1 00:00:00,300 --> 00:00:01,260 In this lesson, 2 00:00:01,260 --> 00:00:03,240 we're going to discuss the various tools we use 3 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:05,460 when working at the physical layer of our networks, 4 00:00:05,460 --> 00:00:07,860 especially with copper and fiber cabling. 5 00:00:07,860 --> 00:00:10,650 This includes snips and cutters, cable, strippers, 6 00:00:10,650 --> 00:00:14,850 cable crimpers, cable testers, wire maps, cable certifiers, 7 00:00:14,850 --> 00:00:18,030 multimeters, punch down tools, tone generators, 8 00:00:18,030 --> 00:00:20,910 loopback adapters, time-domain reflectometers, 9 00:00:20,910 --> 00:00:23,010 optical time-domain reflectometers, 10 00:00:23,010 --> 00:00:25,890 fiber light meters, fusion splicers, TAPs, 11 00:00:25,890 --> 00:00:27,630 and a spectrum analyzer. 12 00:00:27,630 --> 00:00:29,790 Whew, lots of stuff we're going to cover. 13 00:00:29,790 --> 00:00:31,770 All right, the first cabling tool we have 14 00:00:31,770 --> 00:00:34,080 is probably the most basic one that we're going to cover, 15 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:35,910 and it's a snip or a cutter. 16 00:00:35,910 --> 00:00:38,760 A snip or a cutter is used to simply cut a piece of cable 17 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,220 off of a larger spool or run of cable. 18 00:00:41,220 --> 00:00:43,530 Now a snip looks a lot like a pair of scissors, 19 00:00:43,530 --> 00:00:45,090 but it has stronger blades 20 00:00:45,090 --> 00:00:46,500 because we're going to use it to cut off 21 00:00:46,500 --> 00:00:49,290 twisted pair copper cables, coaxial cables, 22 00:00:49,290 --> 00:00:51,540 or even larger cable bundles. 23 00:00:51,540 --> 00:00:53,580 Next we have cable strippers. 24 00:00:53,580 --> 00:00:55,230 Now once we cut the piece of cabling 25 00:00:55,230 --> 00:00:57,450 off the larger spool using our snips, 26 00:00:57,450 --> 00:00:59,910 we now need to strip off the end of the cable 27 00:00:59,910 --> 00:01:03,480 and prepare it for attachment to a plastic RJ45 connector 28 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:05,580 or whatever kind of connector we're going to use. 29 00:01:05,580 --> 00:01:08,670 For example, let's say I wanted to create a crossover cable. 30 00:01:08,670 --> 00:01:11,160 I'm going to cut off some twisted copper from the spool. 31 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,800 Then I'm going to strip both ends using a cable stripper. 32 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:16,320 This allows me to remove around six to 12 inches 33 00:01:16,320 --> 00:01:18,870 from the outer plastic jacket at the end of the cable. 34 00:01:18,870 --> 00:01:20,880 And then I can spread out those inner wires, 35 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:23,460 prepare to attach the RJ45 connector to them, 36 00:01:23,460 --> 00:01:26,670 and then I'm going to have to use a crimper to do that. 37 00:01:26,670 --> 00:01:28,770 Now if I'm making a coaxial cable, 38 00:01:28,770 --> 00:01:31,410 I would then use a coaxial specific wire stripper 39 00:01:31,410 --> 00:01:34,530 to remove the outer jacket of the cable and the insulation, 40 00:01:34,530 --> 00:01:37,050 so I can now get to that center conduit 41 00:01:37,050 --> 00:01:39,570 for that RG6 connector to go through 42 00:01:39,570 --> 00:01:41,730 and be put on the end of that cable. 43 00:01:41,730 --> 00:01:43,800 Next we're going to use a cable crimper, 44 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:45,330 and this is how we attach the connector 45 00:01:45,330 --> 00:01:46,680 to the end of the cable. 46 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:49,260 Again, let's say I'm making that crossover cable. 47 00:01:49,260 --> 00:01:51,390 I need to use an RJ45 connector 48 00:01:51,390 --> 00:01:54,030 and RJ45-specific cable crimper. 49 00:01:54,030 --> 00:01:56,040 Normally, your cable crimper is going to be used 50 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:57,360 for twisted pair cabling 51 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:01,320 and it's going to support both RJ45 and RJ11 connectors. 52 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:03,210 If you're working with coaxial cables, 53 00:02:03,210 --> 00:02:05,130 there's a different cable crimper you'll use 54 00:02:05,130 --> 00:02:09,120 that'll support RJ6 or RG59 connectors. 55 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:10,710 All right, now that we've created our cable 56 00:02:10,710 --> 00:02:13,080 using our snips and cutters, our cable stripper, 57 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:14,310 and our cable crimper, 58 00:02:14,310 --> 00:02:15,810 we need to test the cable 59 00:02:15,810 --> 00:02:18,150 and this is where we use a cable tester. 60 00:02:18,150 --> 00:02:20,880 A cable tester is going to be used to verify the continuity 61 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:22,710 of each of the eight individual wires 62 00:02:22,710 --> 00:02:24,840 inside of that twisted pair cable. 63 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:27,300 This will verify there's no breaks inside the cable, 64 00:02:27,300 --> 00:02:30,150 and then we have good continuity from one end to the other. 65 00:02:30,150 --> 00:02:31,560 By using a cable tester, 66 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:33,600 we can verify the pin outs were done properly 67 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:36,150 and that each individual wire in the twisted pair cable 68 00:02:36,150 --> 00:02:38,190 is properly connected for a straight through 69 00:02:38,190 --> 00:02:40,980 or crossover cable, whichever one we were making. 70 00:02:40,980 --> 00:02:42,480 Now, there are different types of testers 71 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:44,010 for different types of cable. 72 00:02:44,010 --> 00:02:45,780 If you're testing an ethernet cable, 73 00:02:45,780 --> 00:02:49,020 you're going to need one with an RJ45 connector on the cable 74 00:02:49,020 --> 00:02:50,730 and that cable tester. 75 00:02:50,730 --> 00:02:51,840 Now, if you work with a lot 76 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:53,280 of different types of networks though, 77 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:55,470 you may want to use a multi-tester. 78 00:02:55,470 --> 00:02:57,210 A multi-tester isn't going to support 79 00:02:57,210 --> 00:02:59,940 just ethernet cables using RJ45, 80 00:02:59,940 --> 00:03:03,450 but it can also support BNC connectors for coaxial cables, 81 00:03:03,450 --> 00:03:05,310 IDE connectors for hard drives, 82 00:03:05,310 --> 00:03:08,370 PATA and SATA connectors for internal computer devices, 83 00:03:08,370 --> 00:03:12,330 RJ45, again, for your ethernet, RJ11 for your telephones, 84 00:03:12,330 --> 00:03:17,330 fiber, DB25, DB9s, and anything else you might need to test. 85 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:19,770 Next, we have a wire mapping tool. 86 00:03:19,770 --> 00:03:22,110 Now, a wire map tool is like a cable tester, 87 00:03:22,110 --> 00:03:25,200 but it works specifically for twisted pair ethernet cables. 88 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:27,360 In addition to testing the cable from end to end, 89 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:29,400 we can diagnose any issues with that cable 90 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:31,650 such as an open pair, a shorted pair, 91 00:03:31,650 --> 00:03:34,800 a short between the pairs, a reverse pair, a cross pair, 92 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:36,090 or a split pair. 93 00:03:36,090 --> 00:03:38,670 Now, an open pair occurs when one or more conductors 94 00:03:38,670 --> 00:03:41,220 in the pair are not connected on one of the pins 95 00:03:41,220 --> 00:03:42,690 at either end of the cable. 96 00:03:42,690 --> 00:03:45,300 In other words, the electrical continuity of the conductor 97 00:03:45,300 --> 00:03:46,830 is being interrupted. 98 00:03:46,830 --> 00:03:48,000 This can occur if the conductor 99 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:50,040 has been physically broken somewhere in the middle 100 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:51,720 or because you had an incomplete 101 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:54,480 or improper punch down on a patch panel. 102 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:57,210 Now, a short can occur when conductors of a wire pair 103 00:03:57,210 --> 00:03:59,310 are connected to each other at any location 104 00:03:59,310 --> 00:04:00,570 within the cable. 105 00:04:00,570 --> 00:04:02,250 A short between the pairs occurs 106 00:04:02,250 --> 00:04:04,710 when the conductors of two wires in different pairs 107 00:04:04,710 --> 00:04:07,380 are connected at any location within the cable. 108 00:04:07,380 --> 00:04:10,200 A reverse pair occurs when two wires in a single pair 109 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:12,720 are connected to the opposite pins of that pair 110 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:14,430 on the other end of the cable. 111 00:04:14,430 --> 00:04:17,760 And cross pairs occur when both wires of one color pair 112 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:19,800 are connected to the pins of a different color pair 113 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:21,450 on the opposite end. 114 00:04:21,450 --> 00:04:23,970 Split pairs occur when a wire from one pair 115 00:04:23,970 --> 00:04:25,410 is split away from the other 116 00:04:25,410 --> 00:04:28,260 and crosses over the wire into an adjacent pair. 117 00:04:28,260 --> 00:04:29,310 Because this type of fault 118 00:04:29,310 --> 00:04:30,780 essentially requires the same mistake 119 00:04:30,780 --> 00:04:32,940 to be made at both ends of the cable, 120 00:04:32,940 --> 00:04:34,740 it usually doesn't happen very often 121 00:04:34,740 --> 00:04:36,840 unless somebody meant to do it. 122 00:04:36,840 --> 00:04:38,910 Next we have a cable certifier. 123 00:04:38,910 --> 00:04:41,490 Now, cable certifier is used with an existing cable 124 00:04:41,490 --> 00:04:44,100 to determine its category or data throughput. 125 00:04:44,100 --> 00:04:45,270 I can plug into your network 126 00:04:45,270 --> 00:04:47,190 and find out is it a Cat5, 127 00:04:47,190 --> 00:04:50,340 Cat6, Cat5e, Cat7, or Cat8 network. 128 00:04:50,340 --> 00:04:53,040 It's going to tell me, based on the frequency range being used, 129 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:54,570 what the throughput of the cables are 130 00:04:54,570 --> 00:04:57,060 and the standard output is shown here on the screen 131 00:04:57,060 --> 00:04:58,380 as you can see. 132 00:04:58,380 --> 00:05:00,420 Now, notice I have a wire mapping here 133 00:05:00,420 --> 00:05:01,890 that shows my pins are correct, 134 00:05:01,890 --> 00:05:03,450 that it's a straight through cable. 135 00:05:03,450 --> 00:05:06,000 It's also going to tell me how long this cable is. 136 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:08,160 In this case, it knows it's 10 feet. 137 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:10,440 Then it's going to tell me what the delay is on the cable. 138 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:12,390 It tells me what the resistance is on the cable. 139 00:05:12,390 --> 00:05:14,490 All that type of good information can be gotten 140 00:05:14,490 --> 00:05:16,140 from a cable certifier. 141 00:05:16,140 --> 00:05:18,330 Essentially, it can do a lot of the same functions 142 00:05:18,330 --> 00:05:19,470 as a cable tester, 143 00:05:19,470 --> 00:05:22,440 but it goes further and gives you additional details 144 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:24,240 such as length and throughput. 145 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:26,550 So I can use this to determine the length 146 00:05:26,550 --> 00:05:28,620 and make sure it's right for a particular cable 147 00:05:28,620 --> 00:05:30,690 or if the cable has been crimped properly 148 00:05:30,690 --> 00:05:32,280 just like a cable tester does. 149 00:05:32,280 --> 00:05:35,250 But all this other information is really good too. 150 00:05:35,250 --> 00:05:37,350 Now, because of all this extra information, 151 00:05:37,350 --> 00:05:39,480 these devices are more expensive. 152 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:41,400 When you're dealing with a simple cable tester, 153 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:43,350 you can buy that for about $10, 154 00:05:43,350 --> 00:05:48,350 but a cable certifier might cost you $100 or $200 or $300. 155 00:05:48,390 --> 00:05:50,310 Next, we have a multimeter. 156 00:05:50,310 --> 00:05:52,890 A multimeter is a way to check the voltage or amperage 157 00:05:52,890 --> 00:05:55,080 or the resistance of a copper cable. 158 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:57,420 This can be used to verify if a cable is broken or not 159 00:05:57,420 --> 00:05:58,950 by checking its resistance. 160 00:05:58,950 --> 00:06:01,590 Now, if I check a copper cable from end to end, 161 00:06:01,590 --> 00:06:04,800 I should get something at zero resistance or zero ohms 162 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:07,770 because the center of that wire is pure copper. 163 00:06:07,770 --> 00:06:10,890 Now, if there's a high level of resistance or an overload, 164 00:06:10,890 --> 00:06:13,410 that means there's a break in the cable somewhere. 165 00:06:13,410 --> 00:06:16,410 Now, multimeters can be used to check coaxial cables as well 166 00:06:16,410 --> 00:06:17,880 to ensure there's no cuts or breaks 167 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:19,470 in the middle of a patch run. 168 00:06:19,470 --> 00:06:23,130 Or it can be used to test power sources and power cords. 169 00:06:23,130 --> 00:06:24,990 For example, before I plug a computer 170 00:06:24,990 --> 00:06:27,030 or a switch or a router into an outlet, 171 00:06:27,030 --> 00:06:28,320 I might want to check that outlet 172 00:06:28,320 --> 00:06:30,660 and verify I'm getting the right voltage. 173 00:06:30,660 --> 00:06:34,680 Is it getting 115 to 125 volts here in America? 174 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:35,670 That would be right. 175 00:06:35,670 --> 00:06:39,300 If I'm in Europe, I should be getting 230 to 240 volts. 176 00:06:39,300 --> 00:06:41,910 Either way, I can test that using my multimeter 177 00:06:41,910 --> 00:06:44,400 and make sure I'm getting good, clean, reliable power 178 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:47,310 before I connect my very expensive switches, routers, 179 00:06:47,310 --> 00:06:49,680 other gear into those power outlets. 180 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:51,450 Next, we have a punch down tools. 181 00:06:51,450 --> 00:06:53,220 If I'm going to be using a 66 block 182 00:06:53,220 --> 00:06:55,860 or a 110 block for either my phones or my networks 183 00:06:55,860 --> 00:06:57,600 or even my network jacks in the wall, 184 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:00,780 I'm going to be using punch down tools to install those cables. 185 00:07:00,780 --> 00:07:03,300 This is going to terminate the wire on the punch down block 186 00:07:03,300 --> 00:07:05,220 and strip off the excess insulation 187 00:07:05,220 --> 00:07:08,640 and trimming off all the extra wires that we no longer need. 188 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:12,360 Next, we have a tone generator, also known as a toner probe. 189 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:14,370 Now, a tone generator allows a technician 190 00:07:14,370 --> 00:07:16,620 to generate a tone on one end of the connection 191 00:07:16,620 --> 00:07:19,110 and use the probe to audibly detect the wire connected 192 00:07:19,110 --> 00:07:20,520 on the other side. 193 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:22,710 This is often called a fox and hound 194 00:07:22,710 --> 00:07:24,900 because the fox generates the tone 195 00:07:24,900 --> 00:07:26,910 and then the hound is used to sniff it out 196 00:07:26,910 --> 00:07:29,220 and find it using that toner probe. 197 00:07:29,220 --> 00:07:31,320 A tone generator is going to be used to understand 198 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:33,930 where the cables are running inside of your walls 199 00:07:33,930 --> 00:07:36,087 whenever you have an unlabeled or undocumented network 200 00:07:36,087 --> 00:07:38,310 and you need to figure out which wire is connected 201 00:07:38,310 --> 00:07:40,500 to which jack inside your building. 202 00:07:40,500 --> 00:07:43,860 Next, we have a loopback adapter or a loopback device. 203 00:07:43,860 --> 00:07:45,930 These loopback adapters are going to be different 204 00:07:45,930 --> 00:07:48,060 depending on whether or not you're using ethernet 205 00:07:48,060 --> 00:07:49,710 or fiber in your networks. 206 00:07:49,710 --> 00:07:52,170 Now, if you're using twisted pair cabling in your networks, 207 00:07:52,170 --> 00:07:54,870 you can create your own inexpensive loopback adapter 208 00:07:54,870 --> 00:07:57,420 by simply connecting some of the twisted pair wires 209 00:07:57,420 --> 00:07:59,670 from the transmit side to the receive pins 210 00:07:59,670 --> 00:08:02,430 inside the same RJ45 connector. 211 00:08:02,430 --> 00:08:04,680 Essentially, you need to have your transmit plus going 212 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:07,980 to your receive plus, which means pin one goes to pin three. 213 00:08:07,980 --> 00:08:10,590 Then you need transmit minus going to receive minus. 214 00:08:10,590 --> 00:08:13,020 This is pin two going to pin six. 215 00:08:13,020 --> 00:08:14,790 If you're using fiber in your networks, 216 00:08:14,790 --> 00:08:16,680 you can simply connect your transmit port 217 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:19,230 to your receive port using a fiber patch cable, 218 00:08:19,230 --> 00:08:21,240 and this creates a loopback for you. 219 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:23,640 This is extremely easy to do if you're using an ST 220 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:24,930 or SC connection, 221 00:08:24,930 --> 00:08:27,120 and they do make specialized loopback plugs 222 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:28,500 in a small form factor 223 00:08:28,500 --> 00:08:29,790 so you can carry these in your pocket 224 00:08:29,790 --> 00:08:31,740 when you're working as a network technician. 225 00:08:31,740 --> 00:08:33,539 Now, once you connect your loopback adapter 226 00:08:33,539 --> 00:08:34,373 to your network, 227 00:08:34,373 --> 00:08:36,659 you can then use specialized diagnostic software 228 00:08:36,659 --> 00:08:38,280 to test the connectivity of the client 229 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:40,470 and ensure everything's working properly. 230 00:08:40,470 --> 00:08:42,330 Next, we have a TDR, 231 00:08:42,330 --> 00:08:44,820 which is known as a time-domain reflectometer. 232 00:08:44,820 --> 00:08:47,520 Now a time-domain reflectometer is going to locate breaks 233 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:50,400 in a copper cable and provide an estimate of the severity 234 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:52,200 and the distance to that break. 235 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,750 If I have cable running underground between two buildings 236 00:08:54,750 --> 00:08:56,460 and I need to figure out where it's broken 237 00:08:56,460 --> 00:08:57,660 because my network stopped working 238 00:08:57,660 --> 00:08:59,610 and I need to dig a hole and fix that, 239 00:08:59,610 --> 00:09:03,240 I can use a TDR to locate at exactly where that break is. 240 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:04,560 When the TDR is run, 241 00:09:04,560 --> 00:09:06,120 it's going to report back that there's a break 242 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:08,100 at approximately 87 feet away, 243 00:09:08,100 --> 00:09:10,230 and now I know exactly where to dig, 244 00:09:10,230 --> 00:09:13,050 being able to access that cable and then patch that cable. 245 00:09:13,050 --> 00:09:14,910 Now, there's also an optical version of this 246 00:09:14,910 --> 00:09:18,450 called an optical time-domain reflectometer, or OTDR. 247 00:09:18,450 --> 00:09:20,550 This is going to be used for fiber optic cables. 248 00:09:20,550 --> 00:09:21,870 It works the same way, 249 00:09:21,870 --> 00:09:23,970 but instead of using the resistance of the wire, 250 00:09:23,970 --> 00:09:26,220 we're using light and the bounce back for it. 251 00:09:26,220 --> 00:09:28,950 This is really helpful, especially with fiber optic cables. 252 00:09:28,950 --> 00:09:31,830 'cause remember, your fiber optic cables can be many, 253 00:09:31,830 --> 00:09:33,060 many miles long, 254 00:09:33,060 --> 00:09:36,270 and so knowing that the break is at 3.57 miles away 255 00:09:36,270 --> 00:09:37,890 is a lot more useful than trying 256 00:09:37,890 --> 00:09:39,720 to figure out where it is on your own. 257 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:42,780 This is going to be essential if you're using fiber underground 258 00:09:42,780 --> 00:09:44,927 and you want to make sure you have an OTDR 259 00:09:44,927 --> 00:09:47,370 'cause you won't be able to visually inspect your fiber 260 00:09:47,370 --> 00:09:48,750 if it's buried. 261 00:09:48,750 --> 00:09:50,820 Next, we have a fiber light meter, 262 00:09:50,820 --> 00:09:53,130 also known as an optical power meter. 263 00:09:53,130 --> 00:09:54,780 Now, a fiber light meter is a device 264 00:09:54,780 --> 00:09:57,720 that provides a continuous wave of stable source of energy 265 00:09:57,720 --> 00:09:59,490 for attenuation measurements. 266 00:09:59,490 --> 00:10:02,040 Essentially, this device is going to include a source 267 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:03,630 like a laser or an LED, 268 00:10:03,630 --> 00:10:04,620 and it's going to be stabilized 269 00:10:04,620 --> 00:10:06,690 using an automatic gain control mechanism 270 00:10:06,690 --> 00:10:07,860 so it can accurately measure 271 00:10:07,860 --> 00:10:09,750 how effective a fiber optic cable 272 00:10:09,750 --> 00:10:11,670 is transmitting that light. 273 00:10:11,670 --> 00:10:13,470 If you're using multimode fibers, 274 00:10:13,470 --> 00:10:16,320 you're going to use an LED-based fiber light meter. 275 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:18,000 If you're using single mode fibers, 276 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:21,060 you need to use a laser-based fiber light meter. 277 00:10:21,060 --> 00:10:22,800 Basically, you're going to connect one part 278 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:23,880 of the fiber light meter 279 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:25,860 to each end of the fiber connection. 280 00:10:25,860 --> 00:10:27,837 One end is going to send light down the fiber. 281 00:10:27,837 --> 00:10:30,720 The other end is going to measure how much is being received. 282 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:33,000 Then it's going to report back to you in decibels 283 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:34,440 the amount of loss experienced 284 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:36,630 as the light traveled along the cable. 285 00:10:36,630 --> 00:10:39,210 If the loss is higher than 0.5 decibels, 286 00:10:39,210 --> 00:10:41,790 both ends of the fiber should be cleaned, polished, 287 00:10:41,790 --> 00:10:43,410 and retested once more. 288 00:10:43,410 --> 00:10:45,300 Next, we have fusion splicers. 289 00:10:45,300 --> 00:10:47,370 Now, a fusion splicer is a machine that's used 290 00:10:47,370 --> 00:10:49,740 to permanently join two fibers together. 291 00:10:49,740 --> 00:10:51,540 If you have a break in a fiber cable, 292 00:10:51,540 --> 00:10:54,090 a fusion splicer is going to be used to cut out that break 293 00:10:54,090 --> 00:10:57,300 and then reconnect or splice them back together again. 294 00:10:57,300 --> 00:10:59,280 If you're dealing with a fiber patch cable, 295 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:01,410 I wouldn't bother using a fusion splicer. 296 00:11:01,410 --> 00:11:03,510 Instead, you're just going to replace the cable. 297 00:11:03,510 --> 00:11:06,090 But if you have a really long fiber cable running 298 00:11:06,090 --> 00:11:08,100 between two buildings or across the city, 299 00:11:08,100 --> 00:11:09,930 that is a time where it's going to be a lot cheaper 300 00:11:09,930 --> 00:11:12,990 to fix that broken fiber by using a fusion splicer 301 00:11:12,990 --> 00:11:13,950 than it would be to dig up 302 00:11:13,950 --> 00:11:16,380 and replace the entire cable again. 303 00:11:16,380 --> 00:11:18,180 Fusion splicers are going to require training 304 00:11:18,180 --> 00:11:19,350 to properly use them. 305 00:11:19,350 --> 00:11:20,940 It's a very specialized skillset 306 00:11:20,940 --> 00:11:22,770 and a job for a network technician 307 00:11:22,770 --> 00:11:24,630 who works a lot with fiber networks. 308 00:11:24,630 --> 00:11:27,300 I'll tell you personally, I've never used a fusion splicer. 309 00:11:27,300 --> 00:11:29,640 I've hired people when I had that need. 310 00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:31,140 Next we have a TAP. 311 00:11:31,140 --> 00:11:32,880 A TAP is a simple device that connects 312 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:34,770 directly to the cable infrastructure 313 00:11:34,770 --> 00:11:37,890 and splits or copies those packets for use and analysis, 314 00:11:37,890 --> 00:11:40,320 security, or general network management. 315 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:41,760 You're going to need to purchase and install 316 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:43,890 the appropriate TAP for your type of network 317 00:11:43,890 --> 00:11:46,470 depending on if you're using copper or fiber. 318 00:11:46,470 --> 00:11:48,780 Now, basically you're going to connect the TAP in line 319 00:11:48,780 --> 00:11:49,620 to your network 320 00:11:49,620 --> 00:11:52,500 and it's going to create a duplicate copy of every frame, 321 00:11:52,500 --> 00:11:54,750 one going out the TAP port where it's going to be collected 322 00:11:54,750 --> 00:11:57,030 and analyzed by your cybersecurity tool set 323 00:11:57,030 --> 00:11:58,590 and the other one out to your network 324 00:11:58,590 --> 00:12:00,720 so it can be processed by the equipment. 325 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:02,730 This is used heavily in cybersecurity, 326 00:12:02,730 --> 00:12:04,530 but can also be used in network management 327 00:12:04,530 --> 00:12:06,270 and network operations. 328 00:12:06,270 --> 00:12:08,520 Finally, we have a spectrum analyzer. 329 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:10,560 A spectrum analyzer is a device that measures 330 00:12:10,560 --> 00:12:12,330 and displays the signal amplitude 331 00:12:12,330 --> 00:12:14,910 or the strength as it varies by frequency 332 00:12:14,910 --> 00:12:17,820 within its frequency range known as the spectrum. 333 00:12:17,820 --> 00:12:20,310 Now, the frequency is going to appear on the X-axis, 334 00:12:20,310 --> 00:12:21,990 or the horizontal axis, 335 00:12:21,990 --> 00:12:24,570 and the amplitude is going to be displayed on the Y-axis, 336 00:12:24,570 --> 00:12:26,250 or the vertical axis. 337 00:12:26,250 --> 00:12:27,960 A spectrum analyzer is going to be used 338 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:29,400 to measure the electrical signals 339 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:31,530 that are being passed over that medium. 340 00:12:31,530 --> 00:12:33,690 Now, the medium could be a copper cable, 341 00:12:33,690 --> 00:12:35,550 such as ethernet or coaxial, 342 00:12:35,550 --> 00:12:37,530 or it could be a radio frequency 343 00:12:37,530 --> 00:12:39,810 if you're listening to a particular radio wave. 344 00:12:39,810 --> 00:12:42,030 If you're working with a satellite connection, for instance, 345 00:12:42,030 --> 00:12:43,890 you might use a spectrum analyzer 346 00:12:43,890 --> 00:12:46,380 to ensure your modem and radio are properly sending 347 00:12:46,380 --> 00:12:49,770 and receiving the carrier waves to and from that satellite. 348 00:12:49,770 --> 00:12:51,990 Again, this is a more specialized tool 349 00:12:51,990 --> 00:12:53,610 than most entry-level network technicians 350 00:12:53,610 --> 00:12:55,710 are not going to find themselves operating. 351 00:12:55,710 --> 00:12:57,840 All right, I know that was a lot of different tools 352 00:12:57,840 --> 00:12:59,130 that we just covered. 353 00:12:59,130 --> 00:13:01,080 Remember, when you're dealing with the physical layer 354 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:01,913 of your network, 355 00:13:01,913 --> 00:13:04,590 especially if you're dealing with copper or fiber cabling, 356 00:13:04,590 --> 00:13:06,570 you're going to be using a lot of different tools 357 00:13:06,570 --> 00:13:08,100 for a lot of different things. 358 00:13:08,100 --> 00:13:10,320 This includes things like snips and cutters, 359 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:13,500 cable strippers, cable crimpers, cable testers, 360 00:13:13,500 --> 00:13:17,880 wire maps, cable certifiers, multimeters, punch down tools, 361 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:20,190 tone generators, loopback adapters, 362 00:13:20,190 --> 00:13:21,870 time-domain reflectometers, 363 00:13:21,870 --> 00:13:25,020 optical time-domain reflectometers, fiber light meters, 364 00:13:25,020 --> 00:13:28,680 fusion splicers, TAPs, and spectrum analyzers. 365 00:13:28,680 --> 00:13:30,750 For the exam, it's important for you to understand 366 00:13:30,750 --> 00:13:33,030 which tool you might use to troubleshoot 367 00:13:33,030 --> 00:13:35,230 which type of cable and which type of issue.