atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring Cat 5e question

Arthur -

Are all the servers in one building or are they in both?

The reason I ask is I had to troubleshoot a job out on the Island a few years ago. The company ran Cat 5E between the two buildings (about 150'). The computers in building "A" could log onto the servers in Building "A" but not the ones in Building "B", and vice versa. The feed cable that linked the LANs in both buildings tested/certified perfectly.

The problem was that the two buildings were served by two different electrical supplies- with a different ground potential. We resolved the problem by pulling a #6 between the two buildings and tying the two systems together.

It was a real oddball problem, but one we wouldn't have seen with fiber.

Sam

Sam, it is two or three desk top computers in a rear building, and a server/switch in the main building. The distance is 110 feet. It's working fine and has been for 10 years.

I was originally concerned about the maximum number of splices (66 block connections) that would work.

The buildings are powered by all new electrical service, installed by me.

There are 4, 3" rigid conduits in concrete between the buildings.

I appreciate all the advice about questions that may come up in the future, but for right now, I just wanted to hear from guys who have had success in using a total of 4 interconnections on a 100 Base T network.

For 100Base-T you shouldn't have a problem with 4 interconnections. If the switch has gig ports, I would look at manually setting the port(s) for this connection to 100Base-T to avoid any issues. If devices try to auto-negotiate to 1000Base-T, you could end up with flapping ports. Of course you can always use a certification or qualification meter to see how the link performs end-to-end with the protectors in the middle.

BINGO!