Cabling And Technology Information; Cabling Specifications - Aruba 6000 Series Installation And Getting Started Manual

Cabling and technology information

This section includes switch connector information and network cable information for cables used with the
Aruba switches.
Incorrectly wired cabling is a common cause of problems for LAN communications. Aruba recommends that you
work with a qualified LAN cable installer for assistance with your cabling requirements.

Cabling specifications

Table 15: Cabling specifications
Twisted-pair copper
Multimode fiber
Single mode fiber
*A mode conditioning patch cord may be needed for some Gigabit-LX and 10-Gigabit LRM installations.
Note on Multimode and Single mode fiber
Attenuators may be required for some transceiver techs and cable length
Note on 1000BASE-T cable requirements
The Category 5 networking cables that work for 100BASE-TX connections also work for 1000BASE-T, as long
as all four-pairs are connected. But, for the most robust connections, use cabling that complies with the
Category 5e specifications. This specification is described in Addendum 5 to the TIA-568-A standard
(ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-A-5).
Because of the increased speed provided by 1000BASE-T (Gigabit-T), network cable quality is more
important than for either 10BASE-T or 100BASE-TX. Cabling plants being used to carry 1000BASE-T
networking must comply with the IEEE 802.3ab standards. In particular, the cabling must pass tests for
Attenuation, Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT), and Far-End Crosstalk (FEXT). Additionally, unlike the cables for
100BASE-TX, the 1000BASE-T cables must pass tests for Equal-Level Far-End Crosstalk (ELFEXT) and Return
Loss.
Aruba 6000 & 6100 Switch Series Installation and Getting Started Guide |
Cabling and technology information
10 Mbps Operation Category 3, 4 or 5, 100-ohm unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) or
shielded twisted-pair (STP) cable, complying with IEEE 802.3
10BASE-T specifications.
100 Mbps Operation Category 5, 100-ohm UTP, or STP cable, complying with IEEE
802.3u 100BASE-TX specifications.
1000 Mbps Operation Category 5, 100-ohm 4-pair UTP or STP cable, complying with
IEEE 802.3ab 1000BASE-T specifications; Category 5e or
better is recommended.
62.5/125 μm or 50/125 μm (core/cladding) diameter, low
metal content, graded index fiber-optic cables, complying
with the ITU-T G.651 and ISO/IEC 793-2 Type A1b or A1a
standards respectively.*
9/125 μm (core/cladding) diameter, low metal content fiber-
optic cables, complying with the ITU-T G.652 and ISO/IEC
793-2 Type B1 standards.
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