Glossary

A component that converts light energy into electrical energy. The photodiode is used as the receiving end of a fiber-optic link.

A basic unit of light; the smallest quantum particulate component of light.

A network that uses one network cable that runs from one end of the network to the other. Workstations connect at various points along this cable. These networks are easy to run cable for, but they are typically not as reliable as a star topology. 10Base-2 Ethernet is a good example of a network architecture that uses a physical bus topology.

Description for a connector that places an optical fiber end in direct physical contact with the optical fiber end of another connector.

A network configuration that specifies a link between each device in the network. A physical mesh topology requires a lot of cabling and is difficult to reconfigure.

A network topology that is set up in a circular fashion. Data travels around the ring in one direction, and each device on the ring acts as a repeater to keep the signal strong as it travels. Each device incorporates a receiver for the incoming signal and a transmitter to send the data on to the next device in the ring. The network is dependent on the ability of the signal to travel around the ring. Cabling a physical ring topology is difficult because of the amount of cable that must be run. FDDI is an example of a network that can be wired to use a physical ring topology.

A network in which a cable runs from each network device to a central device called a hub. The hub allows all devices to communicate as if they were directly connected. The network may logically follow another type of topology such as bus or ring topology, but the wiring is still a star topology.

The physical layout of a network, such as bus, star, ring, or mesh.

One millionth of one millionth of a farad. Abbreviated pf.

(1) A short length of fiber with a permanently attached device, usually a connector, on one end. (2) A fiber-optic cable assembly consisting of a connector or hardware device (such as a light source package installed by a manufacturer) on one end and an unterminated fiber at the other end. Normally found in applications wherein a splice is convenient for terminating a device with a connector. Also used when the loss characteristics of the connector must be known precisely. For instance, a splice of .03dB might be reliably predicted and controlled, but the variability of most commercially available terminations is unacceptable, so a precharacterized cable assembly is cut into a pigtail and attached to the device through splicing.

Pin Contact - Refers to the conductive element in a connector.

The pinout scheme is the pattern that identifies which wires in a UTP cable are connected to each pin of a connector.

A waveguide fabricated in a flat material such as a thin film.

Optical fiber having a plastic core and plastic cladding rather than using glass.

Optical fiber having a plastic core and plastic cladding rather than using glass.