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Cabling gurus have been working feverishly to develop an unshielded twisted pair cable (UTP) that will support 10 gigabit Ethernet (10GbE), but it has not been easy. The standardization of a higher performance Cat 6 cable is coming rapidly, and news about its development has been reported everywhere recently. Let's check how current your information is.
1. The next generation of UTP cabling being developed
for 10GbE is called ________.
2. Current generation Cat 6 will only support 10GbE
over links less than ________ meters long.
3. The new version of Cat 6 being developed will have
its frequency limit increased to ________.
4. Installation of the new version of Cat 6 will require
even more careful attention to installation and termination quality.
5. The problem that has appeared as UTP cable designs
go to higher frequencies is ________.
A. Crosstalk from one pair to others in the middle
of the cable
B. Crosstalk from the pairs in one cable to a pair
in an adjacent cable in a bundle
C. Crosstalk among all the pairs in a cable
D. Crosstalk from unidentified sources
A. Cable designs with thicker jackets and
bigger diameters
8. Testing of augmented Cat 6 cable plants will be more difficult and have more uncertainty due to the various effects that can cause alien crosstalk.
9. Like most forms of crosstalk, alien crosstalk occurs
mainly in ________.
B. The cable closest to the test point or transmitter
C. Patchcords made of stranded wire
D. Cables with 25 pairs or more
10. Designs for UTP cable plants expecting to run
10GbE over longer links should carefully choose components ________.
A. Designed to augmented Cat 6 specifications
C. Compliant with industry standards
Hayes is a VDV writer and trainer and the president of
the Structured Cabling Association (www.scausa.org).
Find him atwww.JimHayes.com
Answers: 1. C; 2. C; 3. B; 4. True; 5. D; 6. B; 7. D; 8. True; 9. B; 10. D
About The Author
HAYES is a VDV writer and educator and the president of the Fiber Optic Association. Find him at www.JimHayes.com.
