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From: Your_name on 6 Jan 2010 02:35
Greetings, network gurus.

A friend of mine who owns a retail store has asked me to help him expand
his in-store network. His situation is as follows:

The store has 3 POS computers, one of them is the main server.
Additionally, there is a computer in the office. So altogether 4
computers, they're all connected to a Linksys 4-port router which in turn
is connected to the internet via DSL. Because the POS computers need to
access the main server, the POS vendor has disabled DHCP in the network,
and assigned IP addresses to each POS manually. I have followed suit with
the office computer, which so far has worked flawlessly.

Now the store is to install 2 additional Globalpayments terminals which
would be connected to internet in order to verify payments. Since all 4
ports on the Linksys router is fully occupied, there's a clear need to
expand the network. My questions are as follows:
1. Should I buy an 8-port router to replace the current 4-port one, or
alternatively, buy an 8-port switch and connect it to the existing 4-port
router?
2. The second option is considerably cheaper than the first, as I saw a
8-port Cisco 10/100 switch advertised locally for under $50. But I'm not
sure if the router+8-port switch combo approach is inferior to the 8-port
router solution in terms of network quality. Additionally, I wonder if
it's any potential complications to manually set device IP address on a
network with a router and a switch, as opposed to a network with just a
router.
3. Lastly, do I need some special cable to connect a router to a switch?
Is there any special setup required to tell the router that a switch is
attached to it?

Thank you for your expertise in advance.
From: Anteaus on 6 Jan 2010 04:16

All you need is a suitable switch(hub) connected to one router port. This
will not affect the operation of DHCP. In fact, since many 4-port routers act
as dumb hubs rather than switching hubs, you may get better LAN performance
if you use the switch ports for all local computers, and just have one lead
from switch to router.

The lead to t he router should ideally be an x-over lead, though some hubs
will tolerate either type.

The Cisco one should be OK, but then Cisco kit is vastly overpriced.You
should be able to find a Netgear or D-link switch for half that amount. The
main choice in switch spec is between 100MHz and GHz working, which latter
will cost somewhat more and is probably not necessary on a LAN of this size.
But, you could future-proof if you wish.

"Your_name" wrote:

> Greetings, network gurus.
>
> A friend of mine who owns a retail store has asked me to help him expand
> his in-store network. His situation is as follows:
>
> The store has 3 POS computers, one of them is the main server.
> Additionally, there is a computer in the office. So altogether 4
> computers, they're all connected to a Linksys 4-port router which in turn
> is connected to the internet via DSL. Because the POS computers need to
> access the main server, the POS vendor has disabled DHCP in the network,
> and assigned IP addresses to each POS manually. I have followed suit with
> the office computer, which so far has worked flawlessly.
>
> Now the store is to install 2 additional Globalpayments terminals which
> would be connected to internet in order to verify payments. Since all 4
> ports on the Linksys router is fully occupied, there's a clear need to
> expand the network. My questions are as follows:
> 1. Should I buy an 8-port router to replace the current 4-port one, or
> alternatively, buy an 8-port switch and connect it to the existing 4-port
> router?
> 2. The second option is considerably cheaper than the first, as I saw a
> 8-port Cisco 10/100 switch advertised locally for under $50. But I'm not
> sure if the router+8-port switch combo approach is inferior to the 8-port
> router solution in terms of network quality. Additionally, I wonder if
> it's any potential complications to manually set device IP address on a
> network with a router and a switch, as opposed to a network with just a
> router.
> 3. Lastly, do I need some special cable to connect a router to a switch?
> Is there any special setup required to tell the router that a switch is
> attached to it?
>
> Thank you for your expertise in advance.
> .
>
From: Jack [MVP-Networking] on 6 Jan 2010 11:16
Hi
Routers with more than 4 ports are overpriced and under performing.
8 ports Giga capable Switch would provide better result, would be less
expensive, and would be compatible with faster Network traffic when the time
comes to upgrade to Giga capable Network.
Example for a very good switch,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833156251&cm_re=trendnet_switch-_-33-156-251-_-Product
Jack (MS, MVP-Networking).

"Your_name" <email(a)email.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9CF85EED6C36emailemailcom(a)216.196.97.131...
> Greetings, network gurus.
>
> A friend of mine who owns a retail store has asked me to help him expand
> his in-store network. His situation is as follows:
>
> The store has 3 POS computers, one of them is the main server.
> Additionally, there is a computer in the office. So altogether 4
> computers, they're all connected to a Linksys 4-port router which in turn
> is connected to the internet via DSL. Because the POS computers need to
> access the main server, the POS vendor has disabled DHCP in the network,
> and assigned IP addresses to each POS manually. I have followed suit with
> the office computer, which so far has worked flawlessly.
>
> Now the store is to install 2 additional Globalpayments terminals which
> would be connected to internet in order to verify payments. Since all 4
> ports on the Linksys router is fully occupied, there's a clear need to
> expand the network. My questions are as follows:
> 1. Should I buy an 8-port router to replace the current 4-port one, or
> alternatively, buy an 8-port switch and connect it to the existing 4-port
> router?
> 2. The second option is considerably cheaper than the first, as I saw a
> 8-port Cisco 10/100 switch advertised locally for under $50. But I'm not
> sure if the router+8-port switch combo approach is inferior to the 8-port
> router solution in terms of network quality. Additionally, I wonder if
> it's any potential complications to manually set device IP address on a
> network with a router and a switch, as opposed to a network with just a
> router.
> 3. Lastly, do I need some special cable to connect a router to a switch?
> Is there any special setup required to tell the router that a switch is
> attached to it?
>
> Thank you for your expertise in advance.

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