3Com 10/100BASE-T4 Adapter Cabling Requirements, Pin assignments for the RJ-45 connector

A CABLING

This appendix discusses the following topics:

■Adapter cabling requirements

■Twisted-pair cable and the EIA/TIA cable categories

■10BASE-T operation and specifications

■100BASE-T specifications, including 100BASE-TX, 100BASE-T4, and 100BASE-FX

■Pin assignments for the RJ-45 connector

Adapter Cabling Requirements

When properly connected to a 10BASE-T network, the

Fast EtherLink 10/100BASE-T4 PCI adapter operates in 10BASE-T mode and requires standard 10BASE-T cable topologies and types, including 2 pairs of Category 3, 4, or 5 UTP for 10 Mbps.

When properly connected to a 100BASE-T4 network, the Fast EtherLink PCI adapter operates in 100BASE-T4 mode and requires 4 pairs of Category 3, 4, or 5 UTP for 100 Mbps.

In either case, the cable, quality, distance, and connectors must comply with the EIA/TIA 568 “Commercial Building Wiring Standard” and the Technical Services Bulletin TSB38 standards.

The maximum UTP cable distance is 100 meters (330 feet) at either speed.