1000Base-T Cable Requirements; Cable Testing For Existing Category 5 Cable; Adjusting Existing Category 5 Cabling For 1000Base-T - Fujitsu PRIMERGY BX900 User Manual

For 1000 Mbps operation, all four wire pairs in the cable must be connected. When
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auto-negotiation is enabled, the 1000BASE-T ports support the auto MDI/MDI-X feature,
which means that at any operating speed (10, 100, or 1000 Mbps), either straight-through
device. Make sure each twisted-pair cable does not exceed 100 meters (328 feet). Note that
auto-negotiation must be enabled to support auto MDI/MDI-X.
4.2

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) cable should be
used. The Category 5e specification includes test parameters that are only recommendations for
Category 5. Therefore, the first step in preparing existing Category 5 cabling for running 1000BAST-T is
a simple test of the cable installation to be sure that it complies with the IEEE 802.3ab standards.
4.2.1

Cable Testing for Existing Category 5 Cable

Installed Category 5 cabling must pass test 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-95Bulletin, "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.
4.2.2

Adjusting Existing Category 5 Cabling for 1000BASE-T

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 and correct the problem:
1. Replace any Category 5 patch cables with high-performance Category 5e cables.
2. Reduce the number of connectors used in the link.
3. Reconnect some of the connectors in the link.
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