catch21

One really basic rule I enforce is...you don't connect anything to my network that hasn't been given to you to connect. (Yeah they probably think the same as you're thinking but at least the network stands a chance of working when they want it.)

I've used Total Locker Services successfully.

Welcome to the strange world of layer 2 in 2013. I don't know how many times I thought "well it should work" and then for no real reason, it starts working, you don't know why it didn't work and you don't know why it started working. Mysterious. Just makes me more grateful when it's all working. A hardware engineer sitting at a bench once said to me, back in 1978 while breathing in too much soldering iron smoke, "it's strange, you make an oscillator circuit which doesn't oscillate, and you make an amplifier circuit which does".

Asbestos: you shouldn't be working anywhere until you've checked the asbestos register, and if they don't have one or can't explain how it affects you, then walk. Fire compartmentation: seal the gaps back up with intumescent sealer as appropriate. Label everything!

2.5 for us, definately not yet in the full enterprise arena, nor do we need to be. (400+ pupil primary) I found out that if you inherit a ten year old wired n/w with 100Mbps switches and occasional domestic quality access points resting on the top of cupboards it rather pays not to upgrade your core. If you wait long enough the appeal of wifi will highlight the patheticness of the present solution and funds will appear, followed by some more funds to upgrade the core, cabs, etc. Worked for me. And to add...I chose Ruckus. Two 'consultants' offered us top price netgear and dlink solutions [with one eye on Mercedes Benz catalogues I think]. I chose, because no one else would, and I chose Ruckus because after a great deal of googling I could not find a bad word about them. I have been very pleased with the solution, so has everyone else in school.

Too late? What do you mean too late? I've just bought a 32G Nexus 7 (old one) new, whose price had been slashed and I don't know how they've improved it, it is seriously good.

I did ours. Tell the boss you're an expert and pocket the £4000. Its a walk in the park and there's plenty of great advice available on here. Heck I'll take a couple of days off and come and do it for you for £4000.

Your county council should have framework contractors, contact your property manager/property surveyor/help desk. You must have someone who normally does your small electrical work? If not, or you're an academy, it's up to someone at the school to engage someone competent, insured, possibly CRB-checked, qualified, etc, etc.

I guess you've seen this, quite informative... http://www.edugeek.net/forums/wireless-networks/124210-what-wireless-network-hardware-do-you-use.html

I've not noticed but the background noise is quite high plus the server and cache server run in the same closet.

Go for the SG-300 at least. I powered our 12 APs in two blocks of 6 off two SG300-10MP switches. Works a treat. I don't think you'll need to wire all 90 copper links back to the switch once you've got your wifi up and running.

Cisco RV042G?

That's because the Ruckus ZD doesn't care what IP range you are using on your guest vlan.

Do you have admin rights to the internet gateway router you talk about?

We've previously had 3Com but don't do anything hugely sophisticated with our network.

We use Cisco SG300 switches, 10 port PoE, 10 port and 28 port. They can be recycled/rebadged matchboxes for all I care, they get the job done at an effective price.

...and the other thing about cable brush entry panels is that the hardened connections can go into the frame whereas the soft (or temporary) ones can be patched outside until they harden. Makes the changes obvious. Read the network from the paperwork plus the soft changes then once its settled update the paperwork and harden the patches tidying the whole thing up again. I'll try and post some piccies of my cabs.

I patch with longer cables and 1U cable-brush-entry panels. Looks neat to my eye. Every cable in the cab should have a unique label at either end anyway. Got the coloured ones from fruity cables.

I've posted the same before but as my German colleagues would say "what for I need CLI?" I've done everything I've needed to do using the web-based interface of the Cisco. They're economic to buy and have just run flawlessly. It is horses for courses but what do you exactly need CLI for, that I can't do intuitively through the web browser? Incidentally I have a friend who was (still is) a whizz with DOS. He once announced "Windows will never catch on". What he meant of course was that he hoped windows would never catch on as we wouldn't need his services any more. It did, we don't. I get this same sort of deja-vu with the CLI.

You're right, there's a strange use of terms in the original post. I think we can see what the OP was getting at. Maybe the OP will update the thread as discussions with the installer and the installation progress.

Ah yes, I had the same problem until I realised it was the same thing, 2 LANs or 2 Vlans over 1 LAN, same thing! At the near end if there is one RJ45 then presumably this connects to a vlan-aware device such as a switch with a trunk carrying one tagged and one untagged or both tagged. Then it doesn't matter what is connected into other ports of this switch, two access ports on separate LANs or one trunk port carrying 2 vlans. See what I mean?

Right, and to your original question, (and I assume you mean your admin and curriculum networks are on two different vlans) I'd stick with that, why drop back to one? If you need crossover you can do that via static routes in a cheap router. The vlan configuration should be fairly straightforward.

Then they would appear to be in breach of contract with a number of remedies available to you. You haven't settled the invoice yet presumably?

At risk of resurrecting a dormant thread, it seems to me the contractors have extended a LAN for you as requested, as long as the kit they have used is vlan-aware and preserves vlan tags and untagged packets as is, which I am sure they will have. If not they have not delivered. So you have a single RJ-45 at each end. Now you have to put a bit of kit there, why should they be responsible for that? What if you had 17 vlans, would you want 17 RJ-45s at each end?

$15,000 for some switches? I mean, that's what you are talking about, right? Not the re-cabling etc? I was pointed to HP procurve as well and I think it is good advice. However when I did our core n/w (400+ pupils, Ruckus wireless APs) I chose the Cisco Small Business switches from the SG-300 range. I believe (although will stand corrected) that these are the highest spec switches you can get from cisco before reaching into the enterprise class of equipment which would mean you need a support contract from cisco to get firmware upgrades etc. Anyway the proof of the pudding etc. The switches (2 x SG300-28, 2 x SG300-10MP & 1 x SG300-10) have been faultless in set up and performance and do everything that is required by us.