This is the third edition to my Networking Simplified series. I will go
over some more terms that many people are hazy in the area of or just
flat out confused or oblivious to the meaning.

There are several categories of twisted pair cabling systems, you may know
them as the "cat" line.

CAT 1 - Maximum Speed = Less than 1 Mbps (mega bit per second.) It is
usually used for doorbell wiring and not generally used for networking.

CAT 2 - Maximum Speed = around 4 Mbps. It is used generally in token ring
networks. Ill go over token ring later on.

CAT 3 - Maximum Speed = 16 Mbps. This is what you would use for your phone
line.

CAT 4 - Maximum Speed = 20 Mbps. Used occasionally in token ring networks,
but basically obsolete as CAT-5 and CAT-6 developed.

CAT 5 - Maximum Speed = 100 Mbps, or 1000 Mbps if 4 pair. Used for your
network in general. Can support gigabit ethernet and is what the end
networker would be acclaimed to use.

CAT 6 - Maximum Speed = 200-250 MHz (Mega Hertz) - Used normally by
dedicated or widely distributed networks. Super fast speed for broadband
applications.


_________________________________


Token Ring Networks.

Token ring is a way of setting up your network. (basically) Almost always
used for local area networks, the computers are connected in sort of a
ring, the token is used to heed data "bumping into" each other so that the
computers can send messages at the very same time.

_________________________________

Topology.

This is the term you are going to hear describing the "Layout" of
networks. All it means is that its the description of where your stuff
lies in layout. There is physical topology, and logical topology.

_________________________________


Bus Topology.

Generally not used as its slower and doesn't pass data along as
efficiently.

Star Topology.

More efficient for a LAN than most types

The nodes or workstations are aligned in somewhat of a star with a central
server in which all the other nodes connect to. The connections can be
wireless or wired of course.


This concludes my third part of the series of Networking Simplified. I
don't want want you all taking in too much at once! Just come back for my
4th for more descriptions of networking terms, I will go over more
advanced topology in my next.