Before NetDay, schools will work with volunteers and businesses and design cable runs in each school. Each school will receive a NetDay kit containing cable and other materials; you'll need to bring other tools and supplies on NetDay. See the NetDay Web site for more information on ordering kits and sponsoring schools.

   On NetDay, you'll work in three parts. First, you'll run the cables from a central point to the schoolrooms (five classrooms and library or computer lab). Second, you'll mount wall jacks and wire the schoolroom ends of the cables into the jacks. Third, you'll wire one end of each cable to a kind of "switchboard" called a patch panel. After you've installed the cable, a professional will test it.

   Note: The computers and server are not part of NetDay. NetDay is just for putting wiring in place so that computers can be connected to each other afterwards. Your school must get separate funding for buying and installing computers.

   After NetDay, students and teachers will be able to plug computers into the jacks. The patch panel you install will make it possible for a technician to connect those computers to each other (forming a local network) and to the outside (linking to the Internet or other wide area network).

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Glossary of Terms