Network Switch Tutorial needed

[prctr]

I have 3-5 computers on a wired network, using a router. No problems, except I've run out of ports on the router. In a moment either of madness or brilliance, I bought a NetGear ethernet Switch, and am unsure of what I can do with it. Could I, for instance, move the network connection for one machine FROM the router to the switch, then plug in an additional computer ALSO to the switch, thereby attaching both to the router, via the switch?

Will that work? What will happen? Can both machines then access the network - or can they simply access each other via the switch?

I think I just need a brief explanation of WHEN a switch is normally used versus when a router is necessary. Could someone direct me to a tutorial page of some kind? Thanks much! :unsure:

[Agent Smith]

Hi prctr, the switch should have an "uplink" port in it. It will either be a dedicated port at one end, or a shared port on one of the "network connections" (check your documentation).

All you need to do, is run a network cable from this port to one of the ports on the router, and it is as simple as that (don't forget to plug the power in).

Now all the ports on the router and the switch will be able to talk to each other (and any machines which happen to be plugged into them). You can keep doing this with extra switches as well, up to a maximum of 5 connected devices in series, before you will need to add another router.

So

Could I, for instance, move the network connection for one machine FROM the router to the switch, then plug in an additional computer ALSO to the switch, thereby attaching both to the router, via the switch?

Will that work? What will happen? Can both machines then access the network - or can they simply access each other via the switch?

Yes to part A and Yes to part B except they can also access everything else as well.

Mr. M.

[Agent Smith]

I think I just need a brief explanation of WHEN a switch is normally used versus when a router is necessary. Could someone direct me to a tutorial page of some kind? Thanks much! 

I am not sure it is as simple as that, hubs, switches and routers are used at different levels of the seven layer OSI model. They each do different things with the traffic they recieve. Believe me, when I say I am doing them a great injustice, but in a very simple way, a hub or a switch (since the price of switches has dropped so much, hubs are almost redundant) would be used to connect computers within a network, whilst a router would be used to connect different networks.

Mr. M.

[prctr]

Mr. Mouse,

As always, your response was informative and practical. Basically, I should be able to plug in anything with an ethernet connector ! I'll try it and report back. Now, for Part C: How about with crossover cabling between two machines? I have the yellow twisted RJ45; can I just join two machines together and access BOTH from my keyboard, do you suppose? ( I realize that with the success of my utilization of the switch, the need for this disappears........)

Again, many thanks.

R B)

[Agent Smith]

I suspect that you mean you would like to control both machines from your single keyboard. Again, it is not quite as simple as running a crossover cable between the two. The easiest, and most practical, way of doing this, would be to use a KVM (Keyboard Video Mouse) switch, such as this one from Belkin

These devices are available in many sizes, and are great for server room applications, where you simply switch between machines at the touch of a button. I use 2x8 port versions of these at work.

Another option would be to use some software, such as PC Anywhere , to control the pc from another pc. However, this will take more configuring and present additional security issues.

If, on the other hand, you simply meant that you would like to access the data on the second machine, then yes it is entirely possible to connect two machines together with a crossover cable. As you say, with the switch in place, this is probably not needed, but there may be situations where you wish to have some data in a more secure environment away from your main network. In this case it would be possible to fit a second network card into one of your machines, and link it directly to another. If you know what you are doing when you set this up, the second machine can be kept very secure.

Hope that answers your question.

Mr. M.

[prctr]

Mr. Mouse,

Very helpful, especially as to the KVM switch, which I have, but have never used. I'm wondering why I can't get the switch to work: I am coming from the router (an output) and trying to run that into the switch( which has no WAN port, just 1 thru 8), hoping that whichever devices are plugged into the switch will share the feed out of the router. It ain't happening.

Nor can I run from the switch (powered with the main feed from my cable modem), to the router - in other words, I've tried it both ways, and even though the switch lights are showing that it is "up," I cannot access any other part of the network OR the internet using the switch.

Can I just take one of the output cables from the router, and plug that into ANOTHER router? (but I would really like to get some use out of the switch) :(

Something is not quite right, and , as usual, I suspect it is my brain........... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Many thanks for your posts.

[Agent Smith]

Hi again prctr, no a switch would not have a WAN port. However, I would expect it to have an uplink port, this would usually be either port no's 1 or 8.

You should plug the cable from the router into this port, and once the switch is powered on, all should be OK. If you are unsure as to which port is the corrct one to use, then check the product documentaion, or post the model number of the switch, and I will try to find out for you.

I don't wish to frighten you, but you may also wish to test your new switch just in case. Probably the easiest method of doing a very basic test would be to move the ethernet cables from two pc's (which have booted up and have connectivity to your router), from the router to the switch. You should then be able to ping each machine and if you have any open shares, see those as well. Simple test I know, but will verify that the switch is at least working.

Mr. M.

One last thought, you will need to configure any new devices which you attach to your network to use the router. Either via DHCP or using static addressing depending on your setup.

[prctr]

Mr. Invincible Mouse,

I have no idea what configuring the switch using DHCP or static IP - I didn't have to fool with any of that with router, since it did it for me. I think I went wrong when I failed to use the crossover cable (I know - you told me to), then I just gave up. Will give it a go later on tonight, but I can tell you now: I have no idea how to configure the switch - I am grateful to know that either Port 1 or 8 is the uplink, so we'll see what happens. What would happen if I used another router, instead of a switch? (But the whole idea is to put the switch to use.) Thanks for your patience on this one.

:P

[Agent Smith]

Hi again, right, lets get this straight. You should not need to configure the switch to do anything, however you will need to configure any new computers which you plug into the switch (and hence on to the router) to use the router. The fact that you claim you did not need to do much when you first started using the router, suggests to me that the router is using DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). What this means (assuming that your ethernet connections have been left on a default setup) is that when you boot a computer, the router supplies it with all the information it needs to configure it's network connection.

If on the other hand you were using a Static IP address network, then you would need to manually assign IP addresses to all of your computers, and manually configure all the settings (such as gateway, dns, subnet masks etc.) for the network connections. However, this would have needed to have been chosen by yourself, as most devices come out of the box in the simpler to use DHCP setup.

In general, most modern devices (apart from pc to pc connections) no longer need to use a crossover cable. The ports on most devices are now auto sensing, and should be able to determine both the speed of the connection (10 or 100 megabit), whether it is capable of using full duplex, and what type of cable is connected so it can then set itself. However, in practise, if you are having problems, it is amazing how often changing the type of cable can resolve the issue.

Finally, there is no reason why you cannot use another router. It will of course cost more than a switch, and you will almost certainly need to configure a second router manually, as it will not be getting the same information the original gateway router has. Generally for a home network I would not bother with two routers, as you could have some connection issues if you do not configure it correctly (don't forget, part of a routers job, is to supply some security, so if you separate your own network with another router, you are effectively hiding some of your machines from each other. You will then need to set things up so they are not hidden).

If you are still having problems, then please ask again.

Mr. M.