Network Topology suggestions.

[pete_clio]

Basically ive been asked to set one up...

Have a router, with ethernet 4 ports...and a hub with 16 wired around the room.

The full 16 ports are needed for computers.

Question is...do i want all 16 on one port via a 16 port switch, or each router port using a 5 port switch each, having less traffic on each port.

Verdict?

Thanks

 

[Mark One]

for the extra performance you'll see out of a broadband connection, save your cash and buy one 17 or more port switch ( i take it you mean 16 machines I switch??)

 

[Longy]

Got any money to spend? do you have a data cabinet? with racks?

Router -> 24port gigabit Switch -> Patch Panel -> Cat5e Network Sockets -> done.

Fast, tidy and furture proof.

no need for separate switches - one main swtich connected to the router.

 

[pete_clio]

thats what i was asking, would there be a performance issue with all 16 computers coming through the one router port!

but form reading aorund and what you guys have said there wouldnt be. it'll only be used for browsing internet and stuff

 

[sn00p]

There won't be any performance issues, your bottleneck is the adsl connection itself.

 

[Dafthead]

There won't be any performance issues, your bottleneck is the adsl connection itself.

what he said!

 

[pete_clio]

excellent!

one more question, it appears to be a BT business broadband connection, is there a limit on the number of computers that can be attached to this? i tried looking online but couldnt find anything!

thanks!

 

[DMS]

No. It doesn't work like that. The ISP can't tell how many hosts are on your private network.
As long as the subnet you use can accomodate more than 17 hosts you'll be fine. I presume you'll end up using a basic 24 bit subnet mask, which means you can have 254 hosts on the network before having to do something a bit more complicated.

 

[pete_clio]

its just an internet connection sharing set up ....

 

[pete_clio]

anybody?

 

[DMS]

Still no limit to the number of computers that can use the internet at the same time.
Computers on your private network aren't visible to the ISP, it doesn't work like that unless you aren't performing NAT (which I doubt).