🚀 go-pugleaf

> I am about to set up a network using cat5 UTP cable and RJ45’s. Here are
> some questions:
> 
> 1) Is it better to connect with one lead straight from the hub to the
> network card, or is it better to have sockets and patch leads from the
> sockets to the network card?

      It depends on how far the hub is from the cards.  You really don't
want to run one long piece of cable to connect two computers that are say
on two different floors  -- this will probably also not meet specs.  It'll
be better to connect via patch panel -- assuming that you building is
wired.  But if all the machines are in one room, then go with the straight
hub to network card connection.

> 
> 2)  If, say, I have 5 computers in the next room. Do I string 5 leads
> from the hub individually, or is there some way I could concentrate them
> into one lead, put his thru the wall and then expand later: I don’t want
> a coax backbone as this network might be upgraded to fast Ethernet
> later.
> 

You could have one hub in each room and link the hubs together.

HTH,
Mike

Thanx

--
Regards

Roger

despammed address is rog@roga.demon.co.uk


Philosophy web site http://www.roga.demon.co.uk/master.htm


>michael j lee wrote

In article <899151450.24756.0.nnrp-01.9e981872@news.demon.co.uk>, Roger
Jones <roga@nospam.demon.co.uk> writes
>
>
>I am about to set up a network using cat5 UTP cable and RJ45�s. Here are
>some questions:
>
>1) Is it better to connect with one lead straight from the hub to the
>network card, or is it better to have sockets and patch leads from the
>sockets to the network card?

It depends on usage. If the machines are going to stay in the same place
then you may as well use single cables. Patch panels are more complex,
more expensive, but give you a much more flexible system.

>
>2)  If, say, I have 5 computers in the next room. Do I string 5 leads
>from the hub individually, or is there some way I could concentrate them
>into one lead, put his thru the wall and then expand later: I don�t want
>a coax backbone as this network might be upgraded to fast Ethernet
>later.

You can daisychain hubs. You could put a cheap 8-port hub in one room
and put a single uplink to the main hub near the server. This isn't a
concentrator, in that every machine on the segment shares the 10Mb
bandwidth. You could get better performance by using an 8-port switch
with a 100Mb uplink to a central 100Mb hub. This gives you the
flexibility to mix 10Mb and 100Mb devices on the same network.

You can connect existing 10Mb devices to the switch, and new machines
direct to the 100Mb hub. Then phase out the 10Mb devices.



-- 
Bernard Peek
bap@intersec.demon.co.uk

In article <35988329.BD15231C@ieee.org>, "Rommel P. Feria"
<r.p.feria@ieee.org> writes


>> 2)  If, say, I have 5 computers in the next room. Do I string 5 leads
>> from the hub individually, or is there some way I could concentrate them
>> into one lead, put his thru the wall and then expand later: I don�t want
>> a coax backbone as this network might be upgraded to fast Ethernet
>> later.
>
>NO. You need to wire up 5 separate cables for that.

Or a single cable and another hub.


-- 
Bernard Peek
bap@intersec.demon.co.uk

Thanx Bob

--
Regards

Roger

despammed address is rog@roga.demon.co.uk


Philosophy web site http://www.roga.demon.co.uk/master.htm

The fundamental questions of patch panels, etc. have been covered in 
this thread so I'll say nothing about that.

There is an intersting "gotcha": it's conventional to use solid-core 
cable for fixed cabling (between wall-socket and patch panel), and 
stranded cable for flyleads between computer and wall-socket, and 
between patch panel and hub. Performance of the cable is not a 
significant problem, but the connectors can be:

Sockets with Krone or 110 blocks (like BT wall-mounting phone 
sockets), which you connect to with a punchdown tool, require solid 
wire. They might work with stranded wire, but I don't know how 
reliably (has anyone tried this?).

Most RJ45 plugs require stranded wire (they push a spike through the 
middle of the wire for a better connection. A bit difficult with 
solid wire!). There are some which work with either type of wire
(and might be a smidgin less reliable with stranded wire). Or buy 
made-up flyleads.

HTH,
-- 
Michael Salem

Hello there!

Roger Jones wrote:

> 1) Is it better to connect with one lead straight from the hub to the
> network card, or is it better to have sockets and patch leads from the
> sockets to the network card?

As a personal rule, the less the connections, the better the link. If you
can wire it directly from the NIC to the switch/hub, the better.

> 2)  If, say, I have 5 computers in the next room. Do I string 5 leads
> from the hub individually, or is there some way I could concentrate them
> into one lead, put his thru the wall and then expand later: I don’t want
> a coax backbone as this network might be upgraded to fast Ethernet
> later.

NO. You need to wire up 5 separate cables for that.

Cheers!


--
--oOOOo--
Rommel Palma Feria                    http://www.upd.edu.ph/~rferia
Biomedical Systems Group (P/G)                   r.p.feria@ieee.org
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine
London  SW7 2BT                             Tel.No: 44-171-594-8891
United Kingdom                              Fax No: 44-171-584-6897
--oOOOo--
Lead, follow or get out of the way... <anonymous>

On Mon, 29 Jun 1998 21:16:08 +0100, "Roger Jones"
<roga@nospam.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>I am about to set up a network using cat5 UTP cable and RJ45�s. Here are
>some questions:

>1) Is it better to connect with one lead straight from the hub to the
>network card, or is it better to have sockets and patch leads from the
>sockets to the network card?

>2)  If, say, I have 5 computers in the next room. Do I string 5 leads
>from the hub individually, or is there some way I could concentrate them
>into one lead, put his thru the wall and then expand later: I don�t want
>a coax backbone as this network might be upgraded to fast Ethernet
>later.


>--
>Regards

>Roger

A lot depends on how big a network you're going to have, and what
plans for future expansion you may anticipate.

Connecting directly from Network card to Hub works, but it's not very
versatile for future changes or additions.  Also there are issues
involving the physical durability of this kind of connection.

Using patch panels, the wires from the workstations are connected
permanently with strain relief.  Any changes or movement of wires is
handled by flexible patch cords which are designed for this.  The
wires from the workstations never get moved 

For a small network where everything is located in a single room,
plugging directly from the computers into the hub using long flexible
patch cords can be a simpler solution however.

As for the physical topology, you generally have to use one wire per
workstation back to the hub.  This is called a "star" topology.

You can however, put another hub on one of the "points" of the star,
and fan out further from there.  In the case of your room with 5
computers, you could put a small hub in that room and just run a
single wire back to the other hub(s).

Be aware that you can't cascade hubs in this fashion indefinitely,
because you'll eventually have problems with signal timing.  The
accepted limitation is 4 repeaters (hubs) between any 2 nodes on the
network.

BobR@ADP

If distances tend towards 100 metres, then multi-strand cables
(ie that used for patch cables because of resilience to movement)
have higher losses than single strand which are best for permanent
positioning. Under these conditions, patch panels and utp outlets
have a definite performance advantage.

If cascading hubs, ISTR there is a maximum of 4 or 6 (???) between
any two nic's on the same segment (ie no routers or bridges or
switches).

Ernest
-- 
ernest     at Noel Systems, near Kingston-upon-Thames (UK)
           (if replying by email, use postmaster)

Michael Salem wrote:

> The fundamental questions of patch panels, etc. have been covered in
> this thread so I'll say nothing about that.
>
> There is an intersting "gotcha": it's conventional to use solid-core
> cable for fixed cabling (between wall-socket and patch panel), and
> stranded cable for flyleads between computer and wall-socket, and
> between patch panel and hub. Performance of the cable is not a
> significant problem, but the connectors can be:
>
> Sockets with Krone or 110 blocks (like BT wall-mounting phone
> sockets), which you connect to with a punchdown tool, require solid
> wire. They might work with stranded wire, but I don't know how
> reliably (has anyone tried this?).
>

<SNIP>

I have only seen stranded wire at one place, and it was part of the
problem they were having.  I don't remember everything, but whoever
installed their phone system used stranded wire for the sound system I
believe, and it was causing all sorts of funky problems.

Ken Williams
kbs@xmission.com.zz
(Remove .zz when replying.)