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Many acronyms and terms related to the specialized
nature of the technology covered in these modules are defined below
to help with Open Net Craft learning. If there are other terms that
require further definition that you would like to see included,
please contact us. There
are also additional online resources to help you, such as:
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Attenuation: Loss of
data caused by a data signal weakening as it travels along the length
of a cable.
Backbone : The
main Internet connection coming into a community or building.
Broadband: Generally
refers to high-speed data communications along a wire, which can
be copper or fibre, and can generally carry more than one signal
at the same time.
Bus Network - A
network of computers and devices where each device connects to the
same wire, and the wire has two ends (i.e. it is not a circle or
star network.)
C
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Cable - Copper wire
encased in a special carrier that allows data to be transmitted
along the wire with little loss.
Cable Joe - A
handy tool for holding up and rolling cables through tight spaces,
especially if running multiple long runs of cable. If creating an
especially large network, it may be handy to have more than one
of these clamped above the working area, particularily if the installation
is being done by a small number of people or one person.
CAT5 - Category five
cable - twisted pair cable used in ethernet construction - see module
one.
Coaxial - The main
kind of wire used by cable television service providers, this is
a copper wire with an insulated shielded outer layer that includes
an outer braided wire or sheet metal coating.
Conduit - Pipes or
shafts that are installed in buildings or within the ground for
the purpose of carrying services such as data and telephone cabling,
plumbing, and electricity in a protected, yet more easily repairable
environment.
Connector - Special
ends attached to wires which allow devices to be quickly attached
to one another without the need of soldering or otherwise permanently
attaching them.
Crimper - A tool used
to install connectors onto wires by means of hand pressure that
"crushes" or crimps the connector to permanently attach
it to the wire.
Crossover - A special
cable used to allow two devices to communicate with one another.
dB - The abbreviation
for 'decibels.'
Decibels - A unit that
compares signal levels, including the movement of data signals through
cables (and the loss of data from cables).
Ethernet - A technology
that uses "twisted pair cable" to create "local area
networks" where several devices within a small area are able
to communicate with each other.
Fibre Optics - A technology
that uses waves of light sent from a transmitting device (usually
a laser) along very thin glass tubes, to transmit data.
Fish Tape - A specialized
tool, usually made of flexible steel 'tape' that is used to 'fish'
wires through walls - pulling them from one place to another.
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Horizontal Cable - Wires
that run 'horizontally' - usually through walls of buildings.
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Jack - A wall-mounted
receptacle that computers and other devices plug into. Most often,
computer jacks are either ethernet or fibre-optic jacks.
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Local Area Network: A local
area network is a way of connecting computers within a small area,
for example one building, or a university campus. This is done so
that the computer resources within that area can be shared, enabling
users to easily transfer information between each other, and to
use shared storage devices, printers, and work with collaborative
software programs.
mbps - An abbreviation
for "megabits per second" - a common unit of measurement
of data flow along cables within a network.
mHz - An abbreviation
for "MegaHertz. Megahertz is a measure of signal frequency;
One Megahertz equals one million 'cycles per second.' Speeds of
computer processors are measured in MegaHertz.
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Network - A group of computers
or devices that are able to communicate with one another.
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Patch Cable - A piece
of copper wire or fibre optic wire that attaches to a 'patch panel'
that connects devices of a network together.
Patch Panel - A panel
that contains a series of network ports of an individual network,
that is used to plug devices on a network so that they can communicate
with one another, and also connect into the 'backbone' of the network.
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Redundancy - A network
configuration where there are multiple overlapping connections so
that in case one connection is damaged or becomes unuseable, the
network will still be able to run on the remaining (redundant) connection(s).
Resistor - A device which
when placed on a wire, limits or otherwise regulates the flow of
current through the wire. Resistors can have specific values, which
allow them to block exact amounts of current, as is sometimes required
by the network or devices within a given system.
Serial Network - A network
where data is transmitted one bit after another, as opposed to a
parallel network where bits of data are sent at the same time along
different wires.
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Twisted Pair: Twisted
pair refers to cables which contain either solid or stranded copper
wires, individually insulated, and twisted into pairs. Bundles of
these pairs are then bound into one cable, and used in the transmission
of data. Data carrying capacity varies depending upon the number
of twists in the wires per inch, and the amount of insulation on
the wires. The purpose of insulating and twisting the wires together
is to eliminate electromagnetic interference from outside sources,
which would degrade the quality (and quantity?) of data transmitted.
(ref: Case, p. 53.)
UTP -
Acronym for "Unshielded Twisted Pair" See above - "Twisted
Pair."
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Wireless - A network that
uses technology to transmit different forms of electrical waves
through the air in order to transmit data, instead of using physical
wires and cables for data transmission.
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