The 568C Standard for Commercial
Building Telecommunications Cabling
ELCM 254
Produced by PRGodin
©PRGodin, Calgary, AB, Canada
Updated December 2013
1
ANSI/TIA/EIA 568C Standard

The ANSI/TIA 568C is known as the Commercial Building
Telecommunications Cabling Standard.

The 568C is the primary standard for structured
communication cabling in North America.

Major elements of this standard have been adopted in the
Architectural Design document called the Master Format
(Division 27)
2
The 568-C

Current revision is 568-C

The standard is occasionally revised as technology and
other industry factors change.

TSB (Technical Service Bulletins) are addendums to
standards. The standards are revised when a sufficient
number of TSBs have been produced.
3
ANSI/TIA 568-C.0


Terminology
Media





Types
Lengths
Installation issues
Fiber Optic Testing Requirements
Topology (generic structure)


Cabling Subsystems 1, 2, 3
Distributor A, B, C and EO
4
ANSI/TIA-568-C.1


Nomenclature (terminology)
Defined media, including Category 5e & 6a, and 50 micron
multimode (older media has been grandfathered, including
Cat5)

Functional Elements are defined (cable installation
structure)


Entrance Facilities, Equipment and Telecommunication Rooms,
Backbone and Horizontal Cabling and Work Areas.
Cross-connections
5
ANSI/TIA-568-C.2

Discusses balanced twisted pair cabling components
including:



Media and recognized categories
Specific performance parameters
Test methodology
6
ANSI/TIA-568-C.3

Discusses optical fiber cabling components

Specifies components and transmission requirements for
optical fiber cabling systems
7
ANSI/TIA-568-C.4

Discusses broadband coax cabling systems (75Ω)

Specifies components and transmission requirements for
coax cabling systems, including:



Performance
Connectors
Test procedures
8
Six Subsystems of the 568C
9
The Six Subsystems

The standard describes the 6 subsystems of a structured
cabling installation.

The structure is based on a star topology where cables
fan out from a point. The star topology can
accommodate all other topologies (this may require
specialized devices).
10
1: The Building Entrance Facility

1- Building Entrance Facility (EF)

Location where cable enters or exits the building such as:



Links from Service providers (Internet Service Providers, Telephone
Companies, etc)
Inter-building cabling (between buildings)
The physical characteristics of this room or facility are defined in
the ANSI/TIA 569B standard.
11
1: The Building Entrance (continued)

Outdoor cables must be terminated within a short
distance of the entrance:






Most outdoor cables will not meet fire code requirements
Outdoor cables are difficult to manage due to their physical
(rugged) construction
Conductive outdoor cables require lightning protection at the
building entrance.
Issues such as water seepage must be considered (drip bends)
Ownership transition (demarcation)
Details addressed in the 569B standard.
12
2: The Equipment Room

2- Equipment Room (ER)

Houses equipment of higher complexity
(servers, switches, etc.).

Often a workspace for IT staff.

This room may also serve as a
Telecommunications Room.

The physical design of the equipment room
is addressed in the TIA/EIA 569B standard.

The cabling standards do not address the
active equipment in the equipment room.
Equipment Rack
Image:int.fhsu.edu
13
Equipment Room

Example of an
Equipment Room with
the termination field
in the background.

Image:
http://www.rdkengineers.com/
14
2: The Equipment Room

2- Equipment Room (ER)

The floor of the Equipment Room is frequently raised.



Racks and cabinets are placed over vents or opening in the floor
Cold air is supplied to the underfloor space and flows up through the
equipment to keep it cool
Raised floors provide pathways for electrical & communication cabling
http://www.aeti.com
http://mantaraltd.files.wordpress.com
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3: The Backbone

3- Backbone Cabling

Connection between all rooms and facilities.

It consists of:
 Backbone cable
 Main Cross-Connect (MC)
 Intermediate Cross-connect (IC)

Backbone cabling requires equipment for termination
and cross-connecting.
16
from TIA/EIA 568C
3: Backbone (Structure)
17
The Backbone Lengths

3- Backbone Cabling (Continued)
 Configured in a star topology
 Cannot exceed 2 hierarchical levels of cross-connection

Maximum lengths:

UTP:
Multimode Fiber:
Singlemode Fiber:

Patch Cords: 20 m


MC to HC: 800 m, MC to IC: 500 m, IC to HC: 300 m
MC to HC: 2000 m, MC to IC: 1700 m, IC to HC: 300 m
MC to HC: 3000 m, MC to IC: 2700 m, IC to HC: 300 m
Note the backbone cabling type and distances are
often application dependent. For instance, GB
Ethernet cannot span 800 meters on UTP.
18
The Telecommunications Room

4- Telecommunications Room (TR)

Transition area between the backbone and horizontal
cabling. Central area that contains the terminations for
cable.
I/O
Backbone
TR
I/O
Horizontal
I/O
A Telecommunications Space (TS) is
also permitted, provided there is a
TR on the same floor
I/O
I/O
I/O
19
Example of a
Telecommunications
Room in a building.
Note the conduit on
the floor that leads
to another TR on the
floor below.
image: www.k-engineers.co
20
The Horizontal Cabling

5-Horizontal Cabling

Cables that extend from a room to an
outlet.

Includes:
 Information Outlet (IO)
 Patch cords (at TR)
 Cross Connections (at TR)
 Cable
TR
Horizontal
I/O
I/O
I/O
I/O
21
Horizontal Cabling Media Types

5-Horizontal Cabling (continued)

Media Types:





UTP
ScTP
Multimode fiber 62.5/125 (no longer recommended for new installations)
Multimode fiber 50/125
Maximum lengths:



All 90 meters, with 10 meters total for patch cords.
If the installed cable is shorter, longer patch cords are allowed, never
exceeding 100 m total horizontal length.
Total patch cord length, however, cannot ever exceed 22 m for UTP,
no restriction on Fiber.
22
Horizontal Cabling – Underfloor System

Underfloor
system for
horizontal cable
distribution.

Image:
http://www.gdsengr.com
23
Horizontal Cabling Zone Wiring

5- Horizontal Cabling (continued)

Zone Cabling
 Permits the extension of the TC to an area closer to users.
 Especially helpful in large open-office areas where a “home
run” structure would be difficult to manage.
 Several defined applications in the standards/TSBs, including:
MuTOA
 Consolidation Point
 Telecommunication Enclosures
 Zone Distribution Area

24
Horizontal Cabling MuTOA

5- Horizontal Cabling : Multi-User
Telecommunications Outlet Assembly (MuTOA)
A Telecommunications outlet that contains several jacks,
up to a maximum of 12.
 Often surface mounted, does not allow ceiling or floor
access mounting.
 Typically multiple 4pr UTP connection to the TR
 I/O connections to the MuTOA are patch cords.
 Applications include warehouse areas, office work areas,
and areas where there tends to be many changes and
equipment moves.

25
Example of a MuTOA
Images: www.siemon.com
26
Horizontal Cabling Consolidation Points

5- Horizontal Cabling: Consolidation Points (CP)




A consolidation point is an intermediate connection point
for horizontal cabling.
May be installed in ceilings or floor access mounting.
Must be at least 15 meters from the TR, and is limited to
12 connections.
Typically used with cable or harness assemblies for
furniture structures that contain integrated raceways.
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Consolidation Point
I/O
Backbone
I/O
TR
Horizontal
I/O
I/O
I/O
I/O
I/O
Backbone
TR
Horizontal
Horizontal
CP
I/O
I/O
A Consolidation Point may make sense in
some installations. Good examples include
wiring open offices or classrooms.
I/O
I/O
I/O
28
Example of a Consolidation Point
Image: http://www.siemon.com
29
Consolidation Point


Example of a
Consolidation
Box, using 110
connection
system.
Image source:
http://www.datacenterinfrastructure.org
30
Horizontal Cabling (Other)

5- Horizontal Cabling: Other allowances
 Telecommunications Enclosures (defined in
Addendum 5)


Sometimes referred to as a “collapsed backbone”, it’s
essentially a tiny Telecommunications Room that allows
architects to design buildings with fewer
telecommunications rooms. Typically used in
environments where it is easier to star out closer to the
work area (such as a classroom).
Zone Distribution Area (ZDA) (defined in TIA/EIA
942)

Specifically addresses underfloor access points within a
computer room or data center.
31
32
from ANSI/TIA 568B.1
Cabling Structure
The Work Area

6- Work Area (WA)


The area between the Information Outlet (IO) and the user
equipment.
Includes:




patch cords
specialised devices such as baluns and adapters
User equipment
Each work area must have a minimum of 2 connections:


Voice
Data
33
Review Questions

What is the physical cabling topology described in the
standards?

What is the reason for the 568C standard? What is it
used for? Who uses it?
34
Exercise

State and describe the 6 areas of a structured cabling
system as defined by the ANSI/TIA 568C.

Draw a diagram representing the 6 areas of a structured
cabling system as defined by the ANSI/TIA 568C.
35
Structured Cabling Layout
I/O
I/O
I/O
HC
I/O
I/O
I/O
I/O
I/O
HC
I/O
I/O
I/O
HC
I/O
36
Media
37
UTP Cable

The current standards recognizes:




Category 3 UTP
 Typically used for voice links, rated at 10MHz
Category 5e UTP
 Rated for 100 MHz
Category 6 UTP
 Rated for 250 MHz
Category 6a (newest addition, may be ScTP)
 Rated for 500 MHz
38
UTP Wire Standards

568A:


Original Bellcore standard, common in Canada.
568B:

AT&T-based standard, common in the USA and in Americanbased companies throughout the world.
This is the way I remember it:
568A…the “A” is for Bellcore
568B…the “B” is for AT&T
and
‘A’ in Canada, Eh.
39
UTP Wire Standards

Both wiring standards utilize the same pair configurations
but switch pairs 2 and 3.

Ethernet 10BaseT utilizes pairs 2 and 3.

Remember: UTP 4 Pair Colors




W-Bu / Bu-W
W-Or / Or-W
W-Gn / Gn-W
W-Bn / Bn-W
This is the way I remember it:
BLOG-B
40
UTP Wire Standards
Pair 2
Pair 3
Pair 1
Pair 3
Pair 4
Pair 2
Pair 1
Pair 4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
568 A
Receptacle View
568 B
Receptacle View
41
Is it an RJ45 or a Mod Plug?

The ANSI/TIA standards never mention “RJ45” as the connector. Instead, they
use “8 Position Modular Plug”. Why?

The term “RJ45” is an old USOC (Universal Service Order Code) wiring
configuration standard, not a connector. The connector is an 8-pin modular plug.

The RJ45 wiring is significantly different from the 586A or 568B wiring
configuration of the Structured Cabling standards. It’s a different standard.

A structured cabling expert never uses the term RJ45 to describe an 8-pin
modular plug.
It’s like calling a computer monitor a “CRT”: wrong term, wrong type & wrong era.
42
Is it an RJ45 or a Mod Plug?

The ANSI/TIA/EIA 568A wiring compared to the USOC RJ45 wiring standards.
Pair 4
Pair 2
Pair 3
Pair 4
Pair 3
Pair 2
Pair 1
Pair 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Mod-8 plug
568 A
Receptacle View
USOC RJ45
43
Cross-Over Patch Cord

A cross-over cable is one that allows a DTE (Data Terminal
Equipment such as a PC) to connect directly to another DTE
without the use of a hub.

The Transmit and Receive pairs need to be swapped.

To create a Cross-over patch cord, swap pairs 2 and 3 at one
end, or use the 568A wire map at one end and the 568B at the
other.

Label the cable!
44
Installation Issues

There are several installation requirements described in
the standards. The ANSI/TIA 569B addresses most of the
physical installation requirements.

Basic UTP installation requirements:




Maximum pull tension is 25 pounds (“one arm” pull)
Maximum bend radius is 4 times the diameter for horizontal
and 10 times the diameter for backbone.
Manufacturer recommendations must be followed, including a
maximum of ½” of untwisted conductors at the crossconnects.
All cables must be tested with a certified tester.
45
Channel & Permanent Link

There are 2 methods for testing horizontal UTP cable:

Permanent Link
 Only includes the permanent portion of the horizontal
cable from the cross-connect to the information outlet

Channel Link
 Includes all elements of the horizontal cabling including
the patch cords at both ends, the IO and any intermediate
connections and cross-connections.

More on cable testing later
46
Review: General Structure of the 568C
from TIA/EIA 568B
47
http://www.itrw.net
image: internet (many sources)
Which one of these installations
would you prefer managing?
What is a disadvantage to the
installation on the right?
End of presentation
prgodin @ gmail.com
48