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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi everybody,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I was wondering if you can give me hand
deciding about which switches to buy. I have two candidates right
now.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>1. 3com Superstack 3 25 Ports Switch. 24
ports are 10/100 and 1 Port is 1000 cooper. I plan to get two of these so
that I have more than 24 ports.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> PROS: 3Com is a well known
company => I assume good quality. 3com specifications do not tell
me anything about Bandwith (Poor 3com info even on their website about their
products). I can connect the two switches through the 1 GBIT port and
have 48 10/100 ports for Nodes and Master Node. This is a cheap unmanaged switch
$650.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> CONS: No further
expandability (We will not use more than the 48 ports for
sure).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>2. Netgear FS518T 16 port Switch + 2 Gigabit
ports. The plan is to get two of these also since I do not need more than 32
ports.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> PROS: I can have the
master node with 1 Gigabit and also connect the two switches through the 1 GBit
port uplink. If I ever need I can add a new switch using the reamining
1Gigabit uplink to a third switch.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> CONS: I found a review
that says this switch has lousy performance, I have never used Netgear before.
32 Ports total as opossed to 48 in 3com.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The two models use RJ45 Gigabit so the network
cards are cheap and so the cables(Around $100 for Linksys, D-Link or Netgear and
$150 to $185 for an Intel or 3com Gigabit card). The total price of the
investment is going to be under $1500 in either case (This is my budget
constraint an the reason because I cannot get better 3com switches with
expansion ports in the back for 2 Fiber Gigabit modules :
( .</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I could not find any reviews or info about 3com
performance. The review for the netgear I found is located at <A
href="http://davidcoulson.net/writing/pcp/170/review-netgear.pdf">http://davidcoulson.net/writing/pcp/170/review-netgear.pdf</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I definitely want to have at Least 2 Gigabit Ports
either for connection between switches or 1 for the master node. I accept any
suggestions and comments from your experience.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thank you for your help.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Diego Remolina</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>