Installing a Physical NetworkInstalling a Physical Network

Chapter 6

ObjectivesObjectives• Recognize and describe the functions of basic

components in a structured cabling system• Explain the process of installing structured

cable• Install a network interface card• Perform basic troubleshooting on a

structured cable network

OverviewOverview

Figure 6.1 What an orderly looking network!

Figure 6.2 A real-world network

Four Parts to Chapter 6Four Parts to Chapter 6

• Understanding Structured Cabling• Installing Structured Cabling• NICs• Diagnostics and Repair of Physical Cabling

Understanding Understanding Structured CablingStructured Cabling

• Set of TIA/EIA standards• Details on every aspect of cabled network

– Type of cabling– Position of wall outlets– And more…

• Goal – Create a safe, reliable cabling infrastructure

• Applies to– Networks– Telephone– Video– Anything that needs low-power, distributed

cabling

• Three important issues – Cable basics– Network Components

– Assessment of connections leading outside the network

• Cable Basics – A Star is Born– Most basic network

• A switch• UTP cable• Some PCs

Figure 6.3 A switch connected by UTP cable to two PCs

• Problems in keeping it simple (a switch in middle of office space)– Exposed cables are vulnerable to physical

damage– Signals exposed to electrical interference– Limits ability to make changes to network

• Better installation design– Provides safety– Provides hardware to organize and protect

cabling• Flexibility of cabling standard allows for growth

• Solution: TIA/EIA standards for structured cabling

• Structured Cable Network Components– Telecommunications room– Horizontal cabling– Work area

Figure 6.4 Telecommunications room

• Horizontal cabling– From work area to telecommunications

room– CAT5e or better– Solid core

• Better conductor than stranded core• Will break if mishandled

– Stranded core• Not as good a conductor• Stands up to handling without breaking

Figure 6.5 Horizontal cabling and work area

Figure 6.6 Solid and stranded core UTP

• Horizontal cabling – Number of Strands– Four-pair UTP assumed– High-end telephone setups

use 25- or 100-pair

• Choosing Your Horizontal Cabling– CAT 5e or CAT 6 UTP– CAT 6a for 10GBaseT– Install higher-rated cable for future

technologies– Contract network installers will bid with

intention of installing lowest grade possible

• The Telecommunications Room– Heart of basic star– Intermediate distribution frame (IDF)– Endpoint of all horizontal runs from all

work areas– Central component is equipment rack

• Equipment Rack– Safe, stable platform for hardware components– Network equipment comes rack-mounted– 19 inches wide – Varies in height

• U = 1.75”• 1U, 2U, 4U

Figure 6.8 A short equipment rack

Figure 6.9 A floor-to-ceiling rack

• Patch Panel box– Row of female connectors (ports) in front– Permanent connections to horizontal cables in

back• 110-punchdown block• Connect cables with punchdown tool

Figure 6.10 A rack-mounted UPS

Figure 6.11 Typical patch panels

Figure 6.12 Punchdown tool

Figure 6.13 Punching down a 110 block

Figure 6.14 66-block patch panels

• Patch Panel box (continued)– Label cable connections on panel

• Use a simple labeling scheme• TIA/EIA 606 is confusing

– Wide variety of configurations• UTP, STP, or fiber ports• 8, 12, 24, 48, or more ports• UTP patch panels come with UTP ratings

Figure 6.15 Typical patch panels

Figure 6.16 CAT level on patch panel

• Cables– Connect patch cables to ports on front of panel

• Short (two to five feet)• Premade UTP offer benefits

– Stranded rather than solid cable – Different colors to help organize– Reinforced (booted) connector

Figure 6.17 Typical patch cable

Figure 6.18 Network taking shape

Patch Panel box

• Work Area– Wall outlet

• Female jack with CAT rating to accept cabling• Mounting plate, and faceplate

– Connect PC to wall outlet with patch cable– Work area is source of most network failures

Figure 6.19 Typical work area outlet

Figure 6.20 Properly labeled outlet

• Structured Cable – Beyond the Star– Cabling on one floor a single star topology– Cabling an entire building more complex– Most LANs connect to both Internet & telephone

company

Figure 6.21 25-pair running to local 66-block

Figure 6.22 Typical home network interface box

• Structured Cable – Beyond the Star (cont.)– Typical building-wide network

• High-speed backbone runs vertically• Backbone connects to multispeed switch on each floor• Dedicated telephone cabling backbone runs alongside• Demarc (demarcation point)

• More on Demarcs– Connection to outside world– Dividing line of responsibility– Network interface unit (NIU)

• DSL or cable modem serves as a demarc in a home• Smart jack in NIU enables remote testing

Figure 6.23 Typical office demarc

Figure 6.24 LAN vertical cross-connect

Figure 6.25 Telephone vertical cross-connect

• Structured Cable – Beyond the Star (cont.)– Connections inside the demarc

• Network and telephone cables connect to demarc extension

– Multiplexer for telephones– LAN switch for a network

» Connects to a main patch panel—a vertical cross-connect

• Structured Cable – Beyond the Star (cont.)– Main distribution frame (MDF)

• Another name for telecommunications room

Installing Structured Installing Structured CablingCabling

• Getting a Floor Plan– Key to proper planning– Determine potential locations for

telecommunications rooms– Locate physical firewalls– Gives an overall feel for scope of job– If no floor plan, create one

Figure 6.26 Hand-drawn network floor plan

• Mapping the Runs– Determine the length of cable runs– Determine the route of cable runs– Determine location of each cable drop

• Mapping the Runs (cont.)– Talk to users, management, etc.

• Determine future plans• Add extra drops

– Begin to determine cost– Decide if cable runs will be inside or outside wall

• Raceways install outside walls

Figure 6.27 A typical raceway

• Determining Location of Telecommunications Room– Distance no more than 90 meters from drops– Power requirements of equipment– Humidity– Cooling– Expandability

Figure 6.28 An A/C duct cooling a telecommunications room

• Pulling Cable– Requires two to three people– Start in telecommunications room and pull to

drops– Open drop ceiling and string via hooks or cable

trays– Have correct tools

Figure 6.29 Cable trays over a drop ceiling

• Pulling Cable (cont.)– Good cable management important for

fast networks– Follow local codes, TIA/EIA, and NEC– Vertical drops most difficult– Install a low-voltage mounting bracket to

hold faceplate – Use cable guides to help organize

equipment closet

Figure 6.30 Messy cabling nightmare

Figure 6.31 Nicely run cables (image is vertical in the book)

• Making Connections– Connecting the work areas

• Crimp wall jack to wire• Mount faceplate• Fit jack into faceplate

Figure 6.32 Cutting a hole

Figure 6.33 Locating a dropped pull rope

Figure 6.34 Installing a mounting bracket

Figure 6.35 End of cables guided to rack

• Rolling Your Own Patch Cables– Use stranded UTP cable matching CAT level

of horizontal runs– Use special crimp for stranded cable

• RJ-45 crimper with built-in stripper• Pair of wire snips• Follow great instructions on Page 114 in Chapter 6

Figure 6.36 Crimping a jack

Figure 6.37 Crimper and snips

Figure 6.38 Properly stripped cable

Figure 6.39 Inserting the individual strands

Figure 6.40 Crimping the cable

Figure 6.41 Properly crimped cable

Figure 6.42 Adding a boot

• Connecting the Patch Panels– Incorporate good cable management– Plastic D-rings– Finger boxes– Organize to mirror the layout of network

Figure 6.43 Bad cable management

Figure 6.44 Good cable management

• Test the Cable Runs– Verify each cable run can handle network speed– Advanced network testing tools are $5,000-

$10,000– Lower-end tools work for basic network testing

• Length of cable• Broken wires• Location of break• Wires terminated in correct place• Locate electrical or radio interference• Test for crosstalk

• Tools to use– Cable tester

• Verifies cable and terminated ends are correct• Low-end are continuity testers• Better testers run wire map test to pick up shorts,

crossed wires, etc.• Multimeter tests continuity

Figure 6.45 Continuity tester

Figure 6.46 Multimeter

Figure 6.51 A typical cable certifier – a Microtest OMNIScanner (photo courtesy of Fluke Networks)

• Testing Fiber– Termination process is more involved

• Stripping, polishing end of tiny fiber cable, gluing, inserting connector

• Requires lots of tools and skill– Problems both like and unlike those of

UTP cabling• Fiber does not experience crosstalk• Fiber does break – test with optical time domain

reflectometer (OTDR)

Figure 6.52 Older fiber termination kit

• Testing Fiber (cont.)– TIA/EIA has complex requirements for testing

fiber runs– Fiber certifiers test for

• Attenuation – diffusion of light distance• Light leakage – occurs when fiber is bent

too much• Modal distortion – unique to multimode

fiber-optic cable

Figure 6.53 An optical time domain reflectometer (photo courtesy of Fluke Networks)

Figure 6.54 Light leakage – note the colored glow at the bends but the dark cable at the straight

NICsNICs

Teaching TipSummarize the section on Installing Structured Cabling by using the last paragraph on Page 121. This chapter does not prepare students for the highly skilled tasks required for installing structured cabling themselves. Rather, helps them gain an understanding of the process of installing structured cabling in order to work with most problems that come up in an installed structured cabling system.Teaching TipSummarize the section on Installing Structured Cabling by using the last paragraph on Page 121. This chapter does not prepare students for the highly skilled tasks required for installing structured cabling themselves. Rather, helps them gain an understanding of the process of installing structured cabling in order to work with most problems that come up in an installed structured cabling system.

• Recognize different types of NICs on sight• Know how to install and troubleshoot NICs

• UTP Ethernet NICs– All use RJ-45 connector– Cable runs from NIC to hub or switch

Figure 6.55 Typical UTP NIC

• Fiber-optic NICs– Come in a wide variety– Multiple standards use same connector types– Must see documentation to determine what

standard card supports

• Buying NICs– Recommend name-brand NICS

• 3Com or Intel– Better made– Easy to replace missing driver

– Recommend multispeed NICs– Stick with same model for all systems

• Physical Connections– Physically install the NIC– Many computers have built-in NICs

• Physical Connections (cont.)– Expansion Slots

• Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)• PCI Express (PCIe) – PCIe x1 and PCIe x2• USB

– Convenient– Limited to max speed of 480 Mbps

– Carry one in toolkit to test for failed NIC • PC Card only on laptops

• Drivers– Insert driver CD when prompted– OS may have a driver, but CD has extras– Verify driver install

• Windows Device Manager• Linux Administration menu Network applet• Macintosh System Preferences Network utility

Figure 6.56 Typical fiber NIC (photo courtesy of 3Com Corp.)

Figure 6.57 PCI NIC

Figure 6.58 PCIe NIC

Figure 6.59 USB NIC

• Link Lights– UTP NICs have LEDs for state of link– One to four link lights per card– Lights give clues about what’s happening– Check link lights when troubleshooting– Many fiber-optic NICs don’t have lights

Figure 6.60 Mmmm, pretty lights!

Figure 6.61 Multispeed lights

Figure 6.62 Link lights on a switch

Figure 6.63 Optical connection tester

Diagnostics and Repair Diagnostics and Repair of Physical Cablingof Physical Cabling

• Diagnostics and Repair of Physical Cabling– Diagnosing Physical Problems (in order)

• Remove software network issues– If one application fails, try another

• Resolve hardware issues– “No server is found” error– No computers visible in Network app in Windows– Multiple systems failing to access the network

• Diagnostics and Repair of Physical Cabling– Check your lights (if available)– Check the NIC itself– Look for network status icon in the Notification

Area in Windows– Check for failed switch

Figure 6.64 Disconnected NIC in Vista

• Diagnostics and Repair of Physical Cabling– Check shared resources (servers)– Visually check cabling– Plug system into a known good outlet

• If this works, suspect structured cabling running from drop to switch• Confirm with continuity test

• Diagnostics and Repair of Physical Cabling– Check the NIC

• Detect bad NIC with operating system utility• Use available NIC diagnostic software• Loopback test on NIC

– Internal only checks circuitry– External (with loopback plug) tests connector

Figure 6.65 Loopback plug

Figure 6.66 Loopback plug in action

• Diagnostics and Repair of Physical Cabling– Cable Testing

• Most problems occur at the work area• After eliminating work area problems, go deeper• Use a time domain reflectometer (TDR)• Check problems in telecommunications room

– Start at one end, placing stickers to track progress– Power concerns– Temperature concerns

Figure 6.67 An excellent voltage event recorder (photo courtesy of Fluke Networks)

• Diagnostics and Repair of Physical Cabling– Cable Testing

• Toners– Trace cable runs– Two separate devices

» Tone generator» Tone probe

– Fox and Hound by Triplett Corporation– Advanced toners include phone jacks for communication

Figure 6.68 Fox and Hound

Figure 6.69 Technician with a butt set