What if your core switch fails?

[Muz]

We have config backups of it, and would be in touch with HP to send us a replacement for whichever bit has failed (as its a modular switch). We couldn't swap it out for an access switch - we've got 15 SFP and 4 SFP+ modules plugged in to it, along with a few dozen copper connections. It also acts as the central router for the network for intra-vlan routing.

 

So, no redundancy for us - it'd cost too much to implement! £15k+ for it to sit on a shelf.

 

* INTER VLAN Routing

 

Sorry to be pedantic

 

On topic though I would never use a single core switch if I had a choice, I'd either stack them or join another in a VRRP Pair.

[FN-GM]

Out of interest what are people using as core switches?

 

Data Center, SAN and High School core switches are pairs of Cisco 4500X. Primary Schools Cisco 3750X.

[localzuk]

* INTER VLAN Routing

 

Sorry to be pedantic

 

I direct the honourable member to this group... Pedantic Geeks - EduGeek.net

 

Out of interest what are people using as core switches?

 

HP 5406zl for us.

[tmcd35]

Out of interest what are people using as core switches?

 

Currently a HP Procurve 4108gl will be replaced with 3x stacked Allied Telesis x610's. I'll be keeping the some of the modules from the 4108gl in an old 4104gl chassis I have laying around for emergences.

 

The AT's will give us full Layer 3+ switching so we can implement VLAN's and have 6x10Gbe SPF+ ports between them for future expansion. We're upgrading a large portion of our edge switches to AT GS950's at the same time but will still have a small number of HP 2650's and 2510's that'll we'll replace with AT's during refresh over the next 2-3 years.

[Techie2000]

At the moment I am using an old HP 2610-24 as my Core Switch... It does the job for now (just about!) - in terms of redundancy though, I have a backup of the config!

 

What are people using for their Distribution Switches? I currently have some D-Links, our most recent has been swapped out 3 times in the 12 months we've had it - the first time the fans failed, the second time the PSU died and last time it just kept rebooting itself every 30 - 90 minutes (even D-Link don't have the answer!) - any recommendations for better and more reliable units would be appreciated. Although, we have only paid around £400 for gigabit PoE switches (get what you pay for and all that!).Walked in this morning to find the switch rebooting randomly yet again! Had so many issues with late firmware fixes from D-Link that I'm losing faith with them.

[FN-GM]

At the moment I am using an old HP 2610-24 as my Core Switch... It does the job for now (just about!) - in terms of redundancy though, I have a backup of the config!

 

What are people using for their Distribution Switches? I currently have some D-Links, our most recent has been swapped out 3 times in the 12 months we've had it - the first time the fans failed, the second time the PSU died and last time it just kept rebooting itself every 30 - 90 minutes (even D-Link don't have the answer!) - any recommendations for better and more reliable units would be appreciated. Although, we have only paid around £400 for gigabit PoE switches (get what you pay for and all that!).Walked in this morning to find the switch rebooting randomly yet again! Had so many issues with late firmware fixes from D-Link that I'm losing faith with them.

 

 

For edge switches Cisco 2900X my old school has 3750X.

 

The primary used to D-Link before they joined the trust IT service. They seemed to work ok.

[3s-gtech]

Cisco SG series and HP V19** are decent cheap switches, though we haven't got the PoE versions of either they are available.

[sonofsanta]

A pair of HP A5800s at the core. Edge switches are either A5120s for major cabs or 1910s for smaller cabs (i.e. single IT room cabs).

[pcstru]

Out of interest what are people using as core switches?

HP A7506 on our main network.

[Oaktech]

Because I've inherited such a weird setup

 

5 cabs - 3 daisy chained off one another, upstairs of a building cabled back to the other side of the school instead of downstairs to the server room, internet arriving on the other side of the school to the server room... etc.

 

All of my switches are essentially the same, either procurve 18xx or 19xx L2, with some L3 features, so any switch can be moved anywhere else in the building and, aside from the number of ports, do the same job.

[aleach2]

Out of interest what are people using as core switches?

 

Four 3Comm 4800G switches (2 x 24 port SFP & 2 x 24 port copper) clustered using 10Gbps connections. Works pretty well. Over 6 years old now and had no issues at all.

[mjk]

I think stacked switches are better because they allow higher availability, ie if the switch goes down others in the stack will take over.

The cost of this is lower reliability, a stack of 3 switches has 3 times the chance of the PSU/motherboard failing over a modular switch.

[Muz]

Data Center, SAN and High School core switches are pairs of Cisco 4500X. Primary Schools Cisco 3750X.

How much is a 4500X in real money?

 

I've not worked on anything better than a 3750 in terms of switches and I've nearly got a CCNP... Cisco stuff is too expensive for most places

[Davit2005]

2 core switches here and everything in the Virtual environment is redundant, not so much the physical but wouldn't take much to swap over 10 servers from one core or the other TBH, we are 96% Virtual now. Edited June 12, 2015 by Davit2005

[FN-GM]

How much is a 4500X in real money?

 

I've not worked on anything better than a 3750 in terms of switches and I've nearly got a CCNP... Cisco stuff is too expensive for most places

 

We paid just under £5k each. Bare in mind that all the ports are 10 gig.

[Roberto]

Out of interest what are people using as core switches?

 

In the core, 2 HP 8212zls & 2x 5406Zls, 10Gb connections to the servers and 2x10Gb connections (1 per 8212 zl core switch) to each of our 40-odd edge switches.

[Davit2005]

Cisco SG series and HP V19** are decent cheap switches, though we haven't got the PoE versions of either they are available.

 

Got a SG300 10 port PoE+ in Layer 3 mode at home and although I wouldn't say they are proper Cisco (i.e. IOS seems a bit different) it was definitely a good investment and only uses about 12-20 watts while running a PoE+ Access Point.

[Markopolo]

They don't need that proof as the warranty is transferable too. So, even if you buy it second hand from someone who used it before you, it'd be covered. However, if it is sold second hand by a non-end user (ie. a company reselling stuff), then the warranty ended when it entered their possession.

 

Hi, is this still true?

 

I've been talking to HP about this and they stated they have recently changed their T&C's:

New Warranty details

[localzuk]

Hi, is this still true?

 

I've been talking to HP about this and they stated they have recently changed their T&C's:

New Warranty details

 

Interesting. I haven't bought new HP switches recently so didn't realise they've updated their warranty.

 

The old warranty still applies to switches that were bought with it though - they can't go changing that.

[Markopolo]

Interesting. I haven't bought new HP switches recently so didn't realise they've updated their warranty.

 

The old warranty still applies to switches that were bought with it though - they can't go changing that.

 

I have recently had to use their warranty on older kit, wasn't asked for proof of purchase. Would be interesting to see if they require it or similar for any new kit purchased under the new warranty.