CompTIA APlus Lesson03 Networking Hardware

CompTIA A+
Lesson 3NetworkingHardware
The course CompTIA A+ through ProCert's testing and Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.
certification process is now accredited by CompTIA.
Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

Objectives
At the end of this Describe different types of networks such as LAN, WAN, VPN, and PAN
lesson, you will be
able to: Differentiate between different types of network configurations (topologies)
Identify networking hardware

Introduction to Computer Networks
A computer network consists of two or more computers linked for electronic communication.
A network can be interconnected through wired or wireless technologies.
Computer Network
Local Area Network
(LAN)
Wide Area Network
(WAN) Personal Area Network
(PAN) Virtual Private Network
(VPN) Printer
Blackberry

Network Types
There are four network types:
Is a large but slow network with Is a high speed network that

devices spread across vast areas allows secured access to a private
Can be a group of network
computers/devices that have Uses a public network, like the
multiple LANs Wide Area Virtual Private Internet, to gain access
Uses leased links Network Network
(WAN) (VPN)
Personal Area
Network Local Area
Is a network around an individual Network (LAN) Is a high speed network including
that usually includes mobile (PAN) a group of devices close to each
handheld devices. other
Has a range of 10 meters or less
Uses Ethernet or wireless
technologies such as Wi-Fi
Uses wireless technologies called
Also termed as Small Office Home
Wireless PAN (WPAN) Office (SOHO)

PAN
PAN is a simple network of mobile and other

devices that cater to an individual.
Printer Wireless Headset
It mostly uses wireless technologies, and is
also called wireless PAN (WPAN).
Mobile device Laptop
Personal Area Network

LAN
A LAN is a group of computers and other devices that are connected together within a limited area.
Scanner/printer Fax/copier
Email server
Internet
Router
Shared data
File server
End user computers
Local Area Network

WAN
A WAN includes two or more LANs in separate geographic locations.
WAN connection Remote office 100

Main office 1,000
Mbps LAN Mbps LAN
128 Kbps
Router Router
Wide Area Network

VPN
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) provides access to a private network over a public network.
Organizations use VPNs to give access to network resources from remote locations.
Firewall Internal
network Email server
Internet
Tunnel
VPN server File server
Virtual Private Network

Network Interface Card
Network Interface Card (NIC) is an expansion card that allows a PC to connect to a LAN or WAN.
It is also called Ethernet card or Network card.
NIC uses an ethernet cable with an RJ-45 connector to connect to the network.
NIC
RJ-45 connector at
the end of an
Ethernet cable

Media Access Control Address
Media Access Control (MAC) address is a

unique address assigned by the manufacturers
to all network interfaces for communication on
AA:BB:CC DD:EE:FF
a network.
E.g. 0F:A9:C0:11:CE:2F
It is a 12-digit hexadecimal number that is 48 ID number of the device Serial number assigned by
manufacturer the device manufacturer
bits long.

Hub
A hub allows many network devices to

connect together. Hub
RJ-45 connections
It connects to the network device Rear view of hub
through an RJ-45 port and network
cable.
Printer

Switch
A switch connects computers and other

network devices on a network, similar to Switch
Hub
hubs. Ports
They are intelligent and learn from Rear view of switch
network traffic patterns unlike hubs.
They send data only to specific ports

Printer
associated to the target device.

Router
Hubs and switches connect devices within a network, while routers connect entire networks.
Internet
Switch Switch
Router
Network 1 Network 2
Connection Networks with a Router

Bridge
It uses a single connection to connect

BRIDGED NETWORK CONNECTIONS
two groups of devices.
A bridge connects two separate

Internet
Ethernet networks into one extended
PC 3
Ethernet network.
It forwards only those packets destined

PC 1 PC 4
for a network or device.
Network PC 2
hub

Network Attached Storage Drives
Network Attached Storage (NAS) provides disk storage for an entire network.
For example, a NAS device in an organization can include multiple drives connected together.
On a larger scale, organizations use storage area networks or SANs, which are entire networks of
storage devices.
It can be accessed by different operating systems on a network.

Voice over Internet Protocol Phones
Voice over Internet Protocol Phones (VoIP) uses a network to

make phone calls.
It looks similar to regular phones, but instead of connecting

to a telephone jack, they connect to a network port.
They have wireless functions and can connect to a wireless

(Wi-Fi) network.

Network Devices: LED Lights
Network devices such as NICs, hubs, switches, and routers come with LED lights to display
connections and provide basic information about them.
Solid greenThe link is connected.
Blinking greenThe link is connected and data activity is occurring on the link.
Not lit upEither nothing is connected or the device cannot sense the connection.

Ethernet
Ethernet is a set of specifications or rules governing wired networks which identify:

The speeds for different cable types.
How the cables would connect to other devices?
Traditional- 10Mbps Fast-Ethernet-100Mbps Gigabit-1000Mbps
10Base5 100Base-X 1000Base-X
10Base2 100-Tx 1000Base-T
10BaseT 100Base-Fx 1000Base-Sx
10BaseF1 100Base-T4 1000Base-Lx
- - 1000Base-Cx
Quick Tip!
The Base refers to baseband signaling. The T represents twisted-pair; the F represents fiber
optic cable; Lx Cx and others may refer to multimode or single mode cable.

Half/Full Duplex
Ethernet can work in two different modesHalf Duplex or Full Duplex.
Categories Half Duplex Full Duplex
Allows network traffic only in one Allows network traffic in both

Traffic Direction
direction at a time directions at the same time
Older network devices are usually

Devices Newer devices use autosense
half-duplex
Performance Slow Fast

Unshielded Twisted Pair and Shielded Twisted Pair
Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)
The twisted-pair cable used in Ethernet has four

twisted pairs of wires.
Each pair has a specific number of twists per
meter, and different pairs have different numbers
of twists.
Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)
The twists prevent signals from crossing over to
other wires.
There are two types of twisted pair cables:
Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)
Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)

Ethernet Cable Categories
Categories of twisted pair cables are given below:
Category Maximum Speed Frequency Comments
CAT 3 10 Mbps 16 MHz Rarely used
CAT 5 100 Mbps 100 MHz Recommended maximum speed of 100Mbps
CAT 5e 1,000 Mbps 100 MHz Enhanced version of CAT 5
CAT 6 10 Gbps 250 MHz Used with 10GBase-T

Connector Types: RJ-45 vs. RJ-11
RJ-45
Key differences between RJ-45 and RJ-11 connectors
are given below:
RJ-45 RJ-11
Ethernet twisted-pair Similar to an RJ-45
cables using RJ-45 connector, consists of RJ-11
Description
connectors have four two pairs of wires, but
pairs of wires. smaller than RJ-45
Used on both the ends
Usage of an Ethernet twisted Used in telephones
pair cable

T568A and T568B
All four wire sets of the twisted pair

Ethernet cable meet a color standard. Blue and white
(with one blue stripe)
Specific colored wires must connect to
Orange and white
specific pins on the RJ-45 connector. (with one orange stripe)
Green and white
T568A and T568B are two wiring (with one green stripe)
standards used while making a cable. Brown and white
(with one brown stripe)
Either standard can be used to make the
cable, however for one cable the same
standard should be applied to both ends.

Differences between T568A and T568B
Key differences between T568A and T568B are:
T568A Color RJ-45 Pin T568B Color
White, green stripe 1 White, orange stripe

Green 2 Orange
White, orange stripe 3 White, green stripe
Blue 4 Blue
White, blue stripe 5 White, blue stripe
Orange 6 Green
White, brown stripe 7 White, brown stripe
Brown 8 Brown

Network Interference and Crosstalk
Network connections are susceptible to interference from other cables and connections which can
disrupt or degrade the signals.
Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI)
Use a shielded cable, or a EMI/RFI

proof cable.
Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) Solution
Identify the source of the
problem and eliminate it.
Cross Talk

Cable Testers and Probes
To check whether the cables will work

correctly, the following tools are used:
Cable testers check if network cables are

wired correctly.
Toner probes are used to trace a cable in a

huge bunch of cables.

Fiber Optic
Fiber optic cables are made of flexible glass.

Fiber Optic Connector Types
Network signals travel as light pulses SC Type
instead of electrical signals.
Fiber advantages over twisted pair cables

are as follows:
Signals travel longer distances
Can transmit more data
No signal interference
ST Type

Introduction to Network Topology
Topology refers to how network devices are logically connected.
Devices are organized in a network using different network topologies.
Star: Uses a central connection point
Bus: Uses a common backbone
Ring: Uses a ring data path
Mesh: Uses multiple data paths

Star Topology
In a star network, individual devices are Hub

connected to a central device, such as a
hub or a switch.
Advantage: Each device has a direct

line to the central device, and so
devices dont compete with each
other to send traffic along the line. Client
Client
Client
Printer

Bus Topology
Printer
A bus is a single electrical circuit to which all Client
devices in the network are connected.
Client
A bus topology is a broadcast network.
Advantage: It is very simple to
configure and uses less cable than a

star topology. Client
Disadvantage: If the main bus cable

Client
develops a problem, the entire
Client
network may be disabled. Printer

Ring Topology
In a ring topology each devices NIC has one Client
input and one output connection.
Advantage: Each device is connected to

two links. Client
Data Client
Flow
Disadvantage: If a ring device
malfunctions, the ring is broken, and data
transfer stops until the failed device is
restored or removed from the ring.
Client

Mesh Topology
A mesh topology is one where each device Building 2

Network
has a connection with all other devices in
Building 1 Building 3
the network. Network Network
Advantage: It provides a high degree of

redundancy, allowing devices to continue
to communicate even if multiple
connections fail.
Building 5 Building 4
Disadvantage: The installation is Network Network
expensive.

Quiz

QUIZ
What is an Ethernet network connector also known as?
1
a. RJ-45 connector
b. RJ-11 connector
c. RJ-41 connector
d. RJ-21 connector

QUIZ
What is an Ethernet network connector also known as?
a. RJ-45 connector
b. RJ-11 connector
c. RJ-41 connector
d. RJ-21 connector
Answer: a.
Explanation: RJ-45 connector type is used for Ethernet cables that connect to network
devices.

QUIZ
Which among the following supports Gigabyte Ethernet?
2
a. Cat 3
b. Cat 5
c. Cat 5e
d. Cat 9

QUIZ
Which among the following supports Gigabyte Ethernet?
2
a. Cat 3
b. Cat 5
c. Cat 5e
d. Cat 9
Answer: c.
Explanation: Only Cat5e type Ethernet cable in the list above supports up to 1000 Mbps or
Gigabyte speeds.

Summary
A computer network consists of two or more computers linked for

Let us summarize
communication.
what was covered
in this lesson: The major computer networks are: LAN, WAN, PAN, and VPN.
Networking uses hardware, different types of network cables and

connectors.
Ethernet governs network cable configurations and speed.
The different network topologies include Star, Bus, Ring, and Mesh
topologies.

Thank You
The course CompTIA A+ through ProCert's testing and Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.
certification process is now accredited by CompTIA.

CompTIA APlus Lesson03 Networking Hardware

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CompTIA A+

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

Identify networking hardware

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

Is a large but slow network with Is a high speed network that

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

PAN is a simple network of mobile and other

Mobile device Laptop

Personal Area Network

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

Local Area Network

A WAN includes two or more LANs in separate geographic locations.

WAN connection Remote office 100

Wide Area Network

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

VPN server File server

Virtual Private Network

It is also called Ethernet card or Network card.

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

Media Access Control (MAC) address is a

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

A hub allows many network devices to

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

A switch connects computers and other

They are intelligent and learn from Rear view of switch

network traffic patterns unlike hubs.

They send data only to specific ports

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

Connection Networks with a Router

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

It uses a single connection to connect

A bridge connects two separate

It forwards only those packets destined

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

It can be accessed by different operating systems on a network.

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

Voice over Internet Protocol Phones (VoIP) uses a network to

It looks similar to regular phones, but instead of connecting

They have wireless functions and can connect to a wireless

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

Solid greenThe link is connected.

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

Ethernet is a set of specifications or rules governing wired networks which identify:

10Base2 100-Tx 1000Base-T

10BaseT 100Base-Fx 1000Base-Sx

10BaseF1 100Base-T4 1000Base-Lx

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

Ethernet can work in two different modesHalf Duplex or Full Duplex.

Categories Half Duplex Full Duplex

Allows network traffic only in one Allows network traffic in both

Older network devices are usually

Performance Slow Fast

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

The twisted-pair cable used in Ethernet has four

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

Categories of twisted pair cables are given below:

Category Maximum Speed Frequency Comments

CAT 3 10 Mbps 16 MHz Rarely used

CAT 5 100 Mbps 100 MHz Recommended maximum speed of 100Mbps

CAT 5e 1,000 Mbps 100 MHz Enhanced version of CAT 5

CAT 6 10 Gbps 250 MHz Used with 10GBase-T

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.

Copyright 2014, Simplilearn, All rights reserved.