Network Cabling Flashcards
802.3 standards
Defines protocols for wired LAN, aka Ethernet
Copper vs Fiber speeds
Copper can achieve up to 40 Gbps
Fiber can achieve above 100 Gbps
Copper vs. Fiber distance
Copper can reach 1100 meters (3609 ft)
Fiber can reach 40 km (25 miles)
Half-duplex vs Full-duplex
One-way communication
Two-way communication
What ethernet cables support speeds from 100 Mbps to 10 Gbps
Cat 5, 5e, 6, 6a
What do fiber optic cables offer ?
The highest speeds up to 100 Gbps, over long distances
What three key factors affect cable speeds ?
Quality, installation, and environmental interference
EMI
Signals from a device or cable leak out and disrupt signals of another device or cable
Are copper cable susceptible to interference ?
Highly, but use shielded coaxial to protect against EMI
Are fiber cables susceptible to EMI ?
No
Frequency
Higher frequency equals faster tranmission speeds
Attenuation
Longer the cable, the weaker the signal
Is fiber affected by attenuation?
No
Coaxial cable
Electrical cable consisting of a central conductor, insulating layer, metallic shield, and plastic jacket
What is a coaxial cable used for ?
Transmitting television, satellite, and broadband internet
Is coaxial less susceptible to interference and attenuation compared to twisted pair ? Why ?
Yes, because it is thicker and has better shielding
Where is coaxial commonly installed ?
Residential and commercial
What is the most popular coaxial cable ?
RG-6
What are the pros of coaxial cable ?
Shielding from EMI, long transmission distance (1100 meters) and more affordable than fiber
What are the cons of coaxial cable ?
More expensive than twisted pair and can snap if mishandled
BNC connector
Secure locking connector and commonly used in old bus and ring networks
F connector (most popular)
Twisting hand screw commonly found on cable modems
Fiber-optic (glass or plastic)
Uses light to transmit data
What infrastructure is fiber optic ideal for ?
High-speed/greater bandwidth transmissions in telecommunications and internet backbone infrastructure
Fiber cable components
Outer jacket,strengthening layer, coating, cladding, and fiber strand
Single-mode (WAN)
Single strand of glass fiber with a small diameter that allows only one mode of light to propagate
What is single mode designed for ?
Long-distance communication with minimized attenuation and dispersion over distances
Where is single mode commonly used ?
Telecommunications and cable TV networks
Multimode fiber cable
Uses larger diameter fibers that allow multiple modes of light to propagate simultaneously
Where is MMF typically used ?
Within buildings or in campus networks
What is the distance for data applications and telecommunications applications ?
Data = 500 meters
Telecommunications = 2 km
What makes MMF the popular choice for LAN and short-range applications ?
More affordable and easier to work with
Pros of fiber optics ?
Not susceptible to EMI, longest transmission distance, fastest speeds
Cons of fiber optics ?
Difficult to install, most expensive, difficult to troubleshooting issues, need special tools, and hard to fix in the field
ST connectors (straight tip)
Used in SMF installations
SC connector (subscriber, square, standard)
Snaps-in style and used in both MMF and SMF installations
Characteristics of the LC connector (local, little, lucent)
Snaps-in style, SFP, and in both SMF and MMF installations
Characteristics of a dual LC connector ?
Snaps-in style, SMF and MMF installations
Multi-fiber push on (MPO) characteristics
Snaps-in style, SFP, SMF and MMF but mostly used in MMF
Direct attached cable (DAC)
Alternative for close-range connectivity between network devices
What do DAC cables offer ?
Cost-effective and low-power
Twinaxial cables are used where ? What can they be used for?
In data centers for high-speed/short-distance copper 10 Gigabit or 40 Gigabit ethernet standards
Advantages of twinaxial
Shielding protects from EMI and more affordable than fiber
Disadvantages of twinaxial ?
More expensive than coaxial and twisted pair, very short distance connections (0.5-7 meters)
Twisted pair
Eight wires twisted into 4 pairs
What is the most used networking cable in homes and offices ?
Twisted pair
Advantages of twisted pair ?
Easiest to install and manage, STP protects against EMI, least expensive
Disadvantages of twisted pair ?
Transmission distance is limited to 100 meters (328 ft), UTP has no protection from EMI
Two types of twisted pair ?
STP and UTP
RJ11 connector? What uses it?
4 pin connector used in modems and analog telephones
RJ45 connector
8 pin connectors found on desktops, laptops, and servers
What are the twisted pair categories ?
Cat 5, 5e, 6, 6a, 7, 8
What Cat cables can travel 100 meters distance ?
Cat 5, 5e, 6a, 7
Which short-range cat cable with very high speeds is used in data centers ?
Cat 8
At what distance and speeds can cat 6 run at ?
10,000 Mbps/10 Gbps = 55 meters
1000 Mbps/1 Gbps = 100 meters
Which cat cable has per pair shielding ?
Cat 7
How does cat 6 minimize crosstalk ?
Includes a piece of plastic to separate the 4 pairs of wire
How does cat 6a carry a more powerful signal for longer distance ?
Thicker wires
Two types of wiring standards
568A and 568B
Crossover cables
Cables created by terminating different standards at each end of the cable
How do you connect unlike devices ?
Straight through cable
Crossover cables connect similar devices?
True
Transceivers
Devices that can both transmit and receive data
How are transceivers used in networking to interface with cables of different types ?
Converting electrical signals to optical signals
SFP (small form-factor pluggable)
Optical module transceiver used for data and telecommunications
What speeds does SFP+ support ? How about the older version ?
10 Gbps and 4.25 Gbps
QSFP (quad small form-factor pluggable)
Connector used for fiber optic or electrical copper connections
What speeds does QSFP and QSFP+ support ?
28 Gbps and 40 Gbps
Media converters
Type of transceiver that converts data signals from one media type to another
Media converter examples ?
SMF to Ethernet, MMF to Ethernet, Fiber to Coaxical, SMF to MMF