The current situation and analysis of wiring development

Network cabling from 5 classes, 5 classes to 6 classes or even 7 of the conversion, wiring industry has a lot of speculation. The following is an analysis of "causes and results" at the beginning of a new phase.

Wait for the 6 class

in the next few years, network cabling will further transform from 5 class to Super 5 class and Super 5 class to 6 classes. The first phase of the process-the Super 5 class to replace the 5 category, has been in progress, by the first half of 2001, once the 6 standards were formally introduced, 6 categories will be faster to replace the previous generation of products. The

Category 5 has lagged far behind the pace of development, and the research firm ABI of New York's Oyster Bay has analyzed that sales of over 5 types of cables will be far more than 5 this year, even though some users may not need them now, But they will choose over 5 or 6 cabling products for future needs and ensure that they do not have to be routed again in the next few years for the new installation. "

The biggest reason that the 5-class cable failed to replace the 5-type cable at a faster rate was because its standards were still in the process (at least not yet formalized). The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) officially approved the 5-class standard in the winter of 1999. Although previous products in the market claimed to meet the new standards, users were cautious about the product before the formal standards were introduced. Now the 6 classes face the same problem. (Computer science)

Although some cabling product vendors have started offering products that are compatible with the 6 standards (product performance meets current requirements for this standard), users fear that the standards will change. That is true in a sense, because some of the details remain to be addressed. Due to lack of clear regulations, product suppliers can only recount.

Category and cable

The 1980s, the cable standard has been developed to meet the new requirements for high-speed data transmission, especially for LAN data transmission. 5 Types of cables have been confirmed and the 6th category is nearing completion. With the increase of the category number, the quality of transmission has been improved and the price has been improved.

The following is a simple generalization: CAT 1: A traditional telephone line. Suitable for analog voice and data. CAT 2: Originally the IBM 3 class. Suitable for 4 Mbps token network LAN and T1, less used. Cat 3: Designed for Mbps Ethernet, it is widely used in digital PBX systems but tends to decline due to cat 5. CAT 4: Designed for Mbps Ethernet and the ten Mbps token network, less used. CAT 5: Designed for Mbps Ethernet and Mbps ATM. This is the preferred cable for most enterprise installations at the moment. CAT 6: For 1000 Mbps Ethernet. CAT 7: Shielded UTP Standard, offering a higher bandwidth than the 6 category, is expected to be mainly used in the European market.

The fact that end users are very cautious when they buy products that are not standardised with excess money is the reason for the low number of 6 installations. Because the customer is waiting for the standard to complete. The quantity is low, thus the price is high. At present, the typical 6 kinds of wiring than 5 kinds of wiring costs high 25%~30%, which reduces the customer to buy 6 kinds of enthusiasm. If the standard is determined, users will start to buy more than 6 cables, prompting manufacturers to increase the number of products produced. The increase in the number of prices will be reduced, there will be more users to buy.

The net result is that category 6 will replace the 5-type cable, just as the Super 5 class replaces 5 categories. Abi predicts that by 2005, 6 types of wiring will be busy cable installation of One-second, 5 types of wiring will fall to 35%, and 5 of the class is only about 4%, the remainder will be mainly 7 categories. 7 categories for shielded UTP Standard, will occupy a small share, in the near future can not become the mainstream of this market.

Why Choose 6 classes? It's hard to say, but it's important for cable installations to meet the future needs of the network.

Compared to the Super 5 classes, 6 classes are sure to provide higher performance. It provides higher bandwidth, at least 200 MHz, not 100 MHz, and improves attenuation, crosstalk and return loss. The actual result is that 6 of products can handle more data more reliably than the Super 5 classes.

The TIA Commission has also developed another set of 6 standards, with a better 23 AWG than 24 AWG standard cable, which provides 250 MHz bandwidth and can further reduce crosstalk interference. The programme, which was based on current standards, had been issued pending a vote by the Committee, and it was felt that the results would compel the Commission to reconsider the programme.

In the current scheme, in the high temperature of 100 meters away from the transmission will be very unstable, Paul Kish is a TIA TR-42 Engineering committee chairman, but also lit company's senior product manager, to participate in wiring standard formulation. He thinks the standard should be explained by the use of better cables or shorter distances at elevated temperatures.

Among the many possibilities, Paul Kish says that the 6 classes are a simpler way to implement Gigabit Ethernet twisted-pair wiring. Although the new standard will constrain the use of 5-class cabling products to Gigabit Ethernet, this will not last long because cabling systems that conform to the next 6-class standard may consider using other electronic devices to provide better results, such as 10G Ethernet. If the new standards are set up, it will inevitably lead to the question of whether copper media can be used in the 10G Ethernet standard being developed.

If network building has an eternal theme, it may be the increasing demand for bandwidth. So install wiring system to try to exceed the current needs, this is very useful, you can ensure that users do not have to upgrade quickly. People believe this can prolong the life of their wiring system.

That's a good idea, but most people still want to wait for the final standard to come up, and that's a good thing. The easiest way to do this is to postpone a new installation as much as possible until you have a clear 6-class standard. But this is not possible for some users. So, what if you need to install a new cable now and expect it to serve you as long as possible?

This depends partly on your network environment, if the use of the environment in the forefront of network technology, then in recent years has 6 types of wiring is very important, if only to apply to the ordinary small network structure, then the Super 5 cable enough to meet your needs in the next few years.

For the former needs of users, in the selection of 6 products should take all possible preparatory measures, users can require manufacturers to provide certificates and guarantees to ensure that they meet the next 6 categories of standards.
Many people agree with this proposal. Some cabling equipment vendors provide "application assurance" to ensure that the product will support any design that runs on top of the 6 standard in the future.

Although the standards have not yet been finalized, they are able to do this because, in designing the product, they take into account all the requirements that may be stipulated in the final standard.

The vast amount of information needed to produce a high quality 6-class system has been included in the current standard, and Paul Kish says he believes that the manufacturers who participate in the standards committee are best informed about the new developments and that choosing such a plant is more secure for the purchaser. However, to read the restrictive subsidiary rules carefully, some guarantees apply only to those users who have used the same vendor products throughout.

Any time, if there is a new wiring standard to replace the old standard, it will inevitably encounter installation problems. For the 6 categories, the problem is small. Installing Class 6 cabling is not very different from installing 5 or 5 types of cabling-but it may be more important to follow the installation manual. The rule is the same, and the only difference is that if you fail to accurately follow the instructions, you are most likely to get into trouble. The reason is simple, the more you enjoy the wiring performance, the more stringent it demands on you.

The 6 class standard is basically compatible with the 5 and Super 5 standards, although some details remain to be considered, but one thing is clear, and 6 classes will use the current popular RJ-45 connectors. It is also important to emphasize that although the 6 cable installation should not be much more complicated than the previous standard installation, since the standards have not yet been finalized, those 6 types of products suppliers may have to adopt various ways to meet the requirements of the final standards. There are currently 6 categories of products that are overall compatible, that is, the overall effect that the standard may require, but not component compatibility, that is, each system component complies with the 6 class standard.

Therefore, if you mix more than two suppliers of products, you must have a clear understanding of each link. If you install a new 6-Class cabling system and use it in combination with the existing 5 or 5 types of cabling, there are some problems. It is important to ensure backward compatibility, and the blending of certain products is likely to lead to problems. Therefore, it is important at least for the time being to study carefully before starting the installation. Of course, if all products are from the same supplier, and installed independently, not with the previous equipment portfolio, may not be so troublesome. But even so, ask a few more reasons why it should be.

In addition, although Class 6 cabling uses the same connectors as the Super 5 class and the early standards, and is in principle interconnected with early technology, it is not always effective. The final standard will require subsequent compatibility, but in some cases the current 6-class cabling system will not support the use of existing devices. The suggestion is to ask more questions, not to make assumptions.