I know it's an old thread, but it baffles me that this still continues to come up AND be confusing to the professionals.
First...while the interface can't tell color of jacket, be aware that there pairs are twisted at different rates, and at high speeds this can make a difference. For example if you were to terminate using the blue and brown pairs instead of the orange and green, it likely would not pass. The 'interfaces' are expected some complex signaling habits, and the manufacturer's make that happen on the pair when they are terminated properly. Don't deviate from the recognized standard.
Second...who is crimping on modular plugs on solid cable and saying that meets the standards? If you have SOLID conductors, it should be terminated on a patch panel or a modular jack rated for the service. The solid cable is transport cable, you shouldn't need to crimp plugs on it, it goes from the patch panel to the jack and doens't move after that. Patch cables are stranded, designed for that movement, and exhibit more attenuation than solid.
Third...why all the bother? Well i go through this with customers all the time. They made their own wizbang patch cable 40 feet long and are really proud of it. We plug it in, the light lights up on the LAN card, and they are pleased. I say "how many packet retries are you getting?" They say "huh, i have no idea". EXACTLY. That is why you don't mess with the physical layer, because it is tough to mearsure. You can put a piece of modular phone cord between the wall and your computer and make the interface light up. Will it transport data at 100mbs without errors? Not likely. Can you tell if it is? again, not likely.
The point is that the physical layer should be rock solid, done with the correct equipment and to the correct standard, including a quality test performed after installation.
Daron J. Wilson, RCDD
Solving 'Real World' problems