Category 6 Solutions Category 6 Solutions

Intent Category 6 Cabling Where it came from What it is Why you need it How you use it

Topics Standards Background Performance Characteristics - Cat 5e vs Cat 6 Cable Connectors Permanent Link/Channel Network Migration Installation Practices Field Testing Most Frequently Asked Questions

Ratified 6/02? Ratified 11/99 Standards - Background Overview draft 1 11/97 draft 9 6/01 draft 8draft 12 8/99 draft 3 8/98 draft 4 draft 5 5/99 draft 7 8/00 Development of the TIA Cat 5e and Cat 6 Standards TIA 568-B.2-1 Category 6 draft 1 TIA 568-A-5 Category 5e draft 9 10/98 draft 11 4/99 draft 8 3/01 draft 4 5/99 draft 2 4/98 draft 10 11/01 draft 6 5/00

Standards - TIA Category 6 Milestones Draft 1Nov 1997 Draft 2Apr, 1998 Draft 3Aug, 1998 Increase cable/connector specs to 250MHz Draft 4May, 1999 Draft 5May, 1999 Increase channel/link specs to 250 MHz Draft 6May, 2000 “Attenuation” altered to “Insertion Loss” Change “Basic Link” to “Permanent Link” Draft 7Aug, 2000Modification to Return Loss Limits Draft 8Mar, 2001Patch cord and plug spec Field Tester accuracy Draft 9Jun, 2001 Lab testing criteria clarified Draft 10 Nov, 2001 June 2002 ??Likely Ratification

Performance Parameters - Cat 6 vs Cat 5e All existing Cat 5e parameters are used for Cat 6 spec, but performance is increased for all parameters One existing parameter redefined Three new performance parameters added to Cat 6 spec All Cat 6 performance criteria quantified to 250 MHz

Category 5e NEXT PSNEXT FEXT ELFEXT PSELFEXT Return Loss Propagation Delay Delay Skew Attenuation Category 6 NEXT PSNEXT FEXT ELFEXT PSELFEXT Return Loss Propagation Delay Delay Skew Insertion Loss (Attenuation) Insertion Loss Deviation LCL - Balance (new) LCTL - Balance (new) Performance Parameters - Cat 6 vs Cat 5e

Parameter Definitions NEXT The cable’s ability to reject noise generated from one pair to an adjacent pair. This is an important parameter as it qualifies the clarity of the received signal once it has traveled along the cable and exposed to interference from signals on adjacent pairs.

Parameter Definitions Powersum NEXT The cable’s ability for any of its twisted pairs to reject the total noise generated by all other pairs tested at the transmitter end of the cable. This is vitally important in supporting applications such as 1000BASE-T, which use multiple pairs simultaneously in transmitting signals

Parameter Definitions - Cat 5e vs Cat 6 Performance Characteristics *Draft 10 Nov 01

Parameter Definitions Attenuation (Insertion Loss) The reduction of signal voltage level as it travels along the cabling, due to transmission losses. It is important to minimise the attenuation of the cabling to ensure the transmitted signal is large enough to be recognised at the receiver.

Parameter Definitions - Cat 5e vs Cat 6 Performance Characteristics *Draft 10 Nov 01

Parameter Definitions ACR and PSACR Power Sum Attenuation to Crosstalk Ratio is calculated for any specific frequency as: PSACR = PSNEXT – Attenuation [dB] PSACR is an indication of the “signal to noise ratio (SNR)” which relates directly to the bandwidth of the cabling system. The bandwidth is determined by the frequency range for which the PSACR is 3 dB or more. Signals at frequencies that are beyond the bandwidth (PSACR less than 3 dB) cannot be detected by the receiver due to excessive crosstalk noise.

Parameter Definitions - Cat 5e vs Cat 6 Performance Characteristics *Draft 10 Nov 01

Parameter Definitions Return Loss A measure of the reflected energy caused by impedance variations at the interfaces between the cable and the connectivity hardware and along the cable length. A low return loss is important to maximize the signal strength at the receiver which minimizes bit errors. A good RL is critical for high bit-rate applications.

Parameter Definitions - Cat 5e vs Cat 6 Performance Characteristics *Draft 10 Nov 01

Parameter Definitions FEXT/ ELFEXT Similar to NEXT, but a measure of the cable’s ability to reject noise generated from one pair at the far-end to an adjacent pair, but measured at the near-end. This is an important parameter in applications such as 1000BASE-T which use full duplex transmission, where signals are transmitted from both ends of the cable simultaneously.

Parameter Definitions PSELFEXT Similar to PSNEXT but tested at the receiver end of the cable. ELFEXT is different from FEXT in that it includes the effect of attenuation in the calculation. This parameter is very important in transmission schemes, such as 1000BASE-T, which uses each of the four pairs to transmit ¼ of the bit-stream.

Parameter Definitions - Cat 5e vs Cat 6 Performance Characteristics *Draft 10 Nov 01

Parameter Definitions Propagation Delay and Delay Skew A measurement of the difference in time it takes signals to travel down each pair in a cable. In orders to maximize PSNEXT and PSELFEXT performance, each pair is twisted with a different rate. Therefore, the electrical length of each pair is different, which creates different delays in arrival of the signal at the receiver. Delay Skew is defined as the measured time difference between the fastest and slowest pairs in a cable. In high speed parallel transmission scheme applications, such as 1000BASE-T, excessive delay skew will result in packets of information being received out of sequence, which creates corruption of the signal at the receiver. Time Delay Delay Skew

Parameter Definitions - Cat 5e vs Cat 6 Performance Characteristics *Draft 10 Nov 01

Parameter Definitions LCL/LCTL Balance Balance is a parameter only introduced to Category 6 and is currently under study for cables. It is a measure of a system’s ability to propagate a differential signal without conversion to a common mode signal, and vice versa. Essentially this means the cable is able to reject outside noise from sources other than from adjacent pairs, such as motors, RF signals, etc, as well as minimising the leakage of signals into other nearby equipment. Poorly balanced twisted pair Unbalanced Output Signal due to poorly balanced twisted pair which causes radiation from the cable and susceptibility for outside interference. Poorly balanced pairs will also increase cross talk. Input Balanced Differential Mode Signal

Parameter Definitions - Cat 5e vs Cat 6 Performance Characteristics *Draft 10 Nov 01 # LCL -Longitudinal Conversion Loss LCTL -Longitudinal Conversion Transfer Loss

Category 6 Cable Enhancements Increased conductor diameter - 24 AWG to 23 AWG New conductor alloys Modified conductor insulation materials Central spine/cross member Increased twist rate and rate variances More precise manufacturing tolerances Cat 5e cable cross-section Cat 6 cable cross-section

Category 6 Connectivity Enhancements Single manufacturer mated plug/jack combination most common Interoperability of jacks and plugs between manufacturers still developing Use of Printed Circuit Board designs more common than Lead Frame for contacts Component level performance very difficult to achieve Compact style vs 8-wire horizontal connectors more common in patch panels

Permanent Link vs Channel Permanent Link Channel Includes Patch Panel, Cable, and Outlet, but excludes patch or test cords The entire passive transmission path, which includes Patch Cord, Patch Panel, Cable, Outlet and Fly Lead, but excludes active equipment

Network Migration - 10 Mb/s Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet 10 Mb/s Ethernet (shared coax) 10 Mb/s Ethernet (switched UTP) 100 Mb/s Ethernet (switched UTP) 1 Gb/s Ethernet (switched UTP) 10 Gb/s Ethernet (switched fibre)

Network Migration - 10 Mb/s Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet 1000BASE-T IEEE802.3ab Cat 5e cabling 1000BASE-TX TIA-854 Cat 6 cabling

Network Migration - 10 Mb/s Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet 1000BASE-T 4 pair transmission on Cat 5, 5e or 6 UTP 250 Mb/s full duplex transmission per pair Requires transceivers at both ends of each pair 1000BASE-TX 2 pair transmission on Cat 6 UTP 500 Mb/s half duplex transmission per pair Requires only one transmitter and one receiver for each pair

1000BASE-T Complex circuitry Higher cost active equipment Lower cost cabling (Cat 5) Higher overall system cost 1000BASE-TX Less complex circuitry Lower cost active equipment Higher cost cabling (Cat 6) Lower overall system cost (approx. 25% less than 1000B ASE -T) Network Migration - 10 Mb/s Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet

Why Cat 6 versus Cat 5e UTP Cabling? Superior installed performance over Cat 5e Migration from 10 Mb/s to 100 Mb/s to 1000 Mb/s data throughput Potentially lower end-to-end cost over the life of the system 2 Gbps, 4 Gbps, 10 Gbps… what’s next? Future proof when ever you can!

Installation Practices Maintain pair twists at IDC Don’t untwist pairs any more than 12mm at IDC Maintain cable sheath close to IDC Don’t unsheath cable any more than 25mm at IDC Do’s Don’ts

Installation Practices Install no more than 24 cables in a long bundle Don’t use cable ties, or compress jacket of outer cables on bundle Use hook and loop cable fasteners Don’t install long looms of large numbers (>24) of parallel cables Do’s Don’ts

Installation Practices Monitor cable de-reeling for kinks and smooth any incurred Don’t allow any kinked cable to be installed Use cable bend radius guides at IDC, & bend cable no more than 4 x cable diameter Don’t bend cable too sharp, or provide insufficient support at IDC Do’s Don’ts

Field Testing Category 6 There are a number of issues that must be considered to accurately and reliably test Category 6 cabling systems Tester Accuracy Interoperability Channel vs Link

Field Testing Category 6 Tester Accuracy Don’t assume all Level III testers have the same level of accuracy The accuracy of Level III testers is no longer qualified by cabling standards, and varies between vendors The purchaser check a tester’s level of accuracy with the vendor before purchasing the unit Select a tester that offers the level of accuracy that you are comfortable with Be conscious of your tester’s accuracy when reviewing test results

Interoperability Due to the unique characteristics of vendors’ Cat 6 plugs and jacks, all Level III field testers utilise various forms of adapters to suit specific brands of Cat 6 Permanent Links Field Testing Category 6

Link and Channel Testing All Level III Testers test Permanent Link parameters, using appropriate test heads/adapters and software The Permanent Link model defined by cabling standards factors out the contribution of NEXT and FEXT by the test leads to the overall Link Basic Link heads/adapters, which do not remove the effects of the test leads, should not be used as they may yield false test results Channel parameters cannot currently be tested with Level III testers, as no true Cat 6 Channel adapters are available yet All tester vendors are developing Cat 6 Channel adapters, but none are released to date Field Testing Category 6

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