Looking at setting up 1 server, 6 workstations, 2 printers, using Cat5 cable. What do I need in the way of hubs, switches, or routers?
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
What do I need for this network?
- Thread starter daveman
- Start date
If your network need connect to the internet then you need router/switch. If you just for local area networking then need switch. Switch is full deplex.
If you connect your network to the internet then I advise you get a router/switch/firewall. You can get a Linksys BEFSX41 and a 8 or 16 port switch. The BEFSX41 only has 4 ports.
If you connect your network to the internet then I advise you get a router/switch/firewall. You can get a Linksys BEFSX41 and a 8 or 16 port switch. The BEFSX41 only has 4 ports.
Thanks Deran, this network will not be connected to the Internet. Any brands or models for the switch you would recommend.
Thanks
Thanks
Since you have 6 PCs & 1 server plus 2 printers. I'm not sure the printers are direct connect to the server or use jetdirect to the network. I suggest you to get at least 16 ports switch for more connections in the futher. I like Linksys or Netgear switch, not expensive but reliable.
Depends if this is a home network or for a company. If it's for home, and not connected to the internet, then a 16 or 24 port NetGear will do just fine. Stay away from LinkSys. They have been VERY problematic in the past, and I doubt they've gotten better.
If it's for a company, then I would recommend nothing less than Cisco gear. It's a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for.
Regardless of the use, I would STRONGLY recommend 3COM NICs. They have the best drivers, are the most stable, and are reasonably priced. You can get a 10/100 PCI NIC for ~$30 nowadays.
If it's for a company, then I would recommend nothing less than Cisco gear. It's a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for.
Regardless of the use, I would STRONGLY recommend 3COM NICs. They have the best drivers, are the most stable, and are reasonably priced. You can get a 10/100 PCI NIC for ~$30 nowadays.
How about this switch Netgear JFS516. Would I need to any hubs or will this be all I need? Sorry if I sound stupid, I'm kinda new to this.
Many Thanks
Many Thanks
You only need switch. The Linksys switch will work fine for you. Since your network is not big. As exx1967 said Cisco switch is better for company. It is up to you if you want spend more. But this netgear will do the right thing for you. If you need network card then is better go for either 3com or Intel.
- Oct 25, 1999
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Do not get any Router that has more than 4 ports.
These Routers are terribly over priced.
You much better off getting a 4 Port Router and a 5 port switch.
After connecting the Router to the Switch you will have 7 ports available.
Example for good deal.
Link to: SpeedStream 4-port DSL/Cable router. ($25 shipped)
Link to: Compaq iPAQ 5-Port 10/100 Fast Ethernet auto-sensing switch. ($17 Shipped)
The whole deal $42.
The only advantage of the Linksys over this is the Cobalt Blue plastic (important if you need to match the décor
).
These Routers are terribly over priced.
You much better off getting a 4 Port Router and a 5 port switch.
After connecting the Router to the Switch you will have 7 ports available.
Example for good deal.
Link to: SpeedStream 4-port DSL/Cable router. ($25 shipped)
Link to: Compaq iPAQ 5-Port 10/100 Fast Ethernet auto-sensing switch. ($17 Shipped)
The whole deal $42.
The only advantage of the Linksys over this is the Cobalt Blue plastic (important if you need to match the décor
).If you're not connecting to the internet, then there is no need for a router.
The Netgear switch you have pointed out above will suit your needs just fine.
If it's a home network, and you decide you do want to connect to the internet, then a Netgear router will work just fine. If it's a corporate network, again, nothing less than Cisco, and you'll also want to consider a REAL firewall, instead of just the built-in crap.. Look at Symantec VelociRaptor's. They are 1U, and you can get a 40 user version for ~$800.
Do NOT buy Compaq anything. Compaq isn't even around anymore, they were bought by HP. Besides, $17? You get what you pay for.. Same thing with this offbran SpeedStream garbage...
Whatever fits into your budget is what you'll end up with, but you'll be much more pleased in the long run if you spend a little more upfront.
The Netgear switch you have pointed out above will suit your needs just fine.
If it's a home network, and you decide you do want to connect to the internet, then a Netgear router will work just fine. If it's a corporate network, again, nothing less than Cisco, and you'll also want to consider a REAL firewall, instead of just the built-in crap.. Look at Symantec VelociRaptor's. They are 1U, and you can get a 40 user version for ~$800.
Do NOT buy Compaq anything. Compaq isn't even around anymore, they were bought by HP. Besides, $17? You get what you pay for.. Same thing with this offbran SpeedStream garbage...
Whatever fits into your budget is what you'll end up with, but you'll be much more pleased in the long run if you spend a little more upfront.
- Oct 25, 1999
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Quote"Do NOT buy Compaq anything. Compaq isn't even around anymore, they were bought by HP. Besides, $17? You get what you pay for.. Same thing with this offbran SpeedStream garbage...".
Wow what a strong opinion Wow.:Q
:brokenheart:
?You get what you pay for?.
Yeah Sure!!!
Like:
"Distance makes the heart grow fonder". BUT "Out of sight out of mind".
"Never too old to learn". BUT "You can not teach old dog new tricks".
It is all in the eye of the beholder!
Wow what a strong opinion Wow.:Q
?You get what you pay for?.
Yeah Sure!!!
Like:
"Distance makes the heart grow fonder". BUT "Out of sight out of mind".
"Never too old to learn". BUT "You can not teach old dog new tricks".
It is all in the eye of the beholder!
I do hold strong opinions, you are 100% correct. But, that's because the opinions I hold about hardware are what keeps the 2200 users I support up and running. IBM x330, x335, and x345's rackmount SMP servers. Cisco backbone stuff. Cisco 36xx series rotuers. AT&T Paradyne CSU/DSU's. APC batteries. HP Superdome. SCSI or FibreChannel EVERYTHING. RAID EVERYWHERE. NOTHING CHEAP.
Combined, I am responsible for over 17Tb worth of storage space, spread across 60 different servers, spread across 3 states and two countries. If I didn't have strong opinions, stuff would break too easily..
Besides, my company makes enough money that I can afford to have strong opinions and buy high-quality equipment.
Even for home use, I hate to recommend sub-par equipment, because I know how frustrating it is when it doesn't work, even just on a home network...
Combined, I am responsible for over 17Tb worth of storage space, spread across 60 different servers, spread across 3 states and two countries. If I didn't have strong opinions, stuff would break too easily..
Besides, my company makes enough money that I can afford to have strong opinions and buy high-quality equipment.
Even for home use, I hate to recommend sub-par equipment, because I know how frustrating it is when it doesn't work, even just on a home network...
Guys don't argue too much. Just find the right equipment to suite for what you need. I've been working in Networking for more than 10 years and setup hundreds of small to mid size company network. In this case, the Netgear switch is suitable for his network. He don't really need the highend switch.
Agreed. NetGear is the only lower-end stuff I'll recommend. I have the FS524 at home, and it's great. I can't afford Cisco for my house, unfortunately... LOL
- Oct 25, 1999
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Hey not every one need a Bulldozer.
Quote: "I hold about hardware are what keeps the 2200 users I support up and running. IBM x330, x335".
Yeah it is quite typical that guys that do this type of work lose total perspective when it comes to small Networks.
If purchasing done by Home and small Network users would follow the same considerations as applies to ?Big LAN? there will be very few people enjoying the Magic.
Two Examples.
Myth No1.
Intel and 3COM NICs are always better than the sub $10 Cheappo.
Well it seems that this is not always true:
Link to: Comparing NICs (Notice How the SMC did well as compare to the Giants It is $5 card),
Myth No2.
Switch is always better than Hub. Hmmm?
Log here, and click on the left on Switch vs. Hub
Link to: http://www.scottmac.net
Quote: "I hold about hardware are what keeps the 2200 users I support up and running. IBM x330, x335".
Yeah it is quite typical that guys that do this type of work lose total perspective when it comes to small Networks.
If purchasing done by Home and small Network users would follow the same considerations as applies to ?Big LAN? there will be very few people enjoying the Magic.
Two Examples.
Myth No1.
Intel and 3COM NICs are always better than the sub $10 Cheappo.
Well it seems that this is not always true:
Link to: Comparing NICs (Notice How the SMC did well as compare to the Giants It is $5 card),
Myth No2.
Switch is always better than Hub. Hmmm?
Log here, and click on the left on Switch vs. Hub
Link to: http://www.scottmac.net
Hey guys, I didn't mean to start WW3, lol. This would be for a business so I'm looking at the Cisco Catalyst 2950, what do you guys think of that one.
Thanks
Thanks
The Cisco Catalyst 2950 24-port Switch will work great. As I said before if you want to spend more. This Cisco switch will cost you about $700 but the Netgear just costs less than $100. The Cisco will give more to managed plus you can setup VLAN. But the Netgear JFS516 is a dummy switch. It is really up to you that you need those features or not.
PS. Just for the switch itself, you won't notice any different.
PS. Just for the switch itself, you won't notice any different.
Unless you plan to do some serious expansion in the near future you really aren't going to notice the difference between the low end dumb switches and a high end managed switch. Now if you had 2200 users, 17TB of space....yada....At work I've got 2100 users and use all Cisco managed switches. For small office side job I use whatever I can get cheap at the time and everyone is happy.
Listen to JackMDS. He is an Elite member for a reason.
He's an elite member because he has 6,830 posts. That's all. But I digress...
The 2950-24 is a great switch, I have about 40 of them spread across a couple different buildings.. NEVER a problem with them. There are two different versions. Someone mentioned VLANs.. Only the Enterprise 2950 (2950-24EN is the part number, I think) does VLANs. You may not need that functionality.
And, like I said, Cisco is always the way to go for businesses, but.. There ARE some businesses who refuse to spend that kind of money. If they balk at the price, then try to get a 3COM. They are almost as good, but considerably less money than a Cisco. I recently picked up an 8 port GbaseT 3COM unmanaged for ~$450.. Not a bad price.
If that's still too much money, then I'd go with NetGear.
There ARE huge differences between the switches at the hardware level, but you'll only need to worry about them if you plan on heavily taxing the segment. Said differences would be the amount of memory in the switch used for packet forwarding, the number of MAC addresses it can remember, and the speed of the backplane. As I said, for a smaller network, you shouldn't run into these things. But there are differences, and if expansion is ever planned, a 2950 will make a decent backbone switch for a smaller network..
As far as NICs, Jack -- It's not all about the hardware. For the MOST part, NICs are fairly equal (until you start getting into server NICs that can do IPSec in hardware on the NIC, and TCP offloading) at the hardware level. It's the DRIVERS that cause people the most headaches, and 3COM has THE most solidly written drives in the business, bar none.
Why don't I like LinkSys? I used to use LinkSys gear at home. Thought it was fine. Then, I went to add a second processor to my server at home. The mainboard was a TYAN S1564D. Put in the second rpocessor, re-installed NT4 to get the SMP kernel, and all of a sudden the NIC (LinkSys 10/100 PCI) wouldn't work. It couldn't function with an SMP kernel. It would install just fine, but it REFUSED to work (driver problem, anyone??). Moved it to a different box with only one processor, and it worked again, just fine. From that moment on (after wasting 6 hours trying to figure out what went wrong), it was 3COM all the way. The extra $15/card was WELL worth it to my sanity. I've tried to configure LinkSys NAT routers for friends, and they are junk also. Half the time the admin pages won't display, they lock up for no reason.. They are just poor quality pieces of equipment.
Any other questions??
The 2950-24 is a great switch, I have about 40 of them spread across a couple different buildings.. NEVER a problem with them. There are two different versions. Someone mentioned VLANs.. Only the Enterprise 2950 (2950-24EN is the part number, I think) does VLANs. You may not need that functionality.
And, like I said, Cisco is always the way to go for businesses, but.. There ARE some businesses who refuse to spend that kind of money. If they balk at the price, then try to get a 3COM. They are almost as good, but considerably less money than a Cisco. I recently picked up an 8 port GbaseT 3COM unmanaged for ~$450.. Not a bad price.
If that's still too much money, then I'd go with NetGear.
There ARE huge differences between the switches at the hardware level, but you'll only need to worry about them if you plan on heavily taxing the segment. Said differences would be the amount of memory in the switch used for packet forwarding, the number of MAC addresses it can remember, and the speed of the backplane. As I said, for a smaller network, you shouldn't run into these things. But there are differences, and if expansion is ever planned, a 2950 will make a decent backbone switch for a smaller network..
As far as NICs, Jack -- It's not all about the hardware. For the MOST part, NICs are fairly equal (until you start getting into server NICs that can do IPSec in hardware on the NIC, and TCP offloading) at the hardware level. It's the DRIVERS that cause people the most headaches, and 3COM has THE most solidly written drives in the business, bar none.
Why don't I like LinkSys? I used to use LinkSys gear at home. Thought it was fine. Then, I went to add a second processor to my server at home. The mainboard was a TYAN S1564D. Put in the second rpocessor, re-installed NT4 to get the SMP kernel, and all of a sudden the NIC (LinkSys 10/100 PCI) wouldn't work. It couldn't function with an SMP kernel. It would install just fine, but it REFUSED to work (driver problem, anyone??). Moved it to a different box with only one processor, and it worked again, just fine. From that moment on (after wasting 6 hours trying to figure out what went wrong), it was 3COM all the way. The extra $15/card was WELL worth it to my sanity. I've tried to configure LinkSys NAT routers for friends, and they are junk also. Half the time the admin pages won't display, they lock up for no reason.. They are just poor quality pieces of equipment.
Any other questions??
Not to pick the statement apart but... elite members are voted for, all the other member status rankings are based upon number of posts. Otherwise nice advice and welcome to the forum.
- Oct 25, 1999
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It all reminds me my first encounter (many years ago before the time of Internet shopping) with IT boss, and a need for Network.
I needed an independent Network of six computers for the accounting department of the cooperation that I was running.
I submitted a request to the IT Chief of the parent cooperation.
Few days later I received a request to sign a purchase order. When I looked at the amount of money at the bottom of the request, I started to see stars at the middle of the day.
The purchase order included 1 IBM Server and six IBM PCs all connect with Token Ring for a price that you can even imagine.
Dell at the time was a young hungry PC maker. I contacted Dell representative, and got a quote for Ethernet Network with Dell computers.
The cost was a fraction of the IBM Token Ring system.
I got s earful of arguments from the IT guys (similar to the above posts).
E.g. "We buy only IBM?. IBM is already many years in the business and makes the best computers.
This statement is right IBM did make a good PCs and was many years in the business.
However it was very expensive and for our specific purpose a much cheaper system could do as well.
To allow the chief of I to save face I had to politically compromise. We got 6 Dell PCs installed with Ethernet connection using IBM Server (a whooping Pentium 300).
Well we all know Dell.
How many IBM PCs you saw lately?
BTW. The whole incident happened around October (199x). The money saved was used to give employees a nice holiday bonus.
I needed an independent Network of six computers for the accounting department of the cooperation that I was running.
I submitted a request to the IT Chief of the parent cooperation.
Few days later I received a request to sign a purchase order. When I looked at the amount of money at the bottom of the request, I started to see stars at the middle of the day.
The purchase order included 1 IBM Server and six IBM PCs all connect with Token Ring for a price that you can even imagine.
Dell at the time was a young hungry PC maker. I contacted Dell representative, and got a quote for Ethernet Network with Dell computers.
The cost was a fraction of the IBM Token Ring system.
I got s earful of arguments from the IT guys (similar to the above posts).
E.g. "We buy only IBM?. IBM is already many years in the business and makes the best computers.
This statement is right IBM did make a good PCs and was many years in the business.
However it was very expensive and for our specific purpose a much cheaper system could do as well.
To allow the chief of I to save face I had to politically compromise. We got 6 Dell PCs installed with Ethernet connection using IBM Server (a whooping Pentium 300).
Well we all know Dell.
How many IBM PCs you saw lately?
BTW. The whole incident happened around October (199x). The money saved was used to give employees a nice holiday bonus.
Originally posted by: exx1976
He's an elite member because he has 6,830 posts. That's all. But I digress...
The 2950-24 is a great switch, I have about 40 of them spread across a couple different buildings.. NEVER a problem with them. There are two different versions. Someone mentioned VLANs.. Only the Enterprise 2950 (2950-24EN is the part number, I think) does VLANs. You may not need that functionality.
And, like I said, Cisco is always the way to go for businesses, but.. There ARE some businesses who refuse to spend that kind of money. If they balk at the price, then try to get a 3COM. They are almost as good, but considerably less money than a Cisco. I recently picked up an 8 port GbaseT 3COM unmanaged for ~$450.. Not a bad price.
If that's still too much money, then I'd go with NetGear.
There ARE huge differences between the switches at the hardware level, but you'll only need to worry about them if you plan on heavily taxing the segment. Said differences would be the amount of memory in the switch used for packet forwarding, the number of MAC addresses it can remember, and the speed of the backplane. As I said, for a smaller network, you shouldn't run into these things. But there are differences, and if expansion is ever planned, a 2950 will make a decent backbone switch for a smaller network..
As far as NICs, Jack -- It's not all about the hardware. For the MOST part, NICs are fairly equal (until you start getting into server NICs that can do IPSec in hardware on the NIC, and TCP offloading) at the hardware level. It's the DRIVERS that cause people the most headaches, and 3COM has THE most solidly written drives in the business, bar none.
Why don't I like LinkSys? I used to use LinkSys gear at home. Thought it was fine. Then, I went to add a second processor to my server at home. The mainboard was a TYAN S1564D. Put in the second rpocessor, re-installed NT4 to get the SMP kernel, and all of a sudden the NIC (LinkSys 10/100 PCI) wouldn't work. It couldn't function with an SMP kernel. It would install just fine, but it REFUSED to work (driver problem, anyone??). Moved it to a different box with only one processor, and it worked again, just fine. From that moment on (after wasting 6 hours trying to figure out what went wrong), it was 3COM all the way. The extra $15/card was WELL worth it to my sanity. I've tried to configure LinkSys NAT routers for friends, and they are junk also. Half the time the admin pages won't display, they lock up for no reason.. They are just poor quality pieces of equipment.
Any other questions??
What specific features do Cisco and 3Com switches have that the NeatGear and Linksys don't that would be put to use in a 1 server, 6 PC, small office?
Just because you couldn't get the NIC to work in a high end environment that it wasn't intended for doesn't mean it's junk. I would disagree that 3COM nics are the best. A couple of years back we have significant Cisco/3Com compatibility issues. We've still got 3Com NICs but I'm much happier with Intel. At home, I use whatever is cheap.
The LinkSys NIC wasn't in a high-end environment, it was a dual Pentium 200MMX box that I was using for a web server at home. P2's had already come out, so I grabbed a 200MMX for like $60 and wanted to throw it in, it was my first SMP system.
Jack- I apologize for the wise-ass remark about the Elite member thing.. I'm still pretty new here, and I've never before seen a board where you vote for member ratings.. I think that's cool. Token Ring?!? That's why it was so expensive! Token ring stuff is a FORTUNE!! As for how many IBM PC's have I seen lately? I'm posting this message on a Netvista, and my company laptop is a ThinkPad. If I open the door to my office, I see 550 IBM PC300GL's. Everything in this building is IBM. One of the other buildings is also all IBM desktops. The third building is about 95% WYSE WinTerms, and a various mix of desktops and laptops (Dell, Compaq, HP, Toshiba, etc), but I'm not responsible for desktop purchases at that building, so they buy whatever they want and then spend the rest of their lives fixing it. Not only that, but most companies tend to stick with a single vendor for everything, whether it is Dell, or IBM, or Compaq, or whatever. They do this for a few reasons: Volume Pricing. I can get a $2700 IBM server to my door for a little under $1800. Ease of warranty - If everything in my building is made by the same people, I know EXACTLY who to call, and it keeps my Rolodex small and more manageable. Ease of use - If it's all the same vendor, you get used to how they do things, you learn the little nuances of the equipment, and you learn to leverage all of it's features. For example, the IBM servers I have -- They all use RSA/ASM. Dell and Compaq don't do this (Compaq has something called a "lights out adapter" that is fairly similar, or so I've heard).. I don't have to sit down and think about which server it is and what it's abilities are. They're all the same company, so I'm not stuck trying to remotely reboot a box from 1500 miles away saying "Oh, crap.. I can't do that because it's a Dell and isn't part of the ASM chain".... It's always better to standardize, regardless of the manufacturer. Pick one, and stick with it.
Reicherb - I do believe I already answered that question, but I'll quote it in anyway:
The other issue is longevity. I have been through 3 NetGear switches at home. They're cheap, so I keep buying new ones. But, I don't lose money when they're broken. For a small business with no on-site IT staff, if their POS Switch fails, they will be clueless, you'll have to drive back down there, figure out what happened, get a new one, replace it, all the while charging the customer for support, AND costing them money by stopping production. Not only does it cost them money, but because they are ignorant of the hardware and just bought what you recommended, it makes YOU look bad because you installed equipment that failed on them, especially if someone else comes in and scoffs at it (everyone has that cousin/uncle/whatever that knows something about IT and will ask why it's not an HP ProCurve or a Catalyst or <insert name>).
Personally, I'd rather go out to a customer's site, charge them accordingly for high-quality equipment, and then never have to go back again. Sure, I make less money in the long run (off that customer), but the word of mouth spreads quickly about the rock-solid installs that I do. People are willing to pay $125/hr in a $90/hr market if they know that the network I installed 2 years ago of 1 server and 14 desktops and a firewall to a cable modem has had ZERO issues that require me going back on-site to fix them. So you charge more up front, and then it WORKS. Instead of charging $90/hr for install, then going back every 6 months to replace something or rebuild something at $90/hr again..
Sure, you lose those cheapo little customers who don't want to spend the money it takes to get a rock-solid solution, but, then again, are those customers you really want? The ones that will nickel and dime you to death? "Can you just make this quick little change for us?" "Oh, we bought a new ZIP DRIVE to use for backups.. Can you install it for us?" etc, etc.. The list of ridiculous requests goes on and on, and I'm sure you all have your own.
The bottom line is, you can buy whatever equipment you want to buy, what do I care? I don't have to support it or fix it. daveman asked for my opinion, and I gave it. Why I am sitting here defending my opinion to a bunch of people I have never met, now that I haven't figure out....
Almost forgot -- The 3COM/Cisco issue is pretty common. Depending upon distances, Cisco switches may have a difficult time determining wire speed. If you manually set everything to 100Mb/s full duplex (on both the switch port AND the NIC) those issues should disappear... Or to 10Mb/s or whatever it needs to be, obviously...
Forgot one more thing: MTBF. THAT's the reason you spend more.. RTFM.
Jack- I apologize for the wise-ass remark about the Elite member thing.. I'm still pretty new here, and I've never before seen a board where you vote for member ratings.. I think that's cool. Token Ring?!? That's why it was so expensive! Token ring stuff is a FORTUNE!! As for how many IBM PC's have I seen lately? I'm posting this message on a Netvista, and my company laptop is a ThinkPad. If I open the door to my office, I see 550 IBM PC300GL's. Everything in this building is IBM. One of the other buildings is also all IBM desktops. The third building is about 95% WYSE WinTerms, and a various mix of desktops and laptops (Dell, Compaq, HP, Toshiba, etc), but I'm not responsible for desktop purchases at that building, so they buy whatever they want and then spend the rest of their lives fixing it. Not only that, but most companies tend to stick with a single vendor for everything, whether it is Dell, or IBM, or Compaq, or whatever. They do this for a few reasons: Volume Pricing. I can get a $2700 IBM server to my door for a little under $1800. Ease of warranty - If everything in my building is made by the same people, I know EXACTLY who to call, and it keeps my Rolodex small and more manageable. Ease of use - If it's all the same vendor, you get used to how they do things, you learn the little nuances of the equipment, and you learn to leverage all of it's features. For example, the IBM servers I have -- They all use RSA/ASM. Dell and Compaq don't do this (Compaq has something called a "lights out adapter" that is fairly similar, or so I've heard).. I don't have to sit down and think about which server it is and what it's abilities are. They're all the same company, so I'm not stuck trying to remotely reboot a box from 1500 miles away saying "Oh, crap.. I can't do that because it's a Dell and isn't part of the ASM chain".... It's always better to standardize, regardless of the manufacturer. Pick one, and stick with it.
Reicherb - I do believe I already answered that question, but I'll quote it in anyway:
Note the part where I said "...for a smaller network, you shouldn't run into these things."
The other issue is longevity. I have been through 3 NetGear switches at home. They're cheap, so I keep buying new ones. But, I don't lose money when they're broken. For a small business with no on-site IT staff, if their POS Switch fails, they will be clueless, you'll have to drive back down there, figure out what happened, get a new one, replace it, all the while charging the customer for support, AND costing them money by stopping production. Not only does it cost them money, but because they are ignorant of the hardware and just bought what you recommended, it makes YOU look bad because you installed equipment that failed on them, especially if someone else comes in and scoffs at it (everyone has that cousin/uncle/whatever that knows something about IT and will ask why it's not an HP ProCurve or a Catalyst or <insert name>).
Personally, I'd rather go out to a customer's site, charge them accordingly for high-quality equipment, and then never have to go back again. Sure, I make less money in the long run (off that customer), but the word of mouth spreads quickly about the rock-solid installs that I do. People are willing to pay $125/hr in a $90/hr market if they know that the network I installed 2 years ago of 1 server and 14 desktops and a firewall to a cable modem has had ZERO issues that require me going back on-site to fix them. So you charge more up front, and then it WORKS. Instead of charging $90/hr for install, then going back every 6 months to replace something or rebuild something at $90/hr again..
Sure, you lose those cheapo little customers who don't want to spend the money it takes to get a rock-solid solution, but, then again, are those customers you really want? The ones that will nickel and dime you to death? "Can you just make this quick little change for us?" "Oh, we bought a new ZIP DRIVE to use for backups.. Can you install it for us?" etc, etc.. The list of ridiculous requests goes on and on, and I'm sure you all have your own.
The bottom line is, you can buy whatever equipment you want to buy, what do I care? I don't have to support it or fix it. daveman asked for my opinion, and I gave it. Why I am sitting here defending my opinion to a bunch of people I have never met, now that I haven't figure out....
Almost forgot -- The 3COM/Cisco issue is pretty common. Depending upon distances, Cisco switches may have a difficult time determining wire speed. If you manually set everything to 100Mb/s full duplex (on both the switch port AND the NIC) those issues should disappear... Or to 10Mb/s or whatever it needs to be, obviously...
Forgot one more thing: MTBF. THAT's the reason you spend more.. RTFM.
For my experience that 6 PCs, 1 Server & 2 printers network doesn't really need the high-end switch. I have been used alot Linksys and/or Netgear Router/Switch for my clients networks for the past years. They're very happy with what they paid for. So far most of the probelm isn't the hardware issue but the problem is the user do the stupid thing to the network or the desktop. You trust me on that, most of the users are dummy. No matter you give them highend or lowend devices, they will not know it. They will happy when open fast with the document and internet. But if I give them Flat Panel instead of CRT then they will notice different. They only care about the cost to meet their requirement.
For the highend Switch of couse will do little better but do they need those feature and paid more? How many MAC addresses need to be remember for the small network? Does the highend device will give life time warranty and free support? The Advance user in a small company use Linksys / Netgear Router can troubleshoot and configure by them, thanks for the user friendly interface. Do they know how to telnet to the Cisco Router and login to the console for troubleshoot and configure? And will you do it for free for them???
For the highend Switch of couse will do little better but do they need those feature and paid more? How many MAC addresses need to be remember for the small network? Does the highend device will give life time warranty and free support? The Advance user in a small company use Linksys / Netgear Router can troubleshoot and configure by them, thanks for the user friendly interface. Do they know how to telnet to the Cisco Router and login to the console for troubleshoot and configure? And will you do it for free for them???
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