiplexing (WDM)?

Answer 26

A technology used to differentiate wave signals on a single fiber, creating single strand fiber transmission.

Question 27

Define: Bidirectional (BiDi) Transceivers

Answer 27

A transceiver with only a single-optical port that sends on one wavelength and receives on a different wavelength.

A corresponding transceiver must be installed on the other end of the fiber for this to work.

Question 28

What are the BiDi technology advantages over its dual-fiber predecessors?

Answer 28

It costs less to deploy in a new network by using half the number of fiber runs.

You can use existing fiber runs to rapidly double the capacity of a network.

Question 29

Define: Backbones

Answer 29

In a multi-speed network, a series of high-speed (relative to the rest of the network) switches maintain a backbone network. No computers, other than possibly servers, attach directly to this backbone.

Question 30

What type of switches are needed for implementing a backbone.

Answer 30

Switches with separate, dedicated, high-speed ports. The ports (often fiber) on the switches run straight to the high-speed backbone switch.

Question 31

40GBASE-T
Speed
Distance
Cabling

Answer 31

Speed: 40 Gbps
Distance: 30 m
Cabling: Cat 8 UTP