When selecting equipment to create your business network infrastructure, you must first consider the size and layout of your company as well as your data-access needs. At the very least, you need adequate cabling, a modem, and a router or switch to provide Internet connectivity to all employees. If your company network is larger, a patch panel simplifies network connectivity and management. Ethernet CablingYou’ll need a sufficient number of Ethernet cables to connect all devices in your network. Most modern networks use Category 5 or 6 cabling, and you can purchase the cables in a variety of lengths. You can even buy cables in different jacket colors to distinguish network devices in a large network. For instance, you can use blue cables for PCs, red ones for servers, and so on.
ModemYour ISP usually provides a modem when you sign up for service, although you can usually purchase your own from a list of approved devices if you choose. A modem exists at the edge of your network and provides bidirectional communication between your ISP and the devices inside your network. Modems come in various forms depending on your service. A DSL modem, for example, connects to your ISP via a telephone line, while a cable modem uses a coaxial link. Most modems also have one or more Ethernet ports that you can use to connect the device to a router, switch, or directly to a computer.
Routers and SwitchesA router or switch connects to your modem via an Ethernet cable and provides connectivity to multiple devices. Unlike switches, routers enable you to connect two networks together. For example, if you have one or more branch offices, you can use a VPN-enabled router to provide a secure connection to those offices. Routers and switches with a DSU/CSU provide T1 links to branch offices. Routers have built-in firewalls and advanced features such as Web filtering. Switches are mainly used for facilitating communication within a single office network, although some contain such router-like features as the ability to create virtual local area networks (VLANs). You can also purchase unmanaged switches that need no configuration and work right out of the box.
Patch PanelsIn larger environments, Ethernet cabling runs from wall-mounted Ethernet jacks to a patch panel in a server room or wiring closet. Individually numbered for best results, a patch panel contains a single Ethernet jack for each termination. To provide network connectivity to a given wall jack, run an Ethernet cable from your switch or router to the matching jack in the panel. Patch panels make it much easier and neater when connecting large numbers of computers or other network devices. They also simplify troubleshooting when someone in the office loses connectivity. While buying a switch for a home network is usually a simple matter of buying the cheapest one with a known brand, choosing one for a business network, regardless of its size, is a more complicated decision. Two 24-port gigabit Ethernet switches from the same manufacturer can actually operate completely differently on the inside. Knowing what to look for is essential when buying a new switch. CapacityNot every 12-, 24- or 48-port switch is the same. The least expensive models are designed to work with the number of ports they have. Higher-end switches offer some form of expandability, letting them grow with a business. The simplest way do to this is with an uplink port that allows two switches to be connected together. The most elaborate switches are modular and are really just cabinets to which modules of ports can be added. This lets a network start with a 12-port module and add more modules as time goes on. Some are even "hot-swappable," meaning that modules can be added, removed and replaced without powering down or restarting the switch.
SpeedThere is more to a switch's speed than its Ethernet speed rating. Modern networks typically run at 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps or 10 Gbps, and a switch should support the fastest speed in use on a given network. Another important consideration is how fast the device can actually switch and change which computer is connected to which at any given time. If a switch supports gigabit Ethernet speed but cannot keep up with the number of different connections coming in and out of it, network performance will suffer. In addition, a full-duplex switch, which can send a full speed signal at the same time that it receives a full-speed signal can operate up to twice as quickly as a half-duplex switch.
IntelligenceBusiness-grade switches can have additional intelligence. At a minimum, they need to be able to inspect a packet to see where it should be sent. Layer 3 switches go even further and delve into a packet's IP envelope to even provide routing capabilities. They can lead to much more efficient network utilization in exchange for their higher cost.
Power Over EthernetWith the varied types of devices being connected to business networks, a network switch that can send a power signal over an Ethernet connection is more important than ever. PoE support lets a switch directly power IP phones, wireless access points, Internet Protocol security and surveillance cameras, and other devices right over Ethernet wiring. This saves businesses from running separate power cables to those devices.
What are the 4 sizes of the networks?
The vital computer network is divided into four types based on their size and functions. They are LAN, MAN, PAN, and WAN. Here LAN stands for Local Area Network, MAN stands for Metropolitan Area Network, Personal Area Network is abbreviated into PAN whereas WAN is expanded as Wide Area Network.
What are the four basic components needed to create a network?
Networks are comprised of four basic elements: hardware, software, protocols and the connection medium. All data networks are comprised of these elements, and cannot function without them.
What are the 5 network devices in setting up network systems?
Here is the common network device list:. Switch.. Router.. Bridge.. Gateway.. Modem.. Repeater.. Access Point.. How many types of network devices are there?
Network Devices (Hub, Repeater, Bridge, Switch, Router, Gateways and Brouter) - GeeksforGeeks.
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