Ready to pull the trigger on new switches... Help on which ones?

[Andrew Vital_1]

I've got a 3 older 3com switches connected to a sonicwall pro2040. Off of this i have 3 servers, and 75 clients.

I'm upgrading to add vlans as my current switches don't have them as well as to be able to stack the switches with 1Gb links, as my current switches are only linked by 100Mb.

I'm looking at the 2600 series (2 - 2650s and 1 - 2626).

When i create the vlan setup i will have some vlans needing access to other vlans, since these are "light layer 3" will they be able to handle this?

What is the difference from going the next step up (what looks like is the 2800 line)? Is it just GB on all ports? Or is there any other functionality that is noteworthy for the 150% price difference.
I dont' mind spending the $ if it'll buy me more longevity thus greater ROI as well as better functionality. I don't require Gb to the desktop so this isnt' of real value to me.

Thank you for any help you can offer.

- Andy

[Matt Hobbs]

Hi Andy,

The 2600 series is a good L2 edge-switch, but not such a great L3 routing device.

In an ideal world where money wasn't an issue I would put the 5400/3500 series products everywhere. They've got a lot going for them and in the end I would say will give you the greatest ROI (although right now they may be overkill for your immediate needs).

Possibly instead of the 2x 2650's, I would look at a 5300xl instead which would handle your L3 needs quite easily and supports more advanced features such as ACLs.

I'd also recommend that you contact the Design Center folks for their expert opinion. This is a free ProCurve service - http://www.hp.com/rnd/design_center/index.htm

Matt

[Andrew Vital_1]

Thanks for the response! I'll send something off to the HP designers, any idea how long they take to get back?

When you say that the 2600s aren't great at L3 routing i'm just wondering what makes them not great? is it speed, is it other things?

Would it be better to just have 1 good Layer 3 switch and then 2 other 2600s so all the routing takes place on the L3?

I'm also looking to get a few of those HP access points that support multiple SSIDs and Vlans, so i can have guest "internet-only" access and corporate access for some in-house wireless laptops and devices.

[Matt Hobbs]

I'm not too sure how long they Design Center team take but I wouldn't expect more than a couple of days (unless it was a complex design).

The 2600's are not the best routers for two reasons, one is that they are limited by how many hosts they can route in hardware before routing starts taking place in software (128 devices, which you're currently under). Once routing starts in software your performance will suffer. More on this here:

http://www.hp.com/rnd/support/faqs/2650_6108.htm#question181

The second reason is that the are 'light layer 3' and don't support some of those advanced features as mentioned before, nor do they support any routing protocols (OSPF, RIP).

The idea that I had in mind is exactly what you've mentioned - Get one good L3 switch, and then just use the other 2600's as L2 only.

For the AP's, all of the current crop support multiple SSIDs and VLANs - personally the Wireless Edge Services Module (WESM) for the 5300 is my favourite, but if it's only a few Radios that you're after, the 420 or 530 are good choices. The 530 has some additional features and a bit more potential than the 420.

[Mohieddin Kharnoub]

Hi

I just want to add a small comment in this place where Matt covered almost everything.

in fact, for the Best ROI i would go for a 5400 with its new wireless edge service module for 2 reasons in your case:
1- the best performance/security tight up you can get your current setup.
2- the best controllable for your Wireless clients through the thin clients (210,220 and 230).

Thats if you want to invest the $, otherwise, you can just have a couple of 2600 series switches as a L2 devices, and you can do the routing and security on your sonicwall device.

Good Luck !!!