• Attenuation signal deterioration and noise signal interference cause problems in networks because the data is not recognizable when it is received.. There are many possible sources of
Trang 2• Copper, optical fiber, and wireless networking media all require testing to determine the quality These tests involve certain electrical and mathematical concepts and terms, such as signal, wave, frequency, and noise Understanding this vocabulary is helpful when learning about networking, cabling, and cable testing.
• The goal of the first lesson in this module is
to provide some basic definitions so that the cable testing concepts presented in the second lesson will be better understood
Trang 3• The second lesson of this module describes the issues relating to the testing
of media used for physical layer connectivity in local-area networks (LANs)
In order for the LAN to function properly, the physical layer medium must meet the industry standard specifications
Trang 4• Attenuation (signal deterioration) and noise (signal interference) cause problems in networks because the data is not recognizable when it is received Proper attachment of cable connectors and proper cable installation are important If standards are followed in these areas, attenuation and noise levels are minimized
Trang 54.1 Cơ sở nghiên cứu kiểm tra cáp dựa vào tần
số (Background for Studying Frequency-Based Cable Testing)
4.1.1 Sóng (Wave)
• Networking professionals are specifically interested in voltage waves on copper media, light waves in optical fiber, and alternating electric and magnetic fields called electromagnetic waves The amplitude of an electrical signal still represents height, but it is measured in volts instead of meters The period is the amount of time to
Trang 64.1.2 Sóng sin và sóng vuông (Sine waves and square waves)
• Sine waves, or sinusoids, are graphs of mathematical functions Sine waves have certain characteristics Sine waves are periodic, which means that they repeat the same pattern at regular intervals Sine waves are continuously varying, which means that no two adjacent points on the graph have the same value
• Sine waves are graphical representations of many natural occurrences that change regularly over time Since sine waves are continuously varying, they are examples of analog waves.
Trang 8• Square waves, like sine waves, are periodic However, square wave graphs do not continuously vary with time The wave holds one value for some time, and then suddenly changes to a different value This value is held for some time, and then quickly changes back to the original value Square waves represent digital signals, or pulses Like all waves, square waves can be described in terms of amplitude, period, and frequency
Trang 104.1.3 Lũy thừa và logarith (Exponents and logarithms)
• In networking, there are three important number systems:
16 for hexadecimal numbers.
Trang 11• Numbers with exponents are used to easily represent very large or very small numbers
It is much easier and less error-prone to
as 1000000000 Many calculations involved
in cable testing involve numbers that are very large, so exponents are the preferred format Exponents can be explored in the flash activity
Trang 12• One way to work with the very large and very small numbers that occur in networking
is to transform the numbers according to the rule, or mathematical function, known as the logarithm Logarithms are referenced to the base of the number system being used For example, base 10 logarithms are often abbreviated log While the study of logarithms is beyond the scope of this course, the terminology is used commonly
in calculating decibels, a way of measuring signals on copper, optical, and wireless media
Trang 134.1.4 Decibels
• The decibel (dB) is a measurement unit important in describing networking signals The decibel is related to the exponents and logarithms described in prior sections There are two formulas for calculating decibels:
Trang 14• The variables represent the following values:
– dB measures the loss or gain of the power of a wave Decibels are usually negative numbers representing a loss in power as the wave travels, but can also be positive values representing a gain in power if the signal is amplified
– log10 implies that the number in parenthesis will
be transformed using the base 10 logarithm rule – Pfinal is the delivered power measured in Watts – Pref is the original power measured in Watts
– Vfinal is the delivered voltage measured in Volts – Vreference is the original voltage measured in Volts
Trang 15• The first formula describes decibels in terms of power (P), and the second in terms of voltage (V) Typically, light waves
on optical fiber and radio waves in the air are measured using the power formula Electromagnetic waves on copper cables are measured using the voltage formula These formulas have several things in common
Trang 164.1.5 Tạp âm trong miền tần số và miền thời gian (Noise in time and frequency)
• Noise is an important concept in communications systems, including LANS While noise usually refers to undesirable sounds, noise related to communications refers to undesirable signals Noise can originate from natural and technological sources, and is added to the data signals in communications systems
Trang 17• All communications systems have some amount of noise Even though noise cannot
be eliminated, its effects can be minimized if the sources of the noise are understood There are many possible sources of noise:
– Nearby cables which carry data signals
– Radio frequency interference (RFI), which
is noise from other signals being transmitted nearby
Trang 18– Electromagnetic interference (EMI), which is noise from nearby sources such as motors and lights
– Laser noise at the transmitter or receiver
of an optical signal
Trang 19• Noise that affects all transmission frequencies equally is called white noise Noise that only affects small ranges of frequencies is called narrowband interference When detected on a radio receiver, white noise would interfere with all radio stations Narrowband interference would affect only a few stations whose frequencies are close together When detected on a LAN, white noise would affect all data transmissions, but narrowband interference might disrupt only certain signals If the band of frequencies affected by the narrowband
Trang 214.1.6 Băng thông (Bandwidth)
• Bandwidth is an extremely important concept in communications systems Two ways of considering bandwidth that are important for the study of LANs are analog bandwidth and digital bandwidth
Trang 22• Analog bandwidth typically refers to the frequency range of an analog electronic system Analog bandwidth could be used to
transmitted by a radio station or an
measurement for analog bandwidth is Hertz, the same as the unit of frequency Examples
of analog bandwidth values are 3 kHz for telephony, 20 kHz for audible signals, 5 kHz for AM radio stations, and 200 MHz for FM radio stations
Trang 23• Digital bandwidth measures how much information can flow from one place to another in a given amount of time The fundamental unit of measurement for digital bandwidth is bits per second (bps) Since LANs are capable of speeds of millions of bits per second, measurement is expressed
in kilobits per second (Kbps) or megabits per second (Mbps) Physical media, current technologies, and the laws of physics limit
Trang 24• During cable testing, analog bandwidth is used to determine the digital bandwidth of a copper cable Analog frequencies are transmitted from one end and received on the opposite end The two signals are then compared, and the amount of attenuation of the signal is calculated In general, media that will support higher analog bandwidths without high degrees of attenuation will also support higher digital bandwidths
Trang 254.2 Tín hiệu và tạp âm (Signals and Noise)
4.2.1 Phát tín hiệu qua dây đồng và cáp quang (Signaling over copper and fiber optic cabling)
• On copper cable, data signals are represented by voltage levels that represent binary ones and zeros The voltage levels are measured with respect to a reference level of zero volts at both the transmitter and the receiver This reference level is called the signal ground It is important that both transmitting and receiving devices refer to the
Trang 26• In order for the LAN to operate properly, the receiving device must be able to accurately interpret the binary ones and zeros transmitted as voltage levels Since current Ethernet technology supports data rates of billions of bits per second, each bit must be recognized, even though duration of the bit
is very small The voltage level cannot be amplified at the receiver, nor can the bit duration be extended in order to recognize the data This means that as much of the original signal strength must be retained, as the signal moves through the cable and passes through the connectors
Trang 27• There are two basic types of copper cable: shielded and unshielded In shielded cable, shielding material protects the data signal from external sources of noise and from noise generated by electrical signals within the cable.
Trang 28• Coaxial cable is a type of shielded cable It consists of a solid copper conductor surrounded by insulating material, and then braided conductive shielding In LAN applications, the braided shielding is electrically grounded to protect the inner conductor from external electrical noise
Trang 29• The shielding also helps eliminate signal loss by keeping the transmitted signal confined to the cable This helps make coaxial cable less noisy than other types
of copper cabling, but also makes it more expensive The need to ground the shielding and the bulky size of coaxial cable make it more difficult to install than other copper cabling
Trang 31• There are two types of twisted-pair cable: shielded twisted-pair (STP) and unshielded twisted pair (UTP)
• STP cable contains an outer conductive shield that is electrically grounded to insulate the signals from external electrical noise STP also uses inner foil shields to protect each wire pair from noise generated by the other pairs STP cable is sometimes called screened twisted pair (ScTP) STP cable is
Trang 33• UTP contains no shielding and is more susceptible to external noise but is the most frequently used because it is inexpensive and easier to install.
Trang 34• Fiber optic cable is used to transmit data signals by increasing and decreasing the intensity of light to represent binary ones and zeros The strength of a light signal does not diminish like the strength of an electrical signal does over an identical run length Optical signals are not affected by electrical noise, and optical fiber does not need to be grounded Therefore, optical fiber
is often used between buildings and between floors within the building As costs decrease and demand for speed increases, optical fiber may become a more commonly used LAN media
Trang 364.2.2 Tổn thất do suy giảm và can nhiễu trên đường truyền cáp đồng (Attenuation and insertion loss on copper media )
• Attenuation is the decrease in signal amplitude over the length of a link Long cable lengths and high signal frequencies contribute to greater signal attenuation For this reason, attenuation on a cable is measured by a cable tester using the highest frequencies that the cable is rated to support
Trang 37• Attenuation is expressed in decibels (dB) using negative numbers Smaller negative
dB values are an indication of better link performance
• There are several factors that contribute to attenuation The resistance of the copper cable converts some of the electrical energy of the signal to heat Signal energy
is also lost when it leaks through the
Trang 38• Impedance is a measurement of the resistance of the cable to alternating current (AC) and is measured in ohms The normal,
or characteristic, impedance of a Cat5 cable
is 100 ohms If a connector is improperly installed on Cat5, it will have a different impedance value than the cable This is called an impedance discontinuity or an impedance mismatch
Trang 39• Impedance discontinuities cause attenuation because a portion of a transmitted signal will be reflected back to the transmitting device rather than continuing to the receiver, much like an echo This effect is compounded if there
additional portions of the remaining signal
to be reflected back to the transmitter
Trang 40• When this returning reflection strikes the first discontinuity, some of the signal rebounds in the direction of the original signal, creating multiple echo effects The echoes strike the receiver at different intervals making it difficult for the receiver to accurately detect data values on the signal This is called jitter and results in data errors
Trang 41• The combination of the effects of signal attenuation and impedance discontinuities
on a communications link is called insertion loss Proper network operation depends on constant characteristic impedance in all cables and connectors, with no impedance discontinuities in the entire cable system
Trang 434.2.3 Nguồn phát sinh tạp âm trên đường truyền cáp đồng (Sources of noise on copper media)
• Noise is any electrical energy on the transmission cable that makes it difficult for
a receiver to interpret the data sent from the transmitter TIA/EIA-568-B certification of a cable now requires testing for a variety of types of noise
Trang 44• Crosstalk involves the transmission of signals from one wire to a nearby wire When voltages change on a wire, electromagnetic energy is generated This energy radiates outward from the transmitting wire like a radio signal from a transmitter Adjacent wires in the cable act like antennas, receiving the transmitted energy, which interferes with data on those wires.
Trang 45• Crosstalk can also be caused by signals on separate, nearby cables When crosstalk is caused by a signal on another cable, it is called alien crosstalk Crosstalk is more destructive at higher transmission frequencies.
crosstalk by applying a test signal to one wire pair The cable tester then measures the amplitude of the unwanted crosstalk
Trang 46• Twisted-pair cable is designed to take advantage of the effects of crosstalk in order to minimize noise In twisted-pair cable, a pair of wires is used to transmit one signal The wire pair is twisted so that each wire experiences similar crosstalk Because a noise signal on one wire will appear identically on the other wire, this noise be easily detected and filtered at the receiver.