1.0 Networking Fundamentals
1.3 Types of Cables and Connectors
Copper
Twisted Pair - A type of wiring in which two conductors of a single circuit are twisted together for the purposes of improving electromagnetic compatibility.
Coaxial/RG-6 - Traditional cable used in residential and commercial installations. (TV cable)
Twinaxial - Similar to coaxial cable, but with two inner conductors instead of one
Termination Standards
Fiber
Single-mode - Optical fiber cable designed to carry a single mode of light over it.
Multi-mode - Optical fiber designed to carry multiple modes of light over it, used for short distances.
Connector Types
Local Connector (LC) - Little Connector, fiber-optic cable connector.
Straight Tip (ST) - Fiber-optic cable connector that uses a bayonet plug and socket.
Subscriber Connector (SC) - Fiber-optic cable connector that uses a push-pull latching mechanism.
Mechanical Transfer (MT) - Small fiber connector, used for small devices.
Registered Jack (RJ)
Angled Physical Contact (APC) - APC Connectors feature a fiber endface that is polished at an eight-degree angle.
Ultra-Physical Contact (UPC) - UPC connectors are polished with no angle, they will reflect light back to the source.
F-Type Connector
Transceivers/Media Converters - Network device that is able to receive and transmit signal; also able to receive and transmit over multiple types of media (cable, wifi, fiber, ect).
Transceiver Type
Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) - A compact, hot-pluggable network interface module. (Ethernet)
Enhanced Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP+) - Supports higher speeds, up to 16 Gbit/s.
Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable (QSFP) - Compact, hot-pluggable, multi-media capabilities. (Ethernet, fiber, InfiniBand)
Enhanced Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable (QSFP+) - Supports higher speeds, up to 40 Gbit/s
Cable Management
Patch Panel/Patch Bay - Network hardware that has multiple ports, used to organize groups of cables, each port can be wired to a different location.
Fiber Distribution Panel - Fiber patch panel, used for cable termination and connections.
Punchdown Block - Copper cable termination, cable is physically “punched” into its connection.
66 - Manufactured in four configurations, A, B, E and M, largely obsolete.
110 - Used to terminate runs for an on-prem setup.
Krone - European alternative to 110 block
Bix - Building Industry Cross-connect is a 1970s punchdown block of a telephony cross-connect system.
Ethernet Standards
Copper
10Base-T - 10 Mbps, 100 meters
100Base-TX - 100 Mbps, 100 meters
1000Base-T - 1 Gbps, 100 meters
10GBase-T - 10 Gbps, 100 meters
40GBase-T - 40 Gbps, 30 meters
Fiber
100Base-FX - 125 Mbps, 2000 meters
100Base-SX - 100 Mbps, 115 meters
1000Base-SX - 1 Gbps, 550 meters
1000Base-LX - 1 Gbps, 10000 meters, single-mode
10GBase-SR - 10 Gbps, 300 meters
10Gbase-LR - 10 Gbps, 10000 meters, single-mode
Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) - Commonly supports eight wavelengths per fiber and is designed for short-range communications.
Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) - Supports many more wavelengths, commonly 96 or more, optimal for long range communications.
Bidirectional Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) - Uses the two normal wavelengths 1310 and 1550 nm on one fiber.