Content area
Full Text
Ethernet switches aren't literally a dime a dozen, but the suggestion fits. We set our threshold at $250 per port and found plenty of takers. Whether you're setting up a new workgroup or adding a little bandwidth to an existing one, there's probably an affordable switch here for you. There may even be a couple that could slip into the enterprise category-just because they're cheap doesn't mean they lack critical features. Within this pack you'll find everything from basic, no-frills switches to those with VLAN support, protocol filtering, SNMP management, high-speed uplinks and RMON support.
We tested the following 12 switches in our University of Wisconsin labs: SMC EZ Switch-6x and TigerSwitch XLE; 3Com LinkSwitch 1000; NetVantage NV7500 Ethernet Switch; Black Box Ethernet Switch LB9500A; Amber Wave Systems AmberSwitch; CrossComm EWS; Cisco Catalyst 2100 and Catalyst 1700; D-Link DES-604 four-port 10BASE-T Switching Hub; Matrox Piranha SwitchNIC-10/8; and FORE Systems ForeRunner ES-3810 Ethernet Workgroup Switch.
Our first concern was performance, but we also found MAC address and protocol filters very useful in taking control of our network. VLAN support is also beneficial since it helps segment the network without further investment. Products that can manage these features over the network are optimal.
In such a low-cost scenario, we thought we'd be hard pressed to differentiate between these products. We were wrong. 3Com's LinkSwitch 1000 offers the best all-round bargain with great throughput, good management software and a redundant power supply. SMC's TigerSwitch XLE offers excellent control over traffic filtering, securing ports and VLAN setup. It also includes the unique ability to forward defined packets between VLANs. Avoid the SMC EZ Switch-6x: It has serious performance problems.
NetVantage NV7500 had the best entry price, without giving up fast uplinks or manageability. For NetWare-only workgroups, Matrox offers its Piranha SwitchNIC's eight 10BASE-T ports at an amazing $1,300-on a PCI NIC, no less. Look to Amber Wave, FORE and CrossComm for flexible, slotted systems. CrossComm's EWS is a strong product with excellent management software. Finally, Cisco's Catalyst 2100, a remnant of Cisco's recent Grand Junction purchase, only lacks a graphical management interface, which should be coming early this year.
3Com LinkSwitch 1000
3Com's LinkSwitch 1000 has almost everything you could need, including a redundant power supply option. It...