kracksmith
join:2004-07-14
Fullerton, CA
| question about the ability of the 2848 sfp
Hi we just purchased 2 of these switches and the managebility seems to be limited to what i have experienced with other 3com switches.
what i'm trying to do is aggregate a nice fat backbone.
i see in the web console i can aggregate but the manual says i can't LACP. so does this mean i can or can't aggregate these two together?
also, regarding spanning tree, it only allows me to block and discard? so does this mean i can't make redunant paths without it looping?
i'm used to just enabling RSTP and have reduadant path and not cause loops |
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rjs1003
join:2002-12-04
united kingd
| Hi there,
Yes, the manageability is limited with these switches. They are not "managed switches" - they are what some manufacturers are calling "smart switches". It's not the same thing - hence the relatively low cost compared to a fully managed 48-port gig switch! In 3Com's terminology the distinction is I guess:
•Baseline: unmanaged
•Baseline xxx Plus: "smart switch"
•SuperStack3: managed switch.
As for aggregation - no, they won't do LACP but they can do aggregation. LACP is _automatic_ aggregation... ie can cope with links being added/removed from the trunk... these can't do that but you can set it up manually.
The reason they can't do LACP is that the CPU is far too low-powered, to save cost, and this is probably the reason they also can't take part in spanning tree negotiations - it's very CPU intensive! I guess this means you're right, you need to avoid loops.
Hope this helps
Bob |
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kracksmith
join:2004-07-14
Fullerton, CA | Well can this switch do stacking? if so do I need to purchase anything for this to happen?
if no then which 3com superstack3 do you recommend? |
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rjs1003
join:2002-12-04
united kingd
| No, this switch is not stackable, you'd need a stackable superstack switch for that.
Do you actually need stacking? That's one level more advanced than you were previously mentioning (you previously just wanted spanning tree/managed features).
Stacking's great when you have a large network, as you can manage all the managed switches in the stack as if they are one unit... but if you only have a few switches it's probably best save the money and log in to the relevant switch directly when you need to change something.
If all you need is aggregation then you have the right product already. If you need management for other reasons (802.1x authentication, RSTP, want to use a network management tool via SNMP etc) then you need to step up to a managed unit. If you plan to have dozens of these units then going up another step to a stackable switch is in order...
But if your network isn't more than a few switches in total then I'd suggest even spanning tree is not worth it - you'll soon find out if someone unplugs a cable and you can go plug it back in! You'd have to do it anyway. It's all down to how much hassle you get for the time the network's potentially down.
Give us a clue as to the size of the site and the number of switches in the network and we'll try to make sensible recommendations. If it's a large network then perhaps finding a 3Com reseller via their website might be the way to go.
Sorry that some of this post is no doubt irrelevant to you but I'm really not sure how big your network is so it's hard to judge what you might actually need.
Bob |
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