Doug Lowe - Networking For Dummies

How many client computers and other devices will you place on each switch, and how many switches will you need to support all of these computers and other devices?

If you need more than one switch, what type of cabling will you use to connect the switches to one another?

For more information about network cabling, see Chapter 7.

If you’re installing new network cable, don’t scrimp on the cable itself. Because installing network cable is a labor-intensive task, the cost of the cable itself is a small part of the total cable installation cost. Consider using Cat6 cable instead of Cat5e. And in many cases, you should consider installing more cable than you actually need. For example, if one area of your office has four desks, don’t pull just four cables to that location — pull six or even eight cables. The cost of labor for pulling the cables is more than the cost of the cables themselves, and it doesn’t take much more labor to pull a few additional cables to the same location.

One of the most helpful techniques for creating a network plan is to draw a picture of it. The diagram can be a detailed floor plan, showing the actual location of each network component. This type of diagram is sometimes called a “physical map.” If you prefer, the diagram can be a logical map, which is more abstract and Picasso-like. Any time you change the network layout, update the diagram. Also include a detailed description of the change, the date that the change was made, and the reason for the change.

You can diagram very small networks on the back of a napkin, but if the network has more than a few computers, you’ll want to use a drawing program to help you create the diagram. You can use a professional drawing program such as Microsoft Visio, but you can also find simpler and less expensive online drawing tools to help you document your network. Figure 5-4 shows a network diagram drawn with an inexpensive online tool called Lucidchart ( www.lucidchart.com ).

FIGURE 5-4:Using Lucidchart to draw a network diagram.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.