Question

While investigating a network connectivity issue, a technician finds that the link light on a workstation is not lit, and there is no connectivity after replacing the patch cable with one that is known to be good. The wall jack is not labeled, and within the switch room, none of the cables or patch panel ports are labeled. Which of the following tools would the technician MOST likely use next?

1) Cable tester
2) Tone generator
3) Loopback plug
4) Multimeter

Answer 1

The technician would most likely use a tone generator and probe to trace the physical path of the cable from the workstation to the patch panel or switch in order to identify the correct port.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a technician is dealing with a network connectivity issue and has already ruled out the patch cable as the source of the problem, the next best tool to use would be a tone generator and probe. Since the workstation's link light is not lit and the cables or ports in the switch room are not labeled, using a tone generator would help the technician to trace the physical path of the cable from the workstation to the patch panel or switch. The tone generator emits a signal that the probe can detect, enabling the technician to identify the correct port on the patch panel or switch that corresponds to the workstation's wall jack.