Introduction

As identified in Chapter 1, “Introduction to Networking,” a network is simply a group of connected computers. The computers on a traditional local area network (LAN) are connected by network media. Many types of media are used to connect network devices, and each type offers unique characteristics that you must understand in order to determine the media's suitability for a given network environment.

In addition to these characteristics, network media requires specific connector types to attach media to networking devices such as network cards or hubs. This chapter helps you identify and understand the characteristics and connectors used by the different types of network media and with this knowledge, you'll be able to implement the correct media for a given network design.

Before discussing the various network media, let's identify some of the terms and general considerations that are relevant to network media.