sundance-communications.com/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring Cat 6 Augmented

Upstate, Yes to 6a.

Agreed. I just don't see it coming to the desktop either any time soon. Too many people couldn't take advantage of it.

6a may be overkill in most situations, but for a long time so was 5/5e. (probably still is for the average ethernet user) As an IT professional you want to have a cabling infrastructure with the potential to support tomorrow's speeds, and 5e doesn't give you that promise anymore. 6a is the next logical step. We're going to see it coming to the desktop a lot faster than you think.

That's my 2 cents anyways.

With the ability to run gigabit ethernet over 5e using all 4 pairs doesn't that seem to be adequate for the average desktop user??

The average desktop user only needs their ethernet connection for web and email, so I certainly wouldn't argue that gigabit is more than adequate. However I don't think the market is driven by the needs of the average user.

If I'm running gig to the desktop, now my switches are going to be aggregating gig traffic, so they need 10gig between them and the core. So I could spec Cat5e or Cat6 to the workstation, and 6a for the backbone. But now I'm going to have a cabling infrustructure that cannot scale. They might come out with another standard that uses 6a at speeds higher than 10gig in the future, but I can't see them pushing the limits of 5e any further. It's old technology.

If I spec 6a for everything, I'm prepared for an upgrade cycle in 5 years. I simply cannot get that level of comfort with 5e or 6.

Even if you don't agree with my reasoning, there is one undeniable truth...IT people like shiny new things.

Everyone like shiny, new things! :thumb:

I wonder how much of the current Cat6 cable will meet the "10Gbit up to 55 meters" theory that is being talked about. If it proves viable, that may become the value alternative in cabling. Less cost, easier installation and still gets high speed to the shorter runs.

True, it won't go beyond 10Gbit, but it will certainly be "good enough" for most desktops for years to come.

Update for all concerned.

IEEE 802.3an 10GBASE-T was approved in June this year (2006). The supporting test documentation is TIA TSB-155. That should have been approved around the same time, but because there were so many editorial changes done, they wanted to send it out for ballot again. It should be approved in October 2006. The test limits, methodology etc are firm and will not change. TSB-155 is written to support the installed base of Category 6 users, both screened and unscreened. Alien Crosstalk is specified but is not mandated.

Before I go onto Augmented Category 6, I should talk about the purpose of 10GBASE-T. The business case within IEEE was justified based on Data Centers and not 10GBASE-T to the desk. 10GBASE-T to the desk was barely a consideration for this project. When Alien Crosstalk was identified as an issue in Catgegory 6, and the distance limited to 55 meters, the cabling vendors proposed an enhanced version of Category 6 to make it go to 100 meters. It should have been called Category 6e but a number of marketing folks within the cabling vendors were already using that term, so Augmented Category 6 was used instead.

The test limits for Augmented Category 6 are significantly tighter than 10GBASE-T limits. However, you purchase Augmented Category 6 for it's Alien Crosstalk properties allowing you to run to 100 meters.

In Data Centers, the distance are typically shorter. Using LinkWare Stats we submitted data to the IEEE indicating that 75% of links in a data center are typically less than 55 meters. This was important for the equipment vendors because they needed to be able to sell to the installed base (Category 6).

However, for new Data Center installations, Augmented Category 6 is clearly the smarter option because you will not have a 55 meter distance limitation.

For those who installed screened Category 6, Alien Crosstalk should not be an issue. And screened cable is starting to appear here in the US. Vendors in Europe are only selling screened for 10GBASE-T. The exceptions are ADC/KRONE who offer both UTP and FTP and SYSTIMAX who offer only UTP. Grounds in a Data Center can be controlled.

The size of the Augmented Category 6 cable is significant. But in a Data Center where the voids are deep and back boxes are not used, it simply means a recalculation of cable try fills.

In another thread I posted on how we are now doing up to 80% cat6 installs now. The main problem we encounter is not the bend radius, pipe fill etc (all just a matter of re-educating everyone) but in the actual pulls of the cable. This stuff is HEAVY!