Professor Messor Net+ 1.5.4 - Copper Cabling

Professor Messor Net+ 1.5.4

What is the importance of the cable?

• Fundamental to network communication

• The vast majority of wireless communication uses cables

  • Everything eventually touches a cable

Twisted Pair Copper Cabling

• Balanced pair operation

  • Two wires with equal and opposite signals

  • Transmit+, Transmit- / Receive+, Receive-

• The twist is the secret!!

  • Keeps a single wire constantly moving away from the interference

  • Opposite signals are compared on the other end

What determines the data transfer rate?

• The signal encoding

What determines the cable type?

• The IEEE 802.3 sets the standard

How are cable standards described?

• They are known as a “category” of cable

  • Example: Category 6, Category 7

What is the minimum cable category for 1000BASE-T?

• Category 5

Coaxial Cable

• Two or more forms share a common axis

• RG-6 used in television/digital cable

  • Also used in high-speed Internet over cable

Twinaxial Cable

• Two inner conductors

  • Twinax

• Common on 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ Cables

  • Full duplex

  • Five meters

  • Low cost

  • Low latency

Plenum Space

• Building air circulation

• Heating and A/C system

Plenum-Rated Cable

• Traditional cable jacket

  • Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

• Plenum-rated cable may not be as flexible

Fire-rated cable jacket

• Fluorinated ethylene polymer (FEP) or low-smoke polyvinyl chloride (PVC)