220-1101 Lesson 4: Compare Local Networking Hardware

You need to connect a permanent cable to the back of a patch panel. Which networking tools might help you?

cable stripper to remove the jacket insulation and a punchdown tool to terminate the wire pairs into insulation displacement connector (IDC) blocks.

Accessed by only servers, a network uses Fiber Channel adapters to implement connections. What type of network is this?

storage area network (SAN)

Type of network that has no specific geographical restrictions

Wide area network (WAN)

What type of network is an IEEE 802.11 standard?

Wireless local area network (WLAN)

You are performing a wiring job, but the company wants to purchase the media and components from another preferred supplier. The plan is to install a networking using copper cabling that will support Gigabit Ethernet. The customer is about to purchase Cat 5e cable spools. What factors should they consider before committing to this decision?

Cat 5e will meet the requirement and will cost the least. Cat 6 offers better performance without adding too much cost. Cat 6A would be the best choice for supporting future requirements, but likely to cost more than the customer is budgeting for.

You are explaining your plan to use the 5 GHz band mainly for an open plan office network. The business owner has heard that this is shorter range, what are its advantages over the 2.4 GHz band?

Each numbered channel in a 2.4 GHz network is only 5 MHz wide, while Wi-Fi requires about 20 MHz. Consequently, there is not much space for separate networks, and the chances of overlap are high. Numerous other product types work in the 2.4 GHz band, increasing the risk of interference. Using 5 GHz will present a better opportunity to use channel bonding to increase bandwidth. As an open plan office does not have solid walls or other building features to block signals, the slightly reduced range of 5 GHz signaling should not be a significant drawback

True or false? A MAC address identifies the network to which a NIC is attached.

False. Media access control (MAC) address is a unique hardware identifier for an interface port. Does not convey any info about logical network addresses.

True or false? Only a single network name can be configured on a single access point.

False. Each band can be assigned a different service set (SSID) or network name. Access points also allow the configuration of multiple SSIDs per radio, such as configuring a secure network for known clients and an open network for guests.

True or false? A long-range fixed wireless installation operating without a license is always illegal.

False. These installations may use unlicensed spectrum but must not exceed the effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) defined for the frequency band by regulations.

Can 802.11ac achieve higher throughput to a single client by multiplexing the signals from both 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency bands? Why or why not?

No. First, a client can only use one radio at a time and so cannot connect simultaneously to the 2.4 GHZ and 5 GHz bands. Secondly, 802.11ac works only at 5 GHz; 802.11ac access points use the 2.4 GHz band to support 802.11b/g/n clients. The 802.11ac standard can increase bandwidth by using multiple input output (MIMO) antenna configurations to allocate more streams, such as 2x2 or 3x3.

You are setting up a Wi-Fi network. Do you need to configure the BSSID?

No. You need to configure the service set identifier (SSID), unless you want to rely on the default value. The SSID is a name for users to recognize the network by. The basic SSID (BSSID) is the MAC address of the access point's radio. As this is coded into the device firmware, it does not need to be configured. Stations use the BSSID to send frames to the access point.

You are planning to install a network of wireless access points with power supplied over data cabling. Each access point requires a 20W power supply. What version of PoE must the switch support to fulfill this requirement?

PoE+ (802.3at) or PoE++/4PPoE (802.3bt).

You are reviewing network inventory and come across an undocumented cable reel with "CMP/MMP" marked on the jacket. What installation type is this cable most suitable for?

The cable is a plenum cable, rate for use in plenum spaces (building voids used with HVAC systems)

Which fiber optic connector uses a small form factor design?

Lucent Connector (LC)

You are assessing standards compatibility for a Wi-Fi network. Most employees have mobile devices with single-band 2.4 GHz radios. Which Wi-Fi standards work in this band?

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), and the legacy standards 802.11g and 802.11b.

A workstation must be provisioned with a 4 Gbps network link. Is it possible to specify a single NIC to meet this requirement?

Yes. On a NIC with 4 gigabit Ethernet ports, the ports can be bonded to establish a 4 Gbps link.

A network consultant is recommending the use of S/FTP to extend a cable segment through a factory. Is this likely to be an appropriate cable choice?

Yes. Shielded/foiled twisted pair (S/FTP) will provide best protection from the external interference sources likely to be generated by factory machinery.

You are completing a network installation as part of a team. Another group has cabled wall ports to a patch panel. Is any additional infrastructure required?

Yes. The patch panel terminates cabling, but it does not establish any connections between the cable segments. You must install a networking appliance to act as a concentrator and connect the cable segments. On modern networks, this means installing a switch and cabling it to the patch panel ports using RJ45 patch cords

local area network (LAN)

Network scope restricted to a single geographic location and owned/managed by a single organization.

802.3 Ethernet

Standards developed as the IEEE 802.3 series describing media types, access methods, data rates, and distance limitations at OSI layers 1 and 2 using xBASE-y designations.

wireless local area network (WLAN)

Network scope and type that uses wireless radio communications based on some variant of the 802.11 (Wi-Fi) standard series.

Wi-Fi

Brand name for the IEEE 802.11 standards that can be used to implement a wireless local area network (WLAN).

wide area network (WAN)

Network scope that spans a large geographical area, incorporating more than one site and often a mix of different media types and protocols plus the use of public telecommunications networks.

Metropolitan area network (MAN)

Network scope covers the area of a city (that is, no more than tens of kilometers).

small office home office (SOHO)

Category of network type and products that are used to implement small-scale LANs and off-the-shelf Internet connection types.

datacenter

Facility dedicated to the provisioning of reliable power, environmental controls, and network fabric to server computers.

storage area network (SAN)

Network dedicated to provisioning storage resources, typically consisting of storage devices and servers connected to switches via host bus adapters.

personal area network (PAN)

Network scope that uses close-range wireless technologies (usually based on Bluetooth or NFC) to establish communications between personal devices, such as smartphones, laptops, and printers/peripheral devices.

patch panel

Type of distribution frame used with twisted pair cabling with IDCs to terminate fixed cabling on one side and modular jacks to make cross-connections to other equipment on the other.

hub

Layer 1 (Physical) network device used to implement a star network topology on legacy Ethernet networks, working as a multiport repeater.

switch

Intermediate system used to establish contention-free network segments at OSI layer 2 (Data Link). An unmanaged switch does not support any sort of configuration.

managed switches

Ethernet switch that is configurable via a command-line interface or SDN controller.

Power over Ethernet (PoE)

Specification allowing power to be supplied via switch ports and ordinary data cabling to devices such as VoIP handsets and wireless access points. Devices can draw up to about 13 W (or 25 W for PoE+).

injector

A device that can supply Power over Ethernet (PoE) if the Ethernet switch ports do not support it.

"unshielded twisted pair" (UTP)

Media type that uses copper conductors arranged in pairs that are twisted to reduce interference. Typically, cables are 4-pair or 2-pair.

Shielded twisted pair (STP)

Copper twisted-pair cabling with screening and shielding elements for individual wire pairs and/or the whole cable to reduce interference

twisted pair cable

Network cable construction with insulated copper wires twisted about each other. A pair of color-coded wires transmits a balanced electrical signal. The twisting of the wire pairs at different rates acts to reduce interference and crosstalk.

T568A/T568B

Twisted-pair termination pinouts defined in the ANSI/TIA/EIA 568 Commercial Building Telecommunications Standards

patch cord

Type of flexible network cable typically terminated with RJ45 connectors. Ethernet patch cords cannot be longer than five meters.

permanent cable

Type of solid network cable typically terminated to punchdown blocks that is run through wall and ceiling spaces.

cable stripper

Tool for stripping cable jacket or wire insulation

punchdown tool

Tool used to terminate solid twisted-pair copper cable to an insulation displacement connector block

crimper

Tool to join a Registered Jack (RJ) form factor connector to the ends of twisted-pair patch cable.

cable tester

Two-part tool used to test successful termination of copper cable by attaching to each end of a cable and energizing each wire conductor in turn with an LED to indicate an end-to-end connection.

tone generator

Two-part tool used to identify one cable within a bundle by applying an audible signal.

loopback plug

Tool used to verify the integrity of a network interface port by checking that it can receive a signal generated by itself.

network tap

Hardware device inserted into a cable run to copy frames for analysis.

switched port analyzer (SPAN)

Copying ingress and/or egress communications from one or more switch ports to another port. This is used to monitor communications passing over the switch.

Plenum Space

A plenum space is a void in a building designed to carry Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. Plenum space is typically a false ceiling, though it could also be constructed as a raised floor.

Direct burial

A type of outside plant (OSP) installation where cable is laid directly into the ground with no protective conduit.

fiber optic cable

ohmygod this response is long. Network cable type that uses light signals as the basis for data transmission. Infrared light pulses are transmitted down the glass core of the fiber. The cladding that surrounds this core reflects light back to ensure transmission efficiency. Two main categories of fiber are available; multi-mode, which uses cheaper, shorter wavelength LEDs or VCSEL diodes, or single-mode, which uses more expensive, longer wavelength laser diodes. At the receiving end of the cable, light-sensitive diodes re-convert the light pulse into an electrical signal. Fiber optic cable is immune to eavesdropping and EMI, has low attenuation, supports rates of 10 Gb/s+, and is light and compact.

Single-mode fiber (SMF)

Fiber optic cable type that uses laser diodes and narrow core construction to support high bandwidths over distances of more than five kilometers.

Multi-mode fiber (MMF)

Fiber optic cable type using LED or vertical cavity surface emitting laser optics and graded using optical multimode types for core size and bandwidth.

Straight tip (ST)

Bayonet-style twist-and-lock connector for fiber optic cabling

Subscriber connector (SC)

Push/pull connector used with fiber optic cabling.

Lucent connector (LC)

Small form factor push-pull fiber optic connector; available in simplex and duplex versions.

Coaxial (coax) cable

Media type using two separate conductors that share a common axis categorized using the Radio Grade (RG) specifications.

cable modem

Cable-Internet-access digital modem that uses a coaxial connection to the service provider's fiber-optic core network.

F-type connector

Screw down connector used with coaxial cable.

802.11 standards

Specifications developed by IEEE for wireless networking over microwave radio transmission in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz frequency bands. The Wi-Fi standards brand has six main iterations: a, b, g, Wi-Fi 4 (n), Wi-Fi 5 (ac), and Wi-Fi 6 (ax). These specify different modulation techniques, supported distances, and data rates, plus special features, such as channel bonding, MIMO, and MU-MIMO.

access point (AP)

Device that provides a connection between wireless devices and can connect to wired networks, implementing an infrastructure mode WLAN.

Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID)

MAC address of an access point supporting a basic service area.

channels

Subdivision of frequency bands used by Wi-Fi products into smaller channels to allow multiple networks to operate at the same location without interfering with one another.

frequency bands

Portion of the microwave radio-frequency spectrum in which wireless products operate, such as 2.4 GHz band or 5 GHz band.

dynamic frequency selection (DFS)

Regulatory feature of wireless access points that prevents use of certain 5 GHz channels when in range of a facility that uses radar.

channel bonding

Capability to aggregate one or more adjacent wireless channels to increase bandwidth.

"multiple input multiple output" (MIMO)

Use of multiple reception and transmission antennas to boost wireless bandwidth via spatial multiplexing and to boost range and signal reliability via spatial diversity.

multiuser MIMO (MU-MIMO)

Use of spatial multiplexing to allow a wireless access point to support multiple client stations simultaneously.

"orthogonal frequency division multiple access" (OFDMA)

Feature of Wi-Fi 6 allowing an access point to serve multiple client stations simultaneously.

service set identifier (SSID)

Character string that identifies a particular wireless LAN (WLAN).

Wi-Fi analyzer

Device or software that can report characteristics of a WLAN, such as signal strength and channel utilization

decibel (dB)

Unit for representing the power of network signaling.

signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)

Measurement of a wireless signal level in relation to any background noise.

long-range fixed wireless

Ground-based microwave transmission that supports long distances over precisely aligned directional antennas. These products can either make privileged use of licensed frequency bands or use public unlicensed radio-frequency spectrum.

decibels isotropic (dBi)

Unit for representing the increase in power gained by the directional design of a wireless antenna.

Effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP)

Signal strength from a transmitter, measured as the sum of transmit power, antenna cable/connector loss, and antenna gain.

Bluetooth

Short-range, wireless radio-network-transmission medium normally used to connect two personal devices, such as a mobile phone and a wireless headset.

Radio Frequency ID (RFID)

Means of encoding information into passive tags, which can be energized and read by radio waves from a reader device.

Near Field Communications (NFC)

Standard for two-way radio communications over very short (around four inches) distances, facilitating contactless payment and similar technologies. NFC is based on RFID.