can't get gigabit to work

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,402
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a while back i bought a gigabit switch, bought new cat 6 to go with it. all was good. now, it always connects at 100. thinking the cables went bad, i bought a bunch of new ones. not a one will connect at gigabit.

bad switch?

switch sits between my router and the computers, but that shouldn't matter, correct?
 

Emulex

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2001
9,759
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71
all ports bad? maybe you have a bad nic. or bad drivers? tell us more specifics
 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,402
8,574
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all ports bad? maybe you have a bad nic. or bad drivers? tell us more specifics

i've got two computers, both have gigabit nics. i've got a dlink 4 port router. running windows 7 on one computer and xp on the other. auto negotiate is on.

maybe i should try other ports


edit: yup, ports were bad. just plugged into the other 2 and running at 1000. thanks!


edit2: copying at 50 MB/sec is great =)
 
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Texashiker

Lifer
Dec 18, 2010
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Have you set your network card to only connect at 1,000 mbs full duplex, instead of auto-negotiate the speed?

Control panel - network and ethernet - network connection - right click local area connection - properties - configure button below the network card - advanced tab - scroll down until you see speed & duplex, change from auto to the highest setting you have.
 
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imagoon

Diamond Member
Feb 19, 2003
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Have you set your network card to only connect at 1,000 mbs full duplex, instead of auto-negotiate the speed?

Control panel - network and ethernet - network connection - right click local area connection - properties - configure button below the network card - advanced tab - scroll down until you see speed & duplex, change from auto to the highest setting you have.

Unless the switch is managed (and set the same way) this can cause really poor performance.
 

imagoon

Diamond Member
Feb 19, 2003
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i've got two computers, both have gigabit nics. i've got a dlink 4 port router. running windows 7 on one computer and xp on the other. auto negotiate is on.

maybe i should try other ports


edit: yup, ports were bad. just plugged into the other 2 and running at 1000. thanks!


edit2: copying at 50 MB/sec is great =)

I would put that switch on death watch :)
 

Texashiker

Lifer
Dec 18, 2010
18,811
198
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Unless the switch is managed (and set the same way) this can cause really poor performance.

I still think its worth a try.

All of the computers on my home network are set to 100mbs and full duplex. We transfer large amounts of data from system to system with no issues. To save time on downloading games from Steam, I will download it to my computer, then copy the game files to my son and daughters computers. Last weekend I copied out 10 gigs of data (portal and portal 2) from my computer to my sons computer, and it only took a few minutes.

And if it does cause speed issues, just set it back to auto-negotiate.
 

imagoon

Diamond Member
Feb 19, 2003
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I still think its worth a try.

All of the computers on my home network are set to 100mbs and full duplex. We transfer large amounts of data from system to system with no issues. To save time on downloading games from Steam, I will download it to my computer, then copy the game files to my son and daughters computers. Last weekend I copied out 10 gigs of data (portal and portal 2) from my computer to my sons computer, and it only took a few minutes.

And if it does cause speed issues, just set it back to auto-negotiate.

It is pretty silly to force the setting as long as the switch negotiates properly. It doesn't improve performance at all unless you have defective gear. Anyway it is a common issue to see strange frame errors and other ethernet (layer 2) errors such as runts when there is a duplex setting mismatch. Some switches handle it well, others barf all over the floor, while others just go "slow."
 

jlazzaro

Golden Member
May 6, 2004
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I still think its worth a try.

All of the computers on my home network are set to 100mbs and full duplex. We transfer large amounts of data from system to system with no issues. To save time on downloading games from Steam, I will download it to my computer, then copy the game files to my son and daughters computers. Last weekend I copied out 10 gigs of data (portal and portal 2) from my computer to my sons computer, and it only took a few minutes.

And if it does cause speed issues, just set it back to auto-negotiate.

fact: if your NIC is set to 100FULL, the switch will negotiate down to 100HALF.
 

bobdole369

Diamond Member
Dec 15, 2004
4,504
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Replace that switch. No way I would use it for anything but a bookend. Network hardware doesn't "slowly go bad" like a flourescent lamp. The bits shouldn't wear out.
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,587
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I had a Netgear "consumer" Gigabit switch (white plastic rounded case with silver trim). It started locking up, while I was away. I had to replace it.

Now I use Trendnet metal-cased gigabit switches. No troubles so far.
 

drebo

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2006
7,034
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It generally means that the switch is higher-quality, and it doesn't overheat like those plastic switches do.

Not really.

The innards of a metal switch and a plastic switch at the same pricepoint by the same vendor are likely identical.
 

bobdole369

Diamond Member
Dec 15, 2004
4,504
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Its not like anything inside a switch is even heat sunk, nor would it require it. I suspect folks think that a metal case is more substantial, but as drebo put it, are likely the same internals anyway. Now if they did a faraday cage, now we're talking!
 

nismotigerwvu

Golden Member
May 13, 2004
1,568
33
91
Not that the metal case has anything to do with it, but those tendnet "green" gige switches are awesome little buggers, especially so when price is taken into consideration. Under most normal circumstances they barely draw any current at all.
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,587
10,225
126
Its not like anything inside a switch is even heat sunk, nor would it require it. I suspect folks think that a metal case is more substantial, but as drebo put it, are likely the same internals anyway. Now if they did a faraday cage, now we're talking!
Well, my plastic Netgear switch overheated something fierce. I've never had overheating problems with metal switches, because they dissipate the heat.
 

Concillian

Diamond Member
May 26, 2004
3,751
8
81
Not that the metal case has anything to do with it, but those tendnet "green" gige switches are awesome little buggers, especially so when price is taken into consideration. Under most normal circumstances they barely draw any current at all.

Yeah, I have two of these at home. Both hooked up to a Kill-a-Watt show 1 watt draw, occasionally it will move to two. They don't get hot because there's so little heat to dissipate.

One is an older model than the "green" one, but other than the paint, it's the same thing. The "green" revision appears to be a paint job + marketing revision.

I had an even older revision of the same model number that used 8 watts and got quite warm, and I had another one, don't remember the brand... SMC or Netgear... it died, presumably from heat issues. It got even warmer than the old Trendnet one. I didn't have a Kill-a-Watt then, so I don't know how much power it was drawing. There was definitely a change for the better somewhere along the way though. Newer switches pull next to nothing, and therefore don't get even warm.
 
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