Hardware requirements in this situation…
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You can use VLANs and a manged switch to get extra interfaces, perhaps you already have suitable one?
Steve
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@Steve - No, my switches are unmanaged. Replacing them (3x 24p gbit) would be much more expensive than getting the extra card.
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That would certainly be true but an additional 5 or 8 port managed switch may not be. It's just a suggestion, I would personally not do VLANs unless I have to. Removing complexity usually results in less problems. ;)
Steve
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@Steve - No, my switches are unmanaged. Replacing them (3x 24p gbit) would be much more expensive than getting the extra card.
You can get a Netgear 10-port Smart switch for under $100. Use that for your VLAN backbone and then segregate the subnets with unmanaged switches branching off the Netgear Smart switch. Technically you can have 9 physical VLANs ports on it going to 9 unmanaged switches for each VLAN. It can handle lots of VLANs if you have other managed switches connecting to it.
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Hmm I see, but as you said yourself, removing complexity is better. :)
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Hmm I see, but as you said yourself, removing complexity is better. :)
Actually, asterix was proposing the cost-effectiveness of a smart switch:
@asterix:You can get a Netgear 10-port Smart switch for under $100. Use that for your VLAN backbone and then segregate the subnets with unmanaged switches branching off the Netgear Smart switch. Technically you can have 9 physical VLANs ports on it going to 9 unmanaged switches for each VLAN. It can handle lots of VLANs if you have other managed switches connecting to it.
while stephenw10 was the one positing that less complexity = less problems:
@stephenw10:That would certainly be true but an additional 5 or 8 port managed switch may not be. It's just a suggestion, I would personally not do VLANs unless I have to. Removing complexity usually results in less problems.
Personally, I'm not having much fun with VLANs at the moment myself, but I also have zero experience with them :P
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Start with a Netgear GS108Tv2. It's cheap, gigabit, extremely well built and very stable. I learnt all about VLANs playing on this. I have now moved to a 48-port GSM7248v2 managed switch which has the same GUI as the GS108Tv2 but with extra features.
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Right, but I'm not looking to set up a VLAN kind of setup.
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Just giving you options. There are pros and cons for vlans over additional NICs.
Steve
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Correction .. the Netgear GS108Tv2 is a 8-port and not a 10-port… still cheaper than adding a multiport NIC. I was in similar situation when I first started using pfSense and adding the Netgear GS108Tv2 was the smart thing to do ;)
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I see :) Thanks.
