Help me connect up this network?

May 21, 2008 11:44 AM

I have been charged with the task of adding a switch to a network. There are ethernet jack points at each workstation and each of these go back to a network cabinet. Apparently to make the connections live I need to add a switch. Where can I find a tutorial that will quickly get me up to speed with this sort of networking?
posted by chairish to computers & internet (3 comments total)

Switches create the "backbone" of a network. Like a phone switch, they direct network traffic between the different ports on your network to points upstream (such as a router or other switches).

There are a few big questions you need answers to:

1) How many Ethernet ports (wall jacks) do you need to connect?
2) What do those wall jacks ultimately need to connect to? A router to the outside world? Internal servers? Do those things require special ports, network protocols or speeds?
3) How fast does management expect the connection to be to each port? 100mbps and 1000mbps ("gigabit") are both common speeds, but you can go faster or slower.
4) Do devices on the ports need to be powered by the switch? (If the acronym POE or the term "power over Ethernet" doesn't ring a bell, the answer's probably no. However, if you're using an Ethernet-based phone system, you may well want to consider it.).
5) Do you need management features (an interface to manipulate the individual settings of each port, set up virtual LANs, monitor the switch) or do you just need a "dumb" box that provides link between the ports?

The answers to those questions would lead to a specification like:

* A 48-port managed POE switch
* A 24-port managed 100mbps switch with gigabit ports to connect to another switch
* An 8-port 100mbps unmanaged switch

Almost any reseller would then be able to push you in the right direction.

Ultimately, though, you should discuss the switch purchase with an engineer from the providers of your outside connectivity or the individuals who will be running the servers the folks on those wall jacks will be connecting to (or through). A tutorial on specific features of various switches is likely to be confusing unless you're aware of the specific needs of the types of things folks are connecting to on your network.
posted by eschatfische at 12:12 PM on May 21

eschatifische has it. Find out first what is connecting on either end of the switch to see if any of those details or variables apply, which would specify a specific type of device you should be shopping for.

If it's simply a matter of having X number of jacks in the closet being connected to one thing like a server or internet router, then it's really simple; just shop for an "X-port (X = # of jacks you want to connect) gigabit ethernet switch". The 10/100/1000 you will see is how many megabits per second they can handle; gigabit = 1000 - but if you can't find any, 10/100 should do OK for most things. They normally come in multiples of 8 ports, so 8, 16, 24-port switches are common; an 8-port should be less than $100, and simple switches (not specialized POE, etc.) are a very common stock item at computer or electronics sellers.
posted by bartleby at 7:14 PM on May 21

Thanks for your help here. I have purchased a 16 port unmanaged switch and will be installing it next week. In answer to eschatfische's questions this switch is to connect 10 new desktops to the rest of the network (W2k3server, 3 x network printers, 20 other computers in two locations). The server, which manages internet access, etc, is connected to the cabinet via fiber optic cable and all the phone stuff is on a separate switch.

I am comfortable with desktop and limited server support but a bit nervous about networks so I appreciate both of your answers.

Thanks for your help.
posted by chairish at 11:32 PM on May 21