1 1 00:00:00,590 --> 00:00:01,890 Cabling tools. 2 2 00:00:01,890 --> 00:00:04,810 In this lesson, we're going to discuss the various tools we use 3 3 00:00:04,810 --> 00:00:07,030 when working at the physical layer of our networks, 4 4 00:00:07,030 --> 00:00:09,440 especially with copper and fiber cabling. 5 5 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:12,230 This includes snips and cutters, cable strippers, 6 6 00:00:12,230 --> 00:00:14,290 cable crimpers, cable testers, 7 7 00:00:14,290 --> 00:00:17,370 wire maps, cable certifiers, multimeters, 8 8 00:00:17,370 --> 00:00:19,580 punch down tools, tone generators, 9 9 00:00:19,580 --> 00:00:22,480 loopback adapters, time-domain reflectometers, 10 10 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:24,520 optical time-domain reflectometers, 11 11 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:26,850 fiber light meters, fusion splicers, 12 12 00:00:26,850 --> 00:00:29,099 taps and a spectrum analyzer. 13 13 00:00:29,099 --> 00:00:31,370 Woo, lots of stuff we're going to cover. 14 14 00:00:31,370 --> 00:00:33,350 All right, the first cabling tool we have 15 15 00:00:33,350 --> 00:00:35,540 is probably the most basic one that we're going to cover 16 16 00:00:35,540 --> 00:00:37,490 and it's a snip or a cutter. 17 17 00:00:37,490 --> 00:00:38,810 A snipper or a cutter is used 18 18 00:00:38,810 --> 00:00:41,200 to simply cut a piece of cable off of a larger spool 19 19 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:42,800 or run of cable. 20 20 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,090 Now, a snip looks a lot like a pair of scissors, 21 21 00:00:45,090 --> 00:00:47,490 but it has stronger blades because we're going to use it 22 22 00:00:47,490 --> 00:00:49,800 to cut off twisted pair of copper cables, 23 23 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:53,130 coaxial cables or even larger cable bundles. 24 24 00:00:53,130 --> 00:00:55,140 Next, we have cable strippers. 25 25 00:00:55,140 --> 00:00:57,770 Now, once we cut the piece of cabling off the larger spool 26 26 00:00:57,770 --> 00:01:00,700 using our snips, we now need to strip off the end 27 27 00:01:00,700 --> 00:01:02,840 of the cable and prepare it for attachment 28 28 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:05,060 to a plastic RJ45 connector 29 29 00:01:05,060 --> 00:01:07,160 or whatever kind of connector we're going to use. 30 30 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:10,240 For example, let's say I wanted to create a crossover cable. 31 31 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:12,720 I'm going to cut off some twisted copper from the spool, 32 32 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:15,350 then I'm going to strip both ends using a cable stripper. 33 33 00:01:15,350 --> 00:01:17,830 This allows me to remove around six to 12 inches 34 34 00:01:17,830 --> 00:01:20,340 from the outer plastic jacket at the end of the cable 35 35 00:01:20,340 --> 00:01:22,450 and then I can spread out those inner wires, 36 36 00:01:22,450 --> 00:01:24,960 prepare to attach the RJ45 connector to them 37 37 00:01:24,960 --> 00:01:28,240 and then I'm going to have to use a crimper to do that. 38 38 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:30,340 Now, if I'm making a coaxial cable, 39 39 00:01:30,340 --> 00:01:32,980 I would then use a coaxial specific wire stripper 40 40 00:01:32,980 --> 00:01:34,910 to remove the outer jacket of the cable 41 41 00:01:34,910 --> 00:01:38,630 and the insulation, so I can now get to that center conduit 42 42 00:01:38,630 --> 00:01:41,160 for that RG6 connector to go through 43 43 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:43,290 and be put on the end of that cable. 44 44 00:01:43,290 --> 00:01:45,350 Next, we're going to use a cable crimper 45 45 00:01:45,350 --> 00:01:46,910 and this is how we attach the connector 46 46 00:01:46,910 --> 00:01:48,250 to the end of the cable. 47 47 00:01:48,250 --> 00:01:50,830 Again, let's say I'm making that crossover cable. 48 48 00:01:50,830 --> 00:01:52,990 I need to use an RJ45 connector 49 49 00:01:52,990 --> 00:01:55,600 and RJ45 specific cable crimper. 50 50 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:57,262 Normally your cable crimper is going to be used 51 51 00:01:57,262 --> 00:01:58,830 for twisted pair cabling 52 52 00:01:58,830 --> 00:02:02,890 and it's going to support both RJ45 and RJ11 connectors. 53 53 00:02:02,890 --> 00:02:04,770 If you're working with coaxial cables, 54 54 00:02:04,770 --> 00:02:06,710 there's a different cable crimper you'll use 55 55 00:02:06,710 --> 00:02:10,710 that'll support RJ6 or RG59 connectors. 56 56 00:02:10,710 --> 00:02:12,280 All right, now that we've created our cable 57 57 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:14,640 using our snips and cutters, our cable stripper 58 58 00:02:14,640 --> 00:02:17,350 and our cable crimper, we need to test the cable 59 59 00:02:17,350 --> 00:02:19,730 and this is where we use a cable tester. 60 60 00:02:19,730 --> 00:02:22,440 A cable tester is going to be used to verify the continuity 61 61 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:24,008 of each of the eight individual wires 62 62 00:02:24,008 --> 00:02:26,410 inside of that twisted pair of cable. 63 63 00:02:26,410 --> 00:02:28,488 This will verify there's no breaks inside the cable 64 64 00:02:28,488 --> 00:02:31,720 and that we have good continuity from one end to the other. 65 65 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:33,130 By using a cable tester, 66 66 00:02:33,130 --> 00:02:35,200 we can verify the pin outs were done properly 67 67 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:37,760 and that each individual wire in the twisted pair of cable 68 68 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:39,770 is properly connected for a straight-through 69 69 00:02:39,770 --> 00:02:42,540 or crossover cable, whichever one we were making. 70 70 00:02:42,540 --> 00:02:43,667 Now, there are different types of testers 71 71 00:02:43,667 --> 00:02:45,560 for different types of cable. 72 72 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:47,370 If you're testing an ethernet cable, 73 73 00:02:47,370 --> 00:02:49,670 you're going to need one with an RJ45 connector 74 74 00:02:49,670 --> 00:02:52,300 on the cable and that cable tester. 75 75 00:02:52,300 --> 00:02:53,559 Now, if you work with a lot of different types 76 76 00:02:53,559 --> 00:02:57,040 of networks though, you may want to use a multi tester. 77 77 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:58,780 A multi-tasker isn't going to support 78 78 00:02:58,780 --> 00:03:01,480 just ethernet cables using RJ45, 79 79 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:05,010 but it can also support BNC connectors for coaxial cables, 80 80 00:03:05,010 --> 00:03:08,210 IDE connectors for hard drives, pata and sata connectors 81 81 00:03:08,210 --> 00:03:10,511 for internal computer devices, RJ45, 82 82 00:03:10,511 --> 00:03:13,820 again for your ethernet, RJ11 for your telephones, 83 83 00:03:13,820 --> 00:03:18,820 fiber, DB25, DB9s and anything else you might need to test. 84 84 00:03:19,090 --> 00:03:21,350 Next, we have a wire mapping tool. 85 85 00:03:21,350 --> 00:03:23,710 Now a wire map tool is like a cable tester, 86 86 00:03:23,710 --> 00:03:26,770 but it works specifically for twisted pair ethernet cables. 87 87 00:03:26,770 --> 00:03:28,940 In addition to testing the cable from end-to-end, 88 88 00:03:28,940 --> 00:03:30,990 we can diagnose any issues with that cable, 89 89 00:03:30,990 --> 00:03:33,230 such as an open pair, a shorted pair, 90 90 00:03:33,230 --> 00:03:35,580 a short between the pairs, a reverse pair, 91 91 00:03:35,580 --> 00:03:37,690 a cross pair or a split pair. 92 92 00:03:37,690 --> 00:03:40,240 Now, an open pair occurs when one or more conductors 93 93 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:42,780 in the pair are not connected on one of the pins 94 94 00:03:42,780 --> 00:03:44,270 at either end of the cable. 95 95 00:03:44,270 --> 00:03:46,140 In other words, the electrical continuity 96 96 00:03:46,140 --> 00:03:48,420 of the conductor is being interrupted. 97 97 00:03:48,420 --> 00:03:49,580 This can occur if the conductor 98 98 00:03:49,580 --> 00:03:51,620 has been physically broken somewhere in the middle 99 99 00:03:51,620 --> 00:03:54,298 or because you had an incomplete or improper punch down 100 100 00:03:54,298 --> 00:03:56,010 on a patch panel. 101 101 00:03:56,010 --> 00:03:58,770 Now, a short can occur when conductors of a wire pair 102 102 00:03:58,770 --> 00:03:59,980 are connected to each other 103 103 00:03:59,980 --> 00:04:02,150 at any location within the cable. 104 104 00:04:02,150 --> 00:04:03,800 A short between the pairs occurs 105 105 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:06,290 when the conductors of two wires in different pairs 106 106 00:04:06,290 --> 00:04:08,940 are connected at any location within the cable. 107 107 00:04:08,940 --> 00:04:11,780 A reverse pair occurs when two wires in a single pair 108 108 00:04:11,780 --> 00:04:14,330 are connected to the opposite pins of that pair 109 109 00:04:14,330 --> 00:04:16,000 on the other end of the cable 110 110 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,320 and cross pairs occur when both wires of one color pair 111 111 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:21,360 are connected to the pins of a different color pair 112 112 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:23,000 on the opposite end. 113 113 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:25,510 Split pairs occur when a wire from one pair 114 114 00:04:25,510 --> 00:04:26,920 is split away from the other 115 115 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:29,810 and crosses over the wire into an adjacent pair. 116 116 00:04:29,810 --> 00:04:30,880 Because this type of fault 117 117 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:32,920 essentially requires the same mistake to be made 118 118 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:34,480 at both ends of the cable, 119 119 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:36,310 it usually doesn't happen very often 120 120 00:04:36,310 --> 00:04:38,410 unless somebody meant to do it. 121 121 00:04:38,410 --> 00:04:40,500 Next, we have a cable certifier. 122 122 00:04:40,500 --> 00:04:41,537 Now, a cable certifier is used 123 123 00:04:41,537 --> 00:04:44,190 with an existing cable to determine its category 124 124 00:04:44,190 --> 00:04:45,660 or data throughput. 125 125 00:04:45,660 --> 00:04:47,560 I can plug into your network and find out, 126 126 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:51,920 is it a CAT5, CAT6, CAT5e, CAT7 or CAT8 network. 127 127 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:52,753 It's going to tell me 128 128 00:04:52,753 --> 00:04:54,610 based on the frequency range being used, 129 129 00:04:54,610 --> 00:04:56,160 what the throughput of the cables are 130 130 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:58,640 and the standard output is shown here on the screen, 131 131 00:04:58,640 --> 00:04:59,970 as you can see. 132 132 00:04:59,970 --> 00:05:01,980 Now, notice I have a wire mapping here 133 133 00:05:01,980 --> 00:05:03,470 that shows my pins are correct, 134 134 00:05:03,470 --> 00:05:05,000 that it's a straight-through cable. 135 135 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:07,580 It's also going to tell me how long this cable is. 136 136 00:05:07,580 --> 00:05:09,730 In this case, it knows it's 10 feet. 137 137 00:05:09,730 --> 00:05:11,990 Then it's going to tell me what the delay is on the cable. 138 138 00:05:11,990 --> 00:05:13,960 It tells me what the resistance is on the cable. 139 139 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:16,060 All that type of good information can be gotten 140 140 00:05:16,060 --> 00:05:17,740 from a cable certifier. 141 141 00:05:17,740 --> 00:05:19,608 Essentially, it can do a lot of the same functions 142 142 00:05:19,608 --> 00:05:22,430 as a cable tester, but it goes further 143 143 00:05:22,430 --> 00:05:23,990 and gives you additional details 144 144 00:05:23,990 --> 00:05:25,780 such as length and throughput. 145 145 00:05:25,780 --> 00:05:28,100 So I can use this to determine the length 146 146 00:05:28,100 --> 00:05:30,170 and make sure it's right for a particular cable 147 147 00:05:30,170 --> 00:05:32,260 or if the cable has been crimped properly, 148 148 00:05:32,260 --> 00:05:33,840 just like a cable tester does, 149 149 00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:36,810 but all this other information is really good too. 150 150 00:05:36,810 --> 00:05:38,920 Now, because of all this extra information, 151 151 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:41,040 these devices are more expensive. 152 152 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:42,970 When you're dealing with a simple cable tester, 153 153 00:05:42,970 --> 00:05:44,920 you can buy that for about $10, 154 154 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:49,920 but a cable certifier might cost you 100 or 200 or $300. 155 155 00:05:49,970 --> 00:05:51,900 Next, we have a multimeter. 156 156 00:05:51,900 --> 00:05:53,398 A multimeter is a way to check the voltage 157 157 00:05:53,398 --> 00:05:56,630 or amperage or the resistance of a copper cable. 158 158 00:05:56,630 --> 00:05:59,010 This can used to verify if a cable is broken or not 159 159 00:05:59,010 --> 00:06:00,530 by checking its resistance. 160 160 00:06:00,530 --> 00:06:03,140 Now, if I check a copper cable from end-to-end, 161 161 00:06:03,140 --> 00:06:06,390 I should get something at zero resistance or zero ohms, 162 162 00:06:06,390 --> 00:06:09,340 because the center of that wire is pure copper. 163 163 00:06:09,340 --> 00:06:12,470 Now, if there's a high level of resistance or an overload, 164 164 00:06:12,470 --> 00:06:14,990 that means there's a break in the cable somewhere. 165 165 00:06:14,990 --> 00:06:17,980 Now, multimeters can be used to check coaxial cables as well 166 166 00:06:17,980 --> 00:06:19,460 to ensure there's no cuts or breaks 167 167 00:06:19,460 --> 00:06:21,020 in the middle of a patch run 168 168 00:06:21,020 --> 00:06:24,700 or it can be used to test power sources and power cords. 169 169 00:06:24,700 --> 00:06:26,190 For example, before I plug a computer 170 170 00:06:26,190 --> 00:06:28,610 or a switch or a router into an outlet, 171 171 00:06:28,610 --> 00:06:29,900 I might want to check that outlet 172 172 00:06:29,900 --> 00:06:32,220 and verify I'm getting the right voltage. 173 173 00:06:32,220 --> 00:06:36,260 Is it getting 115 to 125 volts here in America? 174 174 00:06:36,260 --> 00:06:37,210 That would be right. 175 175 00:06:37,210 --> 00:06:40,860 If I'm in Europe, I should be getting 230 to 240 volts. 176 176 00:06:40,860 --> 00:06:43,430 Either way, I can test that using my multimeter 177 177 00:06:43,430 --> 00:06:45,960 and make sure I'm getting good, clean, reliable power 178 178 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:48,120 before I connect my very expensive switches, 179 179 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:51,260 routers and other gear into those power outlets. 180 180 00:06:51,260 --> 00:06:53,270 Next, we have a punch down block. 181 181 00:06:53,270 --> 00:06:55,960 If I'm going to be using a 66 block or a 110 block 182 182 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:57,680 for either my phones or my networks 183 183 00:06:57,680 --> 00:06:59,420 or even my network jacks in the wall, 184 184 00:06:59,420 --> 00:07:02,610 I'm going to be using punch down tools to install those cables. 185 185 00:07:02,610 --> 00:07:05,020 This is going to terminate the wire on the punch down block 186 186 00:07:05,020 --> 00:07:07,020 and strip off the excess installation 187 187 00:07:07,020 --> 00:07:10,470 and trimming off all the extra wires that we no longer need. 188 188 00:07:10,470 --> 00:07:14,200 Next, we have a tone generator, also known as a toner probe. 189 189 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:16,220 Now, a tone generator allows a technician 190 190 00:07:16,220 --> 00:07:18,370 to generate a tone on one end of the connection 191 191 00:07:18,370 --> 00:07:20,020 and use the probe to audibly detect 192 192 00:07:20,020 --> 00:07:22,350 the wire connected on the other side. 193 193 00:07:22,350 --> 00:07:24,520 This is often called a fox and hound, 194 194 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:26,660 because the fox generates the tone 195 195 00:07:26,660 --> 00:07:28,720 and then the hound is used to sniff it out 196 196 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:31,050 and find it using that toner probe. 197 197 00:07:31,050 --> 00:07:32,824 A tone generator is going to be used to understand 198 198 00:07:32,824 --> 00:07:35,720 where the cables are running inside of your walls 199 199 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:38,160 whenever you have an unlabeled or undocumented network 200 200 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:39,640 and you need to figure out which wire 201 201 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:42,340 is connected to which jack inside your building. 202 202 00:07:42,340 --> 00:07:45,680 Next, we have a loopback adapter or loopback device. 203 203 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:47,425 These loopback adapters are going to be different 204 204 00:07:47,425 --> 00:07:49,900 depending on whether or not you're using ethernet 205 205 00:07:49,900 --> 00:07:51,530 or fiber in your networks. 206 206 00:07:51,530 --> 00:07:54,000 Now, if you're using twisted pair cabling in your networks, 207 207 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,670 you can create your own inexpensive loopback adapter 208 208 00:07:56,670 --> 00:07:59,220 by simply connecting some of the twisted pair of wires 209 209 00:07:59,220 --> 00:08:01,470 from the transmit side to the receive pins 210 210 00:08:01,470 --> 00:08:04,280 inside the same RJ45 connector. 211 211 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:06,260 Essentially, you need to have your transmit plus 212 212 00:08:06,260 --> 00:08:07,580 going to your receive plus, 213 213 00:08:07,580 --> 00:08:09,800 which means pin one goes to pin three, 214 214 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:12,420 then you need transmit minus going to receive minus. 215 215 00:08:12,420 --> 00:08:14,830 This is pin two going to pin six. 216 216 00:08:14,830 --> 00:08:16,630 If you're using fiber in your networks, 217 217 00:08:16,630 --> 00:08:18,490 you can simply connect your transmit port 218 218 00:08:18,490 --> 00:08:20,970 to your receive port using a fiber patch cable 219 219 00:08:20,970 --> 00:08:23,070 and this creates a loopback for you. 220 220 00:08:23,070 --> 00:08:24,470 This is extremely easy to do 221 221 00:08:24,470 --> 00:08:26,640 if you're using an ST or SC connection 222 222 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:28,960 and they do make specialized loopback plugs 223 223 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:30,360 in a small form factor, 224 224 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:31,630 so you can carry these in your pocket 225 225 00:08:31,630 --> 00:08:33,590 when you're working as a network technician. 226 226 00:08:33,590 --> 00:08:36,200 Now, once you connect your loopback adapter to your network, 227 227 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:38,490 you can then use specialized diagnostic software 228 228 00:08:38,490 --> 00:08:40,120 to test the connectivity of the client 229 229 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:42,320 and ensure everything's working properly. 230 230 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:44,160 Next, we have a TDR, 231 231 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:46,640 which is known as a time-domain reflectometer. 232 232 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:48,300 Now, a time-domain reflectometer 233 233 00:08:48,300 --> 00:08:50,520 is going to locate breaks in a copper cable 234 234 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:51,906 and provide an estimate of the severity 235 235 00:08:51,906 --> 00:08:54,020 and the distance to that break. 236 236 00:08:54,020 --> 00:08:56,550 If I have cable running underground between two buildings 237 237 00:08:56,550 --> 00:08:58,290 and I need to figure out where it's broken, 238 238 00:08:58,290 --> 00:08:59,480 because my network stopped working 239 239 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:01,430 and I need to dig a hole and fix that, 240 240 00:09:01,430 --> 00:09:05,060 I can use a TDR to look at exactly where that break is. 241 241 00:09:05,060 --> 00:09:07,280 When the TDR is run, it's going to report back 242 242 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:09,920 that there's a break at approximately 87 feet away 243 243 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:12,030 and now I know exactly where to dig, 244 244 00:09:12,030 --> 00:09:14,860 being able to access that cable and then patch that cable. 245 245 00:09:14,860 --> 00:09:16,760 Now there's also an optical version of this, 246 246 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:20,290 called an optical time-domain reflectometer or OTDR. 247 247 00:09:20,290 --> 00:09:22,380 This is going to be used for fiber optic cables. 248 248 00:09:22,380 --> 00:09:23,700 It works the same way, 249 249 00:09:23,700 --> 00:09:25,800 but instead of using the resistance of the wire, 250 250 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:28,050 we're using light and the bounce back for it. 251 251 00:09:28,050 --> 00:09:30,760 This is really helpful, especially with fiber optic cables, 252 252 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:32,790 because remember, your fiber optic cables 253 253 00:09:32,790 --> 00:09:34,840 can be many, many miles long 254 254 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:38,100 and so knowing that the break is at 3.57 miles away 255 255 00:09:38,100 --> 00:09:40,260 is a lot more useful than trying to figure out 256 256 00:09:40,260 --> 00:09:41,540 where it is on your own. 257 257 00:09:41,540 --> 00:09:42,930 This is going to be essential 258 258 00:09:42,930 --> 00:09:44,600 if you're using fiber underground, 259 259 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:47,160 then you want to make sure you have an OTDR, 260 260 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:48,530 because you won't be able to visually inspect 261 261 00:09:48,530 --> 00:09:50,600 your fiber if it's buried. 262 262 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:52,670 Next, we have a fiber light meter, 263 263 00:09:52,670 --> 00:09:54,970 also known as an optical power meter. 264 264 00:09:54,970 --> 00:09:56,610 Now, a fiber light meter is a device 265 265 00:09:56,610 --> 00:09:59,500 that provides a continuous wave of stable source of energy 266 266 00:09:59,500 --> 00:10:01,290 for attenuation measurements. 267 267 00:10:01,290 --> 00:10:03,880 Essentially, this device is going to include a source, 268 268 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:06,460 like a laser or an LED and it's going to be stabilized 269 269 00:10:06,460 --> 00:10:08,520 using an automatic gain control mechanism, 270 270 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:10,460 so we can accurately measure how effective 271 271 00:10:10,460 --> 00:10:13,490 a fiber optic cable is transmitting that light. 272 272 00:10:13,490 --> 00:10:15,300 If you're using multimode fibers, 273 273 00:10:15,300 --> 00:10:18,130 you're going to use an LED-based fiber light meter. 274 274 00:10:18,130 --> 00:10:19,870 If you're using single mode fibers, 275 275 00:10:19,870 --> 00:10:22,900 you need to use a laser-based fiber light meter. 276 276 00:10:22,900 --> 00:10:24,620 Basically, you're going to connect one part 277 277 00:10:24,620 --> 00:10:25,720 of the fiber light meter 278 278 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:27,690 to each end of the fiber connection. 279 279 00:10:27,690 --> 00:10:29,860 One end is going to send light down the fiber, 280 280 00:10:29,860 --> 00:10:32,570 the other end is going to measure how much is being received. 281 281 00:10:32,570 --> 00:10:34,840 Then it's going to report back to you in decibels, 282 282 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:36,270 the amount of loss experienced 283 283 00:10:36,270 --> 00:10:38,430 as the light traveled along the cable. 284 284 00:10:38,430 --> 00:10:41,020 If the loss is higher than 0.5 decibels, 285 285 00:10:41,020 --> 00:10:43,160 both ends of the fiber should be cleaned, 286 286 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:45,260 polished and retested once more. 287 287 00:10:45,260 --> 00:10:47,140 Next, we have fusion splicers. 288 288 00:10:47,140 --> 00:10:48,840 Now, a fusion splicer is a machine 289 289 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:51,560 that's used to permanently join two fibers together. 290 290 00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:53,370 If you have a break in a fiber cable, 291 291 00:10:53,370 --> 00:10:55,820 a fusion splicer is going to be used to cut out that break 292 292 00:10:55,820 --> 00:10:59,110 and then reconnect or splice them back together again. 293 293 00:10:59,110 --> 00:11:01,090 If you're dealing with a fiber patch cable, 294 294 00:11:01,090 --> 00:11:03,240 I wouldn't bother using a fusion splicer. 295 295 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:05,340 Instead, you're just going to replace the cable, 296 296 00:11:05,340 --> 00:11:07,720 but if you have a really long fiber cable 297 297 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:09,940 running between two buildings or across the city, 298 298 00:11:09,940 --> 00:11:11,760 that is a time where it's going to be a lot cheaper 299 299 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:14,800 to fix that broken fiber by using a fusion splicer 300 300 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:15,760 than it would be to dig up 301 301 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:18,190 and replace the entire cable again. 302 302 00:11:18,190 --> 00:11:20,030 Fusion splicers are going to require training 303 303 00:11:20,030 --> 00:11:22,770 to properly use them and it's a very specialized skillset 304 304 00:11:22,770 --> 00:11:24,590 and a job for a network technician 305 305 00:11:24,590 --> 00:11:26,440 who works a lot with fiber networks. 306 306 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:29,150 I'll tell you personally, I've never used a fusion splicer. 307 307 00:11:29,150 --> 00:11:31,450 I've hired people when I had that need. 308 308 00:11:31,450 --> 00:11:32,950 Next, we have a tap. 309 309 00:11:32,950 --> 00:11:34,798 A tap is a simple device that connects directly 310 310 00:11:34,798 --> 00:11:36,450 to the cable infrastructure 311 311 00:11:36,450 --> 00:11:39,710 and splits or copies those packets for use in analysis, 312 312 00:11:39,710 --> 00:11:42,150 security or general network management. 313 313 00:11:42,150 --> 00:11:43,220 You're going to need to purchase 314 314 00:11:43,220 --> 00:11:45,740 and install the appropriate tap for your type of network, 315 315 00:11:45,740 --> 00:11:48,290 depending on if you're using copper or fiber. 316 316 00:11:48,290 --> 00:11:50,620 Now, basically you're going to connect the tap inline 317 317 00:11:50,620 --> 00:11:53,160 to your network and it's going to create a duplicate copy 318 318 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:55,720 of every frame, one going out the tap port, 319 319 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:56,560 where it's going to be collected 320 320 00:11:56,560 --> 00:11:58,820 and analyzed by your cybersecurity tool set 321 321 00:11:58,820 --> 00:12:00,410 and the other one out to your network, 322 322 00:12:00,410 --> 00:12:02,560 so it can be processed by the equipment. 323 323 00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:04,570 This is used heavily in cybersecurity, 324 324 00:12:04,570 --> 00:12:06,340 but it can also be used in network management 325 325 00:12:06,340 --> 00:12:08,090 and network operations. 326 326 00:12:08,090 --> 00:12:10,340 Finally, we have a spectrum analyzer, 327 327 00:12:10,340 --> 00:12:12,039 a spectrum analyzer is a device that measures 328 328 00:12:12,039 --> 00:12:14,140 and displays the signal amplitude 329 329 00:12:14,140 --> 00:12:16,720 or the strength as it varies by frequency 330 330 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:19,660 within its frequency range known as the spectrum. 331 331 00:12:19,660 --> 00:12:22,110 Now, the frequency is going to appear on the X-axis 332 332 00:12:22,110 --> 00:12:23,590 or the horizontal access 333 333 00:12:23,590 --> 00:12:26,360 and the amplitude is going to be displayed on the Y-axis 334 334 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:28,080 or the vertical axis. 335 335 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:29,800 A spectrum analyzer is going to be used 336 336 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:31,220 to measure the electrical signals 337 337 00:12:31,220 --> 00:12:33,350 that are being passed over that medium. 338 338 00:12:33,350 --> 00:12:35,540 Now, the medium could be a copper cable, 339 339 00:12:35,540 --> 00:12:37,380 such as ethernet or coaxial 340 340 00:12:37,380 --> 00:12:39,320 or it could be a radio frequency 341 341 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:41,630 if you're listening to a particular radio wave. 342 342 00:12:41,630 --> 00:12:43,850 If you're working with a satellite connection, for instance, 343 343 00:12:43,850 --> 00:12:46,670 you might use a spectrum analyzer to ensure your modem 344 344 00:12:46,670 --> 00:12:48,230 and radio are properly sending 345 345 00:12:48,230 --> 00:12:51,600 and receiving the carrier waves to and from that satellite. 346 346 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:53,523 Again, this is a more specialized tool 347 347 00:12:53,523 --> 00:12:55,450 that most entry-level network technicians 348 348 00:12:55,450 --> 00:12:57,540 are not going to find themselves operating. 349 349 00:12:57,540 --> 00:12:59,316 All right, I know that was a lot of different tools 350 350 00:12:59,316 --> 00:13:00,940 that we just covered. 351 351 00:13:00,940 --> 00:13:02,930 Remember, when you're dealing with the physical layer 352 352 00:13:02,930 --> 00:13:04,580 of your network, especially if you're dealing 353 353 00:13:04,580 --> 00:13:06,410 with copper or fiber cabling, 354 354 00:13:06,410 --> 00:13:08,380 you're going to be using a lot of different tools 355 355 00:13:08,380 --> 00:13:09,910 for a lot of different things. 356 356 00:13:09,910 --> 00:13:12,120 This includes things like snips and cutters, 357 357 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:15,330 cable strippers, cable crimpers, cable testers, 358 358 00:13:15,330 --> 00:13:18,600 wire maps, cable certifiers, multimeters, 359 359 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:22,020 punch down tools, tone generators, loopback adapters, 360 360 00:13:22,020 --> 00:13:23,690 time-domain reflectometers, 361 361 00:13:23,690 --> 00:13:26,790 optical timed-domain reflectometers, fiber light meters, 362 362 00:13:26,790 --> 00:13:30,440 fusion splicers, taps and spectrum analyzers. 363 363 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:32,600 For the exam, it's important for you to understand 364 364 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:34,850 which tool you might use to troubleshoot 365 365 00:13:34,850 --> 00:13:37,050 which type of cable and which type of issue.