Cables to Hubs, Switches, Routers, and Workstations

Crossover and straight-through cables are used in order to connect switch ports or interfaces to network devices. Consult this table in order to see when to use each of these cable types. Find the device in the left-hand column and match it up with another device in the top row. The intersection of these two devices gives you the cable type used to connect them together.

Note: The ports on Catalyst switches that run Cisco IOS^® Software (Native) can be configured to act as Layer 2 (L2) or Layer 3 (L3) ports. When you connect the RJ-45 cable from a Layer 3 port, which acts as a router port, to other devices, use the previous table. In summary, the cables used do not change, regardless of whether the port is configured to be in Layer 2 (switch port) or Layer 3 (router port) mode.

Most Common Cable Connectors

These diagrams show some of the most common cable types and connectors used on Catalyst switches.

RJ-45	RJ-21 Telco
This is used in order to connect to 10/100 or 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports and 1000Base-T Gigabit Interface Converter (GBIC) or small form factor pluggable (SFP) GBIC ports. 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports must use four twisted-pair Category 5, 5e or 6 cables.	This is used in order to connect to 10/100BASE-TX RJ-21 telco interfaces. Use Category 5 UTP cables with male RJ-21.

MT-RJ Fiber-Optic	SC Fiber-Optic
This is used in order to connect to 100Base-FX fiber-optic ports. Use multimode fiber (MMF) cables with MT-RJ connectors.	This is used in order to connect to 100Base-FX, 1000Base-SX, Long Wavelength/Long Haul (LX/LH) and ZX fiber-optic ports or GBICs. Use MMF or single-mode fiber (SMF) fiber-optic cable.

LC Fiber-Optic	GigaStack
This is used in order to connect to SFP fiber-optic module ports.	This is used in order to connect to GigaStack GBIC ports. Cisco GigaStack technology uses proprietary GBICs and cables.

StackWise
This is used in order to connect to StackWise ports on the rear panel of Catalyst 3750 switches. Cisco StackWise technology uses proprietary connectors and cables.

GBIC and SFP Connectors

Many Catalyst switches, Supervisor Engines and switching modules have removable Gigabit Interface Converters (GBICs) or small form factor pluggable (SFP)-type connectors. These diagrams show some of the most common GBIC and SFP connectors used on Catalyst switches.

Note: A Catalyst 2950 switch is used for demonstration purposes.

1000Base-X	1000Base-T
This uses SC fiber-optic connector and MMF or SMF cable. Part numbers: WS-G5484 (1000Base-SX GBIC) WS-G5486 (1000Base-LX/LH GBIC) WS-G5487 (1000Base-ZX GBIC)	This uses RJ-45 connector and cable. Part number: WS-G5483 (1000Base-T GBIC)

WS-X3500-XL GigaStack GBIC	SFP Module
This uses Cisco Gigastack connector and cable. Part Number: WS-X3500-XL (GigaStack GBIC)	This uses LC fiber-optic connector or RJ-45 for 1000Base-T SFP. Part numbers: GLC-T (1000Base-T SFP) GLC-SX-MM (1000Base-SX SFP) GLC-LH-SM (1000Base-LX/LH SFP) GLC-ZX-SM (1000Base-ZX)

Note: GBIC and SFP support depends on the platform and software version.

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