Installation guide

1000BASE-T Cable Requirements
B-5
1000BASE-T Cable Requirements
All Category 5 UTP cables that are used for 100BASE-TX connections should also
work for 1000BASE-T, providing that all four wire pairs are connected. However, it is
recommended that for all critical connections, or any new cable installations,
Category 5e (enhanced Category 5) or 6 cable should be used. The Category 5e
and 6 specification includes test parameters that are only recommendations for
Category 5. Therefore, the first step in preparing existing Category 5 cabling for
running 1000BASE-T is a simple test of the cable installation to be sure that it
complies with the IEEE 802.3ab standards.
Cable Testing for Existing Category 5 Cable
Installed Category 5 cabling must pass tests for Attenuation, Near-End Crosstalk
(NEXT), and Far-End Crosstalk (FEXT). This cable testing information is specified in
the ANSI/TIA/EIA-TSB-67 standard. Additionally, cables must also pass test
parameters for Return Loss and Equal-Level Far-End Crosstalk (ELFEXT). These
tests are specified in the ANSI/TIA/EIA-TSB-95 Bulletin, “The Additional
Transmission Performance Guidelines for 100 Ohm 4-Pair Category 5 Cabling.”
Note that when testing your cable installation, be sure to include all patch cables
between switches and end devices.
Adjusting Existing Category 5 Cabling
If your existing Category 5 installation does not meet one of the test parameters for
1000BASE-T, there are basically three measures that can be applied to try to correct
the problem:
1. Replace any Category 5 patch cables with high-performance Category 5e or 6
cables.
2. Reduce the number of connectors used in the link.
3. Reconnect some of the connectors in the link.
Console Port Pin Assignments
The DB-9 serial port on the switch’s front panel is used to connect to the switch for
out-of-band console configuration. The on-board menu-driven configuration program
can be accessed from a terminal or a PC running a terminal emulation program. The
pin assignments used to connect to the serial port are provided in the following