New Tests by Anixter Verify Significant Variances in Cabling Systems.

Business Editors

SKOKIE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 18, 2000

Anixter (NYSE:AXE), the world's leading distributor of cabling and communications products, reports that advanced procedures in its product testing laboratory verify Anixter's long-held concern that many cabling systems are operating inefficiently, even though the components comply with industry standards. Anixter says measurable errors-as many as 2,609 in less than an hour in one study-are resulting in lost or corrupted data, slower network response time and decreased productivity.

"The industry has been conducting static, megahertz-based testing of the electrical attributes of cable, but at our Anixter Levels Lab, we can now conduct live, or active, megabits-based testing of data transmission from one end of a cabling system to another," stated Pete Lockhart, Anixter's vice president of technology, at the January BICSI convention in Orlando, Florida. "Testing megabits means testing data, so we are significantly increasing the ability to determine if a cabling system can reliably transfer data."

Lockhart noted that existing industry standards for characterizing cabling fall short by setting forth only the minimum performance requirements. Anixter established specifications in 1989 for rating the cable it purchases from manufacturers, but it was six years before the TIA/EIA used Anixter's specifications as the model to create and ratify the current industry category rating system.

The industry is now considering Category 5e with more stringent requirements for cabling. However, in 1997, Anixter introduced Levels 5, 6 and 7 for rating cable, all of which meet or exceed the proposed Cat 5e. The following year, Anixter introduced its specifications for rating the entire channel, from PC to the hub, called the Anixter Levels Channel (ALC 5, 6 and 7).

Anixter has been conducting extensive testing on how cabling interacts with network interface cards (NIC), hubs and switches. In one active study released at the January 2000 BICSI convention, Anixter used a cabling system labeled and sold as Cat 5e compliant with hubs and NIC cards that complied with IEEE specifications. Running on 100Base-T, the Anixter Levels Lab noted 2,609 errors within 56 minutes.

"We conducted the same test using a cabling system that met our ALC 6 specifications and then our ALC 7 specs," said Lockhart. "With ALC 6, there were only seven errors in 56 minutes. With ALC 7, we experienced no errors, no retransmissions and no dropped or corrupted data. We had 100 percent throughput. Even with the variations and marginal performance of the transmitter and receiver electronics, the ALC systems' extra bandwidth held the data signals nearly error-free while the channel labeled as Cat 5e was getting hammered!"

Lockhart pointed out that eliminating errors not only increases productivity and reduces maintenance costs, but also reduces the frustration and bottlenecks caused by retransmissions.

Anixter Plans to Share Information with the Marketplace

Anixter's director of marketing, Frank LaPlante, said that the results of further testing will be published in white papers and lab reports to educate contractors and end-users on the importance of using the appropriate cabling systems. He noted that the demands of advanced applications such as Fast Ethernet, CDDI, ATM and Gigabit Ethernet require better methods of determining if cabling systems can reliably transfer information.

"For customers planning new installations, we won't recommend Cat 5e or even our own Level 5 cabling if they are planning to use Fast Ethernet or greater," said LaPlante. "Cabling solutions that we have rated ALC 6 should be the minimum."

LaPlante said Anixter plans to fill a void by taking on the role of educating the industry on variances that can be found in cable and in the many active and passive components that must work together for maximum data transfer.

"The rapid advances in high-speed access technology demand that the pipelines for information keep up, but the committees that establish cabling standards have been slow and cumbersome because they meet infrequently," LaPlante explained. "Our newest method of defining network efficiency probably won't result in industry standards for at least three years. Consequently, we feel an obligation to continually educate companies so that they can make informed decisions."

LaPlante said Anixter is qualified to take a leadership role because it is a distributor that services thousands of customers, sells more than 54,000 products and operates the premier testing facility in the network cabling industry.

"We have always helped our customers make objective and wise choices, and now we want to share our knowledge and information more broadly for the protection and advancement of the industry," said LaPlante.

Anixter recently expanded its Web site (Anixter.com), which includes white papers and the results of ongoing studies at the Anixter Levels Lab. The company conducts seminars throughout its sales regions and participates in trade shows, and will also be sharing information through a new advertising and media relations program. In addition, Anixter will be releasing a network cabling hand guide that offers suggestions and recommendations for specifying and installing data cabling systems.

Anixter Inc. is the world's leading distributor of data communication products and electrical wire and cable. Founded in 1957, the company now employs more than 5,000 people in 180 cities throughout the world. Anixter customers benefit from the company's technical expertise and market specialization and have access to Best-in-Class products through Anixter's partnerships with the world's leading manufacturers.