Network Configuration - What's my next move?

Thanks for that Christopher-it will help me set up my new "stuff" for our
new building. What a great non-computer explanation for the boss!

Lydia


-----Original Message-----
From: Gitzlaff, Christopher [mailto:cgitzlaff@...]
Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 6:42 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Network Configuration - What's my next move?

A switch would definitely help - especially to replace the hub the servers
are connected to. The switch will ignore any network traffic that isn't
sent to a computer on one of it's ports. Right now, in your hub
configuration, everybody on the network is getting everyone else's traffic.

If the Vantage group was on a telephone system that acted like a hub, every
time I called you, everybody else's phone would ring. They would all
answer, realize the call was for you, and hang up. There is no call
waiting. While they are answering your call, they can't make or receive a
call from anybody else.

In a hub configuration, the entire connection must be clear before anybody
else can send (of course this happens in micro seconds). In a switch
configuration, Bob can download his new virus from the email server while
Jane is working in Vantage. They don't see the other traffic on the network
unless they both request information from the same server.

Hope that helps,


Christopher Gitzlaff
Manager - Information Systems & Technology
Major Industries, Inc.
Phone: 715-842-4616
Fax: 715-848-3336



-----Original Message-----
From: Winter, Patrick [mailto:pjw@...]
Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 8:25 AM
To: Vantage User Group on Onelist (E-mail)
Subject: [Vantage] Network Configuration - What's my next move?


I have four - 24 port 10/100 3com SuperStacker II hubs.
They are all connected together with a hot swap back plane so they act like
one 96 port hub.
I have one 12 port - 3Com 10mb Super Stacker II connected to run shop floor
stations.

All of the PC's light up GREEN / 100mb on the hubs, older HP printers show
up yellow as 10mb.
Segment lights constantly blink green (traffic) and about every 4-5 seconds
blink (yellow) collision.

For 60 PCs, 7 servers, 18 hp printers the performance is ok.

Also as a feature I have all the servers and the Computer Department PC's
and Printers in the top Hub.
When I want to do a Vantage upgrade I power down the other three hubs
leaving just me to play.

Would a switch help?

Or would a switch slow down each 24 port Hub connected to it to fight over
the 100mb ports bandwidth?

Patrick Winter



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
I have four - 24 port 10/100 3com SuperStacker II hubs.
They are all connected together with a hot swap back plane so they act like
one 96 port hub.
I have one 12 port - 3Com 10mb Super Stacker II connected to run shop floor
stations.

All of the PC's light up GREEN / 100mb on the hubs, older HP printers show
up yellow as 10mb.
Segment lights constantly blink green (traffic) and about every 4-5 seconds
blink (yellow) collision.

For 60 PCs, 7 servers, 18 hp printers the performance is ok.

Also as a feature I have all the servers and the Computer Department PC's
and Printers in the top Hub.
When I want to do a Vantage upgrade I power down the other three hubs
leaving just me to play.

Would a switch help?

Or would a switch slow down each 24 port Hub connected to it to fight over
the 100mb ports bandwidth?

Patrick Winter
A switch would definitely help - especially to replace the hub the servers
are connected to. The switch will ignore any network traffic that isn't
sent to a computer on one of it's ports. Right now, in your hub
configuration, everybody on the network is getting everyone else's traffic.

If the Vantage group was on a telephone system that acted like a hub, every
time I called you, everybody else's phone would ring. They would all
answer, realize the call was for you, and hang up. There is no call
waiting. While they are answering your call, they can't make or receive a
call from anybody else.

In a hub configuration, the entire connection must be clear before anybody
else can send (of course this happens in micro seconds). In a switch
configuration, Bob can download his new virus from the email server while
Jane is working in Vantage. They don't see the other traffic on the network
unless they both request information from the same server.

Hope that helps,


Christopher Gitzlaff
Manager - Information Systems & Technology
Major Industries, Inc.
Phone: 715-842-4616
Fax: 715-848-3336



-----Original Message-----
From: Winter, Patrick [mailto:pjw@...]
Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 8:25 AM
To: Vantage User Group on Onelist (E-mail)
Subject: [Vantage] Network Configuration - What's my next move?


I have four - 24 port 10/100 3com SuperStacker II hubs.
They are all connected together with a hot swap back plane so they act like
one 96 port hub.
I have one 12 port - 3Com 10mb Super Stacker II connected to run shop floor
stations.

All of the PC's light up GREEN / 100mb on the hubs, older HP printers show
up yellow as 10mb.
Segment lights constantly blink green (traffic) and about every 4-5 seconds
blink (yellow) collision.

For 60 PCs, 7 servers, 18 hp printers the performance is ok.

Also as a feature I have all the servers and the Computer Department PC's
and Printers in the top Hub.
When I want to do a Vantage upgrade I power down the other three hubs
leaving just me to play.

Would a switch help?

Or would a switch slow down each 24 port Hub connected to it to fight over
the 100mb ports bandwidth?

Patrick Winter



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Pat,

Key statement appears to be "performance is ok" .... So why would you want
to mess with it?

For a cheap experiment - buy a 8 port 100 mips switch ... uplink each hub
into one port and plug your servers directly into the switch.

Do you notice a significant speed increase ? If not, you haven't
accomplished anything.

Actually if you want to do a benchmark run - call me. I have a spare 24
port Cisco switch that I think I can lend you for a couple of days ...

Todd Anderson

-----Original Message-----
From: Winter, Patrick [mailto:pjw@...]
Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 8:25 AM
To: Vantage User Group on Onelist (E-mail)
Subject: [Vantage] Network Configuration - What's my next move?


I have four - 24 port 10/100 3com SuperStacker II hubs.
They are all connected together with a hot swap back plane so they act like
one 96 port hub.
I have one 12 port - 3Com 10mb Super Stacker II connected to run shop floor
stations.

All of the PC's light up GREEN / 100mb on the hubs, older HP printers show
up yellow as 10mb.
Segment lights constantly blink green (traffic) and about every 4-5 seconds
blink (yellow) collision.

For 60 PCs, 7 servers, 18 hp printers the performance is ok.

Also as a feature I have all the servers and the Computer Department PC's
and Printers in the top Hub.
When I want to do a Vantage upgrade I power down the other three hubs
leaving just me to play.

Would a switch help?

Or would a switch slow down each 24 port Hub connected to it to fight over
the 100mb ports bandwidth?

Patrick Winter


Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Still,

60 PC's, 7 Servers, and 19 Printers all on the same hub (virtually) -
performance can't be that great. I'd say it's probably working, but
marginal at best.

Chris



-----Original Message-----
From: Todd Anderson [ mailto:tanderson@...
<mailto:tanderson@...> ]
Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 9:22 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Network Configuration - What's my next move?


Pat,

Key statement appears to be "performance is ok" .... So why would you want
to mess with it?

For a cheap experiment - buy a 8 port 100 mips switch ... uplink each hub
into one port and plug your servers directly into the switch.

Do you notice a significant speed increase ? If not, you haven't
accomplished anything.

Actually if you want to do a benchmark run - call me. I have a spare 24
port Cisco switch that I think I can lend you for a couple of days ...

Todd Anderson

-----Original Message-----
From: Winter, Patrick [ mailto:pjw@...
<mailto:pjw@...> ]
Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 8:25 AM
To: Vantage User Group on Onelist (E-mail)
Subject: [Vantage] Network Configuration - What's my next move?


I have four - 24 port 10/100 3com SuperStacker II hubs.
They are all connected together with a hot swap back plane so they act like
one 96 port hub.
I have one 12 port - 3Com 10mb Super Stacker II connected to run shop floor
stations.

All of the PC's light up GREEN / 100mb on the hubs, older HP printers show
up yellow as 10mb.
Segment lights constantly blink green (traffic) and about every 4-5 seconds
blink (yellow) collision.

For 60 PCs, 7 servers, 18 hp printers the performance is ok.

Also as a feature I have all the servers and the Computer Department PC's
and Printers in the top Hub.
When I want to do a Vantage upgrade I power down the other three hubs
leaving just me to play.

Would a switch help?

Or would a switch slow down each 24 port Hub connected to it to fight over
the 100mb ports bandwidth?

Patrick Winter


Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/> .
< http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/> .>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
< http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages> >
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>
< http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links> >

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
< http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> > .




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/> .
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/>





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]