[PLUG] Switch-to-switch patch cable

Steven Raymond stever at woo-hoo.com
Sat Aug 9 19:25:02 UTC 2003


> multiple units together except that ports 4 and 5 (the uplink port) are
> wired together internally so that the functional result is three units
> on each switch. Nothing about cabling.

You should be able to connect the "uplink" ports together with a
straigh-through cable.

> not a cross-over cable. But, I need only a few inches length. Should I
> buy a scrap of cat 5 cable and make it myself? I do have the tool and
> RJ-45 ends, but haven't built network cables since I did that for a
> LanTastic network about 13 years ago.

Hrm, it will probably be difficult for you to find an amount shorter than
20', and in my experience retailers want exorbitant prices for raw cable. 
I think you would be better off trying to find a 3' or 7' cable.

Now that you brought it up, there is a minimum cat5 cable length and 2'
seems to ring a bell.  There needs to be a least a certain number of
twists in a length of cable to overcome cross talk.  While a 2" home-made
cable would probably work, you can probably dress or hide a 2' cable and
be sure it would work.  Hard as it is to believe, cables do go "bad".  A
home-made cable may work today, and in two start trickling errors.  Am not
trying to discourage you from making your own cables- I actually kind of
enjoy it (in one class we had a $5000 tester, and it would rank the
quality of your cable).

HTH

Regards








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