TIA 526-14A (Optical Power Loss Measurement of Installed Multimode Fiber Cable Plant)

This document establishes preferred measurement principles and practices to assure that meaningful data describing the optical loss performance of installed cable plant can be obtained. It is not intended for component testing, nor does it define those elements of an installation that must be measured. Establishment of requirements for installation, maintenance, repair or conformance testing is left to
the specifier of this test method.

TIA 526-7 (Optical Power Loss Measurement of Installed Single Mode Fiber Cable Plant)

The intent of this procedure is to ensure that meaningful data describing the optical loss performance of installed single-mode cable plant can be obtained. It is not intended for component testing, nor
does it define those elements of an installation that must be measured. The document that invokes this procedure shall establish the requirements for installation, maintenance, repair and conformance testing.

TIA 568A - 1995 (Commercial Building Telecommunications Wiring Standard)

This standard specifies a generic telecommunications cabling system for commercial buildings that will support a multiproduct, multivendor environment. It also provides information that may be used for the design of telecommunications products for commercial enterprises. The purpose of this standard is to enable the planning and installation of a structured cabling system for commercial buildings. Installation of cabling system for commercial buildings. Establishes technical and performance criteria for cabling system configurations and interfacing and connecting their respective elements. Incorporates all the relevant information from TIA 568, TSB 36, TSB 40, and TSB 53.

TIA 568A-A1 - 1998 (Delay and Delay Skew)

This addendum to 568-A describes and specifies requirements for propagation delay and delay skew in cables, components, basic links and channels.

TIA 568A-A2 - 1998 (Miscellaneous Changes)

Modifications and updates to TIA568A. The most important change was the requirement for testing connecting hardware with both common and differential mode terminations. 

TIA 568A-A3-1998 (Bundled and Hybrid Cables)

Revised requirements for bundled and hybrid cables.

TIA 568A-A4 - 1999 (Patch Cords)

Defines and specifies NEXT and return loss requirements for patch cables.

TIA 568A-A5-1999 (Additional Transmission Performance Specifications for Enhanced Category 5 Cabling)

Provides performance requirements for Enhanced Category 5 (Category 5E) components, cable, and links. It includes all the measurements in TSB-67 and TSB-95, but to stricter performance levels. It also includes power sum NEXT. All measurements are to 100 MHz.

TIA 568B.1-2000 (Commercial Building Telecommunications Wiring Standard)

This is a major new standard release that updates and replaces the following standards and bulletins: TSB67, TSB72, TSB75, TSB95, TIA568A, TIA568A addendum's 1,2,3,4, and 5. Important additions include Category 5E performance levels, 50/125mm fiber and allowance for alternate fiber connectors other than the SC.  Category 5E becomes the minimum accepted performance level. Category 5 is now history.

TIA 568-B.2 (100 Ohm Twisted-Pair Cabling Standard)

Technical content on 100 ohm twisted-pair cabling that is referenced by TIA 568-B.1

TIA 568-B.3 (Optical Fiber Cabling Standard)

Technical content on optical fiber cabling that is referenced by TIA 568-B.1

TIA 568-B.4 (Shielded Twisted-Pair Cabling Standard)

Technical content on shielded twisted-pair cabling that is referenced by TIA 568-B.1

TIA 569A-1995 (Commercial Building Standard for Telecommunications Pathways and Spaces)

Specifies design and construction practices for pathways and spaces between commercial buildings.

TIA 570A-1998 (Residential and Light Commercial Telecommunications Wiring Standard)

Specifies residential cabling systems..

TIA 606 - 1994 (Administration Standard for the Telecommunications Infrastructure of Commercial Buildings)

Administration of communications wiring and connecting hardware, building distribution systems, and grounding and bonding. Standardised labeling and documentation requirements for generic cabling in commercial buildings.

TIA TSB-67-1995 (Transmission Performance Specifications for Field Testing of Unshielded Twisted-Pair Cabling Systems

Defines the basic link and channel. Specifies performance requirements for the basic link and channel for wire map, length, attenuation, and NEXT. Defines field measurement procedures and test instrument requirements.

TIA TSB-95-1999 (Additional Transmission Performance Specifications for UTP)

TSB-95 outlines the min expected performance criteria for ELFEXT, return loss, power sum ELFEXT, propagation delay, and delay skew. Because it is a TSB, it is not a normative requirement. TSB-95 provides guidelines to what the minimum installed performance of legacy category 5 links can be expected. IT managers should consider Category 5E as the minimum performance level allowed. Category 5E is much better than TSB-95.

PN3727 Cat 6 Addendum-2000 (Category 6 component, cable, and link requirements)

This draft document was in its fifth revision as of May 1999. At this time it is the most complete document providing performance requirements for category 6 links, and is the draft standard against which most manufacturers are verifying product performance. As of early 2000, there is broad agreement on numbers, but work needs to be completed on test methods. This document has been delayed by ongoing work on TIA568B, but now that most ballot issues have been resolved on TIA 568B, more attention will focus on completing the Category 6 document. Category 6/Class E performance requirements will be specified in ISO/IEC 11801-2000, but this standard will likely lag the TIA category 6 standard.

ISO/IEC Standards Overview

The first and most important document in this series is ISO/IEC International Standard 11801 (IS1801).

ISO/IEC 14763-1 (Administration, documentation, records)

Describes requirements for administration systems and documentation of pathways, spaces, cables, terminations, and grounding in accordance with ISO/IEC 11801. This document was approved for publication in Feb/2000.

ISO/IEC 14763-2 (Planning and Installation practices)

Specifies requirements for planning, specification, quality assurance and installation of new cabling in accordance with ISO/IEC 11801. This document was approved for publication in Feb/2000.

ISO/IEC 14763-3 (Testing of optical fiber cabling)

Outlines test procedures to be used to ensure that optical fiber cabling, designed in accordance with ISO/IEC 11801 and installed according to the recommendations of ISO/IEC 14763-2, is capable of delivering the level of transmission performance specified in ISO/IEC 11801. This document was approved for publication in Feb/2000.

ISO/IEC 14763-4 (Testing of copper cabling)

This project has been cancelled. IEC 61935 -1:1999 (Testing of copper cabling) is to be referenced instead.

IEC 61935-1: 1999 (Testing of copper cabling)

Specifies reference measurement procedures for cabling parameters and requirements for field tester accuracy to measure cabling parameters specified in ISO/IEC 11801.

IEC 61935-2 :2000 (Testing of copper cabling)

Specifies requirements for laboratory testing of modular plug cords.

ISO/IEC IS11801 -1995 (Generic Cabling for Customer Premises)

This document has been the international standard for generic cabling requirements in customer premises since 1995. However, it has largely become obsolete for the following reasons: It uses obsolete links definitions such as the 'cabling link' (replaced by the Permanent Link) It does not specify normative return loss requirements It does not address new measurements such as ELFEXT, delay skew or PSNEXT It does not address work area or patch cord performance Class D requirements defined in this standard do not support ATM 155 Mbps networks

IS11801 is undergoing extensive revisions and is being updated with ISO/IEC 11801 Proposed Draft Amendment 3 (ISO/IEC PDAM3).

ISO/IEC IS11801 AM2 -1999 (Generic Cabling for Customer Premises)

This is a major update to IS11801-1995. It adds requirements for new measurements, defines the Permanent Link and Channel, removes many ffs's (for future study), and provides more detail. Another important change is Class D requirements have been toughened and are now closer to TIA Cat 5E requirements (but different). This has the interesting implication that a link tested and in conformance to Class D in 1998 could be tested against AM2 Class D in 1999 and fail, even though the link has identical performance. Thus, in specifying conformance to IS11801 it is critical to ensure you clarify whether you require conformance with IS11801-1995 or IS11801 AM2.

Concurrently with the AM2 work, extensive revisions to include Cat 6/Class E and Cat 7/Class F are in development. A complete rewrite in the year 2000 incorporating these additions is expected.

ISO/IEC 11801 2nd Edition - 2000 (Generic Cabling for Customer Premises)
The 2nd edition of  ISO/IEC11801 will incorporate specifications for Category 6 / Class E and category 7 / Class F cabling and components. ATM Forum Standards

AF-PHY-0015.000 -1994 (ATM Physical Medium Dependent Interface Specification for 155 Mbps over Twisted Pair Cable)

Specifies requirements for running ATM at 155 Mbps over UTP. In summary, these requirements are satisfied by a TIA 568A-1995 Category 5 channel.

AF-PHY-0046.000 - 1996 (622.08 Mbps Physical Layer Specification)

Specifies requirements for running ATM at 622 Mbps over single and multimode fiber optic cabling. (No copper specification for ATM at 622 Mbps has been defined or approved.)

IEEE Standards

IEEE 802.3i-1990 (Supplement to 802.3 - 10BASE-T)

10BASE-T standard. In summary, 10BASE-T cabling requirements are met by a TIA 568A category 3 channel.

IEEE 802.3j-1993 (10BASE-F)

10BASE-F standard. In summary, 10BASE-F cabling requirements are met with no more than 12.5 dB attenuation at 850 nm on 62.5/125 mm multimode fiber.

IEEE 802.3u-1995 (100BASE-T)

100BASE-T standard. In summary, 100BASE-T cabling requirements are met by an IS11801-1995 Class D channel.

IEEE 802.3aa-1998 (100BASE-T Maintenance Revision#5)

Maintenance revision on 100BASE-T.

IEEE 802.3z-1998 (CSMA/CD Access Method and Physical Layer Specifications for 1000 Mbps)

Gigabit Ethernet standard. Does not include detailed twisted pair requirements. These are provided in IEEE 802.3ab.

IEEE 802.3ab (Physical Layer Parameters and Specifications for 1000 Mb/s Operation over 4 pair of Category 5 Balanced Copper Cabling, Type 1000BASE-T)

Defines physical layer characteristics and specifications for 1000 Mb/s operation on 4 pair of 100 ohm Category 5 balanced copper cabling as defined by EIA/TIA-568-A, Annex E or its equivalent as built from material specified by ISO/IEC 11801:1995.

CENELEC Standards

EN50173 -1995 (Generic Cabling for Customer Premises)

EN50173 specifies generic cabling for use within commercial premises. It is very similar to IS11801. A 1999 amendment 1 will add permanent link and channel definitions, as well as the new measurement parameters, analogous to IS11801PDAM3.

EN50173 2nd Edition - 2000 (Generic Cabling for Customer Premises)

The 2nd edition of  EN50173 is expected to harmonize with IS11801 2nd Edition and will include specificaitons for Category 6 / Class E and category 7 / Class F cabling and components.

EN50174-1 -1999 (Administration, documentation, records)

Describes requirements for administration systems and documentation of pathways, spaces, cables, terminations, and grounding in accordance with EN50173.This European Norm is expected in 1999, and should harmonize with ISO/IEC 14763-1.

EN50174-2 -1999 (Planning and installation practices)

Specifies requirements for planning, specification, quality assurance and installation of new balanced copper and fiber optic cabling in accordance with EN50173. This European Norm is expected in 1999, and should harmonize with ISO/IEC 14763-2.

EN50174-3-1999 (Installation, Planning and Practices External to Buildings)

Details requirements and guidance for installation, planning and practices for balanced copper and fiber optic cabling external to buildings.

EN50XXX-2000 (Procedures for Testing Premise Cabling)

Specifies procedures for testing the transmission performance of installed cabling in premises. Procedures apply to both balanced copper and optical fiber cabling. These test procedures are to be used for acceptance testing, verification of specific application support, and troubleshooting during the investigation of faults. This document is wider in scope than IEC 61935 in that it must support both generic and application-specific cabling for both balanced copper and fiber cabling.