Week 8: Day 025 - Installing a Physical Network #7

This is it folks, the end... today I will finally finish this chapter! After like 50 something pages of this, the end is here. Today's entry won't be the familiar long ones you usually see, cause there aren't that many pages left. To be brief, there's only one section left. The next chapter, may be about the same length, but I will hopefully get through it quicker.

Firstly, this final section is about Diagnostics and the (sigh) Repair of Physical Cabling. So first, if your network fails, you gotta diagnose the issue! Usually when it tells you that "No server is found" or network explorer/network is being used by the OS to find the issue, then it's a physical problem. First you should try to rule out software errors. It's pretty easy, if one application is working, and another isn't, then bam, it's a software problem. When the systems fail to access the network, then it would be a good idea to suspect the switch as the issue. Also, throwback to the link lights, that's also one of the best tools you have in diagnosing the problem. If the lights aren't on, somethings not connected. If the machine is isolated in its issue, compared to other devices, then you know it's not a problem with the switch. Sometimes a good idea is to bring a patch cable to plug the system into a good outlet. Next, you would obviously check the NIC at some point. A bad NIC can be the cause of the "can't see network" problem. Using the utility on your operating system is a great tool in seeing if you have a bad NIC. The female connector is many times the root of the problem there. To test that, the NIC has the "loopback test". Despite the tediousness, it's important to remember to check all these things.

Although many of the problems are in the work area, sometimes you'll find that the horizontal cabling is to blame. To test this, you'll need a mid-range tester. Patience is a big requirement for this, and I'll be honest, I'm not a very patient person. Important note, always include the patch cables in the test. If the problem is horizontal cabling, it's hard to fix, so just replace it haha. In the TR (Telecommunications Room) you'll find that it's a big maze, even if it's organised. The punchline here is test every cable, don't skip a connection. All the boxes need a good amount of power, which is a big concern for your TR. What these power supplies are called, is UPS (untierruptible power supply) no, not the postage company! A "voltage event recorder" is useful for these things, because if you lose power to them, it will record what the issue is with the UPS. The temperature in the TR should also be monitored just in case it gets to hot and your computers overheat. One way of doing this easily, is with a "temperature monitor". As for humidity and other stuff use an "environmental monitor".

Finally, let's be honest, there will come a time during the construction of a network, when something goes wrong when organizing, and maybe later on you'll regret it. For example, if a label falls off, or if you miscount the amount of rows. A lot of things could go wrong in that aspect, and you should be ready for it. When you must trace a cable, there is a device called a "toner" which helps with this. However, this word is a reference to two different devices. The "tone generator" and the "tone probe". To trace a cable, connect the tone generator to the end of the cable, and then the tone probe to the other end of the cable. This will test the cable, and hurrah you're finished! Haha, SO AM I. This chapter is over, done, Get ready for some TCP/IP next time!!! Thanks for reading, and goodbye.