Cabling

• Cable is the medium through which information usually moves from one network device to another.

• Several types of cable are commonly used with LANs.

• In some cases, a network will utilize only one type of cable, other networks will use a variety of cable types.

 -Types of Cables

• Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cable

• Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Cable

• Co-axial Cable

• Fiber Optic Cable

 

        1)      Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cable

•  The cable has four pairs of wires inside the jacket. Each pair is twisted with a different number of twists per inch to help eliminate interference from adjacent pairs and other electrical devices.

           

Catagories

Types	Use
Category 1	Voice (Wayer Telefon)
Category 2	Data to 4 Mbps (LocalTalk)
Category 3	Data to 10 Mbps (Ethernet)
Category 4	Data to 20 Mbps (16 Mbps Token Ring)
Category 5	Data to 100 Mbps (Fast Ethernet

•   The standard connector for unshielded twisted pair cabling is an RJ-45 connector

    

•  A disadvantage of UTP cable is that it may be susceptible to radio and electrical frequency interference.

      2)      Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Cable

  

-         - STP is a type of cable consists of two individual wires wrapped in a foil shielding to help provide a more reliable data communication.

• Suitable for environments with electrical interference;

• However, the extra shielding can make the cables quite bulky.

• Often used on networks using Token Ring topology.

      3)      Co-axial Cable

  

       

• Coaxial cabling has a single copper conductor at its center.

•  A plastic layer provides insulation between the center conductor and a braided metal shield

• The metal shield helps to block any outside interference from fluorescent lights, motors, and  other computers.

-Coaxial Cable Connectors

• The most common type of connector used with coaxial cables is the Bayonet-Neill-Concelman (BNC) connector

• Different types of adapters are available for BNC connectors, including a T-connector, barrel connector, and terminator.

 

       4)      FIBRE OPTICS

  

• consists of a center glass core surrounded by several layers of protective materials

• It transmits light rather than electronic signals eliminating the problem of electrical interference.

• Ideal for certain environments that contain a large amount of electrical interference

• Able to transmit signals over much longer distances than coaxial and twisted pair.


 

Summary of:

Ethernet Cabling

Specification	Cable Type	Maximum length
10BaseT	Unshielded Twisted Pair	100 meters
10Base2	Thin Coaxial	185 meters
10Base5	Thick Coaxial	500 meters
10BaseF	Fiber Optic	2000 meters

Cable Topology

Physical Topology	Cable	Protocol
Linear Bus	Coax Twisted Pair Fiber	Ethernet LocalTalk
Star	Twisted Pair Fiber	Ethernet LocalTalk
Star-Wired Ring	Twisted Pair	Token Ring
Tree	Coax Twisted Pair Fiber	Ethernet

Network Operating System (NOS)

·         Software that controls a network and its message (e.g. packet) traffic and queues, controls access by multiple users to network resources such as files, and provides for certain administrative functions, including security.

·         coordinate the activities of multiple computers

·         Across a network.

·         Acts as a director to keep the network running smoothly.

·         A NOS is not the same as the networking tools provided by some existing OSs, Windows XP for instance.

·         An NOS is an OS that has been specifically written to keep networks running at optimal performance.

·         Some popular NOSs include:

o   Windows NT , IBM AIX, Sun Solaris, Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003,Inferno Novell NetWare, Red Hat Linux, BSD.

·         There are two major types of network operating system:

1.      Peer-to-Peer

2.      Client/Server

1)      Peer- to-Peer

• In a peer-to-peer network, all computers are considered equal; they all have the same abilities to use the resources available on the network

• Allow users to share resources and files located on their computers and to access shared resources found on other computers.

• Do not have a file server or a centralized management source

• Designed primarily for small to medium local area networks.

• AppleShare and Windows for Workgroups are examples of programs that can function as peer-to-peer network operating systems.

Advantages

• Less initial expense - No need for a dedicated server.

• Setup - An operating system such as Windows XP/…) already in place may only need to be reconfigured for peer-to-peer operations.

Disadvantages

• Decentralized - No central repository for files and applications.

• Security - Does not provide the security available on a client/server network.

2)      Client/Server

o   Allow the network to centralize functions and applications in one or more dedicated file servers

o   The file servers become the heart of the system, providing access to resources and providing security.

o   Individual workstations (clients) have access to the resources available on the file servers.

o   Novell Netware and Windows 2000 Server are examples of client/server network operating systems.