If you're having problems connecting to the Gigabit ports on the switch, I'd usually recommend checking the following.

First, confirm that the ports are administratively enabled.  You can check this in the console interface or the web interface under Ports > Port Manager.

Second, you'll want to check if the Gigabit ports on both switches are set to copper or GBIC mode.  If set to GBIC mode, then the ports will try to operate as a fiber GBIC, not as a Gigabit copper port.

Finally, try checking the port state when you plug in the cables.  If the port doesn't show an up state when you plug in the cables, or if the port shows it's negotiating to a half-duplex connection, I'd strongly suggest that the problem lies within the cables being manufactured - at that point, we usually recommend grabbing a pre-made, store-bought CAT-5E or CAT-6 cable and testing again.

I'd also like to clarify one thing in your statement:  you say the switches are in two different buildings, but are also side-by-side?  I'm fairly certain your statement means that we're dealing with 4 switches total, two pairs in two different buildings - but I'd rather confirm this, than make an assumption.

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for your quick reply. I am sorry for the confusion about the 2 buildings. I only have 2 switches. And the 2 buildings I am referring to is like 2 warehouses next to each other, but we have created an opening to go from one side to another and vice versa.

The scenario is that all of my servers are in the first warehouse, and we are moving our offices to the second warehouse, so I have these 2 PowerConnect 3024 switches and I have connected one PowerConnect 3024 switch to the first warehouse where I have all my servers and clients connected to it. I haven't connected anything to the 2 gigabit ports. Now on the second warehouse, I have just completed the wiring for all the offices and connected them to the second PowerConnect 3024 switch. Now I was suppose to connect both the switches (or uplink them together) using a CAT5e cable from one switch to another using the Gigabit ports. But then I realized that in future I may run into Bandwith problems so I decided to go with CAT6 for using the gigabit ports on both sides and link them together so that between the 2 switches, the connection runs at 1GB per second.

But when I crimped the CAT6 cable and connected it to  1st switch to port 25 and plugged the other end of that CAT6 cable to the 2nd switch on port 26, I was able to see the light, but couldn't connect to the switch from the other side.

So I wanted to know whether I am doing something wrong here or is there any other way to do this. All I am trying to do is connect 2 switches together and they are not at the same place but in seperate warehouses. Please feel free to ask me any further questions. I really appreciate your help.

Thanks so much Andrew :-)