[kitg90]

Hey guys might be a silly question but it's going to be my first time buying a switch.

My setup currently is a router with multiple ethernet ports connected to a few PCs.

I'll be upgrading my network to include a switch and few more PCs/NAS.

From my router to my switch should I connect all the ethernet ports from the router into the switch? or should I only connect 1 of the ethernet ports from my router into the switch?

I'll be getting this switch 'TP-LINK TL-SG1016 16 Port Gigabit Switch'.

 

[Cloudforever]

What switch are you b buying?

Also depends if your wanting to manage your ports or not, ei layer 2 switch vs layer 3.

If your just doing a basic netgear until managed switch you can just plug in one cable and connect the rest of the pcs into the switch :]

Sorry, didn't see you posted your switch your buying on the bottom. Your good. Any port you plug the cable in will do.

Just remember using DHCP may cause ip conflicts when you start to use a lot of Pcs to your network.

 

[DzillaXx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kitg90

Hey guys might be a silly question but it's going to be my first time buying a switch.

My setup currently is a router with multiple ethernet ports connected to a few PCs.

I'll be upgrading my network to include a switch and few more PCs/NAS.

From my router to my switch should I connect all the ethernet ports from the router into the switch? or should I only connect 1 of the ethernet ports from my router into the switch?

I'll be getting this switch 'TP-LINK TL-SG1016 16 Port Gigabit Switch'.

I would try and get a Smart Switch if I was you.

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Ethernet-Unmanaged-Rackmount-TL-SG1016DE/dp/B00K4DS67C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1512923387&sr=8-3&keywords=16+port+smart+switch

Something like that.

Connect everything to the switch.

Connect a single cable from the router to the switch.

Your Router probably wouldn't Support LAG anyways, so you could only ever just connect the one Ethernet cable.

But... With a Smart Switch, you can VLAN. So you can section off your switch, probably dont need it right now. But may be nice in the future. Regardless a nice thing to be able to do. I would spend the few more bucks and get a switch with basic management.

 

[Cloudforever]

Yeah, id do the smart switch to where you can manage your data going to where ever.

 

[kitg90]

Hey guys!

Thanks for all the replies it's been helpful!

 

[EniGma1987]

What router do you have?

That TP-Link smart switch support link aggregation, which may be useful to connect your router to the switch like that so you can send/receive 2 packets to or from the router without collision instead of just 1. In a home environment it probably wont really make a performance differewnce, but I just like to know that technically things are connected in a superior manner rather than knowingly use a lesser connection when I have better ones available.

 

[kitg90]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EniGma1987

What router do you have?

That TP-Link smart switch support link aggregation, which may be useful to connect your router to the switch like that so you can send/receive 2 packets to or from the router without collision instead of just 1. In a home environment it probably wont really make a performance differewnce, but I just like to know that technically things are connected in a superior manner rather than knowingly use a lesser connection when I have better ones available.

Hey I'm using the Asus RT-AC5300

What I plan to do in the future is this:



I've got a few questions actually:

1) Does it matter if I connect the Synology NAS / Printer / TP Link Wifi Extender to the router or should I connect it to the switch?

2) Any recommendations or setup other than the above?

3) FreeNas or Unraid?

Thanks!

 

[Cloudforever]

1) Does it matter if I connect the Synology NAS / Printer / TP Link Wifi Extender to the router or should I connect it to the switch? I'd make sure your extender is connected to your router. The others, connect to your switch and then you can manage everything if you go smart switch.

2) Any recommendations or setup other than the above? just curious, are you planning on pulling a ton of data over the 10G port from server to PC?

3) FreeNas or Unraid? FreeNAS i heard is a good one. yet to use it though. I am going to be doing this eventually as well lol.

 

[kitg90]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cloudforever

1) Does it matter if I connect the Synology NAS / Printer / TP Link Wifi Extender to the router or should I connect it to the switch? I'd make sure your extender is connected to your router. The others, connect to your switch and then you can manage everything if you go smart switch.

2) Any recommendations or setup other than the above? just curious, are you planning on pulling a ton of data over the 10G port from server to PC?

3) FreeNas or Unraid? FreeNAS i heard is a good one. yet to use it though. I am going to be doing this eventually as well lol.

Thanks for the reply!

As for number 2, right now probably not but I'm experimenting and would love to try it out 10gbe! Plan to get 2nd hand 10gbe rj45 pcie cards in my main pc and the server pc.

You could say this is kind of a hobby for me ha!

 

[DzillaXx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kitg90

Thanks for the reply!

As for number 2, right now probably not but I'm experimenting and would love to try it out 10gbe! Plan to get 2nd hand 10gbe rj45 pcie cards in my main pc and the server pc.

You could say this is kind of a hobby for me ha!

Get 10gbe Fiber cards. They are Cheap and easy to setup. Way Cheaper than getting Ethernet Based, and you can get Network Switching that have 2-4 sfp+ ports for much cheaper than a full on 10gb Ethernet switch. Useful for the Future, as you can just get a single switch and plug both your Server and PC into without losing 10gb. Mikrotik for example makes a very inexpensive switch that has those features.

https://www.amazon.com/Mikrotik-CSS326-24G-2S-RM-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B0723DT6MN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513097609&sr=8-1&keywords=mikrotik+switch+sfp%2B

I have this same Switch on the Rack at work, along with a 48 PoE Netgear Prosafe. Connected together via fiber.

This for example will allow you to connect two 10gb connections.

https://www.amazon.com/Twinax-Ubiquiti-EdgeSwitch-Compatible-Passive/dp/B01MS20WP7/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1513097730&sr=1-4&keywords=sfp%2B+10GbE

and the cards to use

https://www.amazon.com/HiFiber-Mellanox-ConnectX-2-Controller-Ethernet/dp/B06WWBBRH6/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1513097730&sr=1-8&keywords=sfp%2B+10GbE

You will need to add the server's IP to your host file do it doesn't transfer over 1gb lan connection. In the Config you want to do.

Only thing I would recommend is not using a TP-Link Wifi Extender, but going with a Unifi AC Lite or something. If you are running a hardwired cable to it in the first place, might as well get something that you can depend on for years to come.

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Ap-AC-Lite-UAPACLITEUS/dp/B015PR20GY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513097523&sr=8-1&keywords=unifi+ac+lite

 

[Cloudforever]

yeah, just be sure to get the ones without requiring an SFP+ and your latency will be little to non vs copper 10Gb,

how far away will this server be from the desktop?

(you'll need to be sure you MM-LC cable )

also just be sure to make sure you polarity matches the other side too. sometimes naturally they get shipped with polarity swapped, which is an easy fix.

 

[DzillaXx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cloudforever

yeah, just be sure to get the ones without requiring an SFP+ and your latency will be little to non vs copper 10Gb,

how far away will this server be from the desktop?

(you'll need to be sure you MM-LC cable )

also just be sure to make sure you polarity matches the other side too. sometimes naturally they get shipped with polarity swapped, which is an easy fix.

You will still need the SFP+ 10gb transceivers.

The Patch cord I linked have them built in, so no need to buy anything.

For any long run Fiber is a must, and you can use what ever length of multimode LC-LC Fiber you want. Just you are going to pay more as you need to get two SFP+ to LC Transceivers.

https://www.amazon.com/Macroreer-Multi-Mode-UF-MM-10G-Compatible-10GBASE-SR/dp/B01LVV35RD/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1513103355&sr=8-3&keywords=sfp%2B+LC+10gbe

LC-LC Multimode fiber patch cords are cheap too. This would be the way to go if the devices are not 6-12f from the switch. Otherwise I would probably go with the cheaper Copper based SFP+ Patch cords if you want to be cheap. Transceivers are built into those.

Otherwise this guy would be right, better to use the fiber anyways, that way in the future if you move stuff around you could always get new patch cords. The Transceivers won't need to be changed.

I've actually been thinking about doing this myself. With that same Mikrotik Switch (or maybe get one with 4SFP+ ports), as I keep most of my content on my 20TB Data Server. And would love to have native transfer speeds. Granted I never had a problem with the 120MB/s you get from 1gbe.

 

[EniGma1987]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kitg90

Hey I'm using the Asus RT-AC5300

What I plan to do in the future is this:



I've got a few questions actually:

1) Does it matter if I connect the Synology NAS / Printer / TP Link Wifi Extender to the router or should I connect it to the switch?

2) Any recommendations or setup other than the above?

3) FreeNas or Unraid?

Thanks!

I would use two ethernet cables in a Link Aggregation setup between the router and the smart switch to give that main line the ability to handle twice the packets between them.
Also run two ethernet cables between the switch and the server.

Keep the wifi extender attached to the router directly. printer on router would be good too, and you can set up cloud printing and then print from your phone as well.

 

[DzillaXx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EniGma1987

I would use two ethernet cables in a Link Aggregation setup between the router and the smart switch to give that main line the ability to handle twice the packets between them.
Also run two ethernet cables between the switch and the server.

Keep the wifi extender attached to the router directly. printer on router would be good too, and you can set up cloud printing and then print from your phone as well.

I would have said the same thing, but i'm pretty sure that router has no support for such things. All the Home Router's I've seen are pretty limited on what they can do. I wish they had the features even a $50 Edge router has.

 

[EniGma1987]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DzillaXx

I would have said the same thing, but i'm pretty sure that router has no support for such things. All the Home Router's I've seen are pretty limited on what they can do. I wish they had the features even a $50 Edge router has.

Ya I checked his router and confirmed that it does support Link Agregation before I posted. However it does seem to only support the one specification and not multiple types. I took a quick look at the switch too and it seemed to also support the same spec for LAG.
It may not do a whole lot in practice and I know the router is lacking in its really capable performance compared to proper routers like the EdgeRouter, but I am betting it will still be better performance than just the 1 link. It should allow a wireless client to stream from the server at the same time as another wired client is doing internet traffic without any packet collision from the shared links. Though in the end, on this consumer grade router, it may end up being more trouble to get working right than its worth.

 

[DzillaXx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EniGma1987

Ya I checked his router and confirmed that it does support Link Agregation before I posted. However it does seem to only support the one specification and not multiple types. I took a quick look at the switch too and it seemed to also support the same spec for LAG.
It may not do a whole lot in practice and I know the router is lacking in its really capable performance compared to proper routers like the EdgeRouter, but I am betting it will still be better performance than just the 1 link. It should allow a wireless client to stream from the server at the same time as another wired client is doing internet traffic without any packet collision from the shared links. Though in the end, on this consumer grade router, it may end up being more trouble to get working right than its worth.

Wow, I would never have figured it would be able to do that. Though I guess when you pay $300 for something it should come with a few perks.

For $300 there is a real lack of advanced options on these high end home wireless network solutions. Some Basic VLAN settings, along with basic Firewall Rules support, and ability to have more than one Router ip ranges. But again this is a home router, not a small business router.

Yeah any Smart switch will be able to go 802.3ad (LAG). But if you can, get that Mikrotik Switch I linked kitg90. Rather than that Smart TP-Link unit. Few more bucks for a lot lot more IMO. Only thing I don't like about it is the weird terms they use for stuff. Clearly basic easy to understand English wasn't good enough.

LAG would be a good idea for access to NAS while Wireless Clients are also accessing Server. But running two Cables may not someone you don't really care for, or even need?

 

[kitg90]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DzillaXx

Get 10gbe Fiber cards. They are Cheap and easy to setup. Way Cheaper than getting Ethernet Based, and you can get Network Switching that have 2-4 sfp+ ports for much cheaper than a full on 10gb Ethernet switch. Useful for the Future, as you can just get a single switch and plug both your Server and PC into without losing 10gb. Mikrotik for example makes a very inexpensive switch that has those features.

https://www.amazon.com/Mikrotik-CSS326-24G-2S-RM-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B0723DT6MN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513097609&sr=8-1&keywords=mikrotik+switch+sfp%2B

I have this same Switch on the Rack at work, along with a 48 PoE Netgear Prosafe. Connected together via fiber.

This for example will allow you to connect two 10gb connections.

https://www.amazon.com/Twinax-Ubiquiti-EdgeSwitch-Compatible-Passive/dp/B01MS20WP7/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1513097730&sr=1-4&keywords=sfp%2B+10GbE

and the cards to use

https://www.amazon.com/HiFiber-Mellanox-ConnectX-2-Controller-Ethernet/dp/B06WWBBRH6/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1513097730&sr=1-8&keywords=sfp%2B+10GbE

You will need to add the server's IP to your host file do it doesn't transfer over 1gb lan connection. In the Config you want to do.

Only thing I would recommend is not using a TP-Link Wifi Extender, but going with a Unifi AC Lite or something. If you are running a hardwired cable to it in the first place, might as well get something that you can depend on for years to come.

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Ap-AC-Lite-UAPACLITEUS/dp/B015PR20GY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513097523&sr=8-1&keywords=unifi+ac+lite

Hey mate! as for the wifi extender I already own it so thanks for the recommendation for a future upgrade.

Apart from that, that's a lot of information! going to take some time to digest this as I'm pretty sure you might've guessed I'm a complete newbie on networking/server setup etc!

The reason I thought about the ethernet 10gbe it's because from a linus video I watched. Thought it would be the better solution than the SFTP cables and cheaper.