In This Issue: Cisco 2821 Voice Security Bundle | Why would you use shielded Ethernet Cables? | News to Start Your Day
Happy Friday and Happy National Radio Day! Grab your radio and crank up the tunes – what better way to kick off the weekend?! Tell us what station you’re listening to, we’d love to tune in!
The CK Daily – Harvest Time
Happy Friday folks! It’s harvest time in our garden! This is the most exciting time in the entire process (well, maybe eating is more exciting ). Although there is a lot of work invested in the garden before we ever pick the first vegetable, it takes the entire process for us to get a great harvest. We can’t skip a step and hope that the outcome will be great. It takes effort throughout the entire season to get a great harvest! A few times each week, there is time spent removing weeds, adding nutrients, and dealing with pests such as bugs and deer. Oh deer! But the work is always worth it! And I think we did pretty good this year – we have canned over 50 quarts of green beans alone.
In a lot of ways, life is like a garden. Somedays, I want the results that come with completing a project I’m working on without putting in all the work for the project to be successful. Or we want to get to the destination without the journey. But that is not where we grow the most. We grow the most during the difficult times of the project or in the middle of the journey. Much like working on a hot summer evening to remove weeds from the garden. Those nights aren’t fun, but knowing what’s coming during the harvest allows me to do the necessary work to achieve the results.
Have a great weekend!
Chris
Hot Topic of the Day
In Italy, an elite squadron of 350 specially-trained pups have been successfully patrolling the beaches, working as lifeguards. They have collectively saved on average of 20-30 lives.
Earlier this month, when several families, including eight children, were imperiled by strong wind and wave conditions while 330 feet from shore, three canine lifeguards and their trainers rushed in to save the day. With the help of their human companions, dogs Eros, Mya, and Mira pulled everyone to safety in about 15 minutes.
After 18 months of basic training, only those dogs successfully completing the required steps are deemed ready to move on to the more intensive aspects of lifesaving techniques, such as jumping from helicopters and leaping from speeding boats.
Italy is currently the only country to recognize certified canine lifeguards but training centers are being set up in the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, and various other locations. Would you trust one of these pups to be your lifeguard when you’re in the water? Let us know your thoughts over on the CK Facebook page!
Product Spotlights & Updates
The Cisco 2821 Voice Security Bundle Router, C2821-VSEC/K9 is a versatile router that features modular architecture (which supports over 90 different modules from HWIC, WIC, VIC, AIM, and NM cards), enhanced security functionality, and IP Telephony support. This is a router that is great for both lab environments (for those studying for a Cisco Certification) as well as office settings where VoIP phone systems need to be managed.
The C2821-VSEC/K9 version comes with an included PVDM2-32 – 32 channel packet fax and voice dsp module, advanced IP services software, and 64MB of Flash and 256MB of DRAM.
Pick one up today for 25% off!
Why would you use shielded Ethernet Cables? – CK Learning Center
Currently, the use of high bandwidth applications has been on the rise, and network systems have started venturing into factory environments which have called for the use of shielded cables. In this new installation sector, the cable is used in areas with high electromagnetic interference (EMI). Even with improved ability to reject noise and handle gigabit Ethernet, these cables will not function properly in areas where there is high EMI if not properly shielded. A shielded cable will help in these high EMI installations ensuring safe and efficient data transfer.
STP and S/STP
These are the two basic types of shielded ethernet cables. STP cables with an overall generic shield whereas S/STP cables have a shield for each pair and an overall outer shield. The Shield of STP cables can either be a foil or a braid, but for additional strength, some cables can comprise of a foil shield and an outer braid shield.
STP and FTP
Cables which have an overall foil are known as FTP, whereas those with a braid are known as STP. STP is the generic name given to all shielded cables. At times, there arises confusion where FTP cables are assumed to be unshielded or that they are significantly different in terms of performance. In practice, the STP and FTP cables can be used interchangeably, and there is no apparent difference in their performance.
S/STP
The second type of cable is one that has each of the individual pair shielded and then there is an overall outer shield. This type of cable is referred to as S/STP. The purpose of having an inner shield is to ensure that there is no internal cross-talk between the pairs. This will help in ensuring that the cables meet the specifications of the Alien Cross Talk parameter which is significantly difficult to achieve with CAT6a and CAT7 systems. However, Alien Cross Talk is not a requirement when it comes to CAT6, CAT5e, and CATS systems.
Proper Ground Connection
It is worth noting that all the shielded Ethernet cables should have a ground connection for their shields. In case your cable has an incorrect ground connection, the chances are there will be ground loop currents and also the associated interference to the Ethernet signal. In the worst case scenario, where the grounding is poor, the shield can end up acting like antennas; broadcasting high-frequency signals from the cable to the outer environment. This will interfere with the delicate co-located electronic equipment and also allow external detection of the Ethernet data.
What is the Drain Wire in Shielded Cables?
Every shielded Ethernet cable should have a wire that stretches from the insulated wires to the shield. This is commonly known as the drain wire. Normally, the shield is connected to a specific pin in one end, which can even be the chassis. The connector shells are not connected anywhere and consequently, connecting the drain wire to pin 1 puts the entire cable at the potential of that pin. No current will be flowing, but the cable screening will be effective.
Bottom line on Shielded Patch Cables
Ethernet cables should be shielded which helps increase the cables resilience and also makes it stronger. As such, when going for Ethernet cables, consider going for ones which are shielded to ensure safety and longevity.
Find this article on the CK Learning Center here.
Today’s News to Start Your Day:
- With Project Exo, Disney’s research and development team is trying to bring the company’s biggest characters to life at its theme parks. The R&D team is creating a full-body exoskeleton system piece by piece in the hope that one day these characters could walk around Disney’s theme parks and interact with guests.
- The U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday that it will cancel $5.8 billion in student debt for more than 320,000 borrowers. The debt forgiveness, which will go to borrowers with a total and permanent disability, will be automatically granted using data already available to the Social Security Administration.
- United Wholesale Mortgage announced plans this week to accept cryptocurrency for home loans, in an apparent first for the national mortgage industry.
- Facebook on Thursday announced new measures to protect vulnerable users in Afghanistan. They are rolling out a tool that lets users lock down their profiles with one click, so people who aren’t in their network can’t download their profile pictures or see their posts.
- Rain fell for several hours at the highest point on the Greenland ice sheet last week — the first rainfall event in recorded history at a location that rarely creeps above freezing temperatures.