Comments on: What’s the difference between a ‘managed’ or an ‘unmanaged’ switch when it comes to installation? http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/itanswers/whats-the-difference-between-a-managed-or-an-unmanaged-switch-when-it-comes-to-installation/ Fri, 24 May 2013 19:50:07 +0000 hourly 1 By: rayhorn13 http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/itanswers/whats-the-difference-between-a-managed-or-an-unmanaged-switch-when-it-comes-to-installation/#comment-51346 rayhorn13 Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:22:22 +0000 #comment-51346 Thanks – what we have now is SMC 10/100 unmanaged, so I think I’ll look at the SMC Gigabit Managed, see what the install looks like, and go from there.

]]> By: tbitner http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/itanswers/whats-the-difference-between-a-managed-or-an-unmanaged-switch-when-it-comes-to-installation/#comment-51327 tbitner Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:28:53 +0000 #comment-51327 I’ve only used Cisco, Procurve, SMC managed switches, and of those, Cisco is the least intuitive. In any case, you should look at the installation guides for each model and see which looks the most user friendly, and explains any questions/conerns. You should also consider other things such as tech-support, warranty, maintenance, website “ease of use”, user reviews…etc.

]]> By: rayhorn13 http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/itanswers/whats-the-difference-between-a-managed-or-an-unmanaged-switch-when-it-comes-to-installation/#comment-51320 rayhorn13 Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:33:46 +0000 #comment-51320 Ok – I guess the serial connection thing is for higher-end switches or larger ones than the ones I’m looking at. I noticed the names of the ones you refer to (Cisco, Juniper, etc.) and the ones I am referring to (Linksys, D-Link, SMC, etc.) and they are definitely in different classes. I was wondering if I had completely lost my mind there for a minute.

Out of the brands I have named, are there any that I should or shouldn’t get?

Is there a tutorial of some type for someone as inexperienced (with installation of a managed switch) as myself? I would like to be able to have the features available if needed, but I would hate to take a 10 minute switch-out (pun intended) and turn it into a few-hour fiasco.

]]> By: kb3cgj http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/itanswers/whats-the-difference-between-a-managed-or-an-unmanaged-switch-when-it-comes-to-installation/#comment-51312 kb3cgj Tue, 29 Jan 2008 01:14:33 +0000 #comment-51312 Almost all managed switches offer a serial connection. HP Procurve, Cisco, Juniper, and Adtran all offer serial configuration as an option. Or if you prefer you can plug a computer directly into the switch and change your computers IP to the same subnet as the default ip on the switch..then you can telnet or connect to the web interface of most switches without dealing with serial connections. I like serial better but a lot of Net Admins prefer the GUI – often web based setup of the newer equipment.

]]> By: tbitner http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/itanswers/whats-the-difference-between-a-managed-or-an-unmanaged-switch-when-it-comes-to-installation/#comment-51301 tbitner Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:44:27 +0000 #comment-51301 With managed switches you can connect to them directly with a serial cable to configure them or view the configuration. Usually the serial or rj-45 port is labled “console”

]]> By: rayhorn13 http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/itanswers/whats-the-difference-between-a-managed-or-an-unmanaged-switch-when-it-comes-to-installation/#comment-51294 rayhorn13 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:38:24 +0000 #comment-51294 What kind of switch are you referring to? I have yet to see or ever hear of a switch that has any kind of serial connection or that comes with a serial connection cable.
If I am totally off, please enlighten me.

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