I'd have to agree with Pete. It just doesn't make sense to get and use a
networking device that can potentially cripple your activities later on.
That's why I have an RP114 router from NetGear with 4 switched 10/100
duplex ports in it. The only hubs I have are for Token Ring and I am
considering replacing them as well. I have a Bay Networks BayStack 504 24
port Token Ring hub with Fiber M.D.A., D.C.M. and N.M.M. - making it almost
as good as a managed switch. ...And, because I am a paranoid S.O.B., I have
a 3Com LinkBuilder FMS TR 12 (3C510510)- 12 port Active Token Ring hub as
backup. Needless to say, it may be a _little_ overkill for a 3 machine
network environment, but hey, I can transfer gigs of data all day safely. =)
-John
At 07:53 AM 4/21/02, you wrote:
>On Apr 21, 2:34, Chad Fernandez wrote:
> > I'm finally going to work on hooking up a home network, so I guess I
> > need a hub. What should I look for? I don't know much about networks
> > yet. I have potentially 7 computers that I'd like to have connected.
> > It'll need to be 10Base-T, but 100base-T may be involved too. I thought
> > I'd look for something on Ebay, hopefully, not too expensive. Maybe
> > something commercial grade, However. I thought about something from IBM
> > or 3Com, any suggestions??
>
>What do you mean by "commercial grade"? The difference between upmarket
>devices and small SOHO devices is mostly that the ones used in larger
>commercial networks are managed devices. That means you can configure them
>remotely (with SNMP or a web interface), get statistics from them, etc.
>
>You really want a switch rather than a hub. Not many people are making
>hubs (repeaters) these days, even at the low end of the market. A switch
>will ultimately give better throughput, especially in a peer-to-peer
>network.
>
>Go for autosensing 10/100baseT. If you're going to spend any amount of
>money, you want to protect your investment by including 100baseT capability
>even if you don't need it right now.
>
>If you see a decent modern 3Com hub or switch, that's fine but most of the
>second-hand stuff I've seen is 10baseT only. I wouldn't bother looking for
>IBM. Baystack, 3Com, HP, Cisco are the ones you're likely to see. And
>Netgear, which is almost entirely unmanaged kit, but quite good quality.
>
>--
>Pete Peter Turnbull
> Network Manager
> University of York
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Received on Sun Apr 21 2002 - 09:09:08 BST