Tetchnikal Advice Needed

[cheshirenoir]

So our network is growing damned fast. STUFF is happening in there where I can't see it. The whole network is built up around basic switches connected by Gigabit in a linear topology.

I want to increase my control and management of this network. Now can I buy a "smart" switch to sit in the middle and connect all my Gigabit connections to it? What products would people suggest? I have some ideas but I don't want to have my preconceptions get in the way.

Clearly something simple to manage would be preferred, so there'd have to be a really good reason for someone to suggest something like "A Linux Box with magic doodad card X in it"

Anyone?

Comments

[leecetheartist.livejournal.com]

Rob may be able to offer you some suggestions, I'll get him to have a look for you when he gets back from work. I'm afraid my assistance would be along the lines of "There's a grey standy up thing with a lot of plugs innit."

[prk.livejournal.com]

What are the 'smarts' you want in that core switch?

[cheshirenoir.livejournal.com]

Well, some idea of "thruput per port"'d be nice. Being able to mirror a port to another port so I can run Ethereal against the stream would be good (and useful on SO many grounds)

QoS down the track I suspect will be needed.

I'm really not too sure what exactly stuff out there can do these days.

[prk.livejournal.com]

I'd be pimping Cisco - but then that's what I'm familiar with.

Things to keep in mind are switch back plane capacity and port capacity (eg if it has 24 x 1Gbit ports, can it actually switch 24Gbps at any given time)

Adding QoS, etc can overtax a box, so check that those features are all done in hardware, not software.

prk.

[fostware.livejournal.com]

I use a GSM7xx Netgear switch which will do it... I *might* even open up a port so you can play... ish... ports 1-5 are out of bounds ^_^

Per-port-SNMP, QoS and VLAN, web admin, mirroring, GIBC for fibre if you need.

Now the speccy bits are out of the way, how much are you willing to pay?

There's similar Linksys (mmm dinky cisco :P~) and D-Link models...

[fostware.livejournal.com]

sheesh, proof reading helps....

"Open a web port so you can play with the management" "Eth Ports 1-5 are OOB"
"Mini GBIC"

Serves me right for still being at work :P

[rdmasters.livejournal.com]

The GSM7* series from Netgear is a good bet by all accounts. There are managed Linksys switches available a decent prices, but you'd be wanting to grab them before the label changes to Cisco, and the price jumps by an order of magnitude :)

And for a core switch even a die-hard like me would not suggest a Linux box. Right tool for the right job, thanks very much.*

If you're a SAGE-AU member, I'd suggest asking there.

* Mind you, pretty much all of the Cisco gear is Linux under the hood these days...

[cheshirenoir.livejournal.com]

Sounds like this GSM7xx stuff is worth a lookin. I'll see if I can talk a vendor into lending me one :-)

[fostware.livejournal.com]

Two points...

1) GSM72xx is layer two, whereas the GSM73xx is layer three (and therefore hell purdy and hell expensive :P )

2) If price is an issue, there's also the GS7xxT "smart" switches which do almost as much but leave have a little less backbone and a little less smarts

eg a GSM7224 RRPInc is $1799 whereas a GS724T RRPInc is $829 (DBP Ex $528)