21 Apr
2002
21 Apr
'02
9:09 a.m.
I'd have to agree with Pete. It just doesn't make sense to get and use a
networking device that can potentially cripple your activities later on.
That's why I have an RP114 router from NetGear with 4 switched 10/100
duplex ports in it. The only hubs I have are for Token Ring and I am
considering replacing them as well. I have a Bay Networks BayStack 504 24
port Token Ring hub with Fiber M.D.A., D.C.M. and N.M.M. - making it almost
as good as a managed switch. ...And, because I am a paranoid S.O.B., I have
a 3Com LinkBuilder FMS TR 12 (3C510510)- 12 port Active Token Ring hub as
backup. Needless to say, it may be a _little_ overkill for a 3 machine
network environment, but hey, I can transfer gigs of data all day safely. =)
-John
At 07:53 AM 4/21/02, you wrote:
On Apr 21, 2:34, Chad Fernandez wrote:
----------------------------------------
Founder, Lead Writer, Tech Analyst
and Web Designer Boff-Net Technologies
http://boff-net.dhs.org/index.html
---------------------------------------
I'm finally going to work on hooking up a
home network, so I guess I
need a hub. What should I look for? I don't know much about networks
yet. I have potentially 7 computers that I'd like to have connected.
It'll need to be 10Base-T, but 100base-T may be involved too. I thought
I'd look for something on Ebay, hopefully, not too expensive. Maybe
something commercial grade, However. I thought about something from IBM
or 3Com, any suggestions??
What do you mean by "commercial grade"? The difference between upmarket
devices and small SOHO devices is mostly that the ones used in larger
commercial networks are managed devices. That means you can configure them
remotely (with SNMP or a web interface), get statistics from them, etc.
You really want a switch rather than a hub. Not many people are making
hubs (repeaters) these days, even at the low end of the market. A switch
will ultimately give better throughput, especially in a peer-to-peer
network.
Go for autosensing 10/100baseT. If you're going to spend any amount of
money, you want to protect your investment by including 100baseT capability
even if you don't need it right now.
If you see a decent modern 3Com hub or switch, that's fine but most of the
second-hand stuff I've seen is 10baseT only. I wouldn't bother looking for
IBM. Baystack, 3Com, HP, Cisco are the ones you're likely to see. And
Netgear, which is almost entirely unmanaged kit, but quite good quality.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York