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Max number of switches connected (cascading) ?

Hi!

I wonder, what is the maximum number of ethernet 100Mpbs switches, that can be connected together to form a larger LAN. I mean connecting them by UTP using their normal ports (or a crossed uplink port, but modern switches are Auto-MDI/MDI-X on all port anyway). This is know as cascading AFAIK.

What is the theory ? And practice ?

Thanks, David Balazic

PS: I would appreciate if answers are followed by some short description of you (workplace, experience) or even better, a link to some more or less official documents. This is not really for me, but for certain someone, who would otherwise reject all reasing (because he knows some experts, who may claim otherwise as me/you).

Reply to
david.balazic
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Hi!

I did some googling on Usenet and found answers. I'll list them here in case someone later finds my question, so he'll also find asnwers :-)

(i will list the message ID, becasue URLs are very long and likely broken; to find and view messages by their ID, go here :

formatting link
enter the message id in the "Lookup the message with message ID" field at the bottom and press the "Lookup Message" button) :

(note : the comment in the parenthesis is not part of the ID)

- 6Dwg7.13339$ snipped-for-privacy@news6.giganews.com (comp.dcom.lans.ethernet / Number of Switches by Daniel J McDonald)

- icUj6.83578$ snipped-for-privacy@news1.alsv.occa.home.com (comp.dcom.lans.ethernet / Chain of switches? by Arie Goldberg)

- snipped-for-privacy@goliath.newsfeeds.com (comp.dcom.lans.ethernet / Difference between a Switch and a Hub by Bud Durland)

- LzdK6.10433$ snipped-for-privacy@news6.giganews.com (comp.dcom.lans.ethernet > 5509 problem by Daniel J McDonald)

I'll add some more questions for clarification : - the delays in this setup; how big are they and does it matter in practice ? - the 7 hops max rule; does it apply ? only in STP setups ?

Thanks for your time (and wisdom), David Balazic

Reply to
david.balazic

You might want to search for a thread in the nanog mailing list archive on merit.edu that was "spanning tree melt down" and filter out the facts...

Reply to
Bjoern A. Zeeb

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