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4.4
Hardware Network Troubleshooting Tools:
The four most popular hardware tools are:
The
Crossover cable:
The
crossover cable is typically used to connect two hubs or switches. It can also be used
to test communications between two workstations directly, bypassing the hub.
The standard Ethernet UTP crossover cable used in both situations has its transmit and receive wire pairs crossed so that the transmit set on one side is connected to the receive set on the other. In the following figure four of the wires are crossed pin 2 & 3 connect to pin 4 & 6 and pin 4 & 6 connect to pin 2 & 3.
Standard Ethernet 10Base-T crossover cable
Sometimes, when you try to troubleshoot a computer, you may need to connect to it without the help of a Hub or a Switch. Then, you can not hook a diagnostic equipment like a signal analyzer directly using a straight cable. You need a crossover cable to connect directly.
The Hardware Loopback:
A hardware loopback is a special connector for the Ethernet 10Base-T NICs. It is
used by the NIC’s software diagnostics to test transmission and reception
capabilities.
Hardware loopback and its connections
The NIC manufacturers provide diagnostic routines that could be used to troubleshoot NICs for proper functioning. Such diagnostic routes normally use hardware loopbacks through which an NIC transmits, and receives the same data for further diagnsis.
Tone
Generator and Tone Locator:
The combination of tone generator and tone locator is used in
telephone systems to locate cables.
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