The two types of meshed topologies are partially meshed and wholly meshed.

True / False Questions
 

31. (p. 48) The two types of meshed topologies are partially meshed and wholly meshed.
FALSE

32. (p. 49) Mesh topologies have never been practical in a cabled network.
TRUE

33. (p. 47) A network's physical topology is not the same as its signaling topology.
TRUE

34. (p. 47) The most popular network topology today is a star-bus.
TRUE

35. (p. 50) A topology is the most detailed standard for designing a network.
FALSE

36. (p. 53) The most common type of cabling used in networks today is twisted pair.
TRUE

37. (p. 54) Most new cabling installations use CAT 3 UTP cable.
FALSE

38. (p. 54) Categories of UTP cabling are rated in megahertz (MHz), indicating the highest frequency the cable can handle.
TRUE

39. (p. 55) A boxed reel of UTP cabling usually has its category rating written on the connectors at the end of the cable.
FALSE

40. (p. 55) Fiber-optic cable is immune to EMI.
TRUE

Fill in the Blank Questions
 

41. (p. 44) A network's _______________ describes how cables and other pieces of hardware connect to each other in that network.
topology

42. (p. 50) A network _______________ provides a method to get data from one computer to another on a network.
technology

43. (p. 46) An example of ____________________ is the ability of all the other computers to communicate after the cable to a single computer is disconnected.
fault tolerance

44. (p. 47) A hybrid network that looks like a star but has the signaling topology of a bus is called a(n) ____________ topology.
star-bus

45. (p. 47) The most common wired network topology used today is the _________________.
star-bus

46. (p. 50) Two computers connected directly together via a single cable represent the _____________ topology.
point-to-point

47. (p. 50) ___________ refers to magnetic fields from office equipment and appliances that can affect or even shut down a network.
electro-magnetic interference (EMI)

48. (p. 52) All coax cables have an __________ rating, developed by the U.S. military.
RG

49. (p. 52) Most types of coaxial cable display their ______________ on the cables themselves.
Ohm ratings

50. (p. 52) You can easily connect two coaxial cables together using a(n) _______________.
barrel connector

51. (p. 53) The twists of the pairs of wires in twisted pair cables help reduce a particular kind of interference called ____________.
crosstalk

52. (p. 53) Shielded twisted pair cabling is most commonly used with older IBM Type 1 cable used in __________________ network technology.
Token Ring

53. (p. 53) In addition to networks, ____________ cabling is used in telephone systems.
UTP

54. (p. 54) _____________, a category of UTP cabling that is no longer recognized, was used for analog phone lines.
CAT1

55. (p. 55) Fiber-optic cabling uses ______________ to transmit data.
light

56. (p. 55) Cable manufacturers use a two-number designator to define fiber-optic cables according to their _______________________ and ___________________ measurements.
core; cladding

57. (p. 56) Fiber-optic cable that uses LEDs to send signals is known as ________________.
multimode

58. (p. 56) The most common type of fiber-optic cable is ____________________.
multimode

59. (p. 56) The IEEE 1394 standard defines a high-speed serial connection, known as _____________________.
FireWire

60. (p. 57) The IEEE 1284 committee sets standards for ______________ communication.
parallel

61. (p. 59) The IEEE standards subcommittee for broadband wireless access (BWA), including Wireless MAN, or WiMAX, is __________________.
802.16

62. (p. 59) The IEEE 802.3 subcommittee defines standards for ________________.
Ethernet

63. (p. 59) Some IEEE committees have become dormant, such as the 802.4, which defined a(n) ________________ network.
Token Bus

64. (p. 59) _____________________ is the common name for one of the most widely recognized 802.11 specifications.
Wi-Fi

65. (p. 56) Using laser light and single-mode fiber-optic cables prevents ______________, a problem unique to multimode fiber optics.
modal distortion

66. (p. 56) A network installation using pairs of fiber-optic cable will most commonly use ______________ connectors.
LC

67. (p. 53) The more twists in a twisted pair cable, the less __________________.
crosstalk

68. (p. 52) Both RG-6 and RG-59 cables are rated at ____________ Ohms.
75

69. (p. 45) The cable ends in a bus topology network must be terminated to prevent a signal sent from one computer from ________________ at the ends of the cable, creating unnecessary traffic.
reflecting

70. (p. 55-56) Almost all network technologies that use fiber-optic cable require ________________ of fiber.
pairs

Essay Questions
 

71. (p. 49) Why is it not practical to use a fully meshed topology in a wired network that contains 10 or more PCs? 

A fully meshed topology requires a physical connection to every other computer on the network. This means that even a small network (for example, 10 PCs) would need 45 separate pieces of cabling. The fully meshed topology is too expensive and too messy to be practical for a wired network.

72. (p. 46) What happens if there is a cable break on a bus network? 

Because all the computers in a bus topology use a single bus cable, a break in the cable would be a break in the only cable; therefore, the entire network would no longer function.

73. (p. 50) What are the three distinct categories of networking cabling? 

The three distinct categories of network cable are coaxial (coax), twisted pair, and fiber-optic.

74. (p. 50) How does a coaxial cable shield the center wire that transmits data from interference? 

The central wire is surrounded by an insulating material, which is surrounded by a braided metal mesh layer that shields the central wire.

75. (p. 52) What does an Ohm rating for a coaxial cable mean? 

The Ohm rating for coaxial cabling is a relative measure of resistance (characteristic impedance) on the cable.

76. (p. 53) What are the two basic types of twisted pair cabling? 

The two basic types of twisted pair cabling are shielded twisted pair (STP) and unshielded twisted pair (UTP).

77. (p. 53) Explain why UTP is more commonly used with networks today than STP cabling. 

UTP is more commonly used with networks today because it is cheaper and does just as good a job as STP except in environments that have excessive electronic noise.

78. (p. 54) Explain what allows CAT5e cable to handle 1000 Mbps even though it's rated to handle only a maximum bandwidth of 100 MHz, which previously would limit it to 100 Mbps. 

CAT 5e cable can handle 1000 Mbps because manufacturers use a bandwidth-efficient encoding scheme to squeeze more bits into the same signal.

79. (p. 54) Although CAT 6 UTP cabling has a higher throughput, why do most of today's new cabling installations typically use CAT5e? 

While CAT 6 has a higher throughput than CAT 5e, many new cabling installations typically use CAT 5e because CAT6 is more expensive than CAT5e. However, the best way to "future-proof" the cabling of the network is to use CAT 6.

80. (p. 55) What are the three components that make up a fiber-optic cable? 

The three components that make up a fiber-optic cable are the fiber itself, the cladding, and the insulating jacket.

81. (p. 56) Briefly describe each of the three most common fiber-optic connectors. 

The three most common fiber-optic connectors are ST, SC, and LC. The ST connector has a straight tip that an installer must push in (stick) and twist. The SC connector has a rectangular outer case that an installer must push in (stick) and click. The LC connector is the "little connector" that has a rectangular outer case and is much smaller than the other two connectors.

82. (p. 53) Which type of cabling are you most likely to find in a wired network? 

The most common network cabling is unshielded twisted pair (UTP).

83. (p. 58) What is the mission of the 802 Working Group (committee) of the IEEE? 

The 802 committee defines standards for frames, speed, distances, and types of cabling to use in a network environment.

84. (p. 58) What is the mission of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)? 

The mission of the IEEE is to define industry-wide standards that promote the use and implementation of technology.

85. (p. 59) What do the IEEE 802.11 subcommittee standards define? 

The IEEE 802.11 subcommittee standards define wireless LAN (WLAN) networking specifications, such as Wi-Fi.

86. (p. 45) Which networking topology connects all computers with a central ring of cable? 

The ring topology connects all computers in a network with a central ring of cable.

87. (p. 48) Which networking topology requires that each computer has a dedicated line to every other computer? 

The fully meshed topology connects each computer to every other computer.

88. (p. 46) Which networking topology connects all the computers on a network to a central wiring point, usually a hub? 

The star topology uses a central connection (a hub) for all computers on a network.

89. (p. 47) Why is the actual physical topology of a network often very different from the signaling topology? 

The physical topology describes how the cables appear and connect to computers and devices on a network, while the signaling topology shows how the network signals travel electronically.

90. (p. 50) Name at least two different kinds of networking technologies. 

Examples of network technologies provided in Chapter 3 include 10BaseT, 1000BaseF, and 10GBaseLX.

91. (p. 46) If your network is fault tolerant, what happens when a cable breaks? 

The network continues to operate, at least to some degree.

92. (p. 47) What do you call the hybrid topology in which the signaling topology is a bus (contained within a box), but the physical topology is a star? 

A hybrid network topology that uses a bus signaling topology with a star physical topology is the star - bus topology.

93. (p. 53) Give an example of shielded twisted pair (STP) cabling. 

IBM Type 1 cable

94. (p. 53) What kind of network used IBM Type 1 STP cabling? 

The now obsolete Token Ring network used IBM Type 1 STP cabling.

95. (p. 55) What does it mean if a fiber-optic cable is designated as 62.5/125 µm? 

This common fiber-optic cable size indicates the size of the fiber core (62.5 µm) and the size of the cladding (125 µm). The "µm" indicates a unit of measure called a micron, which is one millionth of a meter.

96. (p. 59) Why did the IEEE 802 committee split into smaller subcommittees? How are the subcommittees identified? 

Although the original intent of the IEEE in forming the 802 committee was to define a single, universal standard for networking, the IEEE discovered that it needed multiple standards, so it split the 802 committee into smaller subcommittees with names like 802.3 or 802.11. Each of these subcommittees worked on developing standards for one particular area of networking.

97. (p. 53) What do the twists in twisted pair cabling do to improve network communications? 

The twists in twisted pair cabling reduce crosstalk, a particular kind of electro-magnetic interference.

98. (p. 45) Name the various historical network topologies, as well as two hybrid topologies. 

The historical topologies include bus, ring, and star, while the modern topologies include hybrid, mesh, point-to-multipoint, and point-to-point. Two hybrid network topologies are star-ring and star-bus.

99. (p. 47) Name the two topologies that are most often used in wireless networks. 

Most wireless networks use either a mesh or point-to-multipoint topology.

100. (p. 50-51) What does electro-magnetic interference (EMI) do to a wired network? 

When the metal wire picks up magnetic fields, electrical current is generated along the wire and misinterpreted as network signals. This can cause a network to shut down.