Multiple Switches cross connect or each port into pfsense box
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@johnpoz said in Multiple Switches cross connect or each port into pfsense box:
If all the switches in 1 room in the same rack why not just stack? Do the 48 port unifi not stack?
They don't, and this was a requirement from the customer (they have some IT guys in California who told them Unifi was the only way to go. I talked them out of the Unfi gateway they wanted to use)
If you want them all on same L2 for airprint then yeah use a distribution layer switch. Ie your smaller 8 port switch to connect them. Then connect to pfsense from that switch.. You only need 1 lan interface on pfsense then ;)
Perfect this will do perfect
Printer(s) would be local resource btw...
Yes sorry I was not clear, to be honest I forgot about the 3 printers they have until you guys started talking about VLANS, but I was thinking about isolating the printers anyway and just opening up the ports for airprint.
If the user devices do not need to talk to each other I would still isolate the shit of them.. That billy loves to get infected!! ;)
Ok I will consider isolating them. They are all running Mac so infection is a little less of a worry (I know MACs can get viruses, just a little harder then a Windows Machines).
What do you think about the HW for the router good enough? and also I can get away with a 2 port nic if I just use a smaller switch?
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@manwdaplan said in Multiple Switches cross connect or each port into pfsense box:
anyway and just opening up the ports for airprint.
Its a bit more complicated than that.. Airprint is designed for flat layer 2 networks for discovery of the printer. You could use avhai to allow the discovery.
Why are you using SSD? Are you going to run proxy? Why not just go with netgate hardware.. The XG-7100 would seem like a good fit for such a deployment. And it has the 8 port switch so now you don't need to buy that other switch..
If you can wait a bit the SG-5100 be good too.. Im more a fan of router interfaces vs switch ports. You can always get a small switch if you need switch ports ;)
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@johnpoz said in Multiple Switches cross connect or each port into pfsense box:
@manwdaplan said in Multiple Switches cross connect or each port into pfsense box:
Its a bit more complicated than that.. Airprint is designed for flat layer 2 networks for discovery of the printer. You could use avhai to allow the discovery.
Leave it to Apple to make this hard, ok maybe we will just use IP to print that will depend on what the customer wants to do. Thanks for that by the way I am not great with Apple and MACOS.
Why are you using SSD? Are you going to run proxy? Why not just go with netgate hardware.. The XG-7100 would seem like a good fit for such a deployment. And it has the 8 port switch so now you don't need to buy that other switch..
SSDs are cheap and pretty darn reliable. I was planing on using Squid like I have setup as home :) This is my first real deployment of pfsense in a business setting, all of my customers are very small (no more then 10 users) and a ASUS router (with Merlin firmware) as been fine for most everybody so far. This is by far my largest customer which is why I decided to go with pfsense and not a retail router. So the router budget is $500.00 which is why I was looking at a DYI build (I have most of the parts on hand due to the nature of my business, I have inventory)
If you can wait a bit the SG-5100 be good too.. Im more a fan of router interfaces vs switch ports. You can always get a small switch if you need switch ports ;)
I am open to suggestions on Netgate devices if you can recomend one for under $500 that can handle that amount of users. But I will need the device in less then two weeks.
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@johnpoz said in Multiple Switches cross connect or each port into pfsense box:
The XG-7100 would seem like a good fit for such a deployment.
I can recommend this device...got two of them.
-Rico
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The 3100 could prob do it.. It handles one of my locations without any issues.. But its not on a full gig.. The 3100 should be able to do gig.. But then others come back and say oh it doesn't do vpn at full speed, etc. etc.. <rolleyes>
But sure the 3100 should be able to do it.. You can look about for others running it - since without local resources you prob have no need for road warrior vpn, etc.
That is under your $500 and has switch ports as well..
BTW while I do like the unifi for AP... The price point for the switches - which one did you get the 48 poe (750w) one? For same price point you could of gone with L3 sg500x poe from cisco..
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Thanks for all of your help on this, I will look at the SG-3100 right now. You have been very helpful :)
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check out my edit curious on the switches you got.. Guessing you got POE, but they do not stack and they are only L2 right.. From that pricepoint the sg500x from cisco prob better small business choice.
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So they are the non POE 48 Port switches. They are on Amazon here. I was just going to use injectors to power the APs, (just two of them) but now I might just pickup a 16 port Unifi with POE as the switch to attach everything together. I am kinda stuck using Unifi due to the customer mandating them. Like I said before I talked them out of the USG-PRO-4 which I have read very bad reviews on, and understand that the interface is very hard to use, and can not hit GB speeds all the time. I want to use pfsense because it has a large following and I know I can find answers if I have questions (like today)
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Oh if there is only 2 of them - then sure you could just use the injectors. But yeah since your getting smaller switch - sure go with POE for your AP..
What you going to the run the controller on? One of the cloud keys from unifi?
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@johnpoz said in Multiple Switches cross connect or each port into pfsense box:
What you going to the run the controller on? One of the cloud keys from unifi?
Yep the cloud key is on order already. I have never used that device before but it looks pretty easy, to setup, and I have plans for VLAN setup for the wifi networks.
The location is not very big square footage wise, about 10000 sqft open space with some offices and cubicles, I was going to place one AP on one side and one on the other. My sub contractor is working on the wiring now that is the largest part of the job (233 drops). Like I said much larger then the normal 10 to 20 drops I do myself. I had to sub-contract it out.
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Have fun! When project suppose to be complete? Reach out to sales if you have any questions on the 3100.. This is less than your budget and should be fine..
Or post question in the Official hardware section.. I have a 3100, but just do not have the connection to stress it up to gig.. I know for sure the sg4860 can do it, since it doesn't break a sweat on my 500mbps connection and my buddy has his on a gig and has no problem with that..
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I am watching some reviews on it now (Youtube), The project should be done Sept 15, so I need the HW installed about 3 days before so I can be assured everything is configured and ready to go once they start moving into this office. Thanks again for all your help!!
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Sounds like you are already committed to the UniFi APs, but for a small network like that, the HPE OfficeConnect OC20 is a really nice product.
https://www.hpe.com/us/en/product-catalog/networking/networking-wireless/pip.hpe-officeconnect-oc20-802dot11ac-series-access-points.1010099011.html
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Thanks for the recommendation, I will keep this on my list of stuff I can use. With a little luck I might be some more bigger clients like this.
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Where are you located?
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@coreybrett said in Multiple Switches cross connect or each port into pfsense box:
Where are you located?
I am in Colorado, Denver metro area. I run a very small computer company called SnowbeePC
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@manwdaplan said in Multiple Switches cross connect or each port into pfsense box:
So they are the non POE 48 Port switches. They are on Amazon here. I was just going to use injectors to power the APs, (just two of them) but now I might just pickup a 16 port Unifi with POE as the switch to attach everything together. I am kinda stuck using Unifi due to the customer mandating them. Like I said before I talked them out of the USG-PRO-4 which I have read very bad reviews on, and understand that the interface is very hard to use, and can not hit GB speeds all the time. I want to use pfsense because it has a large following and I know I can find answers if I have questions (like today)
Look at a midspan unit rather than POE injectors, if you aren’t looking at POE switches, most of the midspan units enable power to be switched off remotely.
Makes things much easier if you need to power cycle access-points.
I’d look at stacked switches if I was doing this myself.
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You have 200 seats in a 100m radius? OK 10000 sqft is not that big. I would certainly check that no copper runs are more than 100m though.
I would certainly stack the switches if possible. Personally I would not even consider a closet of 5 x 48-port switches that weren't stacked.
The SG-3100 is a great product and will probably move the traffic, but it is really more geared to the SOHO market. I'd probably look at a pair of XG-1537s instead. Probably LACP to the switch stack.
I would also do a wifi survey. 200 seats with 2 APs sounds a little dense. Figure at least a phone for everyone. That's 100 associations for each AP/Radio. I know brands (Ruckus) that can do that with one radio tied behind their backs. Not sure about the Unifi gear. Never seen a dense deployment first-hand. Something like NetSpot for the Mac can get you some pretty effective, if rudimentary, measurements of the wifi propagation through that particular construction. You'll have to estimate it for all the 160-pound bags of mostly-water that will be walking around. Ceiling mounting makes this a lot easier to predict. Survey for 5GHz. 2.4 GHz will propagate further.
200 Seats. How many thousands of dollars per hour do you/they lose if it goes down?
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@nogbadthebad said in Multiple Switches cross connect or each port into pfsense box:
https://dl.ubnt.com/datasheets/unifi/UniFi_UAP-AC-HD_DS.pdf
I'd personally have to see it to believe it.
2 APs still sounds like not enough for that space even if they can handle that association density.
