Anyone using Dell Core switches/edge switches.

[tosca925]

We have been looking to upgrade our Core switch and edge switches. This is a major upgrade for us so we want to get it right. We cant afford Cisco :-( so we have had a quote on 3com so far. We have started using Dell pc's/ laptops and servers over the last 12 months and we have been happy with their kit.

 

Just wondered if anyone recommended their switches or had any experience with them?

[wesleyw]

I'd like to know about this as well as the prices I've got from DELL are very good.

 

Wes

[Mr_T]

If you cant afford Cisco but want all of the commenly used features I would recomend you take a look at HP's offering and the fact that the warrenty is for as long as you own the product. Good kit IMO

[wesleyw]

Yeah I've got a "core" switch thats HP and never had a problem but we run a small network and I can't justify the cost of HP kit to replace all of the old D-link and HP switches I inherited!

 

 

Wes

[Kyle]

Can anyone recommend a company who install HP switches?

 

Also does anyone know of any HP Network training?

[Ric_]

@Kyle: Do you have so much cash that you can employ somebody to screw the four screws in and power up the switches?

 

Seriously though, the HP documentation is pretty good and the software on the switches is very easy to use.

[tosca925]

3Com or HP...........?

[john]

Netgear, hate 3Com stuff, never been very impressed with it.

[Fedaykin]

I have heard some bad things about the Dell switch range - maybe best avoided!

 

We upgraded our school network infrastructure last year replacing the switches and most of the computers.

 

We use Dell GX620 as our choice computer (they come with Gigabit).

As for the switches we use Netgear with some Planet left over from a previous upgrade, with Netgear you get alot for your money and they seem to work well.

 

The central switch is a Netgear GSM7212 which is hooked up to the servers via copper and the rest of the network via a fibre optic backbone. The nice thing about this switch is the 12 SFP fibre ports and 12 RJ45 ports, you also get a web interface.

 

http://www.netgear.co.uk/managed_layer2_switch_gsm7212.php

 

Out across the network we use the Netgear JGS524F which have 24 Gigabit ports and two SFP slots.

 

http://www.netgear.co.uk/rackmountable_switch_jgs524f.php

 

We use the AGM731F SFP modules which are gigabit.

 

http://www.netgear.co.uk/fibregigabit_module_agm731f.php

 

The odd Planet switches have gigabit fibre modules to hook them into the backbone and we only use them for areas with legacy computers which don't have gigabit network adapters.

 

For not much spend we have got a robust and very fast network.

 

As for cabling work we tend to use Cavendish who have always done a good job for us (if you contact there Newhaven office try and speak to John Deakin - he is always helpful).

 

http://www.cavendishcoms.co.uk/company.asp

 

Hope all this helps!

[adent]

Had some experiences with Dell Switchgear - sadly not good ones. To be fair to Dell, the kit I was working on was a couple of years old - when they first started to ship Switches. But even so it was flakey to say the least.

 

The school had implemented Dell switches site wide, but the packet loss was awful - to the point of rendering the network unusable. Changes you made to the switches did not take effect, or had the exact opposite effect to what I was expecting.

 

If you are going with Dell, ask for a sample and get used to how they operate first.

 

IMHO you can't get better than Cisco, but if price is an issue, then the HP Procurve is a close second place.

[Geoff]

Nortel Networks and Foundry Networks switching gear are also good options if you want an answer other than "Cisco" or "HP". The Foundry stuff in particular goes up to insane 'Carrier grade' level equipment.

[ThatBoringBloke]

From what I have been told Dell switches are simply Netgears re badged. But I'm not a hundred % certain of that.

 

Go for HP's. 8)

[plexer]

I used Allied Telisyn in the last place and never had any problems with them.

 

Nice stacked setup.

 

You can do HP procurve training but it is very expensive.

 

Ben

[Mr_T]

Can anyone recommend a company who install HP switches?

 

Also does anyone know of any HP Network training?

 

HP stuff is very easy to setup yourself. It has a menu system for all the really common basic stuff. Nearly all the command line syntax is the same as cisco's. You only really need the CLI for seting up VLANs and stuff so if you have a small network I wouldnt worry about that.

 

as long as your able to plug a serial cable in and click a few buttons to setup hyperterm your away.