Cabling: The Complete Guide to Network Wiring

The physical linkages responsible for carrying a company's data continue to be the most neglected components of the typical network to the extent that nearly 70 per cent of all network-related problems result from poor cabling. In this third edition of a widely acclaimed resource, three networking experts share their extensive experience, teaching you the cabling skills you need to build a reliable, efficient, and cost-effective network cabling infrastructure. As you master these techniques, you'll learn to avoid common pitfalls and troubleshoot problems as quickly as they arise. The coverage includes: choosing the right cables and components for your network architecture and topology; avoiding unnecessary and unexpected costs; understanding the current limitations of data communications and network cabling; understanding how laws and building codes constrain cabling; understanding the function and importance of universal cabling standards; determining when you have a cabling-related network problem; assembling a complete cabling toolkit; integrating voice and data on the same cable system; setting up an infrastructure in which desktops, printers, copiers, and other nodes share cabling; understanding issues of bandwidth, impedance, resistance, attenuation, crosstalk, capacitance, propagation, delay, and delay skew; working effectively with USB and Firewire; knowing when to discard legacy cabling and begin anew; documenting your cabling; and, creating an RFP and selecting a vendor.