Fluke DSP-4100 User Manual page 200

DSP-4000 Series
Users Manual
Anomaly
A location on network cabling where the cabling's impedance changes abruptly.
Attenuation (Insertion Loss)
A reduction in the strength of a signal. Attenuation is usually expressed in decibels.
Auto-Negotiation
The ability of a network device to determine the capabilities of a far end device, then select
settings for optimal communication.
Balun
An impedance-matching transformer used to transfer signals between coaxial and twisted
pair cable. Baluns are often used to connect IBM 3270 terminals to twisted pair cable, or to
connect coaxial Ethernet to UTP.
Bandwidth
A measure of the information capacity of a transmission medium. In analog
communications, bandwidth is expressed in hertz (Hz) as the difference between the
highest and lowest frequencies that the medium will pass without significant attenuation.
In digital communications, bandwidth is measured in bits per second.
Baseband Signaling
A method of signal transmission where the entire bandwidth of the medium is used to send
a single signal. The digital signal is applied, without modulation, directly to the
transmission media. Ethernet is a baseband network. Compare with broadband signaling.
Basic Link
A network connection consisting of (1) a test equipment patch cable to a patch panel, (2)
one connection at the patch panel, (3) a horizontal cable segment up to 90m (295 ft), (4) a
telecommunications outlet or transition connector, and (5) a test equipment patch cable
from the outlet or transition connector. Cabling test limits for a link are tighter than those
for a channel because the channel limits allow for additional connections at the horizontal
cross-connect and near the telecommunications outlet. The basic link is defined in TSB-67.
Basic link testing, which is no longer recognized in TIA and ISO standards, is becoming
less common as cabling installers adopt the newer permanent link testing standard.
B-2