GE, Gigabit Ethernet, 1000zx, over copper bundles, binding groups, trunks.

[bruce.porter]

Will GE work over Cat 5 in the bundled cable? I believe there are 50 copper pairs per bundle. Please correct my terminology.

[scottmac]

It's probably 25 pair / 50 conductor riser cable.

Generally speaking, it will *probably* work, with some of the variables being distance, where the pairs are in relation to each other in the bundle, and what other traffic is being carried on the bundle.

If this is your only choice, then I'd suggest setting up two test stations feeding two Gig switches which are connected to the panels, each running something like Qcheck (www.netiq.com). Qcheck will do basic throughput, packet drop, and latency numbers (it's free).

Using the same test each time: run the test in as many of the available ports on the panels as you can with all of the settings at stock (low performance) settings.

If you find that one port is giving better performance than the others, then start kicking up the performance (packet size, MTU, etc) and see what you can squeeze out of it.

If the cable meets Cat5 spec, you should get pretty decent, if not full, performance. Cat5e is current spec, but many switches came out well before Cat5e was well distributed and work OK with good Cat5.

Again, this is not spec: But if you don't currently have another choice, the worst you'll suffer is 100meg full duplex ... and if you're lucky and the cable was installed properly, you'll probably get by with better-than-100Meg throughput.

Good Luck

Scott

[konigl]

What ScottMac said.

1000BASE-T is designed to run on Cat5 cable, because that's the most common UTP cable type in use. If your bundled cable is rated to at least Cat5 specifications, then it should work.

You should test scan the cable prior to actually using it, though; especially if it's in a high-density bundle. While all the parts of the system may be rated to Cat5 or better capability, if they're not installed properly then the whole run may not certify as Cat5. Make sure your testing includes "return loss" and "far-end crosstalk" parameters: some early cable testers did not.

Cable contractors could get away with being a little sloppy about their installation and still have 100BASE-TX work. But Gigabit Ethernet over copper demands more of the media, so every run should be tested and certified.

Hope this helps.