Switch

[rinconmike]

I currently have a sonciwall NAS2400 hooked to two netgear 24 port giga switches. The netgear switches are a JGS524 and an older GS524.

I go from NSA2400 LAN to JGS524 and then from JGS524 to the GS524.

I am looking at upgrading to a new single 48 port giga switch.

I have been reading and from what I gather, I am better off getting a smart switch or a managed switch.

This is a home office network with around 12 computers, 6 printers, 12 IP Cameras, an access point, 4 AV devices (TV, stereo, game consoles) that are all hard wired, and maybe a few other items.

Am I better off getting a smart switch or a managed switch?

I was looking at the Netgear gs748T, but the few reviews I have found online notes dead ports and other hardware issues.

I was also looking at a Cisco SG300-52. It is more costly and does much more than I need, but since it is Cisco, I figured it is good.

Netgear does have lifetime hardware warranty, but I know it is a pain talking to them. Cisco only offers 90 days and then I have to buy a 3 year which adds even more to the cost.

I am also looking at the HP 1910-48G Switch (JE009A). This also has a lifetime warranty.

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

thanks,

Mike

 

[claykin]

What are you trying to accomplish other than consolidation into one switch?

Your JGS524 is a newer Gigabit switch supporting Jumbo Frames and I believe 48Gb/s bandwidth. The GS524 does not support Jumbo Frames. Its still a decent Gigabit switch and unless you're pushing serious data between clients simultaneously, you are likely not reaching its max 20Gb/s bandwidth.

Does your Sonicwall have VLAN setup or are the LAN ports otherwise isolated from each other through the firewall, via subnetting, etc..? If not, I'd like to recommend you connect each switch directly to a LAN port on the Sonicwall as opposed to connecting the switches to each other. Reason is that the uplink has 1Gb/s bandwidth and if you are trying to reach a resource 2 switches away you may choke a bit. The LAN-LAN performance of the Sonicwall should be 1Gb/s just like your GigE switches.

One of the benefits of a managed switch is link aggregation. Tim has an article about that here: http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanwan/lanwan-howto/30556-how-to-set-up-switch-link-aggregation

You can also read more on VLAN and other benefits of managed switches on the following tab. Look for the "smart switch" related articles. http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanwan/lanwan-basics

If none of the managed switch features apply to you then stick with unmanaged.

 

[rinconmike]

Thanks. I am not sure about much of what you ask and will review the links.

I only have one subnet. My NSA2400 does have several ports so I can have several LANs, but am only using one for the LAN (an another for WAN).

I am not doing anything special on the lan, no VLAN, but i think the NSA2400 is capable of all that.

My thought of a move to something smarter from an unmanaged is to be able to monitor and know if there is an issue with the switch. Also maybe get better performance on moving large files around, sharing media, etc...

 

[rinconmike]

well i have a lot to learn. i decided to invest in a dell proconnect 5548. i will also run a few more wires to have all home runs and try to eliminate adding any additional smaller switches.

beside configuring the switch, i need to revisit my wireless access point. i am using a netgear WNDR3700 router as a bridged AP.

after the note above and after researching all this, i realized my two 24 gigs switches along with a three 8 port switches hooked up i have chokes and probably creating delays especially when streaming media.

I am not using all the ports; rather, added the three 8 port just out of convenience (ran to rooms that need more hookups than home runs i have).


thanks,

Mike

 

[claykin]

The Dell 5548 is a great switch. Probably way more than you need. A simple web managed switch will handle what you require. The Dell may not be the most economical decision, but definitely will do the job.

 

[rinconmike]

i agree. is there one you would recommend.

however, i am tempted to stay with the dell.

 

[rinconmike]

Along with all the computers and other devices, I do have a 10.9 TB raid box hooked to a work station via iSCSI. I have traffic moving to and from it all the time, from backups, streaming data, etc... we use it as a primary storage and all systems access it. Most access is backups and streaming media files to include dvd iso files.

When one system was accessing it via a mapped drive, directories started looking corrupt (funky characters and then could not open directory) over the mapped drive. On the local drive it was fine. This made me think it was a switch issue. However, could have been a nic issue (read issues with realtek drivers). I changed the nic and also pulled some of those smaller switches off, and have not seen the issue. This is what has precipitated me to wanting to upgrade.

Also, my isp is fios with 150 down and 65 up. I got my NSA2400 back in 8/2008. I went for the 2400 so it can handle the higher ISP speeds while still doing the security inspection. The smaller ones like TZ could not handle the faster speeds (limits too throughput due to security services).

So I do want to upgrade and want it to be for the next 5 to 8 years before I need to upgrade the switch. All my wire is cat5e that I ran to patch panels in a centralized location in the basement.

Plus I like playing with this stuff. But do not want to get too far over my head.

Looking at dell, the only other option may be the 2884 which is half the price, but am i limited if I want to do more in the future?

thanks for the help.

Mike

 

[rinconmike]

Well, I am having second thoughts on the 5548. I am instead looking for a simpler 2848.

Any comments on this? Dell still recommends a 5548, but there are so many features I will probably never wind up using.

It is hard to get a straight answer. The 2848 is not stackable and I do not think I will ever need to stack switches. If for some reason I do go over 48 devices, I figure I can daisy change another smaller powerconnect via 10G (I think it has some 10G ports) and also put simpler devices on them like printers.

Any comments are appreciated.


thanks,

Mike

 

[claykin]

Dell 2848 will do the job. No surprise they were trying to upsell you.

 

[rinconmike]

thanks. is the dell 2848 good to go with or should i look at hp or something else.

thanks

 

[rinconmike]

what do you think of the hp 1810-48G or the 1910-48G?

The 1810 seems comparable to the 2848 both on specs and price. the 1910 is around $120 more and seems to provide more.

thanks,

Mike

 

[claykin]

what do you think of the hp 1810-48G or the 1910-48G?

The 1810 seems comparable to the 2848 both on specs and price. the 1910 is around $120 more and seems to provide more.

thanks,

Mike

Honestly you can use any of them. All are good Layer 2 switches. I believe the max switching bandwidth on the HP models may be a bit higher than the Dell 2848.

Also take a look at the number of fans. I recall the Dell 48 port switches have a boat load of fans. More stuff to fail. I recommend you compare. Download manuals and read.

 

[rinconmike]

thanks.

Mike

 

[rinconmike]

I read through the 1910 manual this mornign (was on a plane). I think all I really need is maybe some QOS and look at stats. Although i want to play, I do not think I will do anyting else.

With that, maybe a netgear GS748T smartwitch is the best choice. Cheap. half the price of a 1810 (after rebate).

Do you think I will be disappointed with that?

thanks,

Mike