In this class, you will repeatedly encounter references to such ideas as "protocols", "standards", and "specifications". Those ideas are related to one another -- in that they refer to patterned ways of doing things -- but they are not synonymous. They will be especially important in an area like computer networking, in which many separate parts are required to be connected and interact with one another. As such, understanding them is helpful.

Write a brief essay (1.5 to 2 pages, not including sources and endnotes) addressing the idea of standards and specifications. Your essay should address the following issues:
1. Brief definitions for each of the following concepts:
  - standard
  - specification
2. For each of the aforementioned concepts, please give 1-2 brief example(s).
3. Describe the relationship between the two concepts. Are they just two alternate terms for the same thing? Or, is there some distinction between the two?
4. For a while now, the CAT5/5e standards for twisted-pair cables have been ubiquitous in computer networks. Indeed, home users are often advised to simply use CAT5e cables because they are cheaper than the more advanced CAT6 cables, whose full potential might not be used, anyway. Still, CAT6 cables (and higher!) are becoming more common, and networks are starting to adopt them as a form of "future-proofing". To that end...
  - Take a moment to speak to our general question of "standards/specifications", in terms of Ethernet cabling standards in particular.
  - How official standards/specs help a user or network administrator to make strategic decisions whether or not to spend more for CAT6/6a cables -- and if so, in which areas of the network this should be done.
  - Optional: Address the even newer CAT7 standard and its relevance.
NOTE: This does not mean your essay simply answers the above, one after the other. Rather, you should incorporate these in a manner that logically flows from one idea to the next.
For help understanding the concepts and their similarities/differences, you might try searches such as the following:

    standard vs specification

    standard vs protocol

    protocol vs specification
(Keeping in mind, of course, that protocols are a somewhat different topic...)
Your 1.5-to-2-page essay should meet the following requirements:
1. Use at least two sources that are NOT the textbook or lecture notes.
  - All sources must be consulted must be explicitly oriented to science, technology, and/or engineering.
  - Generic, non-technology-specific encyclopaedias, dictionaries, websites, etc. are not valid sources.
  - User-created content -- such as blogs and discussion board posts -- should be vetted for credibility before being used.
2. Cite your sources:
  - List any sources consulted. These are sources that significantly influenced your thinking or helped you to work out your ideas -- even if you did not take any specific ideas or points from them.
  - If you do consult the textbook and/or lecture notes, those must be cited, as well.
  - Any direct quotes (or close paraphrasals) -- in other words, where you are using a specific idea or point from a source -- should be surrounded by quotation marks (" ") and cited with endnotes
  - There may be some overlap between works consulted and endnotes.
  - There are various official citation styles -- MLA, APA, Chicago, etc. Choose one that you know. At the very least, your citation should make it easy for me to find your source -- and place within the source, if applicable.
  - Any online source cited must include a URL so that I can easily navigate to it, if needed.
3. Correct grammar and spelling
4. In paragraph form -- not one large block of text!
5. Paragraphs flow logically from one to the next
6. Double-spaced
7. 12-point font
8. 1-inch margins
To get a broad idea of visual appearance, here is an example: link.
There is no need to consume several lines at the beginning with information like class, date, etc. Your name will be sufficient.