Networking For Dummies
The cables that connect client computers to the rest of the network are finicky beasts. They can break at a moment's notice. By break, I don't necessarily mean to physically break in two. Although some broken cables look like someone took pruning shears to the cable, most cable problems aren't visible to the naked eye.
| Tip | You can quickly tell whether the cable connection to the network is good by looking at the back of your computer. Look for a small light located near the spot where the cable plugs in; if this light is glowing steadily, the cable is good. If the light is dark or it's flashing intermittently, you have a cable problem (or a problem with the network card or the hub or switch that the other end of the cable is plugged into). |
If the light isn't glowing steadily, try removing the cable from your computer and reinserting it. This action may cure the weak connection.
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Hopefully, your network is wired so that each computer is connected to the network with a short (six feet or so) patch cable. One end of the patch cable plugs into the computer, and the other end plugs into a cable connector mounted on the wall. Try quickly disconnecting and reconnecting the patch cable. If that doesn't do the trick, try to find a spare patch cable that you can use.
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Switches are prone to having cable problems, too-especially switches that are wired in a "professional manner" involving a rat's nest of patch cables. Be careful whenever you enter the lair of the rat's nest. If you need to replace a patch cable, be very careful when you disconnect the suspected bad cable and reconnect the good cable in its place.
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