Cable Connection Problems; 10Base-T Cables - Nortel Passport 8000 Series Installing And Maintaining

Cable connection problems

Port connection problems can usually be traced to a poor cable connection or to an
improper connection of the port cables at either end of the link. To remedy such
problems, make sure that the cable connections are secure and that the cables are
connected to the correct ports at both ends of the link.
Note: Port connection problems can also be traced to the
autonegotiation mode (see
8100 modules" on page

10BASE-T cables

Cabling for 10BASE-T networks can consist of two-pair Category 3, 4, or 5
unshielded twisted pair (UTP) wiring. However, to prepare for future upgrades to
Fast Ethernet, Nortel Networks strongly recommends that you use all Category 5
cable in your network.
Ethernet 10BASE-T network installations use cables consisting of two pairs of
twisted pair wires—one pair to send data and one to receive data. These wires
must connect to another 10BASE-T station that has the sending pair attached to its
receiving pair and vice versa. If the two nodes are wired alike, they both attempt to
send data out on the same RJ-45 pins. In such a case, a straight-through cable
would not work. However, a crossover cable would operate normally.
The 8100 modules are designed to have Ethernet network interface cards (NICs)
connect directly to their RJ-45 ports using straight-through cables. NIC's port
types are MDI. However, if a 8100 module must connect to a hub or another
switch that follows usual conventions, a crossover cable is required because the
port types are MDI-X. You only need crossover cables when connecting cables to
devices that have the same port type.
Chapter 4 Operating the Passport 8000 Series switch 91
"Autonegotiation mode problems for Passport
92).
Installing and Maintaining the Passport 8000 Series Chassis