Computer Network - UTP AND STP CABLE applications

Different types of UTP and STP cable.

UTP Cable - Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cables are frequently utilized in the computer and telecommunications industries as telephone wires and Ethernet cables. The conductors that make up a single circuit in a UTP cable are twisted around one another to cancel out external sources of electromagnetic interference (EMI).

STP Cable - Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) has four wire pairs with each wire twisted together. However, STP differs in that it has copper braided around the wires and is surrounded by a foil shield, providing greater protection against external electromagnetic interference. The shielding makes the cable physically larger, install and terminate it more difficult, and cost more than UTP. STP utilizes RJ-45, RJ-11, RS-232, and RS-449 connectors for applications in electrically noisy environments. STP also comes in Cat 2, 3, 4, or 5 grades, like UTP; However, for all data applications, only Cat5 is recommended. With no signal regenerating device, the maximum cable length and data transfer rate are 100 meters and 500 Mbps, respectively.

Straight Through and Crossover cable applications.

Straight through cables are twisted pair cables that connect computers to a network hub and local area networks, like routers. For both of the cable's ends, use the same wire standard: T568A and T568B should be used for the ends. One end of straight-through cables can only communicate at a time. Cables come in two primary varieties. They are the best for connecting two different kinds of networking equipment. For instance, they can be utilized to connect a computer to a switch, router, or printer.

Two or more computers can be connected with a crossover cable. The transmission and receive signals are flipped by the crossover cables' internal wiring. It connects two devices of the same type, which is common: for instance, connecting two switches or computers. Crossover Ethernet cables are very similar to standard Ethernet cables in terms of appearance. Nevertheless, they differ in the order in which the wires are arranged. This kind of Ethernet cable is designed to connect directly to similar network devices via Ethernet. Most of the time, crossover cables connect two hosts directly.You should use straight-through cable when you want to connect two devices of different types, then use a crossover cable when you want to connect two devices of the same type. 

When connecting two devices of different types, you should use a straight-through cable; when connecting devices of the same type, you should use a crossover cable. 

T-568A and T-568B standards

There are two major Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable wiring standards used widely in networking industry. Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)/Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) developed the TIA/EIA 568A & TIA/EIA 568B standards for Unshielded Twisted Pair wiring. TIA/EIA 568A and TIA/EIA-568B standards determine the order of the wires placed in the RJ45 connector. Functionally, there is no difference between TIA/EIA 568A and TIA/EIA-568B standards. Only the difference is that the position of Green and Orange wires are switched. 

What is a Patch Panel and what its purpose in in Computer Network?

A patch panel is an efficient and adaptable networking device that makes it much simpler to move, add, or modify the cabling infrastructure in the future and keeps your data center or server room organized. Based on the cables they are working with, patch panels in typical data center infrastructure typically fall into two categories: Ethernet patch panels in addition to fiber optic patch panels. Both of them can be customized to meet a variety of network cabling requirements and come in a variety of designs, configurations, and port counts. Since patch panels are used for cabling installations in almost all business network setups, they are one of the few components that is used in both copper and fiber cabling networks. Patch panels give you flexibility and eliminate the need to re-run cables or move equipment if something breaks or needs to be changed. Punching down the cable to patch panels, for instance, can provide mechanical relief to the relatively costly switch ports. If the cable from the ceiling or wall were to be plugged directly into a switch port, it could be pulled, pushed, and so on. And it doesn't take much for an RJ-45 plug to lose connectivity in this way, either with the inside of a switch port or with the cable itself.