CAT 5 vs CAT 6 3

[leeym]

Out network consists of CAT5 cabling through gigabit NICS and switches. According to the O/S of all servers and workstations, the throughput is 1 Gbps. Do we still need to upgrade to CAT6 cabling?

Also, I noticed that CAT5 is rated at 350 MHz while CAT6 is at 550 MHz. What's the difference here?

Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[franklin97355]

If you have a working system you do not need to upgrade. If you plan on changing the system in the future you should also plan to make the cabling match the other equipment requirements.
The figures you are talking about are called headroom. I'm not sure what it would do for you as we don't try to push the envelope (much) where I work.

 

[oldtimerbob]

Just a note:

The rationale is that cabling will last at least 10 years and will support at least four to five generations of equipment during that time.

Not all cat 5 is rated at 350,just the cat5E(or 5e+),old cat5 is rated at 100, cat5e at 200,which also the minumum rate for cat6. The 550 rate you spoke of is the top end of cat6.
A cat6 connector couples about 1/12 of the power that a cat5e connector couples from one pair to another pair. Conversely, one can say that a category 6 connector is 12 times less “noisy” compared to a category 5e connector.

I concur with Franklin, if it's not broke,leave it alone.

 

[wires]

...old cat5 is rated at 100, cat5e at 200,which also the minumum rate for cat6. The 550 rate..."

Cable bandwidth and network data rates are not the same thing. While a physical network with increased bandwidth can carry more traffic the numbers don't relate in real world applications. Improvements in twisted pair interfacing and data encoding allow higher data rates on lower bandwidth cables. One example is the ever increasing DSL speeds over standard telephone wiring.

Leeym - if you are getting 1Gbps all over your network I would leave it alone for now. Later on I would look at upgrades between your servers and switches where increased speed would benefit everyone. Gigabit to the desktop is still considerably above the norm for most current applications.

 

[sheisler]

I don't want to get in trouble for posting a brand name switch here, but I will mention that the cable is not necessarily as important as everyone thinks. I have 3 installations running gigabit over 250+ feet runs of CAT3 (not a typo - yes, CAT 3). The switch, which is 100% standard but enhanced, plus good gigabit cards, give me this functionality. So, if I can get gigabit over cat 3, do you really think that Cat6 is required for gigabit? Not in my world. 10-gig, probably so. But with the right networking hardware, standard Cat5 works great for gigabit. Further, using Cat5E, I have successful runs close to 600' with gigabit speeds with '0' lost packets or error packets.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Sympology]

Sheisler,
you could get 1tb over 20 miles of cable with enough powerchucked down it. There is a reason you have standards. If it is a lower grade you are more likely to get more crosstalk, errors and reflection. Therefore you may be connecting at 1gb but what is you actual throughput? You may find your systems are doing more retransmits, have more collisions.
Lenghth doe have an important constraint.
I don't know the actual speeds so lets take in in second.

Say a transmit takes 1 second to hit it's target and says, expect your next packet in another second or two. It arrives 1 second later, no problem.

Now multilply that 5 fold.

Transmit goes out and 5 seconds later the receive end says, "hey where's the second packet", then the the packet arrives. Meanwhile the transmiting end receives the missing packet messages, so retransmits. Hence connection at one gig...throughput, far less.

You may be lucky with your install, but we've seen cat3 run like a dog on 100mb let alone 1gb.

My penny's worth....


Only the truly stupid believe they know everything.
Stu.. 2004

 

[mikeydidit]

I too would leave it alone if it is working and you are not having any problems with it. It is true that your cabling that you install today is "supposed" to be for a life of 10 years. That being said, I have installed thin net, thick net, token ring (IBM Type 1), Cat5 and now 5E in the last 15 years. The point being is I am not sure we will ever be able to keep up with the latest cabling. If what you have in place works then use it. It you need to upgrade from Cat3 OR plain Cat 5 on certain connections, and then look into using at least 5E or Cat 6 for your new installs.

Mikey

 

[askthetech]

FYI... Per official CAT6 certification, CAT5 is rated at 100Mhz and 100MB, CAT5E is rated at 200MHz and 1.2GB and CAT6 is rated at 250MHz and 2.2GB. CAT5 and CAT5E are 24g wires, but CAT6 is 23g.

 

[rongroulx]

Did anybody bother to refer to the actual standard first before offering technical assistance regarding ...uhhh...STANDARDS?!?

First of all, Cat 5E refers to the TIA/EIA568-B.2 standard and is specified for measurements up to only 100MHZ!!!
For those who don't have a copy of the standard, refer to this helpful article at

http://www.cabletesting.com:

http://kb.flukenetworks.com/display...ries/category_5e_field_test_specification.htm

I agree with Stu that distance plays a role in everything because Ethernet has a timing algorythm that will cause remote collisions (YES, even on FDX switch ports!). Long distances could work, but at reduced throughput. Standards say no more than 100meters(+10%) to ensure Ethernet avoids timing issues, doesn't matter what Category rating it is!!!

To my knowledge, 10/100Mbps/1GIG/10GIG Ethernet over copper all should have the same distance limitations, but to be sure you would need to refer to the correct IEEE 802 standards.

Remember, Category ratings developed by the TIA/EIA Standards group are to ensure that cable contractors can guarantee proper installation warantees for thier customers who expect their infrastructure is good for future use.

My recomendation is to monitor your system for packet loss if you concerned about gigabit performance over your existing infrastructure. I DISAGREE WITH EVERYONE IN THIS POST WHO SAYS TO IGNORE THIS PROBLEM UNTIL YOU HAVE ONE! TRY TESTING IT FIRST!

Ron

"It is much easier to make an informed decision when you are in fact...informed.