RuggedCom RX5000 manual Copper Ethernet Ports, 1. RJ45 Twisted-Pair Copper Ports

3. Installation

3.5. Copper Ethernet Ports

The RuggedBackbone™ RX5000 can be ordered with up to 96 10/100Base-TX ports that allow connection to standard CAT-5 UTP cable with RJ45 male connectors. All copper Ethernet ports feature auto-negotiation, auto-polarity, and auto-crossover functions. The female RJ45 connector can accept and take advantage of screened (commonly known as "shielded") cabling.

3.5.1. RJ45 Twisted-Pair Copper Ports

Female RJ45 connectors are available on LMs that support 10/100Base-T and on LMs and SMs that support 10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet. Their pin assignments are described below.

3.5.2. Gigabit Ethernet 1000Base-TX Cabling Recommendations

The IEEE 802.3ab Gigabit Ethernet standard defines 1000 Mbit/s Ethernet communications over distances of up to 100 meters using 4 pairs of category 5 (or higher) balanced, unshielded twisted-pair cabling. For wiring guidelines, system designers and integrators should refer to the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) TIA/EIA-568-A wiring standard that characterizes minimum cabling performance specifications required for proper Gigabit Ethernet operation. To ensure reliable, error-free data communications, new and preexisting communication paths should be verified for TIA/EIA-568-A compliance. The table: Cabling Categories And 1000Base-TX Compliance summarizes the relevant cabling standards as they apply to 100Base-TX connections.

Table 3.5. Cabling Categories And 1000Base-TX Compliance

Follow these recommendations for copper data cabling in high electrical noise environments:

•Data cable lengths should be as short as possible - ideally limited to 3m (10') in length. Copper data cables should not be used for inter-building communications.

•Power and data cables should not be run in parallel for long distances, and should be installed in separate conduits. Power and data cables should intersect at 90° angles when necessary to reduce inductive coupling.