| 4.2.9 A new standard On June 20, 2002, the Category 6 (or Cat 6) addition to the TIA-568 standard was published. The official title of the standard is ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.2-1. This new standard specifies the original set of performance parameters that need to be tested for Ethernet cabling as well as the passing scores for each of these tests. Cables certified as Cat 6 cable must pass all ten tests. Although the Cat 6 tests are essentially the same as those specified by the Cat 5 standard, Cat 6 cable must pass the tests with higher scores to be certified. Cat6 cable must be capable of carrying frequencies up to 250 MHz and must have lower levels of crosstalk and return loss. A quality cable tester similar to the Fluke DSP-4000 series or Fluke OMNIScanner2 can perform all the test measurements required for Cat 5, Cat 5e, and Cat 6 cable certifications of both permanent links and channel links. Figure shows the Fluke DSP-LIA013 Channel/Traffic Adapter for Cat 5e. Lab Activity Lab Exercise: Fluke 620 Cable Tester – Wire Map In this lab, the student will learn the wire mapping feature of the Fluke 620 LAN CableMeter or its equivalent. Lab Activity Lab Exercise: Fluke 620 Cable Tester – Faults In this lab, the student will learn the Cable Test-Pass / Fail features of the Fluke 620 LAN CableMeter or an equivalent tester. Lab Activity Lab Exercise: Fluke 620 Cable Tester – Length In this lab, the student will learn the Cable Length feature of the Fluke 620 LAN CableMeter or its equivalent. Lab Activity Lab Exercise: Fluke LinkRunner – LAN Tests In this lab, the student will become familiar with the capabilities of the Fluke LinkRunner and determine whether a cable drop is active. Lab Activity Lab Exercise: Fluke LinkRunner – Cable and NIC Tests In this lab, the student will become familiar with the capabilities of the Fluke LinkRunner and verify cable length and integrity.