I'm needing to transfer things accross the network at really fast speeds, and need to know which one will work best. My setup is this, I have about 21 computers that need to be able to transfer their files between each other and still access the internet without the others slowing it down. Any ideas?
The computers have gigabit network cards, and laptops have wireless n. (dont worry about the wireless part now though)
Internet--->Router---->Large Switch.
I believe the a switch should work faster and be more available (with the required # of ports) than a hub. Laptops can connect through wireless to router.
Switches are better than hubs. Hubs just repeat the data and send it to all clients, switches just send it to the right one.
sweet jesus 21 computers and you don't know this already?
let me guess they are all really old computers that could be replaced with one new computer that would be twice as fast as all of them combined?
(if you want actual advice then get a gigabit managed switch with teaming such as a DGS-1224T, if you actually need all those computers and are going to be getting even more you could amp it up to the 48 port version)
[QUOTE=The Pro;16467232]sweet jesus 21 computers and you don't know this already?
let me guess they are all really old computers that could be replaced with one new computer that would be twice as fast as all of them combined?
(if you want actual advice then get a gigabit managed switch with teaming such as a DGS-1224T, if you actually need all those computers and are going to be getting even more you could amp it up to the 48 port version)[/QUOTE]
Shit, are you at my window? Better keep you out of what my parents call "the server room" (collection of shit parts I don't need....)
And yes, i will be getting a 48 port switch, as with a new house renovation the entire structure will be expanding. (Network audio players in each room, Media Center Extenders,Network Cameras, etc.)
[b]EDIT[/b]: Thank you all for your help, i have made my decision.
media center extenders are a gimmick, same with "network audio players" you should roll your own with linux, it would be cheaper and it wouldn't be closed source.
the power company loves people like you.
I don't mean MCE, Linux MCE is a great option for things like this, i'm also using the old PC's for Soft Squeeze on Linux.
Out of curiosity would you mind making a diagram of what you plan to do?
[b]I forgot the router between the switch and internet, but its there...[/b]
[IMG]http://i31.tinypic.com/acadr7.png[/IMG]
Light blue = server
black line = cat5e cable
pink = normal pc
yellow = misc network devices
red = FIBER CABLE
What sort of speeds are you running of your net? I dont get why you'd bottleneck the fiber...
Is the router just used as a firewall? I thought switches had firewalls too.
I have to ask: what are you using 21 computers for?
[QUOTE=IpHa;16474659]I have to ask: what are you using 21 computers for?[/QUOTE]
He's obviously trying to take over the world with a Beowulf cluster
Create a LAG connection using 2 or more gigabit connections between the switches as an uplink (if of course they support link aggriagation...)
I dont see how 3 devices are saturating that fiber connection though. Assuming its 2gb/s.
Make sure everything is in full duplex aswell.
Offtopic. But my network is similar. 20+ pc's and devices, and some pretty major backbone hardware.
Define fast speeds, given that you only have one connection to each machine. If you want faster speed get a 48 port switch and use teaming/port-channels.
PM me if you want a detailed diagram, I've done this stuff a lot in large production networks.
[QUOTE=PvtCupcakes;16474150]Is the router just used as a firewall? I thought switches had firewalls too.[/QUOTE]
Level-3 Managed switches, maybe. Level 2 switches, probably not.
why are you using fiber or do you have a huge ass rich guy house where 350FT is just not enough?
where da router/firewall at?
[QUOTE=birkett;16474692]
Offtopic. But my network is similar. 20+ pc's and devices, and some pretty major backbone hardware.[/QUOTE]
what do you do with all of those?
it doesn't mean shit if they're all old shitboxes.
technically any medium/high grade consumer level router could be "major backbone hardware" as it would have an embedded gigabit switch and 150-300Mbps LAN>WAN
if you say you have some ENTERPRISE GRADE cisco shit i will not be pleased.
Realistically the highest performance you can get is probably:
Two connections to each machine, teamed using software and portchannels on the switch
One 1gb switch with two fiber uplinks to the router (port-channeled)
Router connecting to the internet with an inbuilt firewall
Remember that the network isn't going to create a bottleneck for machines, unless you have access to some serious gear and intend to do a lot of file transferring.
What's this for anyway?
[QUOTE=birkett;16474692]Create a LAG connection using 2 or more gigabit connections between the switches as an uplink (if of course they support link aggriagation...)
I dont see how 3 devices are saturating that fiber connection though. Assuming its 2gb/s.
Make sure everything is in full duplex aswell.
Offtopic. But my network is similar. 20+ pc's and devices, and some pretty major backbone hardware.[/QUOTE]
Could you explain all of that, as in definitions of what does what and what the terms mean.
Sorry, just I have really limited experience in large networks, only have about 6 computers and we have them connected to a router.
He's pointing out the obvious, I have no idea what LAG means though. Maybe he meant pagp...basically you can team connections on a switch or router so it looks like one, as long as you do it at both ends. This "sort of" doubles your bandwidth but it doesn't do it by sending one packet down one connection and the next down the other, it uses a logical and operation, which you can configure to be based on ip or...alright getting off topic you get the idea.
[QUOTE=abigserve;16486257]He's pointing out the obvious, I have no idea what LAG means though. Maybe he meant pagp...basically you can team connections on a switch or router so it looks like one, as long as you do it at both ends. This "sort of" doubles your bandwidth but it doesn't do it by sending one packet down one connection and the next down the other, it uses a logical and operation, which you can configure to be based on ip or...alright getting off topic you get the idea.[/QUOTE]
Yeah it was just the LAG conenction duplex thing that got me, I understand it now, like raiding two hard drives but here you just use two ethernet cables. Thanks :)
[QUOTE=PvtCupcakes;16474150]Is the router just used as a firewall? I thought switches had firewalls too.[/QUOTE]
Switches only run on a MAC level dude.
[QUOTE=ReznorT;16496007]Switches only run on a MAC level dude.[/QUOTE]
You can have level 2/3 switches.
[QUOTE=abigserve;16496040]You can have level 2/3 switches.[/QUOTE]
Yeah i know :sigh: but most are only MAC, some are IP and some new ones are now multilayer
Depends, the cisco switches we use at the edge of our network can do routing if you upgrade the IOS.
[QUOTE=ThePunisher1;16486484]Yeah it was just the LAG conenction duplex thing that got me, I understand it now, like raiding two hard drives but here you just use two ethernet cables. Thanks :)[/QUOTE]
Pretty good description. Link aggrigation is pretty damn useful if youre hardware supports it.
Full duplex effectivly doubles the bandwidth of a copper connection. E.g.
You have a gigabit connection. You can transfer at a max of 125MB/s. With full duplex - you can transfer at 125MB/s up and down at the same time.
[QUOTE=The Pro;16482077]
what do you do with all of those?
it doesn't mean shit if they're all old shitboxes.
technically any medium/high grade consumer level router could be "major backbone hardware" as it would have an embedded gigabit switch and 150-300Mbps LAN>WAN
if you say you have some ENTERPRISE GRADE cisco shit i will not be pleased.[/QUOTE]
None of them are "old shitboxes". All of them apart from 2 are used regularly.
On the hardware front - im running a 4GB/s fiber link inside a rack of 3 servers, soon to be expanded. Theres 2 netgear blue box enterprise switches - one supported POE.
Theres some pretty big differences between "high end consumer level" and enterprise.
And yeah - I have got a Cisco Catalyst chassis. Unused though.
4 gig fibre link to what? Every machine?
[QUOTE=abigserve;16496285]4 gig fibre link to what? Every machine?[/QUOTE]
Fiber to the machines in the rack. Just as a rack backbone.
Externally, they all have gigabit copper controllers aswell.
You honestly have no idea what you're talking about do you.
I can SORT of see what you're trying to say? A rack backbone? you mean like a fibre PHOBOT that connects to the switches?
No. 3 machines - each with a fiber controller. The fiber links each machine. An interconnect so to speak.
Each machine also runs via gigabit copper to my main switch and the rest of the network.
That way, I get super fast transfers between the servers, for backups and such, without effecting the main network.
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