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CAT 3
- Thread starter UNIX72
- Start date
No.. no.. no..
CAT3 can have enough troubles with 10 half and voice
Even if it did "work", you would never see the speed of the CAT5 wiring.. nor the distance. ANd when you say "industrial" I hear much "electronic noise" in the air from the vent systems, robotics, heavy equipment, welders and so on and so on.
One thought would be to run CAT5 for the switch/hub interconnects and leave the workstations on the 10 half CAT3. It would at least give you a larger pipe for the "back bone" You could replace the CAT3 on a "as need" basis once that is done and spread the cost out over some time. I have done this very thing with great success where the servers and the switches got the 10/100 links and the workstatiosn stayed on 10 half( old boxes)
Just a thought
Mike S
"Diplomacy; the art of saying 'nice doggie' till you can find a rock" Wynn Catlin
CAT3 can have enough troubles with 10 half and voice
Even if it did "work", you would never see the speed of the CAT5 wiring.. nor the distance. ANd when you say "industrial" I hear much "electronic noise" in the air from the vent systems, robotics, heavy equipment, welders and so on and so on. One thought would be to run CAT5 for the switch/hub interconnects and leave the workstations on the 10 half CAT3. It would at least give you a larger pipe for the "back bone" You could replace the CAT3 on a "as need" basis once that is done and spread the cost out over some time. I have done this very thing with great success where the servers and the switches got the 10/100 links and the workstatiosn stayed on 10 half( old boxes)
Just a thought
Mike S
"Diplomacy; the art of saying 'nice doggie' till you can find a rock" Wynn Catlin
Just to echo Mike S's thoughts, "ANd when you say 'industrial' I hear much 'electronic noise' in the air from the vent systems, robotics, heavy equipment, welders and so on and so on."
We moved from Cat 3 to Cat 5 in an "industrial" factory. After some serious trial and error, we went to fiber optics for the back bone in the plant. We then put Cat 5 from the hubs to the workstations. This is an expensive route but not as expensive as having to trouble-shoot "noise" on a data line or lose of data. We left the Cat 3 in place and now use it for phone lines, fax lines, etc.
You now have all my life savings, about two cents worth. ;-)
James P. Cottingham
We moved from Cat 3 to Cat 5 in an "industrial" factory. After some serious trial and error, we went to fiber optics for the back bone in the plant. We then put Cat 5 from the hubs to the workstations. This is an expensive route but not as expensive as having to trouble-shoot "noise" on a data line or lose of data. We left the Cat 3 in place and now use it for phone lines, fax lines, etc.
You now have all my life savings, about two cents worth. ;-)
James P. Cottingham
- Thread starter
- #4
Just one more thought.. James is quite correct and he jogged yet another wannabe thought loose from these brain cells
Get a few used Cisco 1900s or 1924s.. they are cheap compared to new hardware and the 1900s can come with a 100TX ( fiber) connection for the backbone built in. The fiber runs nowdays is not that expensive.. or should not be given the 3M snaplock connectors and more folks are terminating fiber runs. Just make sure you pull 6 strands if you only need two. That gives you two spare pair for growth or repair. And unless you drive over it with aforklift, it's pretty durable stuff. I've used since the late 80s and can vouch for it (if quality fiber is used)
Goes along with using quality CAT5 cable and connectors. Make sure you get EACH run tested and you get a printout. IF the vendor cant or wont supply that, get another vendor. No *D* rings allowed.. use flat straps and velcro. I have a nice standards doc I can private email if you want for a basic structure for your cable guys to work from.
Mike S
mike.sweeney@creativecomputer.net "Diplomacy; the art of saying 'nice doggie' till you can find a rock" Wynn Catlin
Get a few used Cisco 1900s or 1924s.. they are cheap compared to new hardware and the 1900s can come with a 100TX ( fiber) connection for the backbone built in. The fiber runs nowdays is not that expensive.. or should not be given the 3M snaplock connectors and more folks are terminating fiber runs. Just make sure you pull 6 strands if you only need two. That gives you two spare pair for growth or repair. And unless you drive over it with aforklift, it's pretty durable stuff. I've used since the late 80s and can vouch for it (if quality fiber is used)
Goes along with using quality CAT5 cable and connectors. Make sure you get EACH run tested and you get a printout. IF the vendor cant or wont supply that, get another vendor. No *D* rings allowed.. use flat straps and velcro. I have a nice standards doc I can private email if you want for a basic structure for your cable guys to work from.
Mike S
mike.sweeney@creativecomputer.net "Diplomacy; the art of saying 'nice doggie' till you can find a rock" Wynn Catlin
- Thread starter
- #6
MasterRacker
Active member
We have a number of CAT3 runs that run 100Mbps just fine. CAT3 can support it if it was installed well (nearly to CAT5 standards - not untwisted over 1/2" at terminations, no sharp bends, etc.) The problem is that while one run may support 100Mbps, another one right next to it, even going to the same wall box, may not. So it can support it, maybe even reliably, but not necessarily predictibaly.
Follow the advice of the others. Put in a fiber backbone. The fiber itself can handle gigabit speeds, so if you don't have the budget now you can always upgrade trancievers later while using the same fiber. Ideally you should use 10/100 switches in your distribution closets connected to each other with gigabit fiber. That way you have the backbone speed to support multiple 100Mb pipes out of the switches. If you dont have the budget use older 10/100 switches or hubs as suggested with 100Mb fiber connections.
If your workstations have 10/100 cards and you have 10/100 switches/hubs in the closet, set everything to auto negotiate and connections that can support 100Mb will come up that way, while the other will come up at 10Mb. If you have a connection that comes up at 100Mb but has a lot of errors, force the NIC in the workstation to 10Mb.
Once everything is running again, you can redo the drops at your leisure. When you redo the drops, make sure you redo everything. CAT3 patch panels and wall jacks have to go as well as the wire. If you have raceway with sharp bends in it, that will have to go as well. Look at the cable manufacturers sites for info on wiring CAT5. True CAT5 performance doesn't just come from the wire, but the way it's terminated and how it's run as well.
Good luck.
Jeff
masterracker@hotmail.com
If everything seems to be going well: you don't have enough information.......
Follow the advice of the others. Put in a fiber backbone. The fiber itself can handle gigabit speeds, so if you don't have the budget now you can always upgrade trancievers later while using the same fiber. Ideally you should use 10/100 switches in your distribution closets connected to each other with gigabit fiber. That way you have the backbone speed to support multiple 100Mb pipes out of the switches. If you dont have the budget use older 10/100 switches or hubs as suggested with 100Mb fiber connections.
If your workstations have 10/100 cards and you have 10/100 switches/hubs in the closet, set everything to auto negotiate and connections that can support 100Mb will come up that way, while the other will come up at 10Mb. If you have a connection that comes up at 100Mb but has a lot of errors, force the NIC in the workstation to 10Mb.
Once everything is running again, you can redo the drops at your leisure. When you redo the drops, make sure you redo everything. CAT3 patch panels and wall jacks have to go as well as the wire. If you have raceway with sharp bends in it, that will have to go as well. Look at the cable manufacturers sites for info on wiring CAT5. True CAT5 performance doesn't just come from the wire, but the way it's terminated and how it's run as well.
Good luck.
Jeff
masterracker@hotmail.com
If everything seems to be going well: you don't have enough information.......
- Thread starter
- #9
pull string refers to the piece o' string that you toss through the ceiling or through the conduit. You use this string to pull in the cable. Always pull in TWO strings and tie one off for future use. He was refering to using the old cable as the "string" to pull in the new CAT5. That may or may not work as cables tend to wrap themselves around or the "snot" lube used turns to some previously unknown hard substance which cements your cables in place ;-)
Mike S
"Diplomacy; the art of saying 'nice doggie' till you can find a rock" Wynn Catlin
Mike S
"Diplomacy; the art of saying 'nice doggie' till you can find a rock" Wynn Catlin
- Thread starter
- #11
MasterRacker
Active member
If you want a lot of good info on installation check out the installer tips at which is "Cable Installation & Maintenance" magazine. Jeff
If everything seems to be going well: you don't have enough information.......
If everything seems to be going well: you don't have enough information.......
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