Types of Networks
A network bound by routers or other gateway devices that usually covers only a small area, such as one building.
What is a Local Area Network/LAN?
An Ethernet cable used to connect a computer to a switch or other network device.
What is a patch cable?
A condition when an interface or a port on a switch is continually going up and down.
What is port flapping (or bouncing)?
A tool used to test a cable to find out if it is good or to identify a cable that is not labeled.
What is a cable tester?
A mobile device that you connect to via WiFi, and allows you to use the Internet.
What is a hotspot?
A network or group of networks that span a large geographical area.
What is a WAN - wide area network?
Cable that transmits signals as pulses of light over glass or plastic strands inside protected tubing.
What is fiber optic cable?
A switch that requires no setup or configuration.
What is an unmanaged switch?
A hand tool used to cut away the plastic jacket or coating around the wires of a network cable.
What is a cable stripper?
The volume of data that can be transmitted on a bus or over a cable. Stated in bits per second/bps, Kbps, Mbps, or Gbps.
What is bandwidth?
A type of LAN that does not use wires or cables to create connections but instead transmits data over radio or infrared waves.
What is a WLAN - wireless local area network?
Cabling, such as a network cable, that uses pairs of wires twisted together to reduce crosstalk.
What is twisted-pair cabling?
A networking device that stands between two segments of a network and manages traffic between them.
What is a bridge?
A hand tool used to attach a terminator or connector to the end of a cable.
What is a crimper?
A switch that has firmware that can be configured to monitor, manage, and prioritize network traffic.
What is a managed switch?
Cloud computing services provided over the Internet to the general public. Microsoft 365 and Cengage are examples.
What is public cloud?
A cable used to connect two like devices such as a hub to a hub or a computer to a computer.
What is a crossover cable?
A device that adds power to an Ethernet cable so the cable can provide power to a device.
What is a PoE injector?
A hand tool used to punch individual wires from a network cable into their slots on a punchdown block to terminate the cable.
What is a punchdown tool?
A cloud computing service that delivers software applications to subscribers through a web interface rather than installing on their local machine. Microsoft 365 and Cengage are examples.
What is SaaS, Software as a Service?
Services on the Internet that an organization provides on its own servers or that are established virtually for a single organization’s private use.
What is a private cloud?
A type of connector that can be used with either single-mode or multimode fiber-optic cables. The connector does not support full-duplex transmissions and is not used on the fastest fiber-optic systems.
What is an ST, straight tip connector?
A single network appliance that sits between the Internet and private network and provides the functionality of a router, firewall, and security device, and possibly other functions.
What is a UTM, Unified Threat Management device?
A two-piece device used to find cables in the walls of a building. The first piece connects to one end of the cable and puts out an audible pulsating tone that can be heard through the second piece at the other end of the cable.
What is a toner or toner probe?
A cloud computing service that provides hardware and an operating system and is responsible for updating and maintaining both.
What is PaaS, Platform as a Service?