need help choosing switch

[flopez82]

hello everyone

well i run a business and i am in need of a switch

we basically run quickbooks on 4 different pcs which one of the four host the main file

we are looking to get a server to host all the files but i was told that i also needed a switch to speed up the conections between the pcs

we are a small business and all we use is quickbooks and microsoft office

we currently have bellsouth 6mb dsl connection all connected throught a modem/router/wireless hub

please advise me as to what switch i can venture into

thanks

[ErikD]

Are all of the PCs connected to that router now? If so chances are that it is a switch as well. If so why do you need something else? The only real reasons would be more ports (connecting extra computers) or manageability. If you are that small of an office then really just about anything from a major manufacturer will work. I tend to like the Linksys business line of products, and in your case probably just a simple unmanaged switch of however many ports you need.

[Delaminator]

From one user to another-
I've had my fair share of issues with Linksys products.
I've had to take three router, new-out of box, back due to manufacturing errors. The customer service(IT) for Linksys is a joke and more than a few times I've seen the product miss-represented on the product package.
So just to say, before you go purchase another hub/switch, due thorough consumer research, some testing, and talk to proffessionals before you spend your hard earned cash.
I only state this cause my experience with Linksys has been poor to unacceptable.

I would recommend a device that uses a Broadcom chip.


MaP

Do the research, cause you get what you pay for!

[YeOldeStonecat]

I'd get a small gigabit switch. Linksys/Cisco SD2008 is a nice fit for you..8x gigabit ports, most servers and business grade PCs over the past few years come with gigabit NICs...so you'll enjoy good speeds. Well under 100 bucks.

Doing small business network consulting installs/support for many many years....Linksys/Cisco business line of products is decent "bang for the buck". Customer support is at least average compared to other brands.

HPs "Procurve" line of switches and wireless gear is my brand of choice if you have the budget...lifetime warranty.

[flopez82]

well the reaon im looking for a switch is because i was told that it i needed it to help my inter office sharing get faster

they told me that the switch would controll the way bandwith would be sent so that it split up the bandwidth evenly so that not one pc would get it all and the others lag out

is this true??? these were just some hints i got from some friends when i asked them how to make my office pcs faster and they said to get a switch and a server to host all the files

can you guys give me like specific brand and model numbers

i just had 5 pcs including my server so i need to hook them all up with this switch

doesnt have to be anything to hitech we are a small business

thanks for all the info

[YeOldeStonecat]

well the reaon im looking for a switch is because i was told that it i needed it to help my inter office sharing get faster

they told me that the switch would controll the way bandwith would be sent so that it split up the bandwidth evenly so that not one pc would get it all and the others lag out

is this true??? these were just some hints i got from some friends when i asked them how to make my office pcs faster and they said to get a switch and a server to host all the files

can you guys give me like specific brand and model numbers

Without knowing which make/model router you're using now....I don't know if putting in a switch will get you going faster...as most routers have a built in 4 port switch on the LAN side. But it probably isn't a gigabit model....so going with a gigabit switch as suggested above will get you going faster.

Unmanaged switches don't really "control bandwidth....so that not one pc would get it all and the others lag out". Not sure what you refer to when a pc lags out...that sounds more internet related.

[flopez82]

what i mean by lagging out is that when two computers try to access the same quickbooks file

one computer is able to load it fine while the second computer will take 5 minutes lets say to load the file and the third one we dont even try cause its even slower to get file

i am getting a server to help w/ this but they also they told me i should get a switch to help as well

i will find out modem and router model when i get into office later

thanks

[YeOldeStonecat]

what i mean by lagging out is that when two computers try to access the same quickbooks file

one computer is able to load it fine while the second computer will take 5 minutes lets say to load the file and the third one we dont even try cause its even slower to get file

i am getting a server to help w/ this but they also they told me i should get a switch to help as well

i will find out modem and router model when i get into office later

thanks

Quickbooks has gotten very bloated over the past few years...it needs a machine with a lot of horsepower to run well.

Also most, if not all, of the newer versions....require a server component to be installed on the "server"....the database manager...which shares the files for other workstations to connect to. It is best to run this on a "dedicated server"..meaning..nobody else works locally on this computer.

Is the current network connected wirelessly?

[flopez82]

well my current setup is not wise

but my new setup is this

server
dual Quad Core Xeon Processor E54052x6MB Cache, 2.0GHz, 1333MHz FSB
4GB 667MHz (4X1GB), Dual Ranked Fully Buffered DIMMs
PERC6i SAS RAID Controller Internal with Battery (raid 10)
Integrated SAS/SATA RAID 10 PERC 6/i Integrated
4 160GB 7.2K RPM Serial ATA 3Gbps 3.5-in HotPlug Hard Drive
Redundant Power Supply with Dual Cords
PowerConnect 2708, 8 Port GbE Web-managed Switch-R 10.100.1000

then im buying all my pcs gigabit lan cards

all pcs are going to be wired str8 to switch

at&t 6mps dsl internet

i hope this will work

thanks

[YeOldeStonecat]

The quad core Xeons are nice...
I recommend looking at Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 R2 for your operating system.
4 gigs of RAM...check!
I do recommend (strongly) considering moving up to SAS drives..10,000rpm or if budget allows...15,000rpm. I've done 2x servers (one of them SBS) with SATA drives...I have to admit....I'm disappointed in their performance, and the clients even mentioned a lack of performance. They just don't have the spindle speed...unless you get the WD Raptor based 10,000rpm SATA drives.
This past winter I've done around a half dozen new servers..most of them HP Proliant ML350 G5 servers with the 15k SAS drives.

[ErikD]

Dual quads is really nice, but probably overkill for the application. If you have the money for it though it never hurts, and you are ready for future growth.

I would say that most likely the problems you have are not so much related to the LAN but to the way you are sharing the Quickbooks data. You do need the data server components installed and running. You also need a good disk speed to be able to handle reads and writes from multiple clients without getting bogged down. Most places still do 100Mbps to the desktop and have no problems, even when doing more data than Quickbooks would be. But on that small of a scale doing gig to the desktop vs 100Mbps probably wouldn't be to much of a cost difference if the wiring in place is CAT 5e or better already.

[YeOldeStonecat]

Dual quads is really nice, but probably overkill for the application. If you have the money for it though it never hurts, and you are ready for future growth.

Agreed..way overkill. The quad core Xeons are smooth as buttah...the several Proliants I've setup over the past few months run on just a single one...a couple of them for 20x node networks....and one of them even for a large network of 50....barely even averages up above 10% utilization.

If you suddenly grow and need another CPU...easy enough to add one...the OS will see it and utilize it right away.

[flopez82]

well i was going to make it a single quad core

but when i removed it from the list they were on special so the difference when taking out one quad one 160 gb hd and making it raid 5 stead of raid 10 was only 300 bucks

it would have cost me more later on to put them on so i left them on

and this server will last me for a while so i think it was worth the extra $300

am i really going to be hurting cause of the 160GB 7.2K RPM Serial ATA?????

i hope i didnt spend this money and because i didnt choose the SAS hds its still going to be slow

anyone????????

[YeOldeStonecat]

am i really going to be hurting cause of the 160GB 7.2K RPM Serial ATA?????

In my opinion..yes 7,200rpm SATA drives have no place on primary servers that will have a heavier load..especially SBS. If you can get 10,000rpm SATA drives...the ones based on the WD Raptors which are enterprise grade drives anyways..they're not bad. But based on the handful of SATA servers I've deployed..I will not do them again.

[ErikD]

In my opinion..yes 7,200rpm SATA drives have no place on primary servers that will have a heavier load..especially SBS. If you can get 10,000rpm SATA drives...the ones based on the WD Raptors which are enterprise grade drives anyways..they're not bad. But based on the handful of SATA servers I've deployed..I will not do them again.

I agree. My base server setup these days has been a ML350 G5, single Quad Core, I try to go for 4GB RAM(but do 2GB if money is an issue), and 2.5" SAS drives. I wouldn't use desktop drives (SATA) in any server I sell or need to support, the performance and reliability hit is just to great.