RuggedCom M2100 Gigabit Ethernet 1000Base-TX Cabling Recommendations, 1000BaseTx, Required action

4.7 Gigabit Ethernet 1000Base-TX Cabling Recommendations

The IEEE 802.3ab Gigabit Ethernet standard defines 1000Mbit/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 pre-existing communication paths should be verified for TIA/EIA-568-A compliance. Table 5 summarizes cabling standards available today

	Cabling	1000BaseTx		Required action
	Category	Compliant
< 5		No	New wire infrastructure required
5		Yes		Verify TIA/EIA-568-A compliance
	5e	Yes		No action required. New installations should be designed with
				Category 5e components or higher
6		Yes		No action required
> 6		Yes		Connector and cabling standards to be determined.

Table 5: Cabling categories and 1000BaseTX compliance defined.

In general the following recommendations should be followed for copper data cabling in high electrical noise environments:

•Data cable lengths should be as short as possible, ideally limited to 3m (10ft) 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 ideally should be installed in separate conduits. Power and data cables should intersect at 90° angles when necessary to reduce inductive coupling.

•Shielded/screened cabling can optionally be used. The cable shield should be grounded at one single point to avoid the generation of ground loops.

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