Installing a Physical Network

Question 1

Horizontal Cabling

Answer 1

Should always be solid core

At least Cat 6, often 6a or 7

Question 2

IDF

Answer 2

Intermediate Distribution Frame - where the cable runs from workstations end

Question 3

Rack Units and Dimensions

Answer 3

All racks are 19” wide

1U = 1.75”
2U= 3.5”
4U = 7”

Typical rack is 42U total

Question 4

Rack Types

Answer 4

two-post - good for lighter equipment
four-post - good for heavier equipment, all four corners supported
server rail rack - able to slide device out and open it for service

Question 5

Locking rack/cabinet

Answer 5

A Chassis (rack or cabinet) that has a locking mechanism to protect equipment

Question 6

110 block

Answer 6

punchdown connectors found on patch panels

Question 7

Alternative cable connection points

Answer 7

BIX block
Krone LSA-PLUS (also has audio connetions)

Question 8

Patch Bay

Answer 8

a dedicated block wtih A/V connections

Question 9

Labeling matters why?

Answer 9

Allows you to identify which wall port goes to which patch panel port

Question 10

demarc

Answer 10

demarcation point - the physical location of the connection to outside service

Question 11

Network interface unit

Answer 11

NIU - the hardware that represents the demarc. The service endpoint.

Question 12

Smartjack

Answer 12

early NIU, used to set up a remote loopback

Question 13

Customer-premises Equipment

Answer 13

CPE

primary distribution tool for building, immediately downstream of demarc

Question 14

demarc extension

Answer 14

any cabling that runs from the NIU to the CPE

Question 15

Vertical cross-connect

Answer 15

the main patchpanel, just downstream of the CPE. Connected to all other IDF in the building

Question 16

Main Distribution Frame

Answer 16

MDF

the room that holds the demarc + the cross-connect

Question 17

First Step to Installing Structured Cabling

Answer 17

Get a floor plan (self-made or premade)

Question 18

Raceway

Answer 18

External tracks to run cable

Great for older buildings you can’t get inside the walls of

Question 19

5 issues to be mindful of for Telecommunications Room placement

Answer 19

1) Distance - less than 90m for all runs
2) Power - best to have a dedicated circuit
3) Humidity - obvious
4) Cooling - must have AC
5) Access - expandability and security

Question 20

Cable Trays

Answer 20

placement for horizontal runs

Question 21

A good crimp has:

Answer 21

-plastic jacket in the back of the crimp
-a boot at the back (add these before you finish both ends

Question 22

Proper Cable Management at the patch panel

Answer 22

1) Physically organized using hardware (finger boxes, D rings)
2) Logically organized (mirror the office layout, replicate access groups, whatever)
3) Documentation that is clear and updated (diagrams are good)

Question 23

Three major Layer 1 issues

Answer 23

1) Signal degradation
2) lack of connection
3) Interference

Question 24

Primary Copper Troubleshooting

Answer 24

1) Distance - is it under 90m?
2) How much “noise” is there?
3) Lack of continuity/short in the circuit\?
4) Location of the break?
5) Mixed connections/incorrect pinout?
6) too much EMI?
7) split pair (one pair interferring with another?)

Question 25

Continuity Testing

Answer 25

cheap testers only do this, just checks for breakage

Question 26

Wire Map

Answer 26

mid-range testers can do this,

check to make sure all wires match at both ends

Question 27

Time-Domain Reflectometer

Answer 27

TDR

Cable tester that can give you a specific distance for breakage location

Question 28

crosstalk

Answer 28

induced signal from one pair of wires onto another pair of wires within the same cable

Question 29

NEXT

Answer 29

Near End Cross Talk

Testing the crosstalk of a cable by measuring and injecting a normal signal from the same end

results measured in dB, higher value is better

Question 30

FEXT

Answer 30

Far End Cross Talk

Testing crosstalk by injecting signal at one end, measuring on the other end

Results measured in dB, higher value is better

Question 31

Attenuation

Answer 31

The gradual weakening of a signal over distance

Higher attenuation = greater weakness to crosstalk

Question 32

Common Fiber Signal Degradation Issues

Answer 32

1) Bad converter - check cable and optic
2) Dirty connector - keep the glass clean!
3) Connector mismatch - slight incongruity of two fiber connections is enough
4) Dispersion/Modal dispersion - the spreading out of optical signal
5) Light Leakage - cable is past it’s bend radius limitation and leaking light

Question 33

Transceiver Mismatch

Answer 33

wrong transceiver for the equipment you are using

Question 34

Cable mismatch

Answer 34

wrong cable type (MMF plugged into a SMF switch)

Question 35

Wavelength Mismatch

Answer 35

Transmission signal is not the same wavelength the switch expects

Question 36

OTDR

Answer 36

Optical time-domain reflectometer

Does the same thing but for fiber lines

Question 37

Fusion Splicer

Answer 37

tool to combine two fiber-optic cables without losing quality

Question 38

Where do you attach a NIC?

Answer 38

PCIe slot most cases

x1 or x2 varieties (one lane, two lane)

Question 39

Port Aggregation (and two other names for it)

Answer 39

Bonding or link aggregation

Allows you to use multiple NICs for a single machine, over one connection.

Adds additional lanes of equal speed, increasing your bandwidth (not your speed)

Question 40

LACP

Answer 40

Link Aggregation Control Protocol

Question 41

coupler

Answer 41

A device to link two pieces of cable together to overcome distance limitations

Question 42

Voltage event recorder

Answer 42

monitors voltage at a power outlet over time