|  |  | Overview

A network's performance is closely related to good connections. Therefore, the focus of this chapter is standards for networking media. These standards are developed and issued by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and the Electrical Industries Association (EIA). The latter two organizations jointly issue a list of standards, and frequently you see them listed as the TIA/EIA standards. In addition to these groups and organizations, local, state, county, and national government agencies issue specifications and requirements that can affect the type of cable used in a LAN.

In this chapter, you will learn how to use appropriate and recommended techniques for dressing and securing the cable. Included in this will be the use of cable ties, cable support bars, wire management panels, and releasable Velcro straps. You will learn that when RJ-45 jacks are used at the telecommunications outlet in a horizontal cabling scheme, the wiring sequence is critical for optimal network performance. A wiring closet serves as the center point of a star topology for the wiring and wiring equipment used for connecting devices in a network. With this in mind, you will learn how a wiring closet should be designed for wiring a data or voice network. Lastly, you will learn about the equipment found in a wiring closet can include patch panels, wiring hubs, bridges, switches, and routers.

Note: In this chapter, you may need to convert units of measurements. A small utility to help you make the conversions is available here. You can access it from anywhere in this chapter via the Index button below.