Baiyan Zhang
A338
MINI 1
(One topic one page)

Topic 1 (Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cable):
1. a. http://www.ehow.com/about_5218080_utp-cabling_.html
b. http://www.ehow.com/facts_6934932_difference-between-utp-stp-cable.html
c. http://networking-communications.knoji.com/unshielded-twisted-pair-cables-utp/

2. The Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable is usually used in the home and large networks such as Local Area Network (LAN). The standards for UTP cabling are defined by “Electronic Industries Association (EIA), telecommunications Industries Association (TIA) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI)”. Cheap price and easier installing and become the reasons why users prefer to use UTP cabling. However, although the four pairs of wires of UTP cable make it has a better “transmission rate”, it cannot make the data transmission become safe and secure. Also, the amount of “bandwidth” is not great enough is a problem of UTP cable.

3. The Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable has cheap price and easy to install make it be preferred by users to use it in home and office. However, unsecured data transmission and small bandwidth make the large businesses do not prefer to use UTP cable.

4. Why UTP cable cannot provide secured data transmission?
(Additional question: From one resource I found, it said UTP cable has minimal interference, but on the other one, it said UTP cable has highly prone to crosstalk and external interference like EMI and RFI. Are they incompatible or which one of them is correct?)

Topic 2 (The Physical Layer (Layer 1) of the OSI Model):
1. a. http://www.tcpipguide.com/free/t_PhysicalLayerLayer1.htm
b. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/103884/en-us
c. http://www.techopedia.com/definition/8866/physical-layer

2. The layer 1 of the Open System Interconnection Model (OSI Model) which is the lowest layer of it is the physical layer and aim to provide good transmission of data. Over the “physical medium”, it is referred to the “transmission and reception of the unstructured raw bit stream”. In addition, all the higher layers need physical layer carries the signals for them. There are four main functions of physical layer in OSI model, which are “Encoding and Signaling”, “Definition of Hardware Specifications”, “Data Transmission and Reception” and “Topology and Physical Network Design”. Also, the technologies used in physical layer is at lowest level that can handle the 1s and 0s received from the network.

3. Physical layer is the lowest layer of the OSI model. It cannot handle the actual physical medium but its technologies is at the lowest level to deal with the 1s and 0s received from the network. It also makes the data flow between sender and received have a good transmission rate.

4. Can we change the order of the physical layer in 7 layers?
Topic 3 (Signaling on the Network - Digital Transmission):
1. a.