Explanation difference between managed and unmanaged switch?

[paruhd0x]

Going to a LAN party in a month or so and the network is always slow due to people using like 4 hubs connected to each other... so I'm lookin on ebay to get a good 24 port switch and I don't know the difference between a managed and unmanaged switch. Not asking for someone to write out a paper... a link that explains it I would be most greatful for. Thanks.

 

[ktwebb]

Simple answer is managed switches allow you to interact with it using various tools. Connect via IP and a browser or telnet etc.., or you can use a serial or proprietary connection. SNMP traps, filtering, and so on. Unmanaged are dumb network devices. They have a job and they do it. Managed switches give you some flexibility and it really depends on the software as to what features your able to use. Need a processor and additional software so they will be more expensive. I imagine there will be others with more articulate responses but I wonder if there are any websites that disect this. It's just not that dificult a thing to figure out. Managed, Unmanaged. The name alone is implication enough to understand the difference.

 

[JackMDS]

1. You do not need a Managed Switch for LAN party.

2. Managed Switch is much more expensive than regular Switch.

3. Most modern Managed switches has a GUI interface that might provide you with:

- Real-time port utilization, Status, and error information.
- Port-utilization statistics
- Packets transmitted and received.
- Can capture a specific port's performance.
- Would indicate an NIC that causes excessive errors.
- Controlled Bandwidth, and distribution.

:sun:

 

[dchakrab]

and 4. A router is usually cheaper than a managed switch, gives you way more options (or more useful options anyway) and will do more for your network. And you can tell the router to just work as a dumb switch for simplicity, when you need it.

Managed switches are usually commercial or industrial grade devices, not consumer networking produtcs.

 

[ktwebb]

Router's aren't really a part of this thread. Apples and oranges.

 

[AFB]

Originally posted by: ktwebb
Router's aren't really a part of this thread. Apples and oranges.

Exactly, you just need a mid-range 24 port unmanaged switch.

 

[Thoreau]

i reccomend dell for this area. I had picked up a 24 port 10/100 linksys switch a while back for $130, and while it's an awesome switch, you can get the same thing from dell but with dual gigE uplink ports, soo you'll have some room for future expansion.

 

[Caveman2001]

And I think the 24 port at Dell is cheaper than the Linksys right now. I checked and the 24 port 10/100 was like $84

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: Caveman2001
And I think the 24 port at Dell is cheaper than the Linksys right now. I checked and the 24 port 10/100 was like $84

Not really that cheap...