2-2 Identifying Cable Costs

In this project, you use the Internet to identify ca= ble characteristics and associated costs.

As a network administrator, you will need to have a detailed knowledge of network media and their associated connectors. When you are ca= lled upon to troubleshoot or implement a network, this knowledge will prove invaluable.

A common task for network administrators is to source out the costs of cable and connectors. Consider the following scenario: You have be= en contracted by SnickCo, a maker of snowshoes and toques, to begin the proces= s of implementing a network. SnickCo requires a network of 30 systems and needs = to know the costs associated with the media for the network. The network will require both UTP and 20 feet of STP cable.

Estimated time: 20 minutes

1. <= /span>	Get = on the Internet and from a search engine, look for a company that sells network cable. The search is likely to return many results, and it may be necessa= ry to restrict your search to local vendors.
2.	Brow= se a vendor's Web site and locate UTP Category 5/5e and STP cable.<= /span>
3.	To connect 25 systems with UTP cable, you need 25 patch cables. To connect o= ther network devices, you need additional cables.
4.	Cont= inue to search the site for the costs for the STP cable. To get a better idea = of costs, it might be necessary to find information from several vendors.
5.	Compare the cost of buying bulk cable and connectors to the cost of buying pre-made cables and connectors.
6.	Create a spreadsheet that detai= ls the cost for the company.