Ethernet Cabling
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Ethernet Cabling
Ethernet Cabling
Several types of cabling are used for Ethernet:
- 10 Base 5, or Thicknet, uses a single
75-ohm coaxial cable
in a bus topography, connecting each device with a
"vampire tap" clamped over a hole drilled in the cable.
Segments may be up to 500 meters in length.
Not recommended for new installations.
- 10 Base 2, or Thinnet, uses a string of
RJ-58 coaxial cables in a bus topography,
with BNC T connectors attached to each device, and 52-ohm terminators
at each end. Maximum segment length is 200 meters.
- 10 Base T uses twisted pair wiring (preferably shielded)
in a star topography, with each segment
connecting a single device to a repeater, usually referred to as a hub.
Unlike other Ethernet cabling schemes, which specify physical cable types,
10-Base-T specifies requirements for various electrical properties
of the wiring. The only reliable way to meet these requirements is
by checking wiring with a cable tester,
an essential tool for large 10-Base-T installations.
- 10 Broad 36, the only broadband Ethernet design,
permits operation over closed-circuit cable
television systems, requiring three adjacent TV channels to
be allocated for a single Ethernet segment.
- Fiber optic Ethernet segments have been developed by several
companies, though there is no fiber standard to my knowledge.
Ethernet segments can be interconnected using repeaters, bridges
(see bridging concepts),
and/or routers
(see routing concepts).
Next: Ethernet Standard Encapsulation
Connected: An Internet Encyclopedia
Ethernet Cabling
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