CompTIA Network+

Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)

A type of copper cable that is designed to prevent Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) by having a shielding.

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)

A type of copper cable that is less expensive and has lower transmission capabilities compared to STP.

Cat 1

A category of UTP cable that is essentially phone cable and carries no data

CAT 2

A category of UTP cable that supports limited data and transmission speeds of up to 4 Mbps

Cat 3

A category of UTP cable that supports distances up to 100 meters and transmission speeds of up to 10 Mbps

Cat 4

A category of UTP cable that supports transmission speeds of up to 16 Mbps

Cat 5

A category of UTP cable that supports transmission speeds up to 100 Mbps, known as 'Fast Ethernet'.

Cat 5e

A category of UTP cable that supports transmission speeds up to 1 gb/s

Cat 6/6a

A category of UTP cable that supports up to 10 Gbps at less than 50 meters and 1 Gbps at distances greater than 50 meters.

Coaxial Cable

A type of cable with a central conductor insulated and surrounded by a concentric conducting shield, commonly used in early LANs.

Twin-axial Cable

A type of cost-efficient cable that’s similar to coax that has two conductors versus one

Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)

An organization that establishes standards for telecommunications cabling, including wiring standards TIA/EIA 568A and 568B.

Crossover Cable

A type of Ethernet cable used to connect similar devices, such as

• Switch to switch

• Switch to hub

• Hub to hub

• Router to router

• Computer to computer

Straight-Through Cable

A type of Ethernet cable used to connect different devices, such as

• Switch to router

• Switch to computer

• Hub to computer

Singlemode Fiber

Fiber optic cabling designed to carry a single mode of light, suitable for long-distance applications.

Multimode Fiber

Fiber optic cabling that can carry multiple modes of light simultaneously, ideal for short-distance applications.

OS1

A category of singlemode fiber used for indoor applications with a distance of up to 10 km.

OS2

A category of singlemode fiber used for outdoor applications, like telephone lines, with a distance of up to 200 km.

OM1

A multimode fiber category that supports 10 Gbps speeds up to 33 meters.

OM2

A multimode fiber category that supports 10 Gbps speeds up to 82 meters.

OM3

A multimode fiber category that supports 40 Gbps speeds up to 300 meters.

OM4

A multimode fiber category that supports 40 Gbps speeds up to 550 meters.

OM5

A multimode fiber category that supports 28 Gbps per channel over 4 channels

Ferrule

The core component of a fiber optic cable where light travels through.

Connector Body

The plastic, metal or ceramic structure that holds the ferrule

Coupling Mechanism

The component of the cable connector that physically connects to the interface

Local Connector (LC)

A small, common fiber optic connector type used for newer implementations.

Mechanical Transfer Registered Jack

A connector only used for multimode fiber

Ultra-Physical Contact (UPC) Connector

A connector that’s fine for most LAN connections, but occasionally lets light bounce out

Angled Physical Contact (APC) Connector

A connector that makes light reflect at an angle which has a greater chance of all light getting back to the source

Registered Jack Connector 11 (RJ11)

A six-pin connector for phones

Registered Jack Connector 45 (RJ45)

An 8-pin registered jack connector standard for connecting UTP cables.

F-Type Connector

A type of coaxial connector used for connecting domestic TV equipment.

Transceiver

The component responsible for converting electrical signals into light for communications over a fiber optic network that can hot-plug into switches, making a system modular

Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP)

A compact transceiver used for data rates from 100 Mbps to 4 Gbps.

Enhanced Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP+)

An enhanced version of SFP that supports data rates of up to 8 Gbps for Fibre Channel, and 10 Gbps for Ethernet & Optical Transport Network.

Quad Form-factor Pluggable (QSFP)

A type of transceiver that can handle 4 simultaneous channels with each channel having a data rate of 1 Gbps.

Enhanced Quad form-factor pluggable (QSFP+)

A type of transceiver that can handle 4 simultaneous channels with each channel having a data rate of 10 Gbps, or one 40 Gbps Ethernet link

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)

A protocol used to combine multiple physical ports into a single logical port for bandwidth increase.

Half-Duplex

A communication mode where data transmission can occur in both directions but not at the same time.

Port Security

A feature that prevents unknown devices from forwarding packets on a network.

Media Access Control (MAC) Address

A unique 48-bit identifier assigned to a network interface for communications at the data link layer.

Power Over Ethernet (PoE)

A technology that allows network cables to transmit both data and electrical power to devices.

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

A network protocol that prevents loops in network switching.

Ethernet UTP Categories

Categories of UTP cables used for Ethernet communication, including Cat 5, Cat 5e, Cat 6, and Cat 7.

Wave Division Multiplexing

A technology that allows multiple signals to be sent simultaneously over a single fiber optic cable.

Broadcast Packet

A data packet sent to all devices on a local area network.

Trunk Link

A network link that carries multiple VLANs between switches.

Access Link

A link that connects devices like computers to a switch.

Network Interface

Hardware components that allow devices to connect to and communicate over a network.

Cable Trays

Support structures used to organize and route network cables.

Cable Management

The process of organizing and keeping network cables neat and secure.

Patch Panel

A mounted panel containing ports to organize network cable connections.

Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN)

A logical grouping of devices in a network, configured regardless of their physical location, that’s cost-effective, reduces admin overhead, and requires no extra infrastructure

Duplex Communication

The mode of communication that allows data transmission in either direction.

Flow Control

A network feature that manages data packet flow to prevent overload and improve performance.

Trunk Tagging

The process of adding VLAN information to a data packet as it traverses between switches.

Voice VLAN

A dedicated VLAN for Voice over IP (VoIP) traffic to ensure optimal voice quality.

RJ11 Connector

A connector used for telephone lines, typically with up to six pins.

Crossover Wiring

Wiring that adjusts the senders and receivers for direct device-to-device connections.

Punchdown Blocks

Where all cables converge; cables are stripped down to wire, put through these blocks, then wired through an RJ45 connector to a switch.

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)

A device designed to provide battery backup power to connected devices in the event of a power outage, allowing for graceful shutdowns.

Dry Wall Box

A box installed in walls for housing electrical connections and devices.

Cable Stripping

The process of removing the insulation from electrical wiring to make connections.

Connector Body

The exterior structure of a connector that holds the ferrule.

Grounding

The process of providing a path for electrical current to safely exit devices.

EMI (Electromagnetic Interference)

Electromagnetic pollution that can disrupt electronic signals in cables.

10BASE-T

• Copper Ethernet Standard

• 10 = 10 Mbps transmission speed

• BASE = baseband method of transmission

  • Uses 100% of the bandwidth of that cable

• T = twisted pair

100BASE-TX

• Copper Ethernet Standard

• 100 MBps

• X doesn't really matter

• Uses CAT5 UTP straight-through cable

1000BASE-T

• Copper Ethernet Standard

• 1 Gbit/s

• Compatible with CAT5e, CAT6/6a and CAT 7

GBASE-T

• Copper Ethernet Standard

• 10GBASE-T (CAT 6, CAT7)

• 40GBASE-T (currently in development)

• Approx 30m limit

100BASE-FX

“Fast Ethernet” over fiber optic cables

100BASE-SX

• Fiber Ethernet Standard

• Lower cost alternative

• Shorter wavelength → shorter distance

• S= shorter distance, L= longer distance

1000BASE-SX

• Fiber Ethernet Standard

• Extension of Ethernet standard to gigabit-level network speeds

• Uses multimode fiber-optic cabling

• 220m or 500m depending on cable grade

Cable Grade

Diameter of the core of the cable

1000BASE-LX

• Supports distance of up to 5km (requires single-mode fiber)

10GBASE-SR

• Fiber Ethernet Standard

• SR = Short range-standard (30-50m)

10GBASE-SR

• Fiber Ethernet Standard

• LR=Long Reach

• 10km max

Data Link Layer

Layer 2 of the OSI model, responsible for node-to-node data transfer.

Firmware

Permanent software programmed into a read-only memory of a device.

NAT (Network Address Translation)

A method used to translate private IP addresses to a public IP address.

Subnetwork

A segmented piece of a larger network, often used for organizational or security purposes.

Throughput

The actual rate of successful data transferred over a network.

Latency

The time it takes for data to travel from the source to the destination.

Routing Protocol

Protocols that determine the best path for data transmission across a network.

Ethernet Frame

A data packet transmitted over an Ethernet network.

User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

A communication protocol used for transmitting data without establishing a connection.

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

A connection-oriented communication protocol that ensures data is delivered reliably.

Network Node

Any device connected to a network that can send, receive, or manage data.

IP Address

A unique identifier assigned to devices connected to a network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.

Subnet Mask

A 32-bit number that divides an IP address into network and host portions.

Service Set Identifier (SSID)

The name given to a wireless local area network (WLAN).

Wireless Access Point (WAP)

A device that allows wireless communication between wireless devices and a wired network.

Network Topology

The arrangement of different elements, such as devices and connections, in a network.

Client-Server Model

A network architecture where client devices request resources from centralized servers.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Model

A network architecture where devices communicate directly with each other without a central server.

Latency Measurement

The process of measuring the delay in packet arrival within a network.

Bandwidth Measurement

The capacity of a network link to transmit data over a given period.

Network Configuration

The arrangement and setting up of network components and services to work together.

Load Balancing

The process of distributing workloads across multiple resources to ensure optimal performance.