Systems & Processes

You will need a more reliable type of twisted-
pair cable to reach the 100Mbps speeds of fast
Ethernet. Called CAT 5 cable, this type of UTP
cable has more twists in it than CAT 3 cable. The
extra twists help reduce the amount of electrical
noise picked up by the cable. After CAT 5 cable
is installed, special test equipment is used to
certify the cable as acceptable for higher-speed
network traffic.
In high-interference areas, STP (shielded
twisted-pair wire) cable works best. This type of
cable includes a metallic foil sheath that
surrounds the wire pairs and conducts induced
electrical signals away from the cable wires. Its
nature also allows it to carry signals for longer
distances. Naturally, it is more expensive than
UTP cable.
through the network can slow down. To mini-
mize this problem, network engineers use a net-
work bridge, which only lets data destined for
network nodes on its segment cross the bridge
from outside the segment and prevents data for
network nodes on its segment from straying
across the bridge in the rest of the network.
This makes for much better network per-
formance. Network bridges operate on the data
link layer of the OSI reference model and are
able to pass nonroutable network protocols such
as NetBEUI.
The network switch can also reduce network
bottlenecks, by quickly linking two network
nodes and then quickly linking another two
nodes when the first connection is done.
Network switches allow the creation of VPN
(virtual private networks; private lines of com-
munication that travel through the public
Internet) between network nodes. VPNs are
created by special software and hardware on the
sending and receiving ends of the message that
encrypts and decrypts network information as it
enters and exits the Internet, creating a more
secure method of communication and making
things difficult for the wily cracker.
For information on wireless networks, see
the “A Wireless World” article on page 138 of
this issue. RS
by Bill Hayes

■ Linking LAN Segments. If you are going Sharing Network Resources

to network computers in an office building, your
indows-based PCs such as files, printers, or fax running at all times, making
proposed LAN may span several floors or
cabling may need to go around a load-bearing
W can operate either as
part of a peer-to-peer
modems. In larger networks,
that ability begins to break
their resources available
to anyone.
wall. If you are building a 10Base-T network,
network or as part of a down because there is not For security reasons, the
you can extend your LAN past the 100-meter
Windows NT domain. Peer- one central location for all client/server model requires
cabling limit.
to-peer networks are set the resources. user authentication. That
When this happens, network technicians use
up so the server is The client/server means each person wanting
a repeater to extend the maximum length. A
nondedicated, meaning it’s network model works well to access server-based
repeater serves as a signal amplifier, taking a
also a workstation. Every to handle this problem. resources must have a
weakened signal and restoring it back to its orig-
computer in a peer-to-peer Instead of scattering valid user ID and password
inal condition. Network technicians refer to this
network acts on its own by resources among a number to access the network and
as data regeneration.
storing files and accessing of PCs, the resources are certain resources.
Certain networks, such as a 10Base-2 or
peripherals. This type of concentrated in servers. Examples of client/server
10Base-5 network, can also use repeaters to
network works well on small Servers are central PCs network operating systems
extend the number of computers in that net-
LANs (local-area networks) that move data from their include Windows NT and
work. In a 10Base-2 network, each 185-meter
where users can set up their hard drives to the network. Novell NetWare. ■
cable length allows for only 30 computers. In a
PCs to share resources Normally servers remain
10Base-5 network, there can be as many as 100
computers for each 500-meter cable length. By
adding several repeaters, you can extend the Peer-To-Peer Client/Server
number of computers in either type of network.
Because of Ethernet bus limitations, a limit
exists on how many LAN segments you can
link. The 5-4-3 rule maximizes the number of
computers on Ethernet bus networks. You can
connect as many as five LAN segments (using
the maximum cable length) to four repeaters,
letting as many as three of the segments have
networked computers.
Therefore, a 10Base-2 network using the 5-4-3
rule can have 90 network nodes. A 10Base-5
network can have as many as 300 network
nodes. In contrast, the 10Base-T network that
has to use network hubs to link network nodes
can have as many as 1,024 network stations.
In a peer-to-peer network, all the computers have equal weight. In a client/server network,
the server is the most powerful computer. Other computers, called clients, connect to the
■ Isolating LAN Segments. As Ethernet net-
server so they can share its capabilities.
works grow, the speed at which data moves