Is there any software that will certify cable using only two NIC's and software to run the test?
Would a NIC be able to test a cable based on the physical internals that it's made of?
I'm basically trying to find the cheapest option that I can that will certify cables (preferably cat6) and all the hardware solutions seem god awful expensive.
I'm not sure if this is the proper place for this question (or even if StackExchange has a network that would be. If it's not the right place let me know and I'll delete the question).
Best Answer
No. Certification of cables requires specialized equipment - which is (as you discovered) quite expensive. Accurately measuring crosstalk at 500MHz+ isn't something that NIC hardware is designed to do. If it were, it would also be quite expensive. The real rub here is that a given NIC / switch port might negotiate even 10GE over cables that don't meet spec. I'd suggest keeping a close eye on ebay for older Flukes (or similar) - they can be a lot cheaper than buying new.