Another Excellent Guest Post from ADTRAN uber-SE, Alex Raskin. Here it is - and Thanks Alex!!
I'd have to say the most common technical discussions I've been having lately with my customers are switch layout/stacking scenarios. Like - what switches to put in the wiring closet on the 3rd floor; how about the core of my network, Layer 2 versus Layer 3 switches, terminating fiber runs between switches, etc.
Standard Layer 2 switching is pretty straightforward; ADTRAN's suite of Layer 2 Fast Ethernet (10/100) and Gigabit (10/100/1000) switches cover that environment very well:
- NetVanta 1234 (part number 1700594G1) 24-Port Managed Layer 2 Fast Ethernet Switch with quad Gigabit uplinks.
- NetVanta 1234 PoE (part number 1700594G1) 24-Port Managed Layer 2 Fast Ethernet Switch with quad Gigabit uplinks, supporting 802.3af & Legacy Power over Ethernet.
- NetVanta 1238 (part number 1700598G1): 48-Port Managed Layer 2 Fast Ethernet Switch with quad Gigabit uplinks.
- NetVanta 1238 PoE (part number 1700599G1) 48-Port Managed Layer 2 Fast Ethernet Switch with quad Gigabit uplinks, supporting 802.3af & Legacy Power over Ethernet.
- NetVanta 1534 (part number 1700590G1) 26-Port Managed Layer 2 Gigabit Ethernet Switch.
- NetVanta 1534 PoE (part number 1700591G1) 26-Port Managed Layer 2 Gigabit Ethernet Switch supporting 802.3af & Legacy Power over Ethernet.
However, what I am finding to be more and more common is the use of Layer 3 switches; specifically Layer 3 gigabit & Layer 3 gigabit fiber switches.
When do we use Layer 3 switches? When we need to contain broadcast traffic or in a multi-network approach utilizing multiple VLANs (such as those networks utilizing VoIP for example) it is appropriate and much more efficient to implement Layer 3 switches.
These Layer 3 gigabit switches are used primarily at the core of a network to ‘aggregate’ links from the multiple wiring closets located throughout a building / campus / office park; although, I have also seen them used in large remote wiring closets.
ADTRAN has a full line of Layer 3 gigabit switches to technically address these applications; ADTRAN’s line comes in 3 flavors:
- NetVanta 1544 (part number 1700544G1, list price $2,795) 28-Port Managed Layer 3 Gigabit Ethernet Switch. Includes 24 - 10/100/1000Base-T access ports and 4 - Enhanced SFP (1Gbps/2.5Gbps) Gigabit Ethernet Ports.
- NetVanta 1544 PoE (part number 1700545G1, list price $3,795) 28-Port Managed Layer 3 Gigabit Ethernet Switch supporting 802.3af & Legacy Power over Ethernet. Includes 24 - 10/100/1000Base-T access ports and 4 - Enhanced SFP Gigabit (1Gbps/2.5Gbps) Ethernet Ports.
- And my favorite, the NetVanta 1544F (part number 1700546G1, list price $3,995) 28-Port Managed Layer 3 Gigabit Ethernet Switch supporting 802.3af & Legacy Power over Ethernet. Includes 24 - SFP Gigabit (1Gbps) access ports and 4 - Enhanced SFP Gigabit (1Gbps/2.5Gbps) Ethernet Port.
As always, ADTRAN continues to include features in ALL our switches that not commonly found in switches (yes, included for free!):
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Wire-speed routing / fully non-blocking switching
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Wi-Fi access controller to centrally manage ADTRAN Wi-Fi access points
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Cable Diagnostics
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Port scheduler to power down devices and/or disable ports on a time basis
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Limited lifetime warranty
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Next business day advanced replacement
All this at a price / performance/ features / warranty / support combination that cannot be beat in the industry!
Alexander C. Raskin
ATSP - IPT, ATSP - IN
CCENT, CCNA, CCDA
Systems Engineer