Are Cat5 and Cat5e compatible with each other ?

I use a network using an 8 port hub and Cat5 cables. I've tried to add
an extra machine to the network with a Cat5e cable but it isn't working
- the new machine can't see the other machines and vice versa. Are Cat5
and 5e compatible with each other - I thought 5e was just an enhanced
version of Cat5... Or is it probably just a duff cable ?


--
Phil

Phil wrote:

> I use a network using an 8 port hub and Cat5 cables. I've tried to add
> an extra machine to the network with a Cat5e cable but it isn't working
> - the new machine can't see the other machines and vice versa. Are Cat5
> and 5e compatible with each other - I thought 5e was just an enhanced
> version of Cat5... Or is it probably just a duff cable ?
>
>

They're compatible. Is it a store-bought cable?

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> > I use a network using an 8 port hub and Cat5 cables. I've tried to add
> > an extra machine to the network with a Cat5e cable but it isn't working
> > - the new machine can't see the other machines and vice versa. Are Cat5
> > and 5e compatible with each other - I thought 5e was just an enhanced
> > version of Cat5... Or is it probably just a duff cable ?
>
> They're compatible.

Thought as much, cheers.

> Is it a store-bought cable?

On-line purchase, but yea.
Guess an exchange is on the cards... :/


--
Phil

Phil wrote:

>>>I use a network using an 8 port hub and Cat5 cables. I've tried to add
>>>an extra machine to the network with a Cat5e cable but it isn't working
>>>- the new machine can't see the other machines and vice versa. Are Cat5
>>>and 5e compatible with each other - I thought 5e was just an enhanced
>>>version of Cat5... Or is it probably just a duff cable ?
>>
>>They're compatible.
>
>
> Thought as much, cheers.
>
>
>>Is it a store-bought cable?
>
>
> On-line purchase, but yea.
> Guess an exchange is on the cards... :/
>
>
Before sending it back, you might swap it with one of your known
good cables and see whether it works on a machine that's known
to be set up correctly -- there's a possibility of a software
problem, too, unless you've already ruled that out somehow.

And make sure you're not using an uplink port on the hub or something
easy to overlook like that

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> >>>I use a network using an 8 port hub and Cat5 cables. I've tried to add
> >>>an extra machine to the network with a Cat5e cable but it isn't working
> >>>- the new machine can't see the other machines and vice versa. Are Cat5
> >>>and 5e compatible with each other - I thought 5e was just an enhanced
> >>>version of Cat5... Or is it probably just a duff cable ?
> >>
> >>They're compatible.
> >
> > Thought as much, cheers.
> >
> >>Is it a store-bought cable?
> >
> > On-line purchase, but yea.
> > Guess an exchange is on the cards... :/
>
> Before sending it back, you might swap it with one of your known
> good cables and see whether it works on a machine that's known
> to be set up correctly

Did that straight away. The results were strange... when substituting
a known good machine with the suspect cable - the network failed to work
on that machine. However, all the machines on the network did actually
show at one point in Network Neighbourhood, but nothing was accessible
(machine cannot be found on the network). Even the new machine (that I
had actually bought the cable for) showed as well (even tho it wasn't
connected anymore !).

> there's a possibility of a software problem, too, unless you've already
> ruled that out somehow.

Given the problems when substituting for a known good cable/machine, I'm
assuming software is not the problem.

> And make sure you're not using an uplink port on the hub or something
> easy to overlook like that

Definetely not that, I've got 8 normal ports and 1 uplink clearly
seperated.


--
Phil

Phil wrote:

>>>>>I use a network using an 8 port hub and Cat5 cables. I've tried to add
>>>>>an extra machine to the network with a Cat5e cable but it isn't working
>>>>>- the new machine can't see the other machines and vice versa. Are Cat5
>>>>>and 5e compatible with each other - I thought 5e was just an enhanced
>>>>>version of Cat5... Or is it probably just a duff cable ?
>>>>
>>>>They're compatible.
>>>
>>>Thought as much, cheers.
>>>
>>>
>>>>Is it a store-bought cable?
>>>
>>>On-line purchase, but yea.
>>>Guess an exchange is on the cards... :/
>>
>>
>>Before sending it back, you might swap it with one of your known
>>good cables and see whether it works on a machine that's known
>>to be set up correctly
>
>
> Did that straight away. The results were strange... when substituting
> a known good machine with the suspect cable - the network failed to work
> on that machine. However, all the machines on the network did actually
> show at one point in Network Neighbourhood, but nothing was accessible
> (machine cannot be found on the network). Even the new machine (that I
> had actually bought the cable for) showed as well (even tho it wasn't
> connected anymore !).
>

That's an artifact of the way "Network Neighbourhood" works. It can
take quite a while for it to reflect changed circumstances.

>
>>there's a possibility of a software problem, too, unless you've already
>>ruled that out somehow.
>
>
> Given the problems when substituting for a known good cable/machine, I'm
> assuming software is not the problem.
>

Agreed. It sounds to me like the cable is defective.

>
>>And make sure you're not using an uplink port on the hub or something
>>easy to overlook like that
>
>
> Definetely not that, I've got 8 normal ports and 1 uplink clearly
> seperated.
>

OK. Every now and then one encounters somebody who hasn't read
the documentation, so I thought it best to ask. <g>

>


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