Troubleshooting Networks Lesson 001: Wired Connectivity Issues Part 1

What are the common wired connectivity issues?

Physical connection, cable length, interference, and port flapping.

What do physical connection issues encompass?

Anything that could be wrong with any sort of cabling or connection point.

What does NIC stand for?

Network Interface Card.

Where is the first part of a wired connectivity physical connection?

The NIC inside of the client device.

What is the second part of a wired connectivity physical connection?

The network jack.

What does a physical wired connection connect to on the other end of the cable in an office environment?

A network switch.

What does a network switch do?

Moves traffic between the client, the Internet, and devices like routers, firewalls, or gateways.

How does one test a physical connection concerning wired connectivity issues if the issue isn’t the cable leading from the wall jack to the device’s NIC?

Connect a network cable tester to the wall jack of your particular port to the patch panel.

If the issue is not found through testing the cabling from the wall jack to the patch panel, what should the tech do next?

Test the individual cables connecting the wall jack to the client device’s NIC or the patch panel to the switch.

What should a tech do if he finds a faulty cable?

Replace the cable.

What should a tech do if he finds a faulty wall jack or patch panel connection?

Remove the cable, re-strip it, re-punch with a proper tool, and retest the connection end to end.

What is a very quick way to see if a network connection is working property?

Check the back of the NIC to verify the physical connection.

What lights will a user see on the back of a NIC?

A status light, and activity light, and a speed light.

What does the link light on a NIC indicate?

The status of a valid secure physical link.

What can a tech infer if the link light is off on a NIC?

That there is a physical connection issue somewhere along that physical connection.

What does the activity light on a NIC do?

It blinks when sending or receiving data.

What status light is less common to see on NICs?

The speed light.

What does the speed light indicate on a NIC?

The operating performance of a NIC.

What does it usually mean if the speed light on a NIC is off?

Operating speed of 10 Mbps or less.

What does it usually mean if the speed light on a NIC is orange?

Operating speed of 100-999 Mbps.

What does it usually mean if the speed light on a NIC is green?

Operating speed of 1000 Mbps or more.