Will future appliances have switched or unswitched ports?
-
Can anyone tell me how it's decided if appliances will have switched or unswitched ports? We mostly use 2100s, so I'm wondering if a future replacement for that will still have switched ports.
-
Likely unswitched. I'm not aware of any plans for a device with switched ports at this time.
Which did you want to see?
-
@stephenw10 said in Will future appliances have switched or unswitched ports?:
Likely unswitched. I'm not aware of any plans for a device with switched ports at this time.
Which did you want to see?
I don't have a huge preference. I usually mimic the unswitched ports, so moving to something unswitched won't cause issues. I don't think I've ever done anything that would require switched ports yet. The configs are a bit easier on the unswitched ones anyway.
I only have a couple scenarios I was considering using the switched ports for. The first is using the FW like a small distribution switch when I have a couple switches alongside the FW. The second is using one port as a trunk port for an AP that could stay up if switches went down.
I've been on the fence trying to decide if those are good or bad ideas and figured if the trend is towards unswitched ports I don't have to think about anymore.
Thanks for replying.
-
@ryan87 in my experience there have been only a few scenarios where the switch is useful, like a home install (mine) where I can avoid buying a $20-30 switch due to the router’s location. But given that price avoiding VLAN port isolation and plugging in a 5/8 port switch would be nice.
-
I am personally a fan of discrete interfaces on my routers. While I can see the use of switch ports for home/smb sort of deployment. Where your total amount of connected devices is couple of devices.
The cost of entry level sort of switches that can do vlans is very reasonable.. I mean you can get a smart 8 port gig switch for like $40.. Other than footprint of the having to have the extra switch I don't really see the attraction.
What would be sweet, is say 6 ports multigig discrete interfaces (1/2.5/5/10) and couple of sfp+ interfaces.. Love to see this option available. Would be a good replacement for my aging 4860.
I would be ok with if the sfp+ were combo ports even, where if you used the sfp+ you loose one of the discrete copper ports.
-
I mean.... that's pretty much what the 6100 is.
-
@stephenw10 close.. the 4 2.5 are nice - but full multigig would be better, 1/2.5/5/10 ;)
If my 4860 gave up the ghost today, that is what I would replace it with for sure..
Or how about just sfp+ interfaces where I could put in anything I wanted be it 1/2.5/5/10.. That could work too. With just say a gig copper management interface, hey the management interface could just be 10/100 even ;)
