[dba-Tech] Re: [] Wireless network (sort of)

Hi Tom

As I understand you have 1 fileserver BUT you have multiple netwerk (IP
fed) printer.
So you meet the requiry of having multiple servers/hosts.

Don't forget a networkprinter (with own NIC and IP) is a host to!!!
A switch will certanly help your situation.
Only one thing to watch out for...
That your clients do indeed print directly to the printer and the
printjobs are not spooled on the server (wich can be the case).

In either case I would advice you a switch with x number of 100Mb port
and 1 or 2 1Gb links. Ofcourse you connect the 1Gb links to the server.

If your server does not have 1Gb links, buy the switch anyway, as soon
as you notice performance drops you can decide to install a 1Gb NIC.
I would do it any way. The prices of 1Gb are really down. HP servers are
now standard equipped with 1 or 2 Gb nics.

Please take a with with 24 ports or a moduar system.

Connecting two switches to eachother witout a special cascade interface
you will need to connect them with 100mb or 1Gb posibly creating a
bottleneck again between the two of them.


Erwin



-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] Namens Tom Keatley
Verzonden: maandag 3 november 2003 0:19
Aan: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues
Onderwerp: Re: [dba-Tech] Re: [] Wireless network (sort of)


Jeeeez....
...It seems this thread is going to go on forever
...its starting to become like a MAC Vs PC argument.

I run an internal network of about 15 computers and 12 (IP fed) printers
based on 100 Mbs HUBS in a (mainly)Win2000Pro network ...we currently
have a 16 port Netgear and a number of 8 ports to acheive the
connections. I have Access front ends on most of the computers with a
single backend (interestingly enough called BACKEND) this is a 2.8Ghz
Intel with 512 megs of memory

At certain times of the month (as printing is our business) we can have
literally THOUSANDS of small 1 to 2 Mb print files spooling to the
printers and running around the network.

As the network has grown over the last few years I have noticed a steady
DECREASE in speed and performance and an INCREASE in corrupt print files
....when I say corrupt I mean that the file will arrive at the computer
it is spooling to and we will get an error saying that the file FAILED
to print... I have always put this down to the file somehow being
corrupted within the network....It always seems to retry itself and
ultimately DOES print.

My supplier has suggested moving my HUBS to SWITCHES and I currently
have on loan from him a PLANET NOVA 16 port 100Mbs SWITCH (although I
havent yet installed it) .

On the strength of what you guys have been talking about I am thinking
that I should "Bite The Bullet" and go straight to a GIGA network switch
and bypass the 100Mbs switch altogether...The prices have dropped
substantially on these recently and utimately I will probably need to do
this anyway...

At the risk of starting a war could I call for opinions on this...

Regards

Tom Keatley






OK, it's me again.

I still stand with my remarks. I'm implemented a lot of switch several
years ago and am very much aware how layer 2 and 3 switches work. Layer
4 don't know. Not in to that business anymore. As I already commented it
is wrong to say that switches will always will improve your bandwith. A
switch will only be able to do his thing when some condtions are true.
These coditions are most of the time present but not always.

But generaly you could conclude a switch will have network performance
effect when
1) 2 servers/hosts or more with each his own direct link to the switch
2) When having only one server the server link bandwith MUST be higher
than the (single) client bandwith.


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