Apply Your Knowledge

Exercises

2.1. Identifying Cable Costs

In this project, you use the Internet to identify cable characteristics and associated costs.

This chapter focuses on network media, connectors, and standards—all of which are essential to networks. As a network administrator, you will need to have a detailed knowledge of network media and their associated connectors. When you are called upon to troubleshoot or implement a network, this knowledge will prove invaluable.

A common task for network administrators is to source out the costs of cable and connectors. Consider the following scenario: You have been contracted by BootCo, a maker of snowshoes and toques, to begin the process of implementing a network. BootCo requires a network of 25 systems and needs to know the costs associated with the media for the network. The network will require both UTP and 20 feet of STP cable.

Estimated time: 20 minutes

1.
Get on the Internet and from a search engine, look for a company that sells network cable. The search is likely to return many results, and it may be necessary to restrict your search to local vendors.

2.
Browse a vendor's Web site and locate UTP Category 5/5e and STP cable.

3.
To connect 25 systems with UTP cable, you need 25 patch cables. To connect other network devices, you need additional cables.

4.
Continue to search the site for the costs for the STP cable. To get a better idea of costs, it might be necessary to find information from several vendors.

5.
Compare the cost of buying bulk cable and connectors to the cost of buying premade cables and connectors.

Exam Questions

1:Which of the following connectors are associated with external SCSI? (Choose the two best answers.)

  1. 68-pin D-shell connector

  2. 36-pin Centronic connector

  3. 50-pin Centronic connector

  4. 39-pin female connector

A1: a, c. The SCSI interface uses both 68-pin D-shell connectors and 50-pin Centronic connectors. It may also use 50-pin external connectors. The other connector types are not valid SCSI connectors. For more information, see the section “Media Connectors,” in this chapter.
2:You have been asked to support a network installation, and you are required to identify a network media that can connect two remote servers that are 1.5 km apart. The network cable should not be dependent on network devices to help regenerate the signal. Which of the following cables best suits the company's needs?

  1. Fiber-optic

  2. Category 3

  3. Category 5 STP

  4. Category 5 UTP

A2: a. Fiber-optic cable uses light transmission, making it less susceptible to interference and attenuation. Therefore, data signals can travel significant distances. In this case, only fiber-optic cable meets the distance requirements. All the other cables listed in the answer are limited to much shorter distances than fiber-optic. For more information, see the section “Common Network Media,” in this chapter.
3:What is the transmission speed you can expect when working with low- and high-frequency radio wave transmissions?

  1. 100Mbps to 500Mbps

  2. 10Mbps to 20Mbps

  3. 1Mbps to 10Mpbs

  4. 1Gbps to 100Gbps

A3: c. Wireless radio wave transmissions do not offer fast data transfer speeds. Speeds are usually between 1Mbps and 10Mbps. For more information, see the section “Common Network Media,” in this chapter.
4:You need to connect two servers that are located 600 meters apart. You require a direct connection without the use of signal regeneration. Which of the following Ethernet standards would you employ?

  1. 10BaseT

  2. 100BaseT

  3. 10Base5

  4. 100BaseFX

A4: d. 100BaseFX has the potential to transmit distances that exceed 600 meters. However, to reach distances of 600 meters, you'd need to use single-mode fiber. Of the other standards, 10Base5 has the greatest transmission distance, but it is limited to 500 meters. For more information, see the section “Common Network Media,” in this chapter.
5:You are working on an older network and are required to add a client. The network is using Category 5 UTP cable. Which connector should you use?

  1. BNC

  2. Transceiver

  3. RJ-45

  4. RJ-11

A5: c. To add a client to an existing network that is using Category 5 UTP, you would work with RJ-45 connectors. BNCs are used with coaxial cable, and RJ-11 is the connector type associated with telephone cable. For more information, see the section “Media Connectors,” in this chapter.
6:Which of the following is associated with FDM?

  1. Baseband

  2. Broadband

  3. 100BaseFX

  4. 100BaseT

A6: b. FDM is a technique that is used with broadband systems to allow data flow in different directions on the cable. All the other standards mentioned are baseband transmission media and so do not use multiplexing. For more information, see the section “Media Considerations,” in this chapter.
7:Which of the following wireless media does not require a direct line of sight? (Choose the two best answers.)

  1. Low-frequency RF

  2. Terrestrial microwave

  3. Infrared

  4. High-frequency RF

A7: a, d. Neither low-frequency RF nor high-frequency RF requires a direct point-to-point line of sight between sending and receiving devices. Microwave and infrared data transmissions do require a direct line of sight. For more information, see the section “Common Network Media,” in this chapter.
8:What is the maximum cable length specified in the IEEE 802.3 10Base2 standard?

  1. 185 meters

  2. 500 meters

  3. 100 meters

  4. 250 meters

A8: a. The 10Base2 standard specifies thin coax cable that has a maximum segment length of 185 meters. If that length is exceeded, the signals on the cable may weaken and become unusable. For more information, see the section “Features and Characteristics of Ethernet 802.3 Standards,” in this chapter.
9:As a network administrator, you have been asked to recommend a networking standard that can support data transfers of up to 100Mbps, using the existing Category 3 cable and the CSMA/CD access method. Which of the following best suits your needs?

  1. 100BaseTX

  2. 100BaseFX

  3. 100BaseVG-AnyLAN

  4. 100BaseT4

A9: d. 100BaseT4 is a Fast Ethernet standard that can use existing Category 3 cable and have transmission speeds of up to 100Mbps.

100BaseVG-AnyLAN can also use Category 3 cable, but it uses a demand priority access method. 100Base- requires Category 5 cable and 100BaseFX uses fiber-optic cable. For more information, see the section “Features and Characteristics of Ethernet 802.3 Standards,” in this chapter.

10:What is the maximum distance a signal can travel over multimode fiber?

  1. 10,000 meters

  2. 412 meters

  3. 500 meters

  4. 100 meters

A10: b. The maximum distance for multimode fiber is 412 meters. Single-mode fiber increases the distance to 10,000 meters. Answers c and d are not valid. For more information, see the section “Features and Characteristics of Ethernet 802.3 Standards,” in this chapter.
11:Which of the following are associated with IEEE 802.3z? (Choose the three best answers.)

  1. 1000BaseLX

  2. 1000BaseCX

  3. 1000BaseBX

  4. 1000BaseSX

A11: a, b, d. Three standards are associated with 802.3z: 1000BaseLX, 1000BaseSX, and 1000BaseCX. 100BaseBX is not a valid standard. For more information, see the section “Features and Characteristics of Ethernet 802.3 Standards,” in this chapter.
12:Which of the following media types offers the greatest resistance to interference?

  1. STP

  2. Thick coax

  3. Fiber-optic

  4. Thin coax

A12: c. Because fiber uses light to transmit data, it is not susceptible to EMI and crosstalk. It is the media of choice in high-interference network environments. All the other cable types mentioned are copper based and are therefore susceptible, to varying degrees, to EMI and crosstalk. For more information, see the section “Common Network Media,” in this chapter.
13:What is the maximum transfer distance of 1000BaseT?

  1. 100 meters

  2. 412 meters

  3. 1,000 meters

  4. 550 meters

A13: a. The 1000BaseT standard uses copper cable and has a segment maximum of 100 meters. For more information, see the section “Features and Characteristics of Ethernet 802.3 Standards,” in this chapter.
14:Which of the following uses twisted-pair cable and has a maximum transfer speed of 10Mbps?

  1. 10BaseT

  2. 10Base5

  3. 10Base2

  4. Thinnet

A14: a. The 10BaseT standard uses twisted-pair cable with a maximum transfer rate of 10Mbps. Of the other standards, 10Base5 uses thick coaxial cable, 10Base2 uses thin coaxial cable, and thinnet is a term used to refer to 10Base2. For more information, see the section “Features and Characteristics of Ethernet 802.3 Standards,” in this chapter.
15:You have been asked to install a client computer on an existing network. Upon inspection of the cable, you identify that it is connected by using BNC connectors. Which of the following network standards is in use?

  1. 10BaseT

  2. 10Base2

  3. 100BaseTX

  4. Fast Ethernet

A15: b. The 10Base2 standard specifies coaxial cable that uses BNCs to add clients to existing networks. 10BaseT and 100BaseTX both use RJ-45 connectors. For more information, see the section “Features and Characteristics of Ethernet 802.3 Standards,” in this chapter.
16:Which of the following terms identifies the loss in signal strength as a signal travels through a media?

  1. Crosstalk

  2. EMI

  3. Plenum

  4. Attenuation

A16: d. Attenuation refers to signal degradation as it travels through media. Crosstalk is the term used to refer to interference from other cables; EMI is a condition created by electronic or mechanical equipment. Plenum is not a type of interference; it is the term used to classify cables that are suitable for installation in suspended ceilings and other enclosed areas. For more information, see the section “Media Considerations,” in this chapter.
17:You are a network administrator for a large company. Transfer speeds have been too slow, and you have been asked to recommend a 1000Mbps network solution. The network requires a transfer distance of 3,500 meters. Which of the following would you recommend?

  1. 1000BaseCX

  2. 1000BaseLX

  3. 1000BaseBX

  4. 1000BaseSX

A17: b. 1000BaseLX can transmit up to 5,000 meters, using single-mode fiber. The other standards listed operate over much shorter distances. For more information, see the section “Features and Characteristics of Ethernet 802.3 Standards,” in this chapter.
18:Which fiber-optic mode allows the fastest transfer rates?

  1. SC

  2. ST

  3. Single-mode

  4. Multimode

A18: c. Single-mode fiber allows faster transfer rates than multimode fiber and supports longer data transmissions. SC and ST are types of fiber connectors, not types of cable. For more information, see the section “Common Network Media,” in this chapter.
19:A company that transfers very sensitive data has asked you to install a media that is highly resistant to eavesdropping and signal tampering. Which of the following media would you recommend?

  1. STP

  2. UTP

  3. Coaxial

  4. Fiber

A19: d. Because of the construction of fiber cable and the fact that it uses light transmission instead of electronic signals, it is very resistant to tampering and eavesdropping. All the other cable types listed are copper based and are therefore less secure than fiber-based media. For more information, see the section “Common Network Media,” in this chapter.
20:Baseband sends transmissions in which of the following forms?

  1. Digital

  2. Analog

  3. Digital and analog

  4. RF

A20: a. Baseband transmissions use digital signaling. Analog signaling is associated with broadband. For more information, see the section “Baseband Versus Broadband Signaling,” in this chapter.

Suggested Readings and Resources

1. Groth , David , Jim McBee . Cabling: The Complete Guide to Network Cabling. Sybex, 2000.

2. Habraken, Joe . Absolute Beginner's Guide to Networking, third edition. Que Publishing, 2001.

3. Vacca, John R. The Cabling Handbook, second edition. Prentice Hall, 2000.

4. Cisco Systems, Inc. Internetworking Troubleshooting Handbook, second edition. Cisco Press, 2001.

5. Network Cabling Information, www.techfest.com/networking/cabling.htm.

6. “Computer Networking Tutorials and Advice,” compnetworking.about.com.

7. “TechEncyclopedia,” www.techencyclopedia.com.

8. Networking technology information, www.cisco.com/public/products_tech.shtml.

9. “Network Cabling Help,” www.datacottage.com.

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