I work for a small software company. We are in the process of moving into a different building. For the different building I would like to purchase new patch cables. Since I am buying new cables and I found a place that there is only a minimal cost difference between cat5e and cat6 patch cables I would prefer to buy only cat6 cables. Network description: one new 48-port managed gigabit (gigabit on all 48 ports) switch Ten servers with gigabit ethernet cards will be connected directly to the gigabit switch via cat6 patch cables Thirty Cat6 patch cables would be connected from the gigabit switch to a patch panel. I am not yet sure if the cables from the patch panel (going through the walls) are cat5, or cat5e (I was told cat5) and I do not know wether they were wired using TIA/EIA-568-A or TIA/EIA-568-B wiring scheme. From the "wall jack" in the offices to their workstations (also gigabit NICs) I again want to use cat6 patch cables. Questions: 1. Will the workstations be capable of communicating with the servers at 100 Mbit/s speeds, regardless of wether the wiring going through the walls is cat5 or cat5e, TIA/EIA-568-A or TIA/EIA-568-B? 2. I have read that even "cat5" cable is rated for gigabit speeds. Will the workstations be capable of communicating with the servers at gigabit speeds, regardless of wether the wiring going through the walls is cat5 or cat5e, TIA/EIA-568-A or TIA/EIA-568-B? Thanks in advance. Harold

Q1 yes Q2 no http://www.theheadwaters.com/cables... Quote: "While CAT5 components may function to some degree in a gigabit Ethernet, they perform below standard during high-data transfer scenarios." As long as you are wired TIA/EIA-568-A or TIA/EIA-568-B from beginning of the run to the end of it you are fine. If that cable is cat5 in the walls to do gigabit you will have to replace it all if you want gigabit speeds thru it. If only connecting workstation at 100mb you are fine. Imagine the power if you knew how to internet search

There should be enough exposed cable going into the patch panel to verify if it's Cat5 or Cat5e. It should be marked right on the outer casing somewhere what it is (ie: 5 or 5e) Cat5e can, and does, carry Gigabit nicely. We use mainly Cat5e through the walls where I work and have been running gigabit through our newest switches (including the dual core switches) for several years now. You can check the back of the patch panels to see what wiring scheme has been used (A or B). Most (if not all) panels show the two different standards and how to wire them via color codes on the punchdowns. The A and B standards have nothing to do whatsoever with what speed the cable will carry. As wanderer pointed out, as long as both ends are punched using the same standard, everything will work properly.