What's a PowerConnect 2124?

[RockysDad]

Dell is selling a PowerConnect 2124 fast ethernet switch with one gigabit port. I guess I don't understand how it works. Could someone please explain the benefits, if any...

Currently: I have 20 pc's connected to a fast ethernet switch. These 20 pc's access another pc running a web-server program called resin. The web-server is currently using ms access for its database. The web-server is also connected to the fast ethernet switch. Would putting a gigabit nic in the web-server pc and then connecting it to the gigabit port allow more bandwidth to the web-server pc?

At some point in time, I'd like to move the web-server pc to my main office network. If my main network was all gigabit, and I connected the PowerConnect 2124 gigabit port to the gigabit switch on my main network, does that mean that the same amount of bandwidth would be available for my 20 pc's to access the web-server pc on the main network? (assuming no other activity on the network)

Any clarity would be appreciated!

 

[AFB]

The benifit is that the gigabit bandwidth gets spead out over those 10/100 ports. All the 10/100 ports run at 10/100 even when a port is faster or slower. Since all the computers are accessing the server at once, you will see a speed increase because the main bottleneck(line to the server) has more total bandwidth. Its kind of hard to explian. Do you know the difference between a switch and a hub?

 

[RockysDad]

I'm not entirely sure, my understanding is that a hub shares/splits the bandwidth amongst all ports, whereas a switch can simultaneously manage connections between multiple ports. (port 1&2 can share at full speed while port5&6 do the same)

I understand that if one pc is downloading a file from the server on the gigabit port, that download speed will be the same as if the server were on a 10/100 port, I just wanted to make sure that if 4 pc's download that same file from the server, that they will all benefit from that additional bandwidth and download the file as quickly as that first pc. (They would not be able to if the server was on a 10/100 port)

Right?

 

[AFB]

Originally posted by: RockysDad
I'm not entirely sure, my understanding is that a hub shares/splits the bandwidth amongst all ports, whereas a switch can simultaneously manage connections between multiple ports. (port 1&2 can share at full speed while port5&6 do the same)

I understand that if one pc is downloading a file from the server on the gigabit port, that download speed will be the same as if the server were on a 10/100 port, I just wanted to make sure that if 4 pc's download that same file from the server, that they will all benefit from that additional bandwidth and download the file as quickly as that first pc. (They would not be able to if the server was on a 10/100 port)

Right?

Let my try explianing it this way. If two computers are downloading from the server located on a 10/100 port. Both computers are also located on a 10/100 port. Each of those computers share the bandwidth of the 10/100 port that the server is located on. That is fine for two computers, but if you have more computers, they each share the bandwidth of the 10/100 port the server is located on. The total amount of bandwidth coming from the server is limited by the port the server is on. So, if you changed the servers port to a gigabit port, all the computers downloading from the server would now share the bandwidth of a gigabit port. Since all the computers are still on 10/100 ports, each one will still be limited by their port. The benifit is that the total bandwidth that the computers share coming from the server will be larger. In english: More computers coud access the server at the same time ,but each computer on a 10/100 port is still limited to 100Mbs. So, yes your all four PCs could now download at full (100mbs*).


*Real life speed=60mbs-80Mbs

 

[cmetz]

RockysDad, look around for tools to tell you how much network utilization you have on an interface (there should be some way to tell, locally on a Windows PC). See if that is getting up into the 90+Mb/s range - if so, a gigabit link would help you by raising the ceiling. If not, then it probably wouldn't make a difference.

The main reason to have a gigabit port on a 10/100 switch is for a fast interconnect with other 10/100 switches. If you have two of those 2124s, connect 'em with a gigabit link, that works pretty well in real life - certainly better than having 24 10/100 links on each switch interconnected with a 100Mb/s link.

But if you have one server generating most of the load and it's being bottlenecked on throughput, that's a good way to use the gig port, too.

 

[SaigonK]

And if you need some fiber cables just let me know. I have some for sale!