Cat 5 Cable Speed and Switch Recommendations

[TheScullster]

Will Cat 5 cable run at 1Gb.
I am trying to decide on switches for our existing installation.
Think I can get two runs for the servers to the patch panel in Cat6.
All other desks are wired in Cat 5.
I have test data for each point which simply shows 100MHz has been proven
and loads of other tech stuff. What sets the limit for speed?

If I can't run the desktops at 1Gb then a 10/100/1000 switch looks like a
waste.
Are switches available that have a few 1Gb ports for server connection and
the rest 100Mbit for desktops? Which switches would be good value? Netgear
gave us 3-4 years of service but are becoming troublesome.

TIA

Phil

 

[Christo]

Will Cat 5 cable run at 1Gb.
I am trying to decide on switches for our existing installation.
Think I can get two runs for the servers to the patch panel in Cat6.
All other desks are wired in Cat 5.
I have test data for each point which simply shows 100MHz has been proven
and loads of other tech stuff. What sets the limit for speed?

If I can't run the desktops at 1Gb then a 10/100/1000 switch looks like a
waste.
Are switches available that have a few 1Gb ports for server connection and
the rest 100Mbit for desktops? Which switches would be good value?
Netgear
gave us 3-4 years of service but are becoming troublesome.

TIA

Phil

cat5e will run at 1000Mbps or 1Gbps if you like, cat 5 wont so make sure
you get cat 5e as it is probably best even if your running a 100Mbps network
with cat 5 cable cat 5e ensures future upgradability.

1Gbps switches are getting into the pricey range about £250 i found this on
the dell website

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?sku=A0215057&cs=19&c=us&l=en

linksys 24 port just a quick look, it should allow 1Gbps cat5e cable with
1Gbps nic cards or onboard lan etc to operate fully.

there are also a few switches on ebyer with a few 1000 ports on them here
are the links, not entirely sure but it sounds like these ports are for
server or downlink

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=38934

seem to be more expensive it is a 48 port switch with 2 copper gigabit
ports, i think these are designed mainly for stacking switches though i am
not sure, might be worth a bit moe of a read on your part.

there is also this HP switch on ebuyer, probably the best bet

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=45017

description below...

The HP Procurve Switch 2650 is a low-cost, stackable, multi-layer, managed
50-port switch with 48 auto-sensing 10/100 ports and 2 dual personality
ports for 10/100/1000 or mini-GBIC connectivity. With its 50 ports, the
Switch 2650 offers the highest port density per 1U rack height in the
industry.


apeears to also have 2 1Gbps ports i assume for serveror stacking switches

again more looking up, hope thisd helped

 

[Christo]

Will Cat 5 cable run at 1Gb.
I am trying to decide on switches for our existing installation.
Think I can get two runs for the servers to the patch panel in Cat6.
All other desks are wired in Cat 5.
I have test data for each point which simply shows 100MHz has been proven
and loads of other tech stuff. What sets the limit for speed?

If I can't run the desktops at 1Gb then a 10/100/1000 switch looks like a
waste.
Are switches available that have a few 1Gb ports for server connection and
the rest 100Mbit for desktops? Which switches would be good value?
Netgear
gave us 3-4 years of service but are becoming troublesome.

TIA

Phil

if you dont need all the feature rich stuff might be worth checking out


http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=47407

 

[kony]

Will Cat 5 cable run at 1Gb.

Yes, the primary issue is whether all 4 pairs of wires are
connected, which they are 90% of the time, perhaps even more
often considering newer cables. If you had very long runs
though, say over 30m, you ought to consider CAT6.

I am trying to decide on switches for our existing installation.
Think I can get two runs for the servers to the patch panel in Cat6.
All other desks are wired in Cat 5.
I have test data for each point which simply shows 100MHz has been proven
and loads of other tech stuff. What sets the limit for speed?

The question and background info is too vague to know what
you're wanting, but I'll throw a couple thoughts out anyway.

The NIC driver sets 1000Mb or Auto, full-duplex. A cable
with only 2 pair connected would force 100Mb, IIRC. Desktop
systems with lower performance (especially including a
slower, older HDD or file fragmentation) can't be expected
to exceed 30MB/s, and maybe not achieve that. Typical
results for 100Mb are around 8MB/s after TCP/IP overhead so
anything significantly beyond that is evidence of "Gb"
speed. Many cards come with a line-tester software utility
(or it's downloadable from manufacturer's website), though
it's often a windows-only program, IIRC..

If I can't run the desktops at 1Gb then a 10/100/1000 switch looks like a
waste.

Insufficient data, are the 1Gb link lights lit?

Are switches available that have a few 1Gb ports for server connection and
the rest 100Mbit for desktops?

Yes, up until recently they were the most common due to the
astronomical prices of Gb on every port. And it made sense,
for many uses the server-switch connection was the only
significant bottleneck, but these days the prices have
dropped as they do on everything so might as well get Gb on
every port up until your needs are a high-port, managed
switch, then there's probably still significant price
difference, though i haven't priced them recently.

Which switches would be good value? Netgear
gave us 3-4 years of service but are becoming troublesome.

Value is hard to determine relative to such things. If LAN
downtime is a very significant financial loss in any way
then buy high-end parts. If it isn't, buy low-end. Add
ventilation to the area if the switch case feels hot, many
of the smaller units are now passively cooled which is
quieter but not necessarily better for longevity. Could be
your netgears just need a new power supply? That's often a
weak link.

 

[DaveW]

Cat. 6 runs at 1Gb; not Cat. 5.

 

[kony]

Cat. 6 runs at 1Gb; not Cat. 5.

Wrong, read the spec. It was deliberately designed to use
CAT5e and CAT5 is also sufficient for shorter runs providing
all 4 pair are present/connected.