OSI Model: the physical layer
The physical layer is the first (bottom) layer of the OSI model. This includes all physical cabling that hangs between the network components. You know … there are specialists in cables. This is because they are essential for the basic needs in IT.
If you think the more expensive the cable the better or I keep it nice and cheap, a cable is a cable, right? Or we can add that network for a while …
You will have to take into account how heavily a network is or will be loaded. The larger and faster your data traffic, the higher the cable category you need. The longer the distance between buildings, the more signal loss there will be. Should you opt for fiber optic or copper? Copper may never be longer than 90 meters.
If you are in a tough industrial environment, shielded cables are the right choice, so that your network is not disrupted by a heavy machine, for example.
The network is the heart of your entire environment and it is only as strong as its weakest link …
Are there problems in your IT environment. Make sure your monitoring is in order, so that you know where it comes from and if you cannot find it in the workstations or the servers, then there is really only one left and that is your network!
