Network Interface Cards (NIC)
Every entity on a network, a PC, printer, router, etc., that needs to communicate with other devices must have a NIC if it is to communicate over the network. NIC functionality is now often integrated into the motherboard chipset or implemented with a dedicated Ethernet chip on the motherboard. More ...
Fiber Media Converter - What's the Use and How to Choose It
Fiber media converters are used to convert electrical signal to light signal and vice versa. They are basically used as network extenders to extend the distance from several hundreds of feet to several thousands meters. More ...
VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) Basics
"A VLAN is a LOGICAL network where devices might be on separate PHYSICAL networks. The purpose of implementing a VLAN is to improve the performance of a network or apply security features. More ...
Network Storage Server Options
Although the need for storage available over a shared network is evident, it is not always clear which solution is right for your organization. There are a variety of options available, direct-attached storage (DAS), network-attached storage (NAS) and storage area networks (SAN). More ...
Understanding Wireless LAN Networking
Wireless networking allows computers and peripherals to communicate using radio frequency (RF) transmissions rather than over conventional network cabling. Using wireless Ethernet adaptors, any device capable of being used on a regular computer network can be accessed over a wireless connection. More ...
Technologies for the Internet of Things (IoT)
Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the effort to connect everyday objects to the Internet in order to make them smart. Many wireless technologies are used to make IoT a reality. More ...
Wireless or Wired Network?
Do you want the freedom of a wireless network, or do you want the security and reliability of a wired network? Both networks can provide you with great service and expandability, but each one varies in size, reliability, cost and speed. More ...
What are OFNP, OFNR, OFNG and OFCG? Understanding Fiber Optic Cable Fire Ratings
Just like copper cables, NEC (National Electrical Code) requires indoor fiber optic cables be marked with their fire and smoking ratings. According to NEC, a building's inside area is divided into three types of sections: plenums, risers and general purpose areas. More ...
Data Center Networking
In recent years, companies such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have built massive data centers, each housing tens to hundreds of thousands of hosts, and concurrently supporting many distinct cloud applications. Each data center has its own data center network that interconnects its hosts and interconnects the data center with the Internet. More ...
Voice Over IP Protocols and Components
Voice over IP (VoIP) is a technology that digitizes speech into packets and transmits those packets across a data network. This allows voice, data, and video to share the same medium. More ...
Network Broadcast Storms
When a switch receives a broadcast frame the switch floods the frame out all switch ports other than the port on which the frame was received. Because a layer 2 frame does not have a TTL (Time to live) field, a broadcast frame endlessly circulates through the Layer 2 topology. More ...
A Guide to Broadband Internet Connections
By this point, most of America already has a Broadband Connection to the Internet. But for those that have not yet taken the plunge, a world of benefits awaits you. Broadband can get you surfing up to 50 times faster than a typical 56K modem. More ...
Troubleshooting Your Optical Fiber Networks - Introduction to OTDR
In fiber optic networks, OTDR (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer) is an opto-electronic instrument used to characterize an optical fiber. An OTDR may be used for estimating the fiber's length and overall attenuation, including splice and mated-connector losses. It may also be used to locate faults, such as breaks. More ...
