Exercise: Fluke 620 Cable Tester – FaultsIn this
lab, the student will learn the Cable Test-Pass / Fail features
of the Fluke 620 LAN CableMeter or an equivalent tester. Lab
Activity Lab Exercise: Fluke 620 Cable Tester – LengthIn
this lab, the student will learn the Cable Length feature of
the Fluke 620 LAN CableMeter or its equivalent. Lab
Activity Lab Exercise: Fluke LinkRunner – LAN TestsIn this
lab, the student will become familiar with the capabilities of
the Fluke LinkRunner and determine whether a cable drop is
active. Lab Activity Lab Exercise: Fluke LinkRunner –
Cable and NIC TestsIn this lab, the student will become
familiar with the capabilities of the Fluke LinkRunner and
verify cable length and integrity.
Content
Summary An understanding of the following key points should
have been achieved: - Waves are energy traveling from
one place to another, and are created by disturbances. All
waves have similar attributes such as amplitude, period, and
frequency.
- Sine waves are periodic, continuously
varying functions. Analog signals look like sine waves.
- Square waves are periodic functions whose values remain
constant for a period of time and then change abruptly. Digital
signals look like square waves.
- Exponents are used to
represent very large or very small numbers. The base of a
number raised to a positive exponent is equal to the base
multiplied by itself exponent times. For example, 103 =
10x10x10 = 1000.
- Logarithms are similar to exponents.
A logarithm to the base of 10 of a number equals the exponent
to which 10 would have to be raised in order to equal the
number. For example, log10 1000 = 3 because 103 = 1000.
- Decibels are measurements of a gain or loss in the power of
a signal. Negative values represent losses and positive values
represent gains.
- Time-domain analysis is the graphing
of voltage or current with respect to time using an
oscilloscope. Frequency-domain analysis is the graphing of
voltage or power with respect to frequency using a spectrum
analyzer.
- Undesirable signals in a communications
system are called noise. Noise originates from other cables,
RFI, and EMI. White noise affects all frequencies, while
narrowband interference affects only a certain subset of
frequencies.
- Analog bandwidth is the frequency range
that is associated with certain analog transmission, such as
television or FM radio.
- Digital bandwidth measures
how much information can flow from one place to another in a
given amount of time. Its units are in various multiples of
bits per second.
- Most LAN problems occur at the
physical layer. The only way to prevent or troubleshoot many of
these problems is through the use of cable testers.
- Proper cable installation according to standards increases
LAN reliability and performance.
- Copper media is
available in shielded and unshielded forms. Unshielded cable is
more susceptible to noise.
- Signal degradation is due
to various factors such as noise, attenuation, impedance
mismatch, and several types of crosstalk. These factors cause
decreased network performance.
- The TIA/EIA-568-B
standard specifies ten tests that a copper cable must pass if
it will be used for modern, high-speed Ethernet LANs.
- Optical fiber must also be tested according to networking
standards.
- Category 6 cable must meet more rigorous
frequency testing standards than Category 5 cable.