在办公室呆久了，你会看到网络布线的明显趋势。有些电缆有一个有盖的插头，有些电缆是裸的。小插头盖的用途是什么？

今天的问答环节是由SuperUser提供的，SuperUser是Stack Exchange的一个分支，是一个由社区驱动的问答网站分组。

问题

超级用户读者Michael Kjörling想知道：

Some RJ45 plugs have an exposed lock release clip, like this:

However, others place the release clip under a rubber cover, like this:

I find that the rubber cover is almost never anything but a nuisance.

• Does it actually have a function besides being annoying?
• Can I take a suitable tool and simply cut it off without affecting the cable’s function?

把手工工具带到可怜的小橡胶盖上似乎有点极端。迈克尔应该离开被窝吗？

答案

超级用户贡献者Journeyman Geek提供了一些见解：

From experience, those retention clips break off a lot on the first sort of cables – those are fine for cables that are well protected and/or going to be plugged in and forgotten, but the moment those clips bend the wrong way, they break, and you end up with a cable that dosen’t clip in place. They also snag each other sometimes and are just a PITA.

Cable boots (yes thats the proper name for them) keep cables from snagging, those clips from breaking, and generally ensure the cable dies from other things, like rabbit attacks, pruning shear accidents, and backhoe incidents. On the other hand, those cables are not slipping out from their sockets cause a tiny bit of plastic broke, and thats whats important.

Feel free to remove them, or get cables without them, but I personally find them pretty useful (and cables with them tend to be better made in many cases). They have no major structural or electrical purpose.

另一位撰稿人oKtoSite对cable附加组件的实用性投了另一张信任票：

When retracting a RJ45 plug through narrow tubing or around corners, the clip tends to snap off, effectively making the network cable useless in most environments. The rubber dome (most commonly referred to as a cable boot) nearly always prevents that from happening.

You wouldn’t know how many network cables I’ve seen with broken off clips.

拉了我们的电缆公平份额，我们与这两个健全：靴子是有用的，除非你有一个令人信服的理由，否则你应该离开他们。

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