• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Hub question...

A

Argo

Lifer
I gotta buy 2 24port fastethernet hubs for my job. What do you guys think about this one: Linkys STACKPRO 24-PORT 100BASE-TX STACKABLE HUB? I'm allowed to spend up to $900.
 
For $900 you should be able to get 2-24 port switches and really help the performance of the network out. Take a look at the Linksys Etherfast II 10/100 switches. They can be found for about $415 each at mwave.com. Personally if I was doing it, I would get the 3Com Superstack II Baseline Switch. You can get the 24 port model for $575. I've used them before at businesses and they run great for the cost.
 
for bisness? RULE 1) NO HUBS stay away from hubs now a days switches are so much cheaper and they are so much better 2) DONT BUY LiNKSYS... they are cheap great for home use... but not for bidness... get somthign link netgear u can get 1 netgear FS504 i think thats the model number its a 24port switch.. its cheap like 500 u can grab a 100 rebate sometimes.. but they are great
 
Sounds cool. I'll prolly pick up one 24 port and one 16 port. Btw, what is the difference between models with external power and the ones with internal?

Btw, I need something that supports racking of more than 2 switches with different port count.
 
That would seem rather self explanatory, but if it has an internal ps, then it has a regular 3 pin IEC power cord that plugs straight into the unit. If it has an external ps, then it has a 9 pin, or some other type of connector that plugs into an EXTERNAL power supply, which then has the regular 3 pin power cord that goes to the wall. It may also just have the big "block" that plugs into the wall.
 
If you need to rackmount, then all you need to make sure is that the units are the standard 19" rackmount size and 1U, 1.5U, 2U, etc in height. The physical size will be the same, but the number of ports will just be different.
 
So regardless of whether it's internal PS or external, I don't need to buy any extra accessories to get it going? Sorry for asking rather obvious questions, but my primary experience is with software side of networking (domains, etc...) and some home networking. I'm a software developer anyways 🙂
 
The only hubs we use at work are the Tigerstack hubs. 24 Port hubs, I dont know the model # off hand. They seem pretty reliable.
 
Yes you can combine different models/vendors, etc of hubs and switches. They all are based off the same ethernet standard, so they will work with each other.
 
Mix and match is fine, but some vendors offer backplane links between their LAN switches. The only real advantage is that you don't burn a port on both switches with uplinks between them. Also it looks better.

Technically they link switch fabric from both units, so you don't see any bottlenecks between the switches. But that wasn't an issue with you, right?
 
That's exactly what I was asking about. Something like BNC link on the hubs. So that I don't have to use up a port for cascading.

My biggest problem is, that they want me to buy it from www.microwarehouse.com, and I also need a rackmountable unit. I think this is my best choice, provided I have $900 budget:

Netgear FS524 24-Port 10/100 Switch Rackmountable $449


However, the website doesn't mention that it has a backplane link. Any ideas?
 
Here are the specs off of the Netgear site: NetGear FS524 Specs. It doesn't look like they have any options for cascading the units, so you'll simply have to use a cross over cable on two ports. Also, the units are 13" wide. If you are going to rackmount, make sure that they fit correctly into a standard 19" rack. One other thing I just noticed is that the switch fabric (think of it as capacity) is only 1.2GBps, that means that if you have 6 ports running at full duplex = 200mbps with 100% activity, then you will have the fabric full at which point the switch will begin dropping packets. I don't know what kind of use it will get, but if you have 3-4 servers, and 10 heavy users, you might be pushing the performance limits. Just something to think about. I don't know what kind of network or users you have.
 
We have 1 server with heavy load, with possibility of addition of new server later on. Plus, we also have 40 light clients.
 
I would think that you would be okay. Are you primarily just doing file sharing, or is there a database, internet & email?
 
For $900 you are not going to get 2 good switches.

You can make due with these linksys switches by limiting the number of users on the same switch as the server (maybe 10 power-users) and then cramming everyone else onto the other linksys.

I've been in your shoes before, making a LAN run on NO BUDGET.

Here's what I would do: Do some research (www.cisco.com) and make a case for getting at least one Cisco Catalyst 2924XL in there. Call a Cisco VAR in your area for some pricing. I'm sure somebody else on this forum might have some other good ideas about business-class switches you can investigate as well. But if it was my money, I'd go with one 2924XL and one cheapo linksys.
 
I highly second that opinion. I've used both the 2924, and the 3524. Both are EXCELLENT and very high end, high quality units. Like CTR says, put the servers and power users into the Cisco, then put everybody else into the Netgear.
 
I don't think I can afford cisco with a $900 budget 🙁 Anyways, could you guys give me any other suggestions, I can a bit higher than $900, however, I need a rackmountable unit (preferably) with 24 ports and with dedicated backplane link.
 
Well why even bother with the expandable backplane option if you have such limited funds? Get the two cheapest 24-port hubs you can find and just remind your boss that you get what you pay for.
 
I think I'm going for Linksys DSSX24 - EtherFast 10/100 24-Port Switch then. It has 2.5GB/s fabric and is rackmountable. Plus, it has an optional distance extension module, which can come useful at later times.

Thanks for you help guys.
 
That switch is $580 because it does store-and-forward switching. REAL switches do "cut-through" or "fast" switching. In other words, the one you are buying is slow, but cheap. Should satisfy your budget requirments.
 
Here is my best recommendation: HP ProCurve 2224. Specs here: HP ProCurve 2224, and purchased from Warehouse here: ProCurve 2224 for $530. I would go for HP quality and performance over Linksys, Netgear, or any other low end brand. I believe the transceiver slot would be able to be used as an uplink to another switch, freeing the 2 ports, plus it is a standard 19" rackmount unit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top