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 ...
Transparent Bridging and MAC Address Filtering
A bridge uses a database to send frames across network segments. The database is a list of nodes MAC addresses and their locations on the network. To send a frame between two segments a bridge reads a frame's destination MAC address and decides to either forward or filter. More ...
Data Center Management Best Practices
The use of an integrated best practices approach to data center management involves efficient management of resources while still minimizing the costs of all the different interrelated competing factors that require attention. More ...
The Secret of Maintaining Your Fiber Optic Network
During fiber optic network installation, maintenance, or restoration, it is also often necessary
to identify a specific fiber without disrupting live service. This battery powered instrument
looks like a long handheld bar and is called fiber identifier or live fiber identifier. More ...
Wireless Networking
If a home has multiple computers, it makes sense for them to share files and an Internet connection. This two-part article will provide an introduction to the basic hardware and security related considerations involved in wireless networking. 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 ...
Introduction to ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) Networks
ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) is a network technology to provide broadband services for the transmission of voice, video, and data at speeds up to 1Gbps. More ...
How Do Fiber Optic Couplers Work and How are They Made?
Fiber optic couplers are needed for tapping (monitoring the signal quality) or more complex
telecommunication systems which require more than simple point-to-point connections, such as
ring architectures, bus architectures and star architectures. More ...
What Are Fiber Optic Attenuators?
A fiber optic attenuator, also called an optical attenuator, simulates the loss the would
be caused by a long length of fiber. For a fiber optic receiver, too much light can overload
it and degrade the bit error ratio. More ...
Understanding Optical Fiber Types
Two major types of optical fibers exist for communication systems: multimode and single mode. Multimode fiber can carry many modes of light rays, while single mode fiber can only carry one mode of light ray. More ...
Introduction to SONET (Synchronous Optical Networking)
SONET (Synchronous Optical Networking) standards were developed to take advantage of low-cost transmission over optical fibers. It defines a hierarchy of data rates, formats and optical signal specifications. 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 ...
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 ...