Your company is installing a new 10 Gbps switch, and you must run a 55-meter copper horizontal cable between it and a server rack. The goal is to support the full 10GBASE-T speed while keeping material costs to a minimum. Which twisted-pair cable category is the least you can install without violating the standard?
10GBASE-T over balanced twisted-pair copper is supported by several cable categories, but the minimum depends on length. Category 6 supports 10 Gbps operation for runs up to 55 m. Category 6a and Category 7 also support 10 Gbps, but they are rated for the full 100 m channel length and cost more; therefore they exceed the minimum requirement. Category 5e is limited to 1 Gbps and cannot handle 10 Gbps traffic. Because the planned run is exactly 55 m, Category 6 is the least (lowest) category that still meets the 10GBASE-T specification.
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