Kind of new to this ,
If I needed 48 workstations connected to the network, Instead of 48 cat5E drops, I only install 6 drops and hang cheap 8 port switches off the six drops and patch them in with patch cords since there relatively close.
Is there a downfall or something I am missing ?
Thanks
SD
Yes. Bandwidth :-)
Your 48 Cat5e drops would provide 48 times 100 Mbps.
6 drops only support 6 times 100 Mbps. That comes to an avarage of 12 Mbps per client. That's a difference they will notice!Ground rule for network installation: don't save on cabling, it will cost you!
Wouldn't a gig uplink to a gig switch solve that ?
While I realize 'cheap' is a relative term you did mention "cheap 8 port switches".
Sonbo wrote in part:
The downfall is if multiple workstations on those 8-port switches want to access different servers simultaneously. Then they have to share bandwidth. (If they go to the same server, they'd have to share the link from the 48).
This depends a great deal on access patterns and exactly which apps the wkstns are running. Many people have no trouble with the cascaded setup, especially with such a small fan-out. YMMV.
-- Robert
Short answer.
10 100mbps computers switched into a single 1gbps link will get less throughput than through 10 separate connections 100mbps connections to a switch.Long answer. Well it's long.
YMWV. Are you all checking short emails or editing video on a SAN server? It matters.
The prices on 8 port gigabit switches are pretty good.
The real difference is managability.
There is a difference in bandwidth, but in the usual case it won't be noticed. Especially not if it is going through a 100baseTX connection to the server, and definitely not if it is going to a T1 or DSL/cable connection.
-- glen
Thanks all.
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