Unit 2

Unit Contents

Overview
Terms You Should Know


Lesson 1 - NICs
Lesson 2 - Review of Cable Properties
Lesson 3 - WLANs
Lesson 4 - Media Selection and Installation
Lesson 5 - UTP Patch Cables and Connectors


Summary

   Overview

In this unit we review the Physical Layer components that we first covered in Introduction to Networking. We also move on to explain the deeper technical details of these media. Because unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable is the dominant medium in most new networks, Lesson 5 explains the technical details of the connector cables that link devices in a UTP-based network.

Each type of transmission medium (copper cable, optical fiber, or radio) has its own particular strengths and weaknesses. Thus, there is no single best way to connect computers. Lesson 4 presents some of the main factors to consider when choosing a network's transmission medium.


   Terms You Should Know

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

bandwidth

baseband

broadband

cable categories

carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD)

central processing unit (CPU)

crossover cable

daisy chain

detector

direct memory access (DMA)

Electronic Industries Association (EIA)

Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA)

feeder

index of refraction

Industry Standard Architecture (ISA)

input/output (I/O)

interference

insertion loss

insulation displacement connector (IDC)

Industry Standard Architecture (ISA)

light-emitting diode (LED)

mode

multidrop

multiplexer (MUX)

multistory trunk

noise

operating wavelength

patch cable (patch cord)

Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)

photodiode

pulse code modulation (PCM)

random access memory (RAM)

refraction

RJ-45 connector

Thicknet

Thinnet

total internal reflection

transceiver

twisted pair

unshielded twisted pair (UTP)

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