🔹 1. Color Coding of LAN (Ethernet) Cables
Ethernet cables (e.g., Cat5e, Cat6) follow specific color coding standards for the twisted wire pairs:
T568A and T568B Standards:
Each wire inside the Ethernet cable is color-coded:
- T568A:
- Pin 1: White/Green
- Pin 2: Green
- Pin 3: White/Orange
- Pin 4: Blue
- Pin 5: White/Blue
- Pin 6: Orange
- Pin 7: White/Brown
- Pin 8: Brown
- T568B (more common in the U.S.):
- Pin 1: White/Orange
- Pin 2: Orange
- Pin 3: White/Green
- Pin 4: Blue
- Pin 5: White/Blue
- Pin 6: Green
- Pin 7: White/Brown
- Pin 8: Brown
🔹 2. Physical Cable Labeling for Unique Identification
In datacenters or enterprise environments, each LAN cable is often labeled with a unique ID using:
- Barcodes or QR codes
- Alphanumeric tags (e.g.,
LAN-RK12-SW02-01) - Color-coded sleeves or Velcro straps
- RFID tags for smart tracking
🔹 3. Unique MAC Address per Port
Every Ethernet device (like NICs, switches, routers) has a unique MAC address at Layer 2 (Data Link layer), which helps uniquely identify the connected device on a LAN.
🔹 4. Cable Testing and Signature Coding
For high-end structured cabling, time-domain reflectometry (TDR) or cable testers can assign digital “signatures” to cables based on their length, twist, and capacitance characteristics—this is mostly used in troubleshooting.
🔹 5. Custom Coding for Cable Management
If you’re building a cable management plan, some people use custom schemes like:
css[Location]-[Device Type]-[Port]-[Cable Number]
e.g., DC1-SRV01-ETH0-C01