Overview

• Hand out graded Labs

• Worldwide standards organizations.
• Cabling standards in the United States and
around the world.
• Evolution of cabling standards.

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 Introduction to Cabling Standards and
Codes

• Codes promote electrical safety.

• Electrical codes protect people from hidden
hazards that may come to them from wiring
that was done improperly.
• A code provides a list of do’s and don’ts,
which if followed, will ensure that serious
problems are less likely to occur.
• Codes also protect workers.

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 What are Codes?

Electrical codes are an attempt to provide the

following:
• Protection against electric shock.
• Protection against fault currents, where
misplaced voltages find paths to ground in
unpredictable ways.
• Protection against thermal effects of electric
current.
• Protection against overcurrent.
• Protection against overvoltage.
Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 What are Standards?

• Standards are sets of rules or procedures

that are either widely used, or officially
specified, and that serve as the gauge or
model of excellence.
• Standards can be specified by a single
vendor or be industry standards that support
multi-vendor interoperability.
• Integrated cable plans developed by specific
companies are called Structured Cable
Systems (SCS).

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 What are Best Practices?

• Best practices are research-based ways of

performing job functions known to assist users
while performing tasks.
• Installing a standards-based cabling solution
causes the workers on the job to learn and use
best practices.
• Many of the standards cannot be followed
without using them.
• In fact, failure to follow with these best
practices can severely limit the circuit's
capability to deliver the specified performance.
Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 The Evolution of Standards

• By the mid-1980s, there were many different

network technologies.
• The Open System Interconnection (OSI)
reference model was designed to provide a
set of standards that promoted compatibility
and interoperability between the various
types of network technologies that were
produced by companies around the world.
• Cabling technologies are included in Layer 1
(physical layer) of the OSI model.

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 Standards Development Groups

• The focus in this curriculum is on the

standards for networking media that have
been developed and issued by the following
groups:
• IEEE – Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers.
• UL – Underwriters Laboratories.
• EIA – Electronic Industries Alliance.
• TIA – Telecommunications Industry
Association.
Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 What are International, National, and Local
Standards?

• Organizations like IEEE, ISO, and IEC are all

examples of international standards bodies.
• At the national level, theses standards might
be incorporated into one or more "codes"
such as an electrical code, building code, or
fire code.
• In many countries, the national codes
become the model for state/provincial
agencies as well as municipalities and other
governmental units to incorporate into their
laws and ordinances.
Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 IEEE’s Standards

• 802.3 -- Standards for carrier sense multiple

access with collision detection (CSMA/CD)
access method. This is basically the Ethernet
standard.
• 802.5 -- Standards for Token Ring access
method LAN/MAN.
• 802.8 -- Standards for fiber-optics
technologies.
• 802.11 -- Standards for wireless LAN
connectivity. This is the technology behind
Cisco and many other vendors’ wireless
network initiatives.
Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 IEEE 802.3 Standards

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 IEEE 802.5 Standards

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 802.11 Standards

• The IEEE 802.11 standard allows for wireless

transmission of data.

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 ANSI/EIA/TIA Organization

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 TIA/EIA Standards

• TIA/EIA-568-B.1 – Commercial Building

Telecommunications Cabling
• TIA/EIA-568-B.2 – Commercial Building
Telecommunications Cabling
• TIA/EIA-568-B.3 – Optical Fiber Cabling Components
Standard
• TIA/EIA-569 – Commercial Building Standard for
Telecommunications Pathways and Spaces
• TIA/EIA-606 – The Administration Standard for the
Telecommunications Infrastructure of Commercial
Buildings – Specifically Labeling at BICSI Level 1 Installer
• TIA/EIA-607 – Commercial Building Grounding and
Bonding Requirements for Telecommunications

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 American National Standards Institute
(ANSI)

• ANSI identifies industrial and public

requirements for national consensus
standards and coordinates and manages
their development.
• ANSI does not develop standards itself.
Rather it facilitates development by
establishing consensus processes among
qualified groups.

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 International Organization for
Standardization (ISO)

• ISO is an international organization composed of

national standards bodies from over 140
countries.
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI), for
example, is a member of ISO.
• ISO is a non-governmental organization
established to promote the development of
standardization and related activities.
• ISO's work results in international agreements,
which are published as International Standards.

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 Other International Standards
Development Organizations

• ECA – Electronic Components, Assemblies, &

Materials Association
• CEA – Consumer Electronics Association
• GEIA – Governmental Electronics and
Information Technology Association
• JEDEC – Joint Electron Device Engineering
Council
• NEMA – National Electrical Manufacturers
Association
• IEC – International Electrotechnical Commission
Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL)

• UL evaluates wire and cable products under

more than 70 different product categories,
utilizing more than 30 standards for safety.
• UL has safety standards for cables similar to
those of the NEC.
• UL 444 – The standard for safety for
communications cable.
• UL 13 – The standard for safety for power-
limited circuit cable.

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA)

• OSHA is a federal program developed because

of the wide disparity in work place safety
standards and enforcement from state to state.
• Its mission is to ensure safe and healthful
workplaces in America.
• OSHA is not a building code or building permit
related agency.
• OSHA inspectors have the power to impose
heavy fines and/or shut down a jobsite for
serious safety violations.
Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 NFPA and NEC

• The National Fire Protection Association

(NFPA) establishes the National Electrical
Code (NEC).
• The NEC specifies where various types of
cables can be used within a building and the
materials used in the cables.
• The Canadian equivalent is the Canadian
Electrical Code (CEC).

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 NEC Article 800: Communications Circuits

• This code must be followed when installing

communications circuits and components.
• This code details the installation requirements
of copper cabling and copper cable
components.
• Article 800 also defines an array of
requirements such as hanging
communications wires on utility poles, for
using primary and secondary lightning
protection methods and systems, and what
kinds of wiring can share raceways.
Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 National Fire Protection Agency
(NFPA)

• NFPA develops, publishes, and disseminates

codes and standards intended to minimize the
possibility and effects of fire and other risks.
• Virtually every building, process, service,
design, and installation is affected by NFPA
documents.
• More than 300 NFPA codes and standards are
used around the world.
• The NEC is part of the NFPA’s publication
number 70 (NFPA-70).

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 Building Codes

• Contact local zoning departments for

information on permit requirements.
• To obtain copies of local or state building
codes, contact the building official for the local
jurisdiction. All of the basic building codes that
are adopted throughout the United States can
be purchased from the International
Conference of Building Officials (ICBO).
• Local codes always take precedence over
state codes which take precedence over
national codes.

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 International Codes Covered

• Canadian Electrical Code (CEC)

• Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS)
• Australian/New Zealand Standards (AS/NZS)
• European Union Directives
•

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 Standards grow and change

Telecommunications communications cabling

standards evolve from lessons learned and best
practices.
These standards are also driven by trends of the
industry such as the following current trends:
• Convergence of voice, video, and data
applications
• Increasing bandwidth
• Storage area networks
• Broadband communications
Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 Cable changes

• As network bandwidth has increased from 10

Mbps to 1000 Mbps and beyond, it has
created new demands on cabling.
• Older types of cable are often inadequate for
use in the faster modern networks.
• For this reason, the types of cabling used
changes over time, and the standards reflect
this.

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program
 Category 6 and 7

• Category 6 and 7 are the newest copper

cables available.
• Category 7 technology is not yet ratified.

Category 6 Cable Category 7 Cable

Copyright 2003 Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling 1.2 Cisco Networking Academy Program