Network Media & Hardware 3 Flashcards
Describe bounded network media
Media using a physical conductor which can be a metal wire through which electricity flows or a glass or plastic strand through which pulses of light flow
Network media is
The conduit through which signals flow. Can be bounded or unbounded
Describe unbounded media
Media that does not need a physical connection between devices and can transmit electromagnetic signals through the air using radio waves, microwaves or infrared radiation.
What is copper media
A type of bounded media that uses on or more copper conductors surrounded by an insulated coating. most prevalent types are twisted pair and coaxial cable
Twisted pair cables are
A type of cable in which two conductors or pairs of copper wires are twisted around each if be and clad in a color coded protective Insulating plastic jacket to form a pair
Twisted pair cables vary in
The number of pairs depending on the type. Uses shielding around pairs of wires
What is RJ-45 connectors
Registered jack 45
An 8 pin connector used by twisted pair cables in networking. All four pairs of wires in the twisted pair cable use this connector
Two standard wiring schemes for RJ-45
T568A. T568B Pin 1 white / green. White / orange 2 green. Orange 3 white / orange. White / green 4 blue Blue 5 white / blue. White / blue 6 orange. Green 7 white / brown. White / brown 8 brown. Brown
What is RJ-11 connector
Registers jack 11
Used with cat 1 cables in phone system connectors and is not for network connectivity
Small. Has 4 or 6 pins
The two types of twisted pair cables
UTP unshielded twisted pair
STP shielded twisted pair
List characteristics of UTP
Unshielded twisted pair
No shielding around conductor
Four pairs of stranded or solid conductors
Inexpensive and reliable
Supports transmission distances of up to 100 meters
Supports 1Gbps data transfer
List characteristics of STP
Shielded twisted pair
Includes foil wrapper shielding around its conductors to improve the resistance to interference and noise
Four pairs of stranded or solid conductors
More expensive
Supports transmission distance of 100 meters
Supports 10 to 100 Mbps data transfer
Twisted pair cable categories
Cat1 voice transmission not for networking
Cat2 digital telephone & low speed networks
Not used in networks
Cat3 Ethernet used for telephone wiring
Cat4 IBM token ring. Also used for Ethernet
Cat5 faster Ethernet
Cat 5e 6 & 7 gigabit Ethernet
A coaxial cable or coax is
Type of copper cable with a central conducting core surrounded by an insulator and braided shielding.
List common coaxial cable types
RG59 for digital receivers
RG6 cable television signals
RG8 ethernet networking
RG9 cable television transmission and cable modems
What is ThinNet
Ethernet networking over RG58/U or RG58A/U cabling
Connections are made with a BNC connector.
What is ThickNet
Ethernet networking over RG8 cabling. Not used today but was popular as network backbone.
Coaxial connector types
F. Connect cable TV and FM antenna cables. Comes in a secure screw in form or as non threaded slip on connector
BNC. cable connector used to terminate a coaxial cable. Has center pin connected to the center cable conductor and a metal tube connected to the should of the cable.
Describe what termination means in regards to cable
Resistor is installed at either end of the cable to prevent signal reflections
Name some network media performance factors that can affect the performance of network media
Noise. Electromagnetic interference they disrupts the signal
Attenuation. Progressives degradation of a signal as it travels across a network medium. Or when the cable length exceeds the length to which signals can travel without distortion
Impedance. The opposition to the flow of electricity in an AC circuit. Measured in ohms.
What is a media converter
Enables networks running on different media to interconnect and exchange signals. Considered transceivers because it transmits and received signals. To install connect terminated ends of the two media you want to bridge to the converter
Name some different types of media converters
Multimode fiber to Ethernet
Fiber to coaxial
Singlemode to multimode fiber
Singlemode fiber to Ethernet
Structured cabling is based on a hierarchical design that divides cabling into six subsystems
Entrance facilities Backbone wiring Equipment room Telecommunications closet Horizontal wiring Work area
Premise wiring defined as
A hierarchical cable system architecture in which Main Cross Connect MCC is connected via a star topology across backbone cabling to Intermediate Cross Connects ICC and Horizontal Cross Connects HCC
Name the premise wiring components
Drop cable wire that runs to a device
Patch panel connection point for drop and patch cables
Patch cable plugged into patch panel to connect two drop cables
Cross connects individual wires that connect two drop cables to a patch panel
MDF cable rack
IDF cable rack
Wiring closet small room where patch panel is installed
A plenum cable is
A network cable that is jacketed tightly around conductors so that fire cannot travel within the cable
Does not Emanate poisonous gas when burned.
Installed in ducts and hvac system in a building, in ceilings
What is pvc cabling
Polyvinyl chloride jacketed cable.
Inexpensive and flexible. Emits poisonous gas when burned. Jacketing not formed tightly
What are fiber optic cables
Network cables with a core surrounded by one or more glass or plastic strands. The core is the thin glass center which light travels transmitting data. Surrounding the core is cladding that reflects light back to the core. Buffer surrounds the cladding and core. strengthening fibers surround the buffer which is surrounded by a protective outer jacket
Fiber optic cables have two modes
Multimode and Singlemode.
Multimode allows light to travel through its core in multiple Rays or modes.
Singlemode fiber light travels unidirectionally.
Refraction occurs when
A light Ray passing from one transparent medium to another bends due to a change in velocity
List fiber connector used with fiber optic cables
Straight tip ST Subscriber Connector or standard connector SC face contact FC heavy duty FDDI used in multimode Bionic screw on with tapered sleeve Local connector LC sub multi assembly SMA Similar to ST mechanical transfer registered jack MT-RJ or fiber jack connector
IEEE 1394 is what cable type
FireWire
Connects up to 63 devices
6 or 4 pin connector
Describe a serial cable
A type of bounded network media that transfers information between two devices using serial transmission. Info sent one bit at a time in a specific sequence. Uses RS-232 connector. Often used on connecting routers.
USB standards
Transmits data at rates up to 5 Gbps
Describe USB connection
Enables connection of multiple peripherals to a single port with high performance. Two way communication.
Two advantages and disadvantages of unbounded media over bounded media
Easier to install and configure
Mobility
Not as secure
Signals subject to interception
Describe what wireless communication means
Communication signals are transmitted as electromagnetic waves and without the use of physical media.
Point to point vs multipoint vs broadcast communications
Point to point is a direct connection between two nodes ex cellular
Multipoint connections between many nodes transmissions not private. Ex wireless computer networks
Broadcast. Data goes from source node to all other nodes on a network. Ex radio
Describe radio networking
Form of wireless communications in which signals are sent via Radio Frequency RF waves in the 10 KHz to 1 Ghz range.
Describe broadcast radio
Form of RF networking that is non-directional uses a single frequency for transmission and comes on low and high power versions.
What is spread spectrum
A form of radio transmission in which the signal is sent over more than one frequency. More difficult to eavesdrop and capture the signals.
Types of spread spectrum
Frequency hopping spread spectrum FHSS
send signals on one channel at a time.
Direct sequence spread spectrum DSSS
uses multiple channels simultaneously to send data
What is infrared transmission
A form of wireless transmission over unbounded media In which signals are sent as pulses of infrared light. Requires unobstructed view of the sender
What is Bluetooth
Wireless short range technology less than 30 foot range. Max 8 devices connected at once. Doesn’t need line of sight to make connections. Uses 2.4 GHz spectrum to communicate 1Mbps
What is microwave transmissions
A form of point to point wireless transmission over unbounded media in which signals sent via pulses of electromagnetic energy. Transmits signals at frequency of 1 GHz to 300 GHz. Needs an unobstructed view for successful transmission. Often used in WANs and MANs
What is a WAP
Wireless Access Point
A device that provides a connection between wireless devices and can connect to wired networks.
Why would the SSID service set identifier be disabled
To secure a wireless connection
Why is noise control important on a network
The flow of communication can be impaired interference. It slows down a networks performance and reduces reliability.
What does electrical noise refer to
Unwanted signals present in network media. Interferes with the Proper reception of transmitted signals.
Name some sources of electrical noise
Ambient noise Power wires network cables running parallel to electric wires Electric motors Electrical heating generating devices Fluorescent neon and HID lights
What is grounding
The connection of a shield or conductor to an electrical ground point. Grounding at one point in a segment helps prevent noise, grounding at multiple points introduces noise
Shielding is the method of
Placing the grounded conductive material around the media. Prevents the introduction of noise by deflecting the noise to the ground. The connection between the ground and the shield is called a drain
What is differential signaling
A noise reduction technique in which signals from two inputs are compared. Identical signals on both inputs are ignored. Different signals are accepted.
Describe noise control with twisted pair cabling
The twists in the twisted pair cable determines how resistant the cable will be to noise. Tightly wound pairs deflect noise better then loosely twisted pairs.
What is termination in terms of cables
The application of a resistor to the end of the cable. Ensures that the ends of the cable do not cause signals reflection and noise. Must Mach the impedance of all device and cables to achieve proper signal flow.
What is a NIC
Network interface card
Aka network adapter. A device that serves as an interface between a computer and a network. Can connect to either wired or wireless networks.
Full duplex support of a NIC means
Allows multiple devices to send and receive data simultaneously without data collision
What is a transceiver
Has both a transmitter and a receiver integrated into it to receive and send data. Built into the NIC.
What is GBIC
Gigabit interface converter
A transceiver used to convert electrical signals into optical signals and vice versa. Used as an interface for high speed networking and to upgrade the network without replacing all components in the mother board.
What is a switch
A network device that acts as a common connecting point for various nodes into a LAN.
Checks the MAC address of each packet before forwarding to the required port for transmission.
What is a managed switch
Also called an intelligent or smart switch. Enables monitoring and configuring its operation using software.
Port mirroring is
Duplicating all traffic on one port in a switch to a second port. Useful as a diagnostic tool
Channel bonding is
Process of increasing throughout as it uses channels to find multiple NICs to a MAC address. Performed on the data link layer. Also called NIC bonding.
Trunking involves
Combining multiple network connections to increase bandwidth and reliability.
What is a virtual switch
Software based switch that provides functionality similar to a physical switch. Used to connect systems on a virtual network. Check the MAC Address of each packet and forwards the packet to one or more virtual ports for transmission. Two virtual switches or VLANs cannot communicate directly
What is a router
A networking device that connects multiple networks they use the same protocol. Sends data between networks by examining the network addresses contained in the Packets they process. Works only with routable protocols, provide separate network and node addresses.
A rollover cable is
A cable used to connect a computer to a router.
A gateway is
A device, software, or system that converts data between incompatible systems. Routers can act as a gateway with the proper software installed.
A virtual server is
remote software that can run its own operating system or applications. Composed of only software components.
A virtual desktop is
Feature of the operating system that allows multiple desktops to be opened. Requires additional software. Useful when multiple windows need to be opened without clutter
What is a virtual PBX
A private communication service provider that provides low cost PBX service. Used to manage phone based tasks.
