Communication (source, destination, medium) Guided vs Unguided media Structured Cabling

2. Communication (source, destination, medium) • Guided vs Unguided media • Structured Cabling • Cable types (Twisted, Coaxial, Fiber Optic) • Data sizes (Bits versus Bytes) • Networking speeds • Coaxial cable • Twisted pair cable • UTP Cable Categories • Fiber optic cable • Solid vs Stranded Cable • Straight-through cable • Crossover cable • Cabling best practices • Cabling Tools

3. Primary purpose of any network is to provide a method to communicate information All communication begins with a message that must be sent from one device to another. Methods used to send, receive and interpret messages changed over time as technology advanced

4. All communication methods have three elements in common (these three elements are required, in order for communication to occur) Source/sender Destination/receiver Channel/medium (provides a pathway over which the message can travel from source to destination)

5. In order for communication to occur, a source, destination and some channel (path) must be present

7. Structured Cabling • Systematic approach to cabling • Method for creating an organized cabling system • Easily understood by installers, network administrators, or anybody that deals with cables. • One component of structured cabling is cable management.

8. Cable Management • Presents a neat and organized system which aids in the isolation of cabling problems • By following cable management best practices, the cables are protected from physical damage • (greatly reduces the number of problems experienced)

9. Data is sized by two types of measurement

10. When we talk about storage, how much data a hard drive/flash drive can hold we are talking about bytes e.g. 750 Gigabytes (500GB)

11. bits with a lower case ‘b’ is used during speed or transmission of data over a medium When you buy your Internet service, the vendors (Verizon, Comcast) they tell you the speed in bits. With Comcast and you can download 12 Megabit per second (12Mb) which is less than 2 Megabytes (1.5MB)

12. Networking has 4 speeds 10 Mbps (Megabits per second) connection – 20 years old 100 Mbps connection – all networks run of this 1,000 Mbps or 1 Gbps (Gigabit per second) – latest standard 10,000 or 10 Gbps – getting there!

13. Many cable types are available to meet the varying needs and sizes of networks (small → large). Three major groups of cabling connect the majority of networks.

14. Coaxial cable was the most popular network cabling Cheap, light, flexible, and easy to work with

15. Choosing a cable Cost Physical location Distance Security Requirements Transmission Speed Requirements

16. Coaxial Cable Core of copper wire surrounded by insulation, a braided metal shielding, and an outer cover Core of a coaxial cable carries the electronic signals that make up the data Plastic Insulation layer (e.g. PVC) provides insulation between the conductor and a braided aluminum shield to block EMI (electric noise & crosstalk) Non conducting outer shield or Jacket (rubber, Teflon, or plastic) surrounds the entire cable.

17. Used by the cable television industry & enable cable modem to internet Highly resistant to signal interference Support greater cable lengths i.e. coaxial cable increases this distance to 500 meters Supports 10 to 100 Mbps

18. Coaxial cable is more resistant to interference and attenuation than twisted-pair cabling Attenuation is the loss of signal strength that begins to occur as the signal travels farther along a copper cable

19. Thick Coaxial (Thicknet -1980) • ½-inch in diameter • Thick & inflexible • Used for longer cable runs, up to 500 feet • Thin Coaxial (Thinnet - 1985) • ¼-inch in diameter • More pliable • Thinner • Easier to work with • Carry a signal about 185 meters before signal degrades)

20. Bayonet-Neill-Concelman (BNC) Connector (Token Ring network) F-type Connector (connect televisions to the cable box)

21. Radio Grade (RG) Rating Developed by the military Ratings provide a quick reference to the different types of coaxial cable e.g. RG-6, RG-8 (large), RG-11, RG-58 (smaller) RG-59 RG-6 is predominant cable today Cable's designation is typically printed on its outer sheathing. As a general rule, you cannot mix coax cable types on the network 

22. Plenum Space in buildings between the ceiling and the next floor above it. As a result of the potential fire hazard, building codes are very specific about what type of wiring can be placed in this area.

23. Plenum (CMP) Rated Cable Plenum rating (CMP) signifies cable that has passed stringent burn testing i.e. burns without toxic smoke Suitable for installation into plenum spaces. Plenum cable is mandated to be installed in any "air handling" or plenum space. Cable is coated in material that won't contribute to the spreading of flames Riser Cables Intended for non-plenum, vertical applications (between floors of a building) Do have to be fire resistant but not as strict as plenum cables.

24. With the improvements and lower cost of twisted-pair cables, coaxial has lost its popularity

25. How does a physical cable eliminate interference and allow for faster speeds? Through wire twisting

26. Twisted Pair Most common network cabling Twisted pairs of cables, bundled together Twists reduce crosstalk interference Have you ever picked up a telephone and heard a distinct crackling noise? i.e. that’s crosstalk Crosstalk: Interference between two network cables when the signal from one cable is unintentionally picked up by another cable nearby Max length is 100 meters

27. Shielded Twisted-Pair • Similar in construction UTP but has additional foil (layer) or mesh shielding around each pair • Additional shielding makes it preferable where EMI is problem. • Electromagnetic Interference comes from devices like motors, power lines & fluorescent lights • Use for areas with high interference and running cables outdoors or inside walls.

28. Unshielded Twisted-Pair Cable • Most commonly used network cable in USA • Colored so you can identify the same wire at each end • Inexpensive • Easy to bend • Easiest networking cable to install • Max length of 100 meters • Cheaper than STP • Avoid stretching of cable as increases attenuation and crosstalk.

29. Not all Ethernet cable (UTP) is created equally • Data transferring speeds varied on cable categories • UTP cable types are graded by category (CAT) ratings EIA/TIA (Electronic Industry Association/Telecommunication Industry Association) established standards of UTP & and rated multiple categories of wire

30. Category 3: phone wire installation, alarm system installs • Category 5 + Cat 5e • Most widely deployed type of network cable today…..now outdated & do not use!! • Used for Phone line use, 10 base-T Networks or 100 base-T Networks (10/100) • Replaced by CAT 5e [CAT 5 Enhanced] which supports 1000 base-T networks • Also used for Gigabit networking, however quality may vary depending on the age of the cable. • Category 6 + Cat 6A • Backward compatible: can be used for 10 and 100 Mbps applications and for rated speeds up to 1000 Mbps. • Can perform at 10GB for very short distances. • Cat6A (Augmented) supports speeds up to 10 Gigabit Ethernet with distance up to 100 meters • Cat6A protects the investment and serve as a reliable backbone for the company going into the future.

31. Physical differences between Cat-5 & Cat-6 cables (Number of twists per cm in the wire, and sheath thickness)

32. Category 7 + Cat 7A Support speeds up to 10 Gigabit Ethernet with distance up to 100 meters Developed with strict specifications on crosstalk and EMI protection Commonly terminated using a GG45 connector that it backwards compatible with RJ45 connectors Used for backbone connections between servers within a data center

33. Use the Correct Cable

34. Just because you have Cat-6 cable, doesn’t mean you have  1 Gb network speeds either. Every connection in your network needs to support the 1 Gb speed

35. StrandedvsSolid Core • Solid: solid gauge copper wire. • Stranded: many small threads of copper twisted together • Solid: very good attenuation properties • Solid: lacks flexibility • Solid: can be bent, but not as much as stranded • Stranded: used for patch cables where flexibility is very important. • Solid: in your walls and outdoors • Stranded: make extreme bends or in patch cables e.g. at your desk

36. Patch Cable Connects two network devices Typically CAT5 / CAT5e cables linking a computer to a nearby network hub, switch or router. Normally manufactured using stranded Give them pliability that reduces risk of breakage when unplugging or carrying them

37. Lets have CAT6a everywhere as it will provide speeds of up to 10 gigabits.

38. Registered Jack (RJ) Connectors Phone cable connector (RJ11) will have 2 or 4 gold pins on it RJ45 is physically bigger than RJ11 to accommodate the extra wires

39. RJ-45 Connector Eight physical locations into which the eight wires in the cable can be inserted → pin positions, or pins. Pins create a place where the ends of the copper wires can touch the electronics inside the nodes (end of the physical link so that electricity can flow) For correct transmission over the link, wires in the UTP cable must be connected to the correct pin positions in the RJ-45 connectors

40. One method of differentiating a Cat 6 & Cat 5e patch cable is by simply looking the connector ends

41. Fiber Optic Cable Transmission medium that’s been around for the last 40 years Thin (1 strands is diameter of human hair), flexible strand of glass Carries voice, data and video in the form of light signals (eliminating the problem of electrical interference) at very high speeds Cable lengths can run from ¼-mile to 20 miles Used in cable pairs : one for sending & one for receiving

42. Basic Elements Core: center part of fiber, are through which light signals are transmitted. Cladding Layer: surrounds the core and keeps the light from escaping

43. Single Mode Small core diameter Carries light in single path over long distances High information carry capacity Low attenuation Less dispersion Most widely optical fiber deployed in the world Multi Mode Larger core Allows light to travel down many paths simultaneously Used in data centers, LANs and SANs (shorter distances i.e. couple of hundred meters) Greater dispersion i.e. loss of signal More cost effective than single mode

44. 3 Attributes that limit the speed or information carrying capacity of optical fiber Attenuation: signal loss caused by quality of glass or induced by bending Dispersion: distortion of signal (different parts of the optical signal travel at different speeds) along the fiber Bend induced loss: macro or micro bending occur when fiber is bent from straight axis (light leaks out of fiber, original signal is lost) Macro bending – loses due to physical bends in the fiber Micro bending – losses duet to small deformations in the core cladding, caused by pressure on the glass FYI: optical fiber work on principal of “Total Internal Reflection” keeps light within the core and guides it down the length of the fiber

45. Connectors Over 100 connectors hit the market place All used with single more or multi-mode fiber Most common – SC, ST, FC and LC style Most connectors = plugs male connectors with a protruding ferrule that holds the fiber • Stick and Twist for the bayonet style ST connectors (straight tip, snap twist) • Stick and Click for straight push-in SC connectors (standard/subscriber connector) • Little connector for LC connector (Lucent connector)

46. TIA/EIA Defines standard for connecting a RJ-45 connector (crimp) to a four pair UTP cable Each wire inside the UTP cable must connect to the pin inside the connector hence the color coding to help you. By following these scheme, it ensures the wires match up correctly at each end of the cable Only difference between the two color codes (568 A + 568 B) is that the orange and green pairs are interchanged 568A and 568B may be used interchangeably in a system SO LONG AS both ends of a given cable are terminated the same way Compatibility factors that can affect your choice of an RJ45 wiring scheme T568A has been largely superseded by the more up-to-date T568B. T568B and has become – overall – the most widely chosen wiring schematic because it matches AT&T’s old 258A color code At the same time accommodates for current and future needs

47. Two devices directly connected and use different pins for transmit and receive are known as unlike devices • Require a straight-through cable to exchange data • Devices that are directly connected and use the same pins for transmit and receive, are known as like devices • Require a crossover cable to exchange data.

48. Unlike Devices - Use Straight Through • PC to router • Switch port to router port • Hub port to PC • PC to switch • Switch to phone • Like Devices - Use Cross Over • Switch port to switch port • Switch port to hub port • Hub port to hub port • Router port to router port • PC to router port • PC to PC

49. PC to PC A PC will transmit over wire pair #2 (TX) and receive over wire pair #3 (RX). NIC in this setup that this PC is using is referred to as a Media Dependent Interface (MDI) NIC. If we have two computers connected directly to each other. And they both try to transmit on wire pair #2, their signals will collide. Nothing will be sent on wire pair #3 and therefore neither computer will be able to receive anything. Cables in the wires are crossed So that on one PC, the signal sent on Pair 2 from the first PC arrives on the second PC on Pair 3 Both PC's are still using the MDI NIC They are both sending on what they believe are Pair 2 Individual wires are crossed so that what is sent on Pair 2 arrives on the other PC on Pair 3.

50. If we use straight through cab to connect two PCs (same devices)Straight cable will connect TX to TX and RX to RX of two computers Devices wouldn't be able to communicate. Crossover cable redirect the output of one RJ-45 port into the input of the other RJ-45 port.