Monday, April 21, 2008

LAN Cabling: Crossover cable

Both the T-568A and the T-568B standard Straight-Through cables are used most often as patch cords for your Ethernet connections. If you require a cable to connect two Ethernet devices directly together without a hub or when you connect two hubs together, you will need to use a Crossover cable instead.
RJ-45 Crossover Ethernet Cable

Crossover cable pinouts







In practice, it does not matter if your Ethernet cables are wired as T568A or T568B, just so long as both ends follow the same wiring format. It is just as valid to make a four-pair crossover using T568A, or a two pair crossover using T568B, as it is to wire them the way shown here. Typical commercially available "pre-wired" cables can follow either format depending on who made them. What this means is that you may discover that one manufacturer's cables are wired one way and another's the other way, yet both are "correct" and will work. In either case, T568A or T568B, a normal (un-crossed) cable will have both ends wired according to the layout in the first connections column.

LAN Cabling: Straight cable

ETHERNET CABLE: COLOR-CODE STANDARDS
The information listed here is to assist Network Administrators in the color coding of Ethernet cables. Please be aware that modifying Ethernet cables improperly may cause loss of network connectivity. Use this information at your own risk, and insure all connectors and cables are modified in accordance with standards. The Internet Centre and its affiliates cannot be held liable for the use of this information in whole or in part.
T-568A Straight-Through Ethernet Cable






The TIA/EIA 568-A standard which was ratified in 1995, was replaced by the TIA/EIA 568-B standard in 2002 and has been updated since. Both standards define the T-568A and T-568B pin-outs for using Unshielded Twisted Pair cable and RJ-45 connectors for Ethernet connectivity. The standards and pin-out specification appear to be related and interchangeable, but are not the same and should not be used interchangeably.
T-568B Straight-Through Ethernet Cable