[PLUG] Gigabit switch recommendations

Eric Wilhelm scratchcomputing at gmail.com
Tue Aug 14 07:00:21 UTC 2007


# from John Jason Jordan
# on Monday 13 August 2007 10:11 pm:

> On the other hand, I don't understand
>what some of the features of the expensive models really do.

I got a 3Com 3C16485 switch for $140 that was a 'last generation' 
closeout.  The features include 4 SPF ports (for fiber modules which 
apparently cost $150 each or so), trunking (ability to parallelize 
multiple ports into a single link (to another switch or a multi-nic 
linux box), and port mirroring (mirror all traffic onto one port for 
network analysis.)  There's also VLAN (partitioning) and basic 
monitoring/limiting.

While I don't actively use any of those features (though I definitely 
plan to use the trunking at some point), I find that it has 
significantly reduced the flakiness of my network compared to the 
couple of unmanaged linksys switches that I had previously.  It does 
have a fairly loud fan, but no wall-wart.

If you're actually plugging 16 computers into it, managed is probably 
the way to go.

--Eric
-- 
"...the bourgeoisie were hated from both ends: by the proles, because
they had all the money, and by the intelligentsia, because of their
tendency to spend it on lawn ornaments."
--Neal Stephenson
---------------------------------------------------
    http://scratchcomputing.com
---------------------------------------------------



More information about the PLUG mailing list