gigabit networking question (basic)

touser3 · Post by **touser3** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 4:54 pm

Hello everyone, i am going to be setting up 2 computers in an office. The office already has cate5e built into the walls with outlets for them in each office. Sense there will only be 2 pc's i would like to connect them directly and save the cost of a switch. As far as i remember gigabit does not require a crossover cable to be used between 2 computers like 10/100baseT did? The setup would be:
Comp1 - cat5e cable connects into wall outlet, goes to comp 2 through wall, another cate5e cable plugged from wall into comp there. If i am wrong and gigabit does require a crossover cable i assume i am screwed sense the cable in the wall obviously isn’t a crossover. Thanks in advance!

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 5:15 pm

Depends if your NICs support auto-mdix. (basically, auto detect straight or cross). I've not run across many NICs that support that though, be it 100 or 1000 base.

Courtney · Post by **Courtney** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 8:18 pm

[quote="touser3"]Hello everyone, i am going to be setting up 2 computers in an office. The office already has cate5e built into the walls with outlets for them in each office. Sense there will only be 2 pc's i would like to connect them directly and save the cost of a switch. As far as i remember gigabit does not require a crossover cable to be used between 2 computers like 10/100baseT did? The setup would be:
Comp1 - cat5e cable connects into wall outlet, goes to comp 2 through wall, another cate5e cable plugged from wall into comp there. If i am wrong and gigabit does require a crossover cable i assume i am screwed sense the cable in the wall obviously isn&#8217]

That's weird. With all the outlets I have installed, never have I installed an outlet that led directly to another. They have ALWAYS connected to a switch (then to a router).

Are you sure these two computers are connected? If so, you will most likely need a crossover cable on one of them. (Only one needs a crossover--from the computer to the wall--leave the other one alone.)

HTH

courtney sends....

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 9:12 pm

I've run across, and even installed or had installed, many data jacks that lead to one another. Many scenarios invite that kind of setup....linking some rooms, or offices across a hallway, or some long home run going to another area in the building. Even my house right here...I have 9 rooms wired...all coming to a 12 port surface mount box.

In those cases...you don't need a hub or a switch.

In the cases of....they are terminated in a central location at a patch panel...yes you would need a hub or a switch.