A company is upgrading its network to support 10 Gbps speeds for a server farm. The existing cabling is Cat6a, and the switches are Gigabit. The IT manager wants to minimize cost while achieving 10 Gbps. Which hardware change is required?
Trap 1: Replace the Cat6a cabling with Cat7 cabling.
Cat6a already supports 10 Gbps at 100 meters. Cat7 is not necessary and is not a standard recognized by TIA/EIA for Ethernet.
Trap 2: Replace the switches with Gigabit models that have SFP+ ports for…
SFP+ ports can support 10 Gbps, but the scenario states existing cabling is Cat6a, which is copper. Using SFP+ would require fiber cabling, adding cost.
Trap 3: Add a repeater to boost the signal on the existing Cat6a cabling.
Repeaters are used to extend distance, not increase speed. Cat6a already supports 10 Gbps at the required distance, so a repeater is unnecessary.
- A
Replace the Cat6a cabling with Cat7 cabling.
Why wrong: Cat6a already supports 10 Gbps at 100 meters. Cat7 is not necessary and is not a standard recognized by TIA/EIA for Ethernet.
- B
Install 10 Gbps switches and use the existing Cat6a cabling.
Correct. Cat6a supports 10 Gbps, so only the switches need to be upgraded to 10 Gbps models. This is the most cost-effective solution.
- C
Replace the switches with Gigabit models that have SFP+ ports for fiber.
Why wrong: SFP+ ports can support 10 Gbps, but the scenario states existing cabling is Cat6a, which is copper. Using SFP+ would require fiber cabling, adding cost.
- D
Add a repeater to boost the signal on the existing Cat6a cabling.
Why wrong: Repeaters are used to extend distance, not increase speed. Cat6a already supports 10 Gbps at the required distance, so a repeater is unnecessary.