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Networking 101
... continued
Ok, we've
talked about NIC's, Hubs and Switches. Now it's time to talk
about the item that ties these components together... wire!
Category
5 wire is what you'll generally use to tie your network
together. In most cases you can just pronouce it,
"Cat-Five". There are a few of different types of
this wire available, so you'll need to make sure you get the right
kind for the project you're going to be using it in. Below are
some specs;
In most
cases you'll just want to get plain old Cat5 which you can generally
find for around $70.00 per thousand foot. Shop around a little
you may find a better price and, of course, you may not need a
thousand foot of cable.
The
connectors that go on the end are called RJ45 connectors. If
you decide to put the connector ends on yourself, you'll need to
purchase a crimper.
When
making a patch cable, you'll want to make both ends exactly
alike. Here is the standard wiring scheme for a 10baseX connection.
If you
should decide to make a crossover cable, then use the above diagram
for one end and the diagram below for the other end.
If you
look carefully, you'll notice that the wires at pins 1 & 2 are
reversed with pins 3 & 6 on the other end of the cable.
This is a Crossover cable.
 
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