Need help in setting up network

[Baby octopus]

Hi,

I need help in setting if simplest of the network
I have many systems which are connected to 10/100/1000 Dlink switch. This is a Dlink 1016D switch. So there is no internet in this network. Now I want to connect it to the internet. What is the way to do this?

1. I know I can connect a router to one port of this switch and the router is connected to the WAN. This will work but I'm worried if all the traffic between the systems will route through this router??
2. If the answer to the above question is YES, will it happen if only if DHCP server on the router is enabled?
3. How will I efficiently set this network? Will getting a switch with an inbuilt router help?

~BO

 

[MustISO]

Adding a router is what you want. That will allow all the endpoints to access the internet. DHCP will need to be supplied from somewhere (typically the router in a home network) or you can use static addresses.

 

[ch33zw1z]

1. A router is what you want. Traffic that is local Layer 2 traffic will not go through the router. In your setup, the router will handle internet traffic.

2. No, DHCP won't be the sole deciding factor in where the traffic is flowing. Do you have a DHCP server already handing out IP's?

3. What type of router are you looking at?

here is a high end SOHO (small office/home office) device:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833320091

SOHO devices are a router/switch/and WAP all in one.

 

[Baby octopus]

1. How can I be sure that the layer 2 traffic will never go through the router?

2. The router is connected to one of the port of the 16 port switch. And DHCP server is enabled in the router which means all the systems which are connected to the 16 port switch will get IP through the router. Will the LAN traffic not be through the router then?

3. My sole purpose is to make sure
a. Internet connection is possible
b. Traffic across local systems will only be handled by gigabit switch and not a 100Mbps router.
I have around 14 systems now, might scale to 30. So 4 port router won't be possible

Can someone explains how large servers are connected in datacenters?

 

[Mushkins]

1. How can I be sure that the layer 2 traffic will never go through the router?

It just doesn't. The switch has a MAC address table in it which is a master index of the MAC addresses of all devices connected to that switch. If PC A tries to send data to PC B, which is also connected to that switch, the switch knows that PC B is connected to port 10 or whatever and facilitates the exchange. The only time that request would be pushed to the router is if the address you're trying to send data to is NOT on that MAC table. Trust the switch, it knows what it's doing.

2. The router is connected to one of the port of the 16 port switch. And DHCP server is enabled in the router which means all the systems which are connected to the 16 port switch will get IP through the router. Will the LAN traffic not be through the router then?

IP is a layer 3 protocol. Internal LAN traffic is not "routed", traffic *between* LANs is routed. All that router is doing for your internal traffic is acting as the DHCP server to hand out IP addresses. Again, trust the switch.

3. My sole purpose is to make sure
a. Internet connection is possible
b. Traffic across local systems will only be handled by gigabit switch and not a 100Mbps router.
I have around 14 systems now, might scale to 30. So 4 port router won't be possible

That is precisely how the configuration will work. Only incoming and outgoing traffic (internet traffic in your case) will be restricted by that 100Mbps uplink, internal traffic will all be Gigabit.

Can someone explains how large servers are connected in datacenters?

Without going into too much detail, just like the setup you want to do. Everything internal is connected to a whole bunch of switches, and those switches are uplinked to a handful of routers. Obviously scaling applies depending on the specific design, purpose, and load experienced by the datacenter, but that's how it is.

 

[serpretetsky]

1. How can I be sure that the layer 2 traffic will never go through the router?

2. The router is connected to one of the port of the 16 port switch. And DHCP server is enabled in the router which means all the systems which are connected to the 16 port switch will get IP through the router. Will the LAN traffic not be through the router then?

3. My sole purpose is to make sure
a. Internet connection is possible
b. Traffic across local systems will only be handled by gigabit switch and not a 100Mbps router.
I have around 14 systems now, might scale to 30. So 4 port router won't be possible

Can someone explains how large servers are connected in datacenters?

A DHCP server simply gives ip addresses to computers.

I want to point out the flaw in your logic. If, as you imply, a DHCP server dictates where data is routed because it hands out ip addresses, then how does data get from one computer to another when YOU are acting as the DHCP (you are statically assigning ip addresses). You don't sit on the network and tell each packet where to go, do you?

DHCP servers do absolutely no routing whatsoever, not on level2 or level3.
There exist(ed) routers that do not have any DHCP capability.

As long as all of your computers are on the same network (switches and hubs connected together) and on the same subnet, the data will never go to the router. Whenever a computer tries to send data to an ip that is not on the same subnet, then it will go to the default gateway (your router).

If you want to learn more (which i highly recommend if this is your field of business) then I would recommend learning about the OSI layered model and how computers decided to send packets based on this model. Then learn what routers do with packets sent based on this model.

Just so you know, for the basics you can generally ignore the top 3 levels of the OSI model and just focus on
4) Transport Layer
3) Network Layer
2) Data-Link layer
1) Physical layer

 

[JackMDS]

Router is a combo device that includes a switch and it OK that traffic goes through its switch, it built for this purpose.

Computers that are connected to external switch ports (like your Giga switch) connect locally directly through the Giga switch and the Router just helps as a general control (like traffic cop)

Internet traffic to each device goes through the Router and there is No way to avoid it.

Your fears are baseless, get a Router, sip a nice cup of hot cocoa and do the connections.