A network tap is used to intercept the signals passing over a cable and send them to a packet or protocol analyzer. Taps are either powered or unpowered:

Enabling secure boot will verify the digital signature of the bootloader and operating system, ensuring that the system only boots from trusted and authorised sources. This can prevent booting from an unauthorised live CD or other external media.
The best way to prevent booting from a live Linux CD on a computer in a shared space on campus is to enable secure boot. Secure boot is a feature that ensures that the system only runs software that is signed by an authorized party. This means that the system will not boot from any unauthorized media, including live Linux CDs.
Secure Boot is a feature that ensures that the system only runs software that is signed by an authorized party. This means that the system will not boot from any unauthorized media, including live Linux CDs. Secure Boot is an important security feature designed to prevent malicious software from loading when your PC starts up (boots)1.
Booting from a live Linux CD is a process that allows you to run a Linux operating system from a CD or DVD without installing it on your hard drive. This can be useful for testing or troubleshooting purposes. To boot from a live Linux CD, you need to insert the CD or DVD into your computer's CD/DVD drive and restart your computer. Most systems are set up to automatically boot from the CD/DVD drive, but if your system is not set up this way, you may need to change a system setting to boot from a Linux CD/DVD23.

USB 3.0 ports are slightly smaller than other USB connections, so if the port appears to be the wrong size, it is likely that the port belongs to a different form factor. This can be caused by a number of factors, such as the device being too old to support USB 3.0, or the device not having a USB 3.0 port in the first place.

Cat 5 cable is limited to a maximum data transfer rate of 100Mbps, while Cat 5e, Cat 6, and Cat 6a cables support Gigabit Ethernet (1000Mbps) and higher speeds. Even though the LAN card is capable of Gigabit speeds, it cannot achieve that speed when using a Cat 5 cable. Upgrading to a Cat 5e or higher cable would allow the computer to achieve Gigabit speeds. Reference: CompTIA A+ Certification Exam: Core 1 - Page 196

The cause of the issue is likely due to a DNS resolution issue. While the technician can ping the servers by IP address, they cannot ping the UNC path, indicating an issue with the name resolution. This can be resolved by configuring the correct DNS server settings.