Networking cables and switches

[brentm]

I have been tasked with setting up a network in my area and need to know if this switch can use one of its "4 combo 10/100/1000BASE-T/SFP" ports with normal cat5e networking cable?
Is a 1000BASE-T cable a normal networking cable i run in my home? Cat5e?
It seems this is what it has to connect an up link to other switches and a router?
I plan to buy around 5 of those switches and connect them all together (in a line? one to the next?) and lead them back to a router that will have the internet, what i hope to achieve is a normal network that users can connect to each other and the router though to the internet.
Will this work or am I a total noob?
Sorry if this is a stupid bunch questions
Thanks

 

[ponder]

Seamless Integration
The DGS-1210-16 comes with Ethernet and Gigabit copper ports capable of connecting to existing Cat.5 twisted-pair cables. Additionally, the last four ports of the DGS-1210-16 combine SFP and copper connectivity into one port

Should be fine. You will need a copper/ethernet module though and they ONLY run at Gb/s speeds from what I know. Verify requirements with d-link or the supplier.
http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=498 dunno why it says 10/100/1000


Connecting them all in series is not the best way of doing things but will work. Rather have a separate gigabit distribution switch all 5 switches connect back to, the distribution switch would connect to the router, servers etc.. So try and find a switch with 8-16 gigabit ports depending on future expansion etc.

You need to supply a bit more info like distances, physical location layout etc.

 

[brentm]

Thanks for the reply

You will need a copper/ethernet module

Psh and thats that thing?
What does it do?

The DGS-712 plugs into any standard SFP interface allowing for 1000Base-T Gigabit transmission over standard Category 5 twisted pair copper.

So does that just let you plug in the cat5 cable? To that jack? It looks like it might fit without it? And it will from what i understand run 100m then it wont work since it drops below 1Gb/s

Well the network is in a complex, so its a long distance to run a cable to each switch, so we get the 16 port ones (about 5) and use the 3 or 4 ports that are free to make it faster to the next router by connecting them? Using "link aggregation"?

 

[savage]

If you're asking these questions, you shouldn't be wiring complexes to begin with. Get someone in that knows what he's doing.

 

[ponder]

It looks like it might fit without it?

Well the network is in a complex, so its a long distance to run a cable to each switch, so we get the 16 port ones (about 5) and use the 3 or 4 ports that are free to make it faster to the next router by connecting them? Using "link aggregation"?

NO. It might fit but it won't work!

Use fiber optic cable to link all the switches back to a central distribution switch.

savage might have a point, get someone in that knows this stuff.

 

[brentm]

Dont worry, i do know my stuff, i will manage the switches, set up QOS, getting fiber to the central router for internet access, it will also handle the DHCP assigning, if someone wants to add a switch it will have to go through me first, I would then tell it where to get the ip etc. There will also be a firewall at the central server for protection etc.
The only thing i needed to know is about those two ports, I may seem noobish but i'm not putting in unmanaged switches, am i?

SO I'll get transceivers for one in and one out on two of the four ports at the end of the switch, if needed I will add the next two to each router for a better network capacity. If it still is struggling with the network I'll then run large fibre backbones. The main factor is cost here, the fibre into the complex is gonna hurt as it is fibre and expesive to run, and then the monthly cost is astronomical.

What do you think?

 

[FNfal]

What are you going to run on this network VOIP and internet to each unit and how many units ???

 

[brentm]

VOIP may come at later stages, not for the next few years, too much effort with having to change numbers etc. When it does, thats why we get managed switches and make VOIP packets top priory.
There will be internet to every unit, yes, but not sure how many units want in on the service.
But we will need to prepare for all 58 units to be supported

 

[ponder]

...I may seem noobish but i'm not putting in unmanaged switches, am i?

It has some management hence it being called a 'smart' switch but it's not in the same league as a 'managed' switch which d-link also sells.

 

[FNfal]

VOIP may come at later stages, not for the next few years, too much effort with having to change numbers etc. When it does, thats why we get managed switches and make VOIP packets top priory.
There will be internet to every unit, yes, but not sure how many units want in on the service.
But we will need to prepare for all 58 units to be supported

geographically are they clustered in to how many units or freestanding . distances from the point of entry DP (distribution point normally by the main gate )
is there a comms tube to each unit is the comms tube daisy chained,size of tube

 

[brentm]

It has some management hence it being called a 'smart' switch but it's not in the same league as a 'managed' switch which d-link also sells.

True, it is slightly managed, and i don't need all the features of a managed one, this one has everything i need, correct me if I'm wrong?

From d-link

A web smart switch or web-based switch is a network switch that can be managed
through a web-based interface (or GUI) and provides many of the benefits of a managed
switch, but without the complexity or cost of a fully managed switch. A web smart switch
has more capability than an unmanaged switch, but not all that of a fully managed switch.
They typically offer important switch features such as VLANs (virtual LAN), Quality of
Service (QoS), link aggregation (port trunking), and port mirroring. Adding management
capabilities like these to a network switch optimizes configuration and performance, and
can help diagnose problems. Web smart switches do not typically include features such as
IP Multicasting, Access Control Lists, RMON, 802.1x, SSH, SSL, TACACS, rate
limiting, and others found in a fully managed switch. The benefits provided in a typical
web-based switch include traffic prioritization, network segmentation, redundant network
links, network monitoring, and remote management.

geographically are they clustered in to how many units or freestanding . distances from the point of entry DP (distribution point normally by the main gate )

They are clustered, and there are tubes to every house around the complex, Telkom use the same tubes, we'll just tuck in there and put in weatherproof boxes for the switches

 

[deepdiver]

Have you looked at other brands?
HP for example?
Cost is always a factor.. but TBH the QOS will not really be done on these switches AFAIK the QOS here is for prioritization of voice VLAN traffic not layer 7 traffic. Your QOS will be done on your layer 3 devices preferably router/bandwidth shaper.
The main thing here would be to be able to assign vlans on these layer 2 devices. Preferably a vlan per unit.
This would then terminate on your layer 3 device which would handle the routing also the access lists so different vlans cannot communicate ..
Just remember that over copper you have a maximum distance of 100m for 1000BASE‑TX anything more than this and you will start to experience errors.

 

[brentm]

The only reason we are going the d-link route is because we get them cheap, so thats our automatic focus, unless you have a better switch in mind?

Okay so i need to set up QOS on the router too, check.

Why make a VLan per unit? That means we cant connect to each other. For gaming etc

Yes all of the boxes will be within 100M

 

[Dolby]

What is your whole budget for the project?
And wouldn't wireless be easier?

 

[ToxicBunny]

The only reason we are going the d-link route is because we get them cheap, so thats our automatic focus, unless you have a better switch in mind?

Okay so i need to set up QOS on the router too, check.

Why make a VLan per unit? That means we cant connect to each other. For gaming etc

Yes all of the boxes will be within 100M

Do all units belong to family members or friends?

I know for a fact that if I moved into a complex that had wiring like you're planning already, that I would want to be on my own VLAN.. don't want my neighbours connecting to my stuff, EVER.

Honestly, it sounds like you have a vague idea about networking, but you're still thinking REALLY small... and some of the design decisions you're making now will royally screw the uptake of your network with new people moving into the complex

 

[brentm]

What is your whole budget for the project?
And wouldn't wireless be easier?

No set budget yet.
Wireless will be a pain getting it to the far ends of the house, its easier to set up a router within the home if they request it.

Do all units belong to family members or friends?

No

I know for a fact that if I moved into a complex that had wiring like you're planning already, that I would want to be on my own VLAN.. don't want my neighbours connecting to my stuff, EVER.

Point noted, I'll let the client request if they want VLAN or not.

Honestly, it sounds like you have a vague idea about networking, but you're still thinking REALLY small... and some of the design decisions you're making now will royally screw the uptake of your network with new people moving into the complex

How? I'm trying to be careful, the cat5 can be replaced with fibre later, if wanted we can add IP cameras later on and replace some switches to be POE as to power the cameras
VOIP can easily be set up with the smart switches and QOS'd
What am i missing? All help is greatly appreciated!

 

[ToxicBunny]

What type of backbone are you going to be running for this system?

Replacing cat5 with fibre sounds all nice and easy, it isn't.

Running a proper network for a complex on smart switches?... no, they need to be decently managed.. and the client shouldn't have to request a VLAN.. it should be the default.

You still thinking like this is similar to a "large" household network with mates.. its not... you're talking a quasi-commercial setup, it has to be redundant, fault tolerant, able to handle the bandwidth etc etc etc...

 

[brentm]

What type of backbone are you going to be running for this system?

For the switches> Cat5e copper in series to each switch

Replacing cat5 with fibre sounds all nice and easy, it isn't.

Explain?

Running a proper network for a complex on smart switches?... no, they need to be decently managed.. and the client shouldn't have to request a VLAN.. it should be the default.

Okay, managed switches, point noted

it has to be redundant, fault tolerant, able to handle the bandwidth

Thats where the attenuation comes in, there will also be 4 cables for each switch so if one does it can use the other up-link for example

 

[deepdiver]

Well having a flat layer 2 network is all good and well but that means all broadcast and mullticast traffic goes to all peers.
Also there is a security issue in that all these addressed will be directly accessible to all the peers only blocked by the windows firewall which is not that great to start with. viral traffic if there is any will have a field day here.
My suggestion would be to put each unit on a different vlan then trunk this through to a central layer 3 managed switch, have all the gateways (switched virtual interface's) on this switch for each vlan. If people want to play games put them on the same vlan.
But who plays LAN games now anyway
QOS will also be just about impossible with a Layer 2 network too, unless you bring it back to a layer 3 device.
most lan games nowdays you can enter the ip address of the host anyway, it will just be switched through the layer 3 switch

 

[ToxicBunny]

For the switches> Cat5e copper in series to each switch


Explain?



Okay, managed switches, point noted


Thats where the attenuation comes in, there will also be 4 cables for each switch so if one does it can use the other up-link for example

Ok, so you're going to run gigabit.... at least thats a start... what type of redundancy approach are you taking?... if a segment of the network fails, is their routing so that all systems can just bypass the failed segment?

It sounds nice and simple just replacing with fibre..but when you pull the copper initially you will see what I mean about it not being easy.. it will be a pain in the ass.. and as a client I won't want extended downtime just because YOU didn't plan properly and do the build properly initially.

4 cables for each switch?... You would be better drawing a diagram of your network design.. then you can plan the redundancy better tbh...