3 port

Introduced in 1994, the IEEE 1284 standard addresses data-transfer speeds and distance for parallel interfaces. Standard parallel interfaces support speeds of up to 150 kbps at distances of up to 6 feet (1.8 m); IEEE 1284 parallel interfaces can send your data over 100 times faster at up to five times the distance!

Although the Centronics® interface enabled only unidirectional computer-to-peripheral data flow, the IEEE 1284 interface enables bidirectional flow so peripherals can send data to the computer.

The IEEE 1284 standard covers five separate parallel modes, from the original Centronics (with which it’s compatible) to the high-performance Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) mode. The computer negotiates with the attached device to determine which mode to use.

Category 7/Class F (ISO/IEC 11801:2002) specifies a frequency range of 1–600 MHz over 100 meters of fully shielded twisted-pair cabling. It encompasses four individually shielded pairs inside an overall shield, called Shielded/Foiled Twisted Pair (S/FTP) or Foiled/ Foiled Twisted Pair (F/FTP). There is a pending class Fa, based on the use of S/FTP cable to 1000 MHz. It can support 10GBASE-T transmissions.

With both types of cable, each twisted pair is enclosed in foil. In S/FTP cable, all four pairs are encased in an overall metal braid. In F/FTP, the four pairs are encased in foil.

Category 7/Class F cable can be terminated with two interface designs as specified in IEC 6063-7-7 and IEC 61076-3-104. One is an RJ-45 compatible GG-45 connector. The other is the more common TERA connector, which was launched in 1999.

Category 7/Class F is backwards compatible with traditional CAT6 and CAT5 cable, but it has far more stringent specifications for crosstalk and system noise. The fully shielded cable virtually eliminates crosstalk between the pairs. In addition, the cable is noise resistant, which makes the Category 7/Class F systems ideal for high EMI areas, such as industrial and medical imaging facilities.
Category 7/Class F cable can also increase security by preventing the emission of data signals from the cable to nearby areas.

What is it?
Frame Relay is a type of packet-based switching technology that’s streamlined for speed. It was developed to solve communication problems that other protocols could not: large bandwidth efficiency for clumping (“bursty”) traffic, lower protocol processing, and high speeds.

What does it do?
Frame Relay provides a signal and data-transfer mechanism between the endpoints, or sites, of a network. It enables many users to share bandwidth, creating instantaneous bandwidth-on-demand (“BONDing”). It sends information in packets called frames that contain all the information necessary to route it to the correct destination. So in effect, each endpoint can communicate with many destinations over one access link to the network. And instead of being allocated a fixed amount of bandwidth, Frame-Relay traffic gets full bandwidth for short, bursty transmissions.

How does it work?
The Frame-Relay network contains user devices and network devices. The sending user device delivers the frames to the network. The network reads the addressing information on the frames and routes them to the proper destination user devices. Frame Relay assumes the data is error free, which cuts out a time-consuming step in the processing protocol. Therefore, the data travels much faster than with other, older technologies. Any error correction is done by the user devices (PCs, routers).

What are the benefits?
There are many benefits of Frame Relay: lower internetworking costs—with multiple logical connections over a single physical connection, you get lower equipment costs and access costs plus better performance; more network access; and less network complexity.

What equipment do I need?
Black Box has all the equipment you need to run Frame Relay. When used with a bridge or router and a CSU/DSU, our Frame-Relay Switches send your data across your WAN and implement the Frame-Relay interface. Our FrameRouter also gives you quick access to the Internet.

If you’re not sure which Frame-Relay device is best for your system, just call Tech Support at 724-746-5500, and press 1, 2, 3 to get the expert help of our Communications Team.

Although sharing printers is one of the primary reasons for installing networks, networks didn’t manage this chore very well until the print server was developed. A print server is a specialized network device that enables network users to share one or more printers. It accepts print jobs from users and manages these jobs on each printer. Print servers are easy to install, use, and maintain.

Typically a print server is a freestanding device that’s connected between the network and the printer; some print servers are so tiny they sit directly on the parallel port of the printer. And some newer printers are even equipped with embedded or internal print servers, so you don’t need to purchase a separate print server at all—just connect the printer to the network. Most print servers support multiple protocols and operating systems. You can also get print servers with multiple ports to connect more than one printer.

When a print job arrives at a print server, it’s entered into a queue where it waits until the desired printer becomes available. Print jobs are normally served in a first-in, first-out order, however many print servers enable users to prioritize print jobs so important jobs can be moved to the front of the queue.

For a print server to manage this entire lineup of print jobs, it must have a place to store them—either in memory (a buffer) or, if the buffer isn’t large enough, sometimes on a hard disk. When a print job arrives at the print server, it sends the job to the printer immediately if the printer is free. Because the print job usually arrives faster than the printer can handle it, data waiting to be printed is stored temporarily in the buffer. If the print job is very large or if multiple print jobs start arriving, the buffer fills up. In this case, the print job is often spooled to a hard disk.

Because wireless networks are particularly vulnerable to attacks, security is a primary concern. Wireless networks can be hacked by “war drivers“—who cruise around looking for a wireless signal to exploit. Usually war drivers are just looking for free Internet access, but sometimes they’re looking for confidential information such as credit card numbers.

Although a wireless network can never be totally secure, there are important steps you can take to minimize the risk:
• Be aware of where your signal goes.
• Separate your wired network from your wireless network.
• Use encryption to lock out unauthorized users.
• Have a security plan and implement it.

When you install a wireless network near public areas, it’s very important to know where your signal is going. If it’s easily picked up outside your business—perhaps from a parked car across the street or from the building next door—then you’ve got a security problem. If you send a strong wireless signal into the coffee house next door to your business, chances are someone is going to try to take advantage of it.

A wireless analyzer can help you map exactly where your access points are sending their signals. This can help you arrange the access points in your network in order to minimize signals in public areas and maximize signals to your users. A wireless analyzer can also spot unauthorized wireless access points attached to your network as well as other wireless networks broadcasting in your area.

To add a layer of security to your wireless network, separate it from your wired network by gathering all your wireless access points into a separate LAN connected to the DMZ port of your firewall. This makes the wireless network accessible, yet safely outside of your main wired LAN. Once you separate the wireless from the wired network, insist that anything that needs to be kept secure stay on the wired network. This includes confidential data such as credit card numbers, sensitive financial data, or corporate secrets of any kind. You can, however, freely use the wireless network for less-sensitive applications such as notebook computers for taking notes at meetings, PCs for temporary workers, computer hookups for trade show booths, and bar-code readers for inventory.

Any wireless signal, no matter how heavily encrypted, can be broken into eventually. Encryption isn’t perfect, but it can go a long way towards discouraging the casual hacker—the trick is to make breaking into your network so difficult that the hackers don’t bother. Be sure to use encryption and, rather than easily hacked WEP, use higher-level encryption schemes such as Extensible Authentication Protocol-Transport Layer Security (EAP-TLS).

With a wireless network, as in any other network, it’s important to have a security plan and then implement it. The biggest security problem with wireless security is that network administrators often fail to take even the simplest of steps to ensure security, do not activate encryption at all, or fail to change the default passwords. When you fail to take these basic precautions, you leave your wireless network extremely vulnerable to casual hacking.

Yes, a wireless network is less secure than a wired network, but if you pay attention to your wireless network and implement a sensible security plan, you won’t find yourself blindsided by its vulnerabilities.