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Network switch question

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  • M Offline
    M Offline
    Marc Clifton
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    I'm looking for network switch where I can specifically block a physical port from communicating to another physical port on the switch. For example, the library computers at the school might be plugged into ports 1 & 2. I don't want those ports talking to ports that, say, the financial computers in the admin office are plugged into. Is there such a thing? Is this a viable approach? Marc

    Thyme In The Country
    Interacx

    People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
    There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
    People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith

    M N K M T 6 Replies Last reply
    0
    • M Marc Clifton

      I'm looking for network switch where I can specifically block a physical port from communicating to another physical port on the switch. For example, the library computers at the school might be plugged into ports 1 & 2. I don't want those ports talking to ports that, say, the financial computers in the admin office are plugged into. Is there such a thing? Is this a viable approach? Marc

      Thyme In The Country
      Interacx

      People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
      There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
      People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith

      M Offline
      M Offline
      Mike Dimmick
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      Perhaps you need to look at VLANs[^]? The more enterprisey switches will have VLAN features.

      Stability. What an interesting concept. -- Chris Maunder

      M 1 Reply Last reply
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      • M Mike Dimmick

        Perhaps you need to look at VLANs[^]? The more enterprisey switches will have VLAN features.

        Stability. What an interesting concept. -- Chris Maunder

        M Offline
        M Offline
        Marc Clifton
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        Mike Dimmick wrote:

        Perhaps you need to look at VLANs[^]?

        Ah, thanks! The switch the school has supports VLANs. Wasn't quite sure what they were. You know the kind of documentation where it walks you through the admin screens without telling you what the heck the technology actually does? Well, that's how these docs (a Linksys product) are written. Marc

        Thyme In The Country
        Interacx

        People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
        There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
        People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith

        L 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • M Marc Clifton

          I'm looking for network switch where I can specifically block a physical port from communicating to another physical port on the switch. For example, the library computers at the school might be plugged into ports 1 & 2. I don't want those ports talking to ports that, say, the financial computers in the admin office are plugged into. Is there such a thing? Is this a viable approach? Marc

          Thyme In The Country
          Interacx

          People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
          There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
          People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith

          N Offline
          N Offline
          Nnamdi Onyeyiri
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          Ive been revising for my Networking exam all day. I just came here to get away from it. Thanks. ;P

          Nnamdi Onyeyiri

          M 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • M Marc Clifton

            Mike Dimmick wrote:

            Perhaps you need to look at VLANs[^]?

            Ah, thanks! The switch the school has supports VLANs. Wasn't quite sure what they were. You know the kind of documentation where it walks you through the admin screens without telling you what the heck the technology actually does? Well, that's how these docs (a Linksys product) are written. Marc

            Thyme In The Country
            Interacx

            People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
            There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
            People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith

            L Offline
            L Offline
            Lost User
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            Cisco's Internetworking Technology Handbook http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/cisintwk/ito_doc/index.htm[^]. This is a wealth of knowledge, chapters downloadable in PDF format.

            1 Reply Last reply
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            • N Nnamdi Onyeyiri

              Ive been revising for my Networking exam all day. I just came here to get away from it. Thanks. ;P

              Nnamdi Onyeyiri

              M Offline
              M Offline
              Marc Clifton
              wrote on last edited by
              #6

              Nnamdi Onyeyiri wrote:

              Ive been revising for my Networking exam all day. I just came here to get away from it. Thanks.

              You're welcome, hehe. But you didn't give me an answer! I would think you of all people should know! Marc

              Thyme In The Country
              Interacx

              People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
              There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
              People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • M Marc Clifton

                I'm looking for network switch where I can specifically block a physical port from communicating to another physical port on the switch. For example, the library computers at the school might be plugged into ports 1 & 2. I don't want those ports talking to ports that, say, the financial computers in the admin office are plugged into. Is there such a thing? Is this a viable approach? Marc

                Thyme In The Country
                Interacx

                People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
                There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
                People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith

                K Offline
                K Offline
                keencomputer
                wrote on last edited by
                #7

                Any managed switch( Layer 2) with VLAN will will do. I suggest Allied Telesyn for this. They are cheap and has good documentation. http://www.alliedtelesyn.com/[^]

                Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • M Marc Clifton

                  I'm looking for network switch where I can specifically block a physical port from communicating to another physical port on the switch. For example, the library computers at the school might be plugged into ports 1 & 2. I don't want those ports talking to ports that, say, the financial computers in the admin office are plugged into. Is there such a thing? Is this a viable approach? Marc

                  Thyme In The Country
                  Interacx

                  People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
                  There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
                  People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith

                  M Offline
                  M Offline
                  Member 96
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #8

                  Um...why in the world? You do know you can buy a two hubs for next to nothing at a fraction of the cost of a switch instead and never have this problem at all? Un-necessary switches are rampant these days. The networking hardware companies must be laughing all the way to the bank.


                  "110%" - it's the new 70%

                  S M 2 Replies Last reply
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                  • M Member 96

                    Um...why in the world? You do know you can buy a two hubs for next to nothing at a fraction of the cost of a switch instead and never have this problem at all? Un-necessary switches are rampant these days. The networking hardware companies must be laughing all the way to the bank.


                    "110%" - it's the new 70%

                    S Offline
                    S Offline
                    scorpydude
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #9

                    the switch he has, has the vlan function he needs. why buy more switched when you can impliment it at the moment using an advanced feature of the existing switch?

                    M 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • M Marc Clifton

                      I'm looking for network switch where I can specifically block a physical port from communicating to another physical port on the switch. For example, the library computers at the school might be plugged into ports 1 & 2. I don't want those ports talking to ports that, say, the financial computers in the admin office are plugged into. Is there such a thing? Is this a viable approach? Marc

                      Thyme In The Country
                      Interacx

                      People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
                      There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
                      People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith

                      T Offline
                      T Offline
                      The Nightcoder
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #10

                      Not exactly sure what this has to do with coding... but what the heck: You have two venues: 1. You can use VLANs, but then you'll have to configure VLAN trunks between your switches if you have several. Also note that there can be NO communication at layer 2 between VLANs, you have to connect the VLANs using a router or firewall if there are legitimate interoperability needs. VLANs are a logical equivalent of physically separated networks - two VLANs equals two switch structures and so on... The terminology you need to be aware of is: = VLAN: Virtual LAN = Egress: Outbound traffic from a port. = Ingress: Inbound ... Some switches (cheap HPs) mention "ingress filtering", meaning that packets not belonging to any of the configured VLANs will get dropped. = Access port: Port that send and receive only untagged packets, implicitly belonging to a specific VLAN. = Trunk port: Port that send and receive tagged packets, explicitly belonging to the VLAN they're tagged with. Can also send and receive untagged packets, implicitly belonging to the port's native (or default) VLAN. = Tagged: Packets on a "trunk port" extended with "tags" with a VLAN ID, telling the receiving device which VLANs the packets belong to. Tagged packets are only understood by VLAN-capable layer 2 devices and are normally stripped on ingress and added on egress. There are exceptions to this rule, and the most important one is fiber media converters. These are normally "VLAN transparent", meaning that they forward the VLAN tags unmodified. Beware of media converters that aren't - they will break your trunks. = Untagged: Normal packets with no VLAN information. Implicitly belongs to the native VLAN of the sending and receiving device (this may or may not be the same VLAN ID, although the latter is normally considered a misconfiguration). = Native VLAN: The VLAN that a port implicitly belongs to. Also called default VLAN sometimes, but this can be a bit confusing - see default VLAN. Some switches describes this by saying that a port "belongs" to a VLAN. = Default VLAN: VLAN number 1. This is the VLAN all ports initially have as native VLAN unless configured otherwise. = CDP or LLDP: Cisco Discovery Protocol or Link-Layer Discovery Protocol (the latter is a standardized evolution of CDP). Things that will bite you if two connected ports don't agree on native VLAN. Using this protocol, switches exchange basic configuration information in order to detect duplex/speed mismatches and VLAN mismatches. A VLAN mismatch normally results in a port

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • M Member 96

                        Um...why in the world? You do know you can buy a two hubs for next to nothing at a fraction of the cost of a switch instead and never have this problem at all? Un-necessary switches are rampant these days. The networking hardware companies must be laughing all the way to the bank.


                        "110%" - it's the new 70%

                        M Offline
                        M Offline
                        Marc Clifton
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #11

                        Both networks need access to the Internet, and there's a single point for entry to the Internet. If my understanding of hubs is correct, there is no blocking of communication at all. We currently have a switch (courtesy of the people who installed the network but may not really have gotten the right equipment). The switch supports VLANs, which looks like it'll do the job. Actually, do you know how hard it is to find a hub nowadays? Impossible. Routers are disappearing as well. All you can pretty much find are switches! Marc

                        Thyme In The Country
                        Interacx

                        People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
                        There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
                        People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith

                        M 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • S scorpydude

                          the switch he has, has the vlan function he needs. why buy more switched when you can impliment it at the moment using an advanced feature of the existing switch?

                          M Offline
                          M Offline
                          Member 96
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #12

                          I didn't say buy more switches I said buy a hub, you can get them for 20 bucks these days, if that doesn't make more sense than a complex and fragile setup on a much more expensive and unnecessary piece of equipment I'll eat my hat.


                          "110%" - it's the new 70%

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • M Marc Clifton

                            Both networks need access to the Internet, and there's a single point for entry to the Internet. If my understanding of hubs is correct, there is no blocking of communication at all. We currently have a switch (courtesy of the people who installed the network but may not really have gotten the right equipment). The switch supports VLANs, which looks like it'll do the job. Actually, do you know how hard it is to find a hub nowadays? Impossible. Routers are disappearing as well. All you can pretty much find are switches! Marc

                            Thyme In The Country
                            Interacx

                            People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
                            There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
                            People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith

                            M Offline
                            M Offline
                            Member 96
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #13

                            Marc Clifton wrote:

                            Both networks need access to the Internet,

                            Ahh..you didn't say that before, kind of a key detail. :)

                            Marc Clifton wrote:

                            Actually, do you know how hard it is to find a hub nowadays?

                            News to me, last time I checked they were dirt cheap and there were at least 5 different models of them in the office supply store a couple of months ago.


                            "110%" - it's the new 70%

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • M Marc Clifton

                              I'm looking for network switch where I can specifically block a physical port from communicating to another physical port on the switch. For example, the library computers at the school might be plugged into ports 1 & 2. I don't want those ports talking to ports that, say, the financial computers in the admin office are plugged into. Is there such a thing? Is this a viable approach? Marc

                              Thyme In The Country
                              Interacx

                              People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
                              There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
                              People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith

                              D Offline
                              D Offline
                              Daria Morgendorffer
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #14

                              Flash new firmware from http://openwrt.org/[^]. This will make your router extremely flexible - not only allowing you make VLANs ad ultimum, but also make it act as HTTP server and lots of other stuff. I am really satisfied with that.

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