Windows Knowledge Base

[NOC Tutor] Troubleshooting Cabling Problems

Cabling problems account for a substantial number of network-support calls; some authorities
say as many as 40 to 50 percent. Whether or not the figure is accurate, any network administrator
will nevertheless experience network-communication problems that can be attributed to
no other cause than the network cabling. The type of cable your network uses and how it is
installed will have a big effect on the frequency and severity of cabling problems.
For example, a coaxial thin Ethernet network allowed to run wild on floors and behind furniture
is far more likely to experience problems than a 10Base-T network installed inside the

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[NOC Tutor]Fiber-Optic Tests Procedure

Just as installing fiber-optic cable is completely different from installing copper-cable, the testing
processes also differ greatly. Much of the copper-cable testing revolves around the various
types of interference that can affect the performance of a network. Fiber-optic cable is completely
immune from interference caused by crosstalk, EMI, and RFI, however, so tests for these are not needed.
What you do need for a fiber-optic installation is to ensure that the signals arrive at their destinations
with sufficient strength to be read and that the installation process has not degraded that strength.

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[NOC-Tutor]Fiber-Optic Performance Factors

Fiber-Optic Performance Factors

During the course of a normal fiber installation, you must be aware of a few factors that can
negatively affect performance. They are as follows:
? Attenuation
? Acceptance angle
? Numerical aperture (NA)
? Modal dispersion
? Chromatic dispersion

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