Chapter Overview

1
Chapter Overview

• Pulling Cable
• Making Connections

2
External Installations

• An external installation is one in which you use
  prefabricated unshielded twisted-pair (UTP)
  cables and run them from each computer to the
  hub.
• You do not have to run cables through walls or
  ceilings, attach connectors to bulk cable, or
  purchase additional hardware.
• Advantage external installations are portable
  you can coil up the cables and take them with you
  if you have to move the network.
• Disadvantages
• Cables are often visible.
• Obstacles between the pieces of network equipment
  can make running the cable difficult.

3
External Installation Procedure

• 1. Select the locations for the computers and
  hub.
• 2. Plan the exact route for each cable from the
  computer to the hub.
• 3. Measure the entire path of each cable route
  from the computer to the hub.
• 4. Buy prefabricated cables of the appropriate
  lengths.
• 5. Lay out the cable loosely for each cable run
  without connecting or securing them.
• 6. Starting at one end of each cable run, secure
  the cable to the walls, floor, or woodwork,
  working your way to the other end.
• 7. When the cables are secured, plug one end of
  each cable run into the hub and the other end
  into the computer or other device.

4
Running Cables Next to Walls
5
Running Cables Across Floors
6
Individual Staples
7
Cable Stapler
8
Stapling Cables

• Stapling cables is the simplest and usually the
  least expensive solution.
• Do not use the standard square staples used in
  most staple guns they can crush the cable and
  damage the wires.
• You can use individual staples or a cable holder.
• Individual staples have a cap at the top that
  simplifies the task of hammering it into the
  wall.
• A cable holder consists of a semicircular plastic
  sleeve with a wire brad through it.
• You can also use a staple gun designed
  specifically for cable installations that shoots
  round-headed staples and has an adjustable depth
  setting.
• Staples should be secured well in the wall but
  should allow the cable to be pulled through them
  freely.
• If you accidentally pierce the cable sheath with
  a staple, start over with a new cable.

9
A Cable Tie
10
Using Cable Ties

• Cable ties are loops of plastic or fabric that
  secure to a surface and can hold one or more
  cables.
• Some cable ties use a nylon hook-and-ratchet
  design and come with an eyelet for nailing the
  tie to a wall.
• Some cable ties consist of a wider loop of cloth
  or plastic, the ends of which are attached using
  a hook and loop fastener.
• Cable ties are more visible than staples and are
  more often used to secure bundles of cables in
  place.

11
Raceways
12
Raceways (Cont.)

• A raceway is a small, enclosed conduit, usually
  made of plastic, that holds cables inside and is
  designed to run along walls.
• Raceways provide better protection than staples
  or cable ties.
• Because the raceway completely encloses the
  cables within a rigid housing, the cables are
  protected from bumps and abrasions.
• Raceways are more expensive and more difficult to
  install than staples or cable ties.
• Because raceways are rigid, you must purchase
  fittings of exactly the right size and shape.

13
Running Cables Around Doors
14
Running Cables Between Floors
15
Internal Cable Installations
16
Bulk Cable
17
Internal Cable Installation Procedure

• 1. Select the locations for your computers and
  other network-connected devices and a central,
  protected location for your hubs and patch panel.
• 2. Plan the cable routes from the patch panel to
  the location of each wall plate or other
  connector.
• 3. With your spool of bulk cable located at the
  patch panel site, label the lead end of the cable
  with its intended location.
• 4. Feed the lead end of the bulk cable into the
  ceiling, wall, or floor that you will install it
  in, and then pull the cable to the location of
  the wall plate.
• 5. Secure the cables along their routes so that
  they cannot shift location or be damaged by other
  people working in the same area.
• 6. Label the end of the cable with the name of
  the wall plate location and cut the cable from
  the spool. (Never cut an unlabeled cable from the
  spool.)
• 7. Proceed with the cable connection process.

18
Cable Installation Obstacles

• Sources of electromagnetic interference that can
  disturb data signals
• Fire breaks that prevent you from running cable
  down from the ceiling
• Asbestos insulation
• Service components such as ventilation ducts and
  light fixtures
• Structural components, such as concrete pilings
  and steel girders

19
Safety Considerations and Legal Implications

• Do not cut, drill through, or otherwise disturb a
  structural member of a building without
  consulting someone with full knowledge of the
  consequences.
• Consider local fire laws and building codes.
• Violating fire laws and building codes means that
  you, the installer, might be held responsible,
  not only for making the job right later, but also
  for any applicable fines and penalties.
• If you outsource the cabling job to a contractor,
  your contract should stipulate that the installer
  is responsible for the legality of the
  installation.

20
A Cable Puller
21
A Telepole
22
Cable Installation Tools

• Ladders
• A ball of string
• Prefabricated cable pullers
• A telepole
• Yardsticks or flexible nylon rods
• A tennis ball with one end of a length of string
  taped to it

23
Dropping Cables Vertically

• Cut a hole in the wall where you will install the
  wall plate.
• Thread the cable down inside the wall from the
  ceiling.
• Pull the cable out through the hole.
• Later, attach the cable to the connector in the
  wall plate, push the excess cable back into the
  wall, and plug the hole by mounting the wall
  plate over it.

24
Using a Fish Tape
25
Pulling Other Cable Types

• The RG-58 coaxial cable used for thin Ethernet
  networks can be installed internally, but it
  tends not to bend around corners as tightly.
• Thick Ethernet networks use RG-8 coaxial cable,
  which is nearly half an inch thick and very
  inflexible it is rarely installed internally.
• The main advantage of thick Ethernet each
  computer uses a separate cable that connects the
  network interface card (NIC) to the main RG-8
  trunk, so only one cable protrudes through the
  wall.
• Pulling fiber optic cable is roughly similar to
  pulling UTP.
• The multimode fiber is reasonably flexible.
• However, the cable must be placed more precisely
  with respect to the bend radius around corners.

26
Two-Computer Networking

• The simplest local area network (LAN) consists of
  two computers, with network interface adapters
  installed, connected by a single cable.
• Ethernet hubs provide a vital service by crossing
  over the signals between the transmit and receive
  wires.
• On a UTP Ethernet network without a hub, the two
  computers can be no more than 100 meters apart,
  because the hub on a standard UTP network
  functions as a repeater.
• To enable two directly-connected Ethernet
  computers to communicate, you must use a
  crossover cable.

27
RJ-45 Connector Contacts for 10Base-T and
100Base-TX Networks
28
Straight-Through Connections
29
Crossover Connections
30
Connecting External Cables

• 1. Set up the hub in a central location,
  preferably in a protected area, and connect
  it to a power source.
• 2. Plug the connector for each cable into one of
  the hubs ports, and push it firmly into the
  socket until it clicks.
• 3. Make sure that you have a computer that is
  set up and ready to go at the other end of each
  cable.
• 4. Shut down the computer and plug the network
  cable into the jack provided by the computers
  network interface adapter, making sure that it
  clicks into place.

31
Connecting Internal Cables

• 1. Connect one end of the cable run to a port in
  a patch panel.
• 2. Connect the patch panel port to a hub port,
  using a patch cable.
• 3. Connect the other end of the cable run to a
  port in a wall plate.
• 4. Mount the wall plate in the wall.
• 5. Use a patch cable to connect the port in the
  wall plate to the network interface adapter in
  a computer.

32
A Patch Panel
33
Punching Down a Cable

• 1. Strip some of the insulating sheath off the
  cable end to expose the wires.
• 2. Separate the twisted-wire pairs at the ends.
• 3. Strip a small amount of insulation off each
  wire.
• 4. Insert the wires into the appropriate
  contacts in the jack.
• 5. Press the bare wire down between the two
  metal contacts that hold it in place.
• 6. Cut off the excess wire that protrudes past
  the contacts.
• 7. Repeat this process at both ends for each
  internal cable run.

34
A Punchdown Block Tool
35
The 568A and 568B Wiring Standards
36
Laying Out the Wires
37
A Crimper
38
Making Fiber Optic Connections

• 1. Strip off the outer sheath from the end of
  the cable.
• 2. Glue the connector in place, using an epoxy
  adhesive.
• 3. Allow the adhesive to cure.
• 4. Polish the protruding core so that the pulses
  of light carried by the cable reach their
  terminus in the best possible condition.

39
Chapter Summary

• Pulling cable
• External unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable
  installations use prefabricated cables to connect
  computers directly to hubs.
• Internal cable installations use bulk cable,
  which you pull through walls, ceilings, or
  floors.
• Making connections
• To connect two computers without a hub, you must
  use a crossover cable connection, which reverses
  the transmit and receive signals.
• External cables have the connectors attached, and
  you simply plug them into your computers and hubs
  to make the final connections.
• For internal cables, you must manually attach a
  jack at each end, which becomes part of the wall
  plate or patch panel.
• The process of attaching a jack is called
  punching down it requires a specialized
  punchdown block tool.