Hewlett Packard Enterprise OfficeConnect 1850 2XGT, Installation And Getting Started Manual, Page: 40 / 56

Specifications
Cabling and Technology Information Specifications
A-4
Cabling and Technology Information Specifications
Note on 1000BASE-T and 10GBASE-T Cable Requirements
The Category 5 networking cables that work for 100BASE-TX connections should also work for 1000BASE-
T, as long as all four-pairs are connected. But, for the most robust connections, you should use cabling that
complies with the Category 5e specifications, as described in Addendum 5 to the TIA-568-A standard (ANSI/
TIA/EIA-568-A-5). For 10GBASE-T, only Category 6a cables should be used.
Because of the increased speed provided by 1000BASE-T (Gigabit-T), network cable quality is more
important than for either 10BASE-T or 100BASE-TX. Cabling plants being used to carry 1000BASE-T
networking must comply with the IEEE 802.3ab standards. In particular, the cabling must pass tests for
Attenuation, Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT), and Far-End Crosstalk (FEXT). Additionally, unlike the cables for
100BASE-TX, the 1000BASE-T cables must pass tests for Equal-Level Far-End Crosstalk (ELFEXT) and
Return Loss.
Because of the increased speed provided by 10GBASE-T (10Gigabit-T), network cable quality is more
important than for either 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX or 1000BASE-T. Cabling plants being used to carry
10GBASE-T networking must comply with the IEEE 802.3an standards. In particular, the cabling must pass
tests for Attenuation, Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT), and Far-End Crosstalk (FEXT). Additionally, unlike the
cables for 100BASE-TX, the 10GBASE-T cables must pass tests for Equal-Level Far-End Crosstalk
(ELFEXT) and Return Loss.
When testing your cabling, be sure to include the patch cables that connect the switch and other end devices
to the patch panels on your site. The patch cables are frequently overlooked when testing cable and they must
also comply with the cabling standards.
Cable Medium Operation Speed Cabling and Technology Information Specifications
Twisted-pair copper 10 Mbps Operation Category 3, 4 or 5, 100-ohm unshielded twisted-pair
(UTP) or shielded twisted-pair (STP) cable, complying
with IEEE 802.3 10BASE-T specifications.
100 Mbps Operation Category 5, 100-ohm UTP or STP cable, complying with
IEEE 802.3u 100BASE-TX specifications.
1000 Mbps Operation Category 5, 100-ohm 4-pair UTP or STP cable,
complying with IEEE 802.3ab 1000BASE-T
specifications—Category 5e or better is recommended.
See note on 1000BASE-T Cable Requirements below.
10 Gbps Operation Category 6a, 100-ohm, 4-pair UTP or STP cable,
complying with IEEE 802.3an 10GBASE-T
specifications.
Multimode fiber 1/10 Gbps Operation 62.5/125 mm or 50/125 mm (core/cladding) diameter, low
metal content, graded index fiber-optic cables, complying
with the ITU-T G.651 and ISO/IEC 793-2 Type A1b or
A1a standards respectively.
1
Single mode fiber 1/10 Gbps Operation 9/125 mm (core/cladding) diameter, low metal content
fiber-optic cables, complying with the ITU-T G.652 and
ISO/IEC 793-2 Type B1 standards.
1
A mode conditioning patch cord may be needed for some Gigabit-LX installations. See “ Mode Conditioning
Patch Cord ” on page A-5 for more information.