[X4U] Network Cables and Speed

[David Ledger]

>From: Ken Schneider <ken at schneider.net>
>There is so much different advice about ethernet cables that I am
>confused. Some people say that to get gigabit speeds you need to use
>Cat6 cables. Some say Cat5e is OK and some say Cat5 is OK for short
>runs. I want to get the fastest speeds possible. My longest cable run
>is 25 feet. Do I need Cat6? If I need to get Cat6 cables I will since
>they will be fairly short.
>Also, how can I tell how fast my network is running? I've looked for
>applications that measure this but haven't found any. Is there any
>software that will tell me the speed of my data transfers?

As I understand it, the cables differ in twist pitch, screening, and 
connector quality. The other factor is the number of plug/socket 
joins in the run. I have never worked with the actual cables used 
with Gb ethernet, but have long worked on systems that are connected 
with them over distances at least as large as 25'.

The standards are explained at
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigabit_ethernet>

In practice, achieving Gb speeds with domestic priced components 
depends to some extent on luck.

When it comes to speed, remember that the data bits will be clocked 
out at the rated interval whatever is used. What matters is how many 
packets fail to be received correctly.

David


-- 
David Ledger - Freelance Unix Sysadmin in the UK.
HP-UX specialist of hpUG technical user group (www.hpug.org.uk)
david.ledger at ivdcs.co.uk
www.ivdcs.co.uk