05. Cabling Terms Flashcards by Aimee Beloat

A physical layer standard for networks that specifies 1-Gbps transmission over fiber-optic cable using baseband transmission. The LX represents its reliance on long wavelengths of 1,300 nanometers.

1000BASE-LX

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A physical layer standard for networks that specifies 1-Gbps transmission over fiber-optic cable using baseband transmission. The SX represents its reliance on short wavelengths of 850 nanometers.

1000BASE-SX

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A physical layer standard for achieving 1 Gbps over twisted-pair cable.

1000BASE-T

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A physical layer standard for networks that specifies 100-Mbps transmission over twisted-pair cable. Also called 100BASE-TX.

100BASE-T

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A physical layer standard for networks that specifies 100-Mbps transmission over twisted-pair cable. Also called 100BASE-T.

100BASE-TX

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A physical layer standard for networks that specifies 10-Mbps transmission over twisted-pair cable.

10BASE-T

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A physical layer standard for networks that specifies 10-Gbps transmission over fiber-optic cable using baseband transmission. The LR represents its support of long-range transmissions.

10GBASE-LR

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A physical layer standard for networks that specifies 10-Gbps transmission over fiber-optic cable using baseband transmission. The SR represents its support of short-range transmissions.

10GBASE-SR

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A physical layer standard for achieving 10-Gbps data transmission over twisted-pair cable.

10GBASE-T

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A physical layer standard for achieving 40-Gbps data transmission over twisted-pair cable.

40GBASE-T

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Various standards used to rate the performance expectations of a cable, NIC, or other device. Also called Ethernet standards.

802.3 standards

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The loss of a signal’s strength as it travels away from its source.

attenuation

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Ports on newer devices that automatically negotiate the transmit and receive wires between devices.

auto-MDI-X

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A measure of the amount of data that could theoretically be transmitted over a specific interface or media during a given period.

bandwidth

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A coaxial cable connector type that uses a turn-and-lock (or bayonet) style of coupling.

BNC (Bayonet Neill-Concelman) connector

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A tool used to push the pins of a connector into the wires of a cable so they pierce the wire’s insulation.

cable crimper

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A diagram that indicates the pin location of each wire in each end of a cable. Also called cable map or wire map.

cable diagram

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A diagram that indicates the pin location of each wire in each end of a cable. Also called cable diagram or wire map.

cable map

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A troubleshooting tool that tests cables for continuity but can also measure crosstalk, attenuation, and impedance; identify the location of faults; and store or print cable testing results. Also called line tester, certifier, or network tester.

cable performance tester

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A tool used to pull off the protective covering of a cable without damaging the wires inside.

cable stripper

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A device that tests cables for one or more of the following conditions: continuity, segment length, distance to a fault, attenuation along a cable, near-end crosstalk, and termination resistance and impedance.

cable tester

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A form of UTP that contains four wire pairs and supports up to 100-Mbps throughput and a 100-MHz signal rate. Required minimum standard for Fast Ethernet.

Cat 5 (Category 5)

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A higher-grade version of Cat 5 wiring that supports a signaling rate of up to 350 MHz and a maximum throughput of 1 Gbps, making it the required minimum standard for Gigabit Ethernet.

Cat 5e (Enhanced Category 5)

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A twisted-pair cable that contains four wire pairs, each wrapped in foil insulation. Additional foil insulation can cover the bundle of wire pairs, and a fire-resistant plastic sheath might cover the second foil layer. The foil insulation provides excellent resistance to crosstalk and enables Cat 6 to support a signaling rate of 250 MHz and throughput up to 10 Gbps.

Cat 6 (Category 6)

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A higher-grade version of Cat 6 wiring that further reduces attenuation and crosstalk and allows for potentially exceeding traditional network segment length limits.

Cat 6a (Augmented Category 6)

A twisted-pair cable that contains multiple wire pairs, each separately shielded then surrounded by another layer of shielding within the jacket, allowing throughput up to 100 Gbps at very short distances. Cat 7 is not included in the TIA/EIA standards.

Cat 7 (Category 7)

A higher-grade version of Cat 7 wiring that might support up to 100-Gbps throughput at short distances and up to 1000-MHz signal rate but has not been accepted as a TIA/EIA standard.

Cat 7a (Augmented Category 7)

A twisted-pair cable that relies on improved and extensive shielding and is optimized for short-distance backbone connections within the data center.

Cat 8 (Category 8)

A fiber-optic transceiver intended for 100-Gbps network connections.

CFP (centum form-factor pluggable)

The glass or plastic shield around the core of a fiber-optic cable. Cladding reflects light back to the core in patterns that vary depending on the transmission mode.

cladding

A type of cable that consists of a central metal conducting core, surrounded by an insulator, shielding, and an outer cover. Today coaxial cable, called “coax” for short, is mostly used to connect cable Internet and cable TV systems.

coaxial cable

A cable used to connect a computer to the console port of a router.

console cable

The ability of a cable to carry a signal to its destination.

continuity

An instrument that tests whether voltage (or light, in the case of fiber-optic cable) issued at one end of a cable can be detected at the opposite end of the cable. Also called cable checker or cable tester.

continuity tester

Glass or plastic fibers at the center of fiber-optic cable.

core

A twisted-pair patch cable in which the termination locations of the transmit and receive wires on one end of the cable are reversed as compared with the other end.

crossover cable

A copper cable designed to handle high-speed connections at very short distances.

DAC (direct attach copper) cable

A relative measure of signal loss (a negative number) or gain (a positive number).

dB (decibel)

A type of transmission in which signals may travel in both directions over a medium simultaneously. Also called full-duplex.

duplex

The process of converting data into a digital signal for transmission.

encoding

Various standards used to rate the performance expectations of a cable, NIC, or other device. Also called 802.3 standards.

Ethernet standards

A type of Ethernet network that is capable of 100-Mbps throughput.

Fast Ethernet

A device on a rack where fiber cables converge, connect with each other, and connect with fiber-optic terminal equipment from the ISP.

FDP (fiber distribution panel)

The extended tip of a fiber-optic cable connector that encircles the fiber strand to keep it properly aligned and ensure that it makes contact with the receptacle in a jack or other connector.

ferrule

A device that measures the amount of light power transmitted on a fiber-optic line. Also called an OPM (optical power meter).

fiber light meter

A measure of the number of times an electrical signal changes state per second.

frequency

A connector used to terminate coaxial cable that transmits television and cable broadband signals.

F-type connector

A type of transmission in which signals may travel in both directions over a medium simultaneously; also called, simply, duplex.

full-duplex

A tool used to melt the tips of two fibers together so light can pass cleanly through the joint.

fusion splicer

A type of Ethernet network that is capable of 1,000-Mbps, or 1-Gbps, throughput. Requires Cat 5e or higher cabling.

Gigabit Ethernet

A measure of the opposition to a current’s flow through a cable, expressed in ohms.

impedance

Degradation of a wired or wireless signal caused by electromagnetic waves in the atmosphere.

interference

A transmission flaw caused by packets experiencing varying amounts of delay and arriving out of order. Also called PDV (packet delay variation).

jitter

The delay between the transmission of a signal and its receipt.

latency

The most common 1.25-mm ferrule connector, which is used with single-mode, fiber-optic cable.

LC (local connector)

A cool-burning, longlasting technology that creates light by the release of photons as electrons move through a semiconductor material.

LED (light-emitting diode)

A troubleshooting tool that plugs into a port (for example, an RJ-45 or fiber-optic port) and crosses the transmit line with the receive line, allowing outgoing signals to be redirected back into the computer for testing. Also called a loopback plug.

loopback adapter

An alternative connector used with twistedpair wiring on an Ethernet network that reverses the transmit and receive wires.

MDI-X (medium dependent interface crossover or MDI crossover)

A type of fiber-optic cable containing a core that is usually 50 or 62.5 microns in diameter, over which many pulses of light generated by a laser or LED (light-emitting diode) travel at different angles.

MMF (multimode fiber)

A measure of the highest frequency of signal a multimode fiber-optic cable can support over a specific distance. Modal bandwidth is measured in MHz-km.

modal bandwidth

The process of altering an analog signal to carry data.

modulation

A duplex fiber connector that holds an array of multiple optical fibers, such as 8, 12, or 24, and supports both SMF and MMF cables. Also called MTP connector.

MPO (multi-fiber push on)

The most common type of connector used with multimode fiber-optic cable.

MT-RJ (mechanical transfer-registered jack)

A simple instrument that can measure multiple characteristics of an electric circuit, including its resistance, voltage, and impedance.

multimeter

A form of transmission that allows multiple signals to travel simultaneously over one medium.

multiplexing

A circuit in which necessary connections are missing, such as occurs when a wire breaks.

open circuit

A device that measures the amount of light power transmitted on a fiber-optic line. Also called a fiber light meter.

OPM (optical power meter)

The calculation of power a transceiver must use to overcome all anticipated losses along the length of a fiber-optic connection.

optical link budget

The degradation of a light signal on a fiber-optic network as it travels away from its source.

optical loss

A performance testing device for use with fiber-optic networks, which can accurately measure the length of the fiber, locations of faults, and many other characteristics.

OTDR (optical time domain reflectometer)

A relatively short section (usually between 3 and 25 feet) of cabling with connectors on both ends.

patch cable

The pin numbers and color-coded wire assignments used when terminating a cable or installing a jack, as determined by the TIA/EIA standard.

pinout

Cabling designed to withstand high temperatures, offers a highly fire-retardant jacket, and burns with less smoke that is nontoxic.

plenum-grade cable

A method of delivering up to 15.4 watts to devices using Ethernet connection cables.

PoE (Power over Ethernet)

A method of delivering more current (up to 25.5 watts) than PoE (Power over Ethernet) does to devices using Ethernet connection cables.

PoE+

A fiber-optic transceiver that complies with the 802.3ba standard, squeezing four channels in a single transceiver and supporting data rates up to 40 Gbps (4 × 10 Gbps).

QSFP (quad small form-factor pluggable)

Generally the same technology as QSFP while supporting data rates over 40 Gbps.

QSFP+

A device used to regenerate a digital signal in its original form. Repeaters operate at the physical layer of the OSI model.

repeater

Cabling coated with a fire-retardant jacket that is thicker than typical network cables to ease the cable’s insertion through risers in buildings or between floors.

riser-rated cable

The standard connector used with unshielded twisted-pair cabling (usually Cat 3) to connect analog telephones.

RJ-11 (registered jack 11)

The standard connector used with shielded twisted-pair and unshielded twisted-pair cabling.

RJ-45 (registered jack 45)

A cable used to connect a computer to the console port of a router.

rollover cable

The length of time it takes for a packet to go from sender to receiver, then back from receiver to sender. RTT is usually measured in milliseconds.

RTT (round trip time)

A connector with a 2.5-mm ferrule that is used with single-mode, fiber-optic cable.

SC (subscriber connector or standard connector)

A standard hot-swappable network interface used to link a connectivity device’s backplane with fiber-optic or copper cabling.

SFP (small form-factor pluggable)

A type of SFP (small form-factor pluggable) that can send and receive data at rates of up to 16 Gbps.

SFP+

An unwanted connection, such as when exposed wires touch each other.

short circuit

The reduction of signal quality or strength between the time it is transmitted and time it is received.

signal degradation

A type of fiber-optic cable with a narrow core of 8 to 10 microns in diameter that carries light pulses along a single path from one end of the cable to the other end.

SMF (single mode fiber)

Heavy-duty scissors that make a clean cut through a cable.

snips

A problem that occurs when neighboring devices are using different speed or duplex configurations and results in failed transmissions.

speed and duplex mismatch

A connector with a 2.5-mm ferrule that is used with single-mode, fiber-optic cable.

ST (straight tip)

A twisted-pair patch cable in which the wire terminations in both connectors follow the same scheme.

straight-through cable

A high-end instrument for testing the qualities of a cable.

TDR (time domain reflectometer)

The amount of data that a medium actually transmits during a given period, subject to the reality of a network environment. Throughput is usually measured in Mbps (megabits per second, which is 1,000,000 bits) or Gbps (gigabits per second).

throughput

A standard pinout for RJ-45 plugs required by the federal government on all federal contracts. Also called T568A.

TIA/EIA-568A

A standard pinout for RJ-45 plugs commonly used in homes and businesses. Also called T568B.

TIA/EIA-568B

A small electronic device that issues a signal on a wire pair. When used in conjunction with a tone locator, it can help locate the termination of a wire pair. Also called a toner.

tone generator (toner)

A small electronic device that emits a tone when it detects electrical activity on a wire pair. When used in conjunction with a tone generator, it can help locate the termination of a wire pair. Also called a probe.

tone locator (probe)

A modular interface that can be inserted in a switch to connect its motherboard with an external, fiber-optic cable.

transceiver

A type of copper cable that looks very similar to coaxial cable but has two or more cores, or conductors, inside the cable. Called twinax for short.

twinaxial cable

The number of twists per meter or foot in a twisted-pair cable.

twist ratio

A type of cable similar to telephone wiring that consists of color-coded pairs of insulated copper wires, each with a diameter of 0.4 to 0.8 mm. Every two wires are twisted around each other to form pairs, and all the pairs are encased in a plastic sheath.

twisted-pair cable

A problem caused by mismatched pinout standards, resulting in near end crosstalk.

TX/RX reverse

A continuity tester for fiber optic cables. Also called visual fault finder.

visual fault locator

A pliers-shaped tool that makes a clean cut through a cable.

wire cutter

A diagram that indicates the pin location of each wire in the connector terminating each end of a cable. Also called cable map or cable diagram.

wire map

A type of SFP that can send and receive data at rates of up to 10 Gbps.

XFP (10 Gigabit small form-factor pluggable)

05. Cabling Terms Flashcards

(108 cards)