Fluke Debuts Cat 8 Tester

Having a tester available is a prerequisite for the use of the new cabling type, likely to be first used to support new 25G and 40G connectivity in data centers.

Brian Santo, Senior editor, Test & Measurement / Components, Light Reading

January 31, 2017

3 Min Read
Light Reading logo in a gray background | Light Reading

Fluke Networks has introduced what appears to be the first available field tester certified for testing new Cat 8 cabling.

Fluke's DSX-8000 CableAnalyzer, a member of the its Versiv Cable Certification Family, has been confirmed by Intertek to meet the ANSI/TIA-1152-A Level 2G requirements for measurement accuracy.

Cat 8 cabling is new and still rarely used, but it has properties likely to make it a viable alternative to fiber optic connections in data centers in the coming year, Fluke Regional Marketing Engineer Jim Davis told Light Righting.

It can support 25G and 40G Ethernet. Copper cabling is still cheaper than fiber. Cat 8 allows for the continuing use of the common RJ45 jack (used by Cat 6 but not possible with Cat 7), although Cat 8 has a shorter reach than Cat 5, Cat 6 or Cat 7 -- 30 meters versus 1,000 meters for all the others.

Want to know more about the companies, people and organizations driving developments in the test, monitoring and assurance sector? Check out Testapedia, the most comprehensive online resource covering the telecom test and measurement industry.

The reach is shorter but it remains perfectly adequate for inter-rack, top-of-rack (TOR) and some end-of-rack connectivity, Davis explained.

The largest hyperscale data centers are already upgrading to fiber cabling, but much of the rest of the data center market is still only beginning to upgrade to 40G or 25G. 40G has been an available option for a while, but the 25G/50G market is still in the very earliest stages of commercialization, and some data centers appear to be waiting for it. (See 25G Plugfest a Success; 25G Spec Published.)

The next possible application for Cat 8 is in supporting WiFi. With 802.11ac becoming common and 802.11ac Phase 2 and 802.11ax on the way, "The bottleneck isn't the airwaves; it's the cable," Davis observed.

The ANSI/TIA specification for Cat 8 testers was approved only last October. With the the launch of Fluke's new field tester, designers and installers now have the tools they need to deploy Cat 8 in support of 25G and 40G Ethernet networks.

Fluke is claiming the DSX-8000 has the first Permanent Link and Channel adapters with a full 2 GHz range, allowing field certification of TIA Cat 5 through 8 and ISO/IEC Class C through F(A) and I/II (Class II adapters available Summer 2017). The company asserts it is the only tester capable of testing the optional resistance unbalance measurements critical for guaranteeing operation of advanced Power over Ethernet (PoE) systems. Fluke also noted the new tester can certify Cat 6A in just eight seconds.

Antoine Pelletier, project engineer of ICT Cabling Products Testing at Intertek, said in a statement that "The availability of testers that meet this standard is an essential milestone in the evolution of Cat 8 and means customers can ensure their installations are standards compliant."

— Brian Santo, Senior Editor, Components, T&M, Light Reading

CALLING ALL TEST, ASSURANCE AND MONITORING COMPANIES:
Make sure your company and services are listed free of charge at Testapedia, the comprehensive set of searchable databases covering the companies, products, industry organizations and people that are directly involved in defining and shaping the telecom test and measurement industry.

About the Author

Brian Santo

Senior editor, Test & Measurement / Components, Light Reading

Santo joined Light Reading on September 14, 2015, with a mission to turn the test & measurement and components sectors upside down and then see what falls out, photograph the debris and then write about it in a manner befitting his vast experience. That experience includes more than nine years at video and broadband industry publication CED, where he was editor-in-chief until May 2015. He previously worked as an analyst at SNL Kagan, as Technology Editor of Cable World and held various editorial roles at Electronic Engineering Times, IEEE Spectrum and Electronic News. Santo has also made and sold bedroom furniture, which is not directly relevant to his role at Light Reading but which has already earned him the nickname 'Cribmaster.'

Subscribe and receive the latest news from the industry.
Join 62,000+ members. Yes it's completely free.

You May Also Like