Reliable Smart Switch

[stevegarvey]

Hi,

can anyone recommend any 8/16/24/48 port gigabit ethernet smart switches with 2 SFP ports that are extremely reliable but don't cost a fortune?

I've been working with switches since 2000 and traditionally used Cisco which were very reliable but very expensive. I have found Linksys to be a disaster, either requiring regular reboots or complete replacement. I've had problems with old-generation D-Link DGS-1216Ts and the power supplies on their unmanaged switches. I've only ever used unmanaged Netgear switches but have found them great.

Just when I thought I'd found the ideal switch in the HP ProCurve 1810G family (1810G-24 and 1810G-8) I'm finding major problems with unresponsive, flakey management interfaces. This, of course, after a big installation in a customer's site.

So, does anyone have any positive experiences with smart switches (or even affordable fully-managed switches) that just stay working 24x7x365 with stable management interfaces and good performance?

I'd be really grateful to hear from you if you do.

Many thanks,

Steve.

 

[MadKing]

Extremely reliable but don't cost a fortune doesn't go together. The problem with mind range switch is that they don't have solid IOS like cisco or juniper (juno os which is bsd below it). HP and Dell are good compromise because they use similar or mostly copy of cisco IOS at lower cost. One of both would be my choice.

 

[stevegarvey]

Thanks MadKing, you certainly have a point. Only thing is I'm not too impressed with HP's lower-end ProCurve switches, the 1810G range. I'll keep on looking I guess!

 

[teknojnky]

well...

I have a linksys/cisco SRW2008 smartswitch.

I went through 2 of them before getting a 3rd one that hasn't locked up and is otherwise has been very stable for the last 3 or 4 years.

There are a couple possible issues that might affect you tho.

- the web based admin interface pretty much only works on IE
- firmware hasn't been updated in years (not necessarily a bad thing, if it wasn't for the above)
- the only commandline available that I am aware of is, via rs-232 serial port (if you can find a computer that still has one), and its only very basic configuration

I use it's LACP bonding on my primary desktop and readynas pro business, which seems to function fine and stable.

It has 2 mini sfp ports, but I've not used them.

I think was around 250 when I originally bought it several years, might be worth checking out since its a pretty good price for the features it has if you can live with the interface and you don't get a dud.

 

[stevegarvey]

well...

I have a linksys/cisco SRW2008 smartswitch.

I went through 2 of them before getting a 3rd one that hasn't locked up and is otherwise has been very stable for the last 3 or 4 years.

There are a couple possible issues that might affect you tho.

- the web based admin interface pretty much only works on IE
- firmware hasn't been updated in years (not necessarily a bad thing, if it wasn't for the above)
- the only commandline available that I am aware of is, via rs-232 serial port (if you can find a computer that still has one), and its only very basic configuration

I use it's LACP bonding on my primary desktop and readynas pro business, which seems to function fine and stable.

It has 2 mini sfp ports, but I've not used them.

I think was around 250 when I originally bought it several years, might be worth checking out since its a pretty good price for the features it has if you can live with the interface and you don't get a dud.

Thanks teknojnky, that's good to know.

I guess I've had it in for Linksys since having 3 x SDM2008 Switches and an Access Point die in customer sites in quick succession and found their RMA procedures cumbersome. But maybe it's time to reconsider!

Only thing is, I'd need a 24 port switch so I did a quick Google for reviews of the SRW2024 and found them fairly patchy...

http://www.testfreaks.com/routers-switches/linksys-srw2024/user-reviews/

It just seems like it can be quite hit and miss at this end of the market doesn't it?

Most electronic devices tend to work as they're supposed to by and large. It seems lower-end switches are some sort of weird exception!

 

[stevegarvey]

By the way, does anyone have any experience of the Cisco SGE2000 24-Port Gigabit Switches? Thanks.

 

[thiggins]

That's disappointing to hear about the ProCurves. They usually get thumbs-up from posters here.

I'd at least look at NETGEAR's ProSafe switches. Lifetime warranty and they also offer business support plans.

 

[stevegarvey]

That's disappointing to hear about the ProCurves. They usually get thumbs-up from posters here.

I'd at least look at NETGEAR's ProSafe switches. Lifetime warranty and they also offer business support plans.

Yes it's a pity because at first the 1810G-24 and 1810G-8 seemed to be really nice devices for a genuinely attractive price. They're fairly well built, silent, pretty fast, and have a nice user interface. But after a bit of bedding-in in a school I look after I found some problems like:

- If you enable the SNTP client the management interface on the switch becomes unresponsive after a couple of minutes and has to be rebooted. After the reboot the same happens again. The only solution seems to be to leave it off. The switch appears to get on with switching all the time but is unmanageable.

- Over time the management interface on the switch becomes unresponsive to ping or http and only a reboot will fix this. It never stops switching traffic but this is very inconvenient and doesn't instill confidence in the customer.

Tim, I'll definitely try a Netgear ProSafe switch, thanks for the advice. I've never had any problems whatsoever with their unmanaged GS605/GS608 or ProSafe GS105 switches so it's well worth giving them a go.

 

[stevegarvey]

Update: Having some good experiences with D-Link DGS-1224T gigabit smart switches at the moment. Although two 5 year old ones in a customer's site are giving a bit of trouble. Fingers crossed!