Found a gigabit switch, looking for more...

[imported_goku]

I bought a linksys SD2005 at frys the other day and I was wondering if it was any good. It's only 5 ports so I know that I won't be able to have it as a main switch for very long (dongle[uplink] a hub to it for the rest of my connections in my network). I was wondering how it compared to others in it's class and where/what I kind of GIGe switch I should get for 10+ports.

Also whats the difference between managed and unmanged switches and what are their advantages. I'm essentially a network noob and I'm not really sure what I need to know in order to pick out good network equipment.

 

[cmetz]

Managed vs. unmanaged is the simpler question. If you're a business, or it really needs to work, get a managed switch. For normal home use, get unmanaged. Managed switches have real remote configuration and, well, management (how's that for a helpful definition?). They also tend to be higher end and better built, and to have features like 802.1D spanning tree. In a business setting, troubleshooting and even automatically detecting and correcting some problems is very important. In a home setting, it's not the end of the world if you have to walk over to the switch and fiddle with things by hand.

The Linksys gigabit switch is pretty unimpressive. It works. I don't think it does jumbo frames. It's okay to start out with and should be cheap. For 8 ports, consider the SMC8508T or the Netgear gigabit switches. I have an 8508T and like it, but I've heard recently that its jumbo frame support is not even close to line rate (gotta get some time on an Ixia to find out if this is true or not). Above 8 ports puts you into a different and more expensive price class, and then I'm not really sure what to recommend... usually the folks buying 16 port and bigger gigabit switches are business customers paying real $$. I don't think there's a lot of good SOHO/hobbyist choices for 16 ports. Avoid the Dell smart switches (27xx).