Connecting 2 sites?

Skiddley · 28 Nov 2006 at 11:46

You really need to think about what applications are running across this network before you decide on suitable kit. You may need particular capabilites offered by some vendors\platforms and not by others. Just ask yourself this question first.

Second point is that the performance of gig fibre and cat 5 are not identical. Fibre generally offers better performance at high loads. You don't generally 'interchange' these technologies - they have specific applications.

Solving connectivity (topological) requirements is easy, its the application requrements that usually make network designs complex.

EDIT;
E.g.,
Have you thought about how the failover will work in the event of a link\port failure? With a switch network you be probbably relying on spanning tree I assume, do these switches support this? What are your convergence requirments (driven by the applications)?

Are there any QoS requirments? What support does the hardware have to provide? X queues per port, layer 2 and 3 marking and calssification? etc etc..

Are there any requirements for VLANS across this infrastructure? For security,, routing context segmentation, easy management, convergence (i.e., IP telephony and data). VTP support, layer 3 routing?....

And another million similar considerations...

I just don't see how you can say - ahh 3 of those and three bits of cable. Doh!

The_KiD · 28 Nov 2006 at 12:07

Ok I see your points and am the first one to admit I am not a networking guru, by any stretch of the imagination.

However I am what we have and all we are likely to have any time soon. So unfortunately I have to do this one way or the other.

The servers are all situate in building A in a small air conditioned room on the ground floor.

The switches are:

====Rack1 (Servers & Gigabit)=====

1 X Cisco 3550 24 Port 10/100
2 X Cisco 3550 8 Port 10/100/1000 (no spare ports)

Servers Connected to Gig Switches

============================

===Rack 2 (Switches and Comms)===

3 X Cisco 3550 24 Port 10/100 with failover
1 X Cisco 2900 24 Port 10/100
1 X Cisco 2950 24 Port 10/100

============================

Building B has 1 X Cisco 2900 24 Port 10/100
on the first floor

bitslice · 28 Nov 2006 at 12:21

LOL

this is looking a bit better.

first off, are the switches already linked with some:
Cisco Systems GigaStack Gigabit Interface Converters
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/modules/ps872/products_data_sheet09186a00800a1789.html

or do you just have cat5 linking them all together

?

Skiddley · 28 Nov 2006 at 12:34

Aren't gigastack cables only 50cm long

The_KiD · 28 Nov 2006 at 12:39

bitslice said:
LOL
this is looking a bit better.

first off, are the switches already linked with some:
Cisco Systems GigaStack Gigabit Interface Converters
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/modules/ps872/products_data_sheet09186a00800a1789.html

or do you just have cat5 linking them all together

?

Ah yes the 3 switches I said are fail over have those adapters in which are then linked to the 2 Gigabit switches.

bitslice · 28 Nov 2006 at 12:49

^^ ah, good, I was worried that this would need fixing first...

The_KiD said:
2 X Cisco 3550 8 Port 10/100/1000 (no spare ports)

are you sure this is not a "Cisco Catalyst 3550 12T Switch",
I can't see a "Cisco 3550 8 Port" at the mo'

&
I'm not sure how these things are reaching each other, my stacking GBIC's have short yellow cables. Do you mean CISCO 1000BASE-T GBICs instead ?

maybe some pictures would help...

.

The_KiD · 28 Nov 2006 at 13:12

bitslice said:
^^ ah, good, I was worried that this would need fixing first...

are you sure this is not a "Cisco Catalyst 3550 12T Switch",
I can't see a "Cisco 3550 8 Port" at the mo'

It appears I need to add matchs to my list of lacking skills.

They are 12T's and have 10 ports not 8

pdw8 · 28 Nov 2006 at 13:17

The_KiD said:
It appears I need to add matchs to my list of lacking skills.

They are 12T's and have 10 ports not 8

Sorry, stupid comment

The_KiD · 28 Nov 2006 at 13:22

Ok sorry didnt see your edit.

It's crappy diagram time!!!!

Thats roughly how it is all connected, although the straight wires are more like a bowl of spaghetti tbh.

The Gigabit switches are on the left, with the 3550's with the Gigastak adapters are oin the right.

The_KiD · 28 Nov 2006 at 13:23

pdw8 said:
Add spelling to that list aswell

I have one arm in a cast from wrist to shoulder so my typing is a little off

bitslice · 28 Nov 2006 at 13:36

Please confirm:
for the two Cisco 3550-12T's, I'm guessing that their silver GBIC ports contain 1000BASE-T GBICs...
and are used to connect via cat5 to some 1000BASE-T GBICs in the 3550-24 GBIC ports.
(and you are not using GigaStack GBICs, as I can't see how they'd reach ...>50cm)
..I'm just trying to make sure we have an exact kit list

---
is there any room in rack 2 for the 3550-12T's ? It would really help in optimising the stack if all the switches were linked up with at least GigaStack connectors.
---
where are the patch panels (if any) located ?
---
just to be clear, by "failover" what are we referring to ?
---

.

The_KiD · 28 Nov 2006 at 15:15

Riiiighteo here we go:

The 12T's are gigabit switches this I am sure of.

It looks like they connect to the 3550 (with the failover adapters) using normal cat5 taking up the first 2 ports on each of these 3 switches.

The adapters in the 3 switches look like they are for failover because of the way they all link to each other, but they do look physically similar to the link you posted.

for the two Cisco 3550-12T's, I'm guessing that their silver GBIC ports contain 1000BASE-T GBICs...
and are used to connect via cat5 to some 1000BASE-T GBICs in the 3550-24 GBIC ports.

So no I think is the answer here as the 2 gigabit switches are connected using regular cat5 in to the ports 1 & 2 on each of the 3 3550-24 switches.

is there any room in rack 2 for the 3550-12T's ?
I can't see why all the switches have been separated....

Nope this is a where the phones and network patch panels are

where are the patch panels (if any) located ?

See above

just to be clear, by "failover" what are we referring to ?

The adaptors you linked to look very similar to the ones in the 3550 24 switches, but they are all linked to each other like this:

I'd reckon that until "all" the switches are linked up with at least GigaStack connectors, then your current setup is a bit compromised.

Bugger! - However lets just get this new link in and get that right for now and I can go further with the networking afterwards.

bitslice · 28 Nov 2006 at 15:26

is there any possible way you can get these switches into a stack configuration ?
It's important that this is fixed first, as it defines what kit can be reused and what bandwidth you can achieve.

move some servers into the patch panel rack ?
any space for another rack ?
get a taller rack ?
move the UPS's out ?
replace the existing patch panels with 48 port versions ?

even it it means buying some longer patch cables

.

The_KiD · 28 Nov 2006 at 15:35

Will be possible but not before this link is put in, so the option is to put this link in then spend a weekend re-networking the lot and re-stacking it.

bitslice · 28 Nov 2006 at 15:52

OK, but you know what I'm thinking right ?
stack all the 3550's together and link them with some Gigastack connectors
(£20 2nd hand). (just like the failover stack from the earlier Cisco link)

OK, so we have no 1000BASE-T GBICs to re-use like I'd intially thought :-/
hmmm, but I'd be tempted to get some...

Now, as a result of the stacking you will have two free 1Gbs ports in the 3550-12T.
I'd suggest you use these to link to switches located in buildings B and C.

Move out the 2900-24's to building C and install a 1000BASE-T's into one of them.
Link that back to a free 1Gbs port in the 3550-12T.
Get some more 2nd hand 3550-24 (~£500) to replace the old 2900's removed from the main stack.

With another 1000BASE-T and one free port on the 3550-12T left, you can link up building B later

---

you'll have to live with linking up the existing switches with 100Mbs cat5 until you have finished shuffling, but no big deal.

.

The_KiD · 28 Nov 2006 at 16:20

Thanks all so much for your help on this by the way and sorry again for the confusion

I will link them all up together, then set aside a weekend whereby I redo our comms cabinet (needs de-spaghettying anyways).

The_KiD · 29 Nov 2006 at 11:49

Ok so Here's the final plan (Yes I know we still need to sort out the head office networking, but time is running short on this one, so it will have to wait).

Site A:

Head Office and location of servers.
1 - Putting in a HP Procurve 1800-8G (J9029A) 8 port Gigabit switch

Site B:

Branch Site
2 - Putting in a HP Procurve 2626 (J4900B) 24 Port 10/100 & 2 Dual Personalities (10/100/1000)

Site C:

Head Office Accounts
3 - Putting in a HP Procurve 2650 (J4899B) 48 Port 10/100 & 2 Dual Personalities (10/100/1000)

so good plan/bad plan?

Skiddley · 29 Nov 2006 at 12:00

*I'll get me coat*...

The_KiD · 29 Nov 2006 at 12:42

Skiddley said:
*I'll get me coat*...

Keh?

bitslice · 29 Nov 2006 at 13:10

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh !
just think of the kittens !

if you have nice Cisco kit,
don't put in something else for gawds sake !!!!!!!!!!!! :eek:

go see Skiddley post #61,
there is lots of nice things there for you to look at doing in the future, but you'd kill all that by putting in mis-matched kit.

You have lots of nice 3550-24 switches, just stick to them if possible.
or maybe get a 2nd hand 3550-48 if you can find one.
Move out the 2900-24 kit to the less used areas, but keep the core network kit the same.

.