LAN Cabling Newbie Question

[abdullauthan]

I need to cable an entire building which consist of two floors. I'm planning to put a switch in each floor and connect the switch together. The connection will be like PC to Jack to Switch. I will be using standard patch cable to connect from Jack to PC.

1, What will be the color conbination on each ends for the CAT5 cable connecting the switches?

2, If I connect the CAT5 cable to the Switch with UTP connector and the other end to the Jack, what will be the color combination for the UTP connection on the switch side (AT&T connection Jack has it's own combination marked on it)

Any help on these will be highly appreciated. Thanks

 

[MWM]

Two floors for a new install, which presumably includes racks, panels, hardware, etc., can be a bigger and more important undertaking than it seems.

It may be worth the time and expense (yes, it will cost money) to have someone consult with you prior to the installation.

The physical installation itself, done by non-professionals, can lead to unpredictable results. Also, there are fire regulations and building codes that must be appreciated. In our area (San Francisco Bay Area) inspectors are giving much more scrutiny to telecom cabling than in the past.

While such an installation, done by professionals, can be a significant cost, there is a reason for it, just as there is a reason that electricians or plumbers are expensive.

The temptation is to say to oneself, "I can do that; it's just wire!" Sure. And Willie Mays was just running around the grass catching easy fly balls. Sure, anybody can do it.

Furthermore, it is really unfortunate when one's boss tells a subordinate to undertake such a task, saying that is obviously easy. He is not on the hook for its success, you are. CYA may be called for in such cases.

Yours,
Mike McCune, RCDD

 

[TeleGrunt]

Abdullauthan,
I agree with MWM, in that it may be a much wiser choice to contract this project out. In a project of this scale, depending upon how many drops, and are they strictly voice, and or data? Not only do you have to worry about the regulations, but the physical labor, time, purchase of the correct products, testing of the cabling, knowledged of color codes, and BICSI standards (highly recommended), and documentation. A project of this scale has many factors to take into consideration and much planning. Make sure that you are not biting off more than you can chew, especially considering the amount of experience that you have in this arena.

 

[mradmin]

I agree completely with the previous 2 posts. I work for an electronics service company and 2 years ago we relocated our main office. In our original building, the wiring was left-over from the "mainframe-to-dumb terminal" era. We had done everything ourselves, no patch panels or wall jacks, every port was continuous from the computer bulkhead to each peripheral device. That served us well in the era that things didn't get changed very often. If we relocated a user, we ran a new cable (and hopefully documented our changes). We "saved money". In our new building (setup for a new system in a new time) I (now older and wiser) contracted out the job, specifying patch panels (in the computer room) and wall jacks at every possible workstation location. The contractor provided me a certified infrastructure, at an agreeable price, as of a specific date. I know that I can discount the wiring aspect of any future problems. That knowledge and the flexibility that the patch panels allow are well worth the cost of getting this done professionally. Good luck

 

[joat25]

I completely agree with the previous responses-and don't forget...70% of all network problems are related to the cabling. If an inspector finds it not up to code (such as not using plenum, conduit etc.), they could make you tear it all out and start over.