You are on page 1of 2

Network I Lesson 43

Student Objectives: After completing this lesson, students will be able to: evaluate the importance of testing a network after cable installation list the steps for testing a network explain how a baseline for a network is established analyze the importance of baseline testing discuss how and why cable is tested make a list of what cable testers measure explain how TDR work and what they measure s recall what happens with attenuation explain the causes of near end cross talk evaluate the types of problems detected by noise tests Terms: wire maps - provided by most cable testers - used to test twisted pair cable installations - shows which wire pairs connect to which pairs on the plug and socket TDR - Time domain Reflectors - a device capable of sending signals through network medium to check cable continuity, s length and other attributes - used to find layer 1 problems signal injector - a small box used to measure attenuation of a signal Lesson Summary: when testing a network, follow these steps: break the system into logically conceived functional elements note any symptoms based on symptoms, determine what the most likely dysfunctional element is use substitution or additional testing to determine if the most likely element is dysfunctional if this element is likely not it - proceed to the most likely element when dysfunctional element is found, repair it if the element cannot be repaired, replace it EIA/TIA and IEEE certifies a networks operability if it passes certain tests once network is up and running establish a baseline measurement then test periodically to ensure optimal performance and compare this with the baseline specific problems noticed through repeated testing against baseline degradation from aging, poor maintenance, weather and other factors use a cable tester to certify if cable meets standards cable testers can: measure overall capability of a cable run determine distance locate bad connections provide wire maps measure signal attenuation detect near end crosstalk detecting split pairs conduct noise level tests trace cable behind walls TDR s: send an electrical pulse down a cable and times the signal reflection back from the open end of the cable s distance readings are accurate within 2 helps detect crossed pairs

wire maps cannot detect split pairs - because wires are part of a different circuit- but a circuit is still present the shielding can only work if the wire is part of the same circuit attenuation - occurs when signals lose energy - this is measured at several frequencies (Cat5 = 100 MHz) near end crosstalk - caused by closed pairs or untwisted cable, cables pulled too tight or sharply around a corner causing pairs to change position in the jacket noise levels can be caused by electrical devices, these devices operate on specific frequencies which enable noise level tests to determine the source of the problem when using a cable tester for noise readings, always disconnect cables from the computers

You might also like