NT 1310
Mr. Davis
January 6, 2016
Unit 3 Exercise 1. Specifications – Definitions

Application (in terms of cabling infrastructure) – A system the transmission method of which is supported by telecommunications cabling, such as a 100base-TX Ethernet, or digital voice.
Unshielded Twisted-Pair – (UTP) a pair of copper wires twisted together with no electromagnetic shielding around them. Each wire pair is twisted many times per foot to cancel out electrical signal.
Shielded Twisted-Pair – A type of twisted pair cable in which the pairs are enclosed in an outer braided shield, although individual pairs may also be shielded.
Fiber-Optic Cable - An optical fiber cable is a cable containing one or more optical fibers. The optical fiber elements are typically individually coated with plastic layers and contained in a protective tube suitable for the environment where the cable will be deployed. Optical fiber consists of a core and a cladding layer, selected for total internal reflection due to the difference in the refractive index between the two
Dark Fiber – Dark fiber refers to unused fiber-optic cable. Often times’ companies lay more lines than what’s needed in order to curb costs of having to do it again and again. The dark strands can be leased to individuals or other companies who want to establish optical connections among their own locations.
Coaxial Cable - is a type of cable for high bandwidth data transmission use that typically consists of a single copper wire that is surrounded by a layer of insulation and then by a grounded shield of braided wire or an extruded metal tube. The whole thing is usually wrapped in another layer of insulation and, finally, in an outer protective layer.
Plenum: In building construction, a plenum is a separate space provided for air circulation for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning and typically provided in the space between the structural ceiling and a drop-down ceiling. A plenum may also be under a raised floor. In buildings with computer installations, the plenum space is often used to house connecting communication cables. Because ordinary cable introduces a toxic hazard in the event of fire, special plenum cabling is required in plenum areas.
Riser - suitable for use inside walls and in open areas but not in places where air circulates, such as above suspended ceilings. Riser-rated cable is fire-resistant but can give off noxious fumes when overheated
Rip Cord - Of an optical cable, a parallel cord of strong yarn that is situated under the jackets of the Cable for the purpose of facilitating Jacket removal preparatory to Splicing or breaking out.
Core - the conducting wire with its insulation in an electric cable
Attenuation - is a telecommunications term that refers to a reduction in signal strength commonly occurring while transmitting analog or digital signals over long distances.
Noise - is any disturbance that interferes with data transmission and corrupts the quality of the signal. Below are some examples of where noise can be encountered in data transmission and common causes.
Headroom: also called Attenuation-to-crosstalk ratio (ACR), is the difference, expressed as a figure in decibels (dB), between the signal attenuation produced by a wire or cable transmission medium and the near-end crosstalk (NEXT).
ANSI - which stands for the “American National Standards Institute”, has served as coordinator of the U.S. private sector, voluntary standardization system for more than 90 years.
NFPA - The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a United States trade association, albeit with some international members, that creates and maintains private, copyrighted, standards and codes for usage and adoption by local governments. This includes publications from model building codes to the many on equipment utilized by firefighters while engaging in hazardous material (hazmat) response, rescue response, and some firefighting.
FCC - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government, created by Congressional statute (see 47 U.S.C. § 151 and 47 U.S.C. § 154) to regulate interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the media, public safety and homeland security. The Commission is also in the process of modernizing itself.
NIST - The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), is a measurement standards laboratory, also known as a National Metrological Institute (NMI), which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce. The institute's official mission is to Promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.
OSHA - Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a federal organization (part of the Department of Labor) that ensures safe and healthy working conditions for Americans by enforcing standards and providing workplace safety training.
Equipment Room - An equipment room is a room or space within a building for the storage or installation of mechanical or electrical/electronic devices. An equipment room can house telecommunication installations that serve the occupants of the building or multiple buildings in a campus environment. An equipment room is considered distinct from a telecommunications room because it is considered to be a building or campus serving (as opposed to floor serving) facility and because of the nature or complexity of the equipment that it contains.
Topology - The shape of a local-area network (LAN) or other communications system. Topologies are either physical or logical.