linking hubs... 1

[adsfx]

Hi,
am trying to save on cabling costs...
have a hub in server room with cables to ground floor clients.
i want more sockets on ground floor.
would like to plug another hub in ground floor socket to provide more sockets.
does plugging hub into another hub work?
(have tried with a small hub but no success)
am i missing something (apart from knowledge)
does a hubs uplink port have anything to do with this?
do not have cash for switch.
people have said yes and no... i need a definitive answer
ANY advice grateful (looked at faqs, searching keyword results)

thanx in advance MG
(let me know if details too sketchy)

 

[jimbopalmer]

when you hook Network Equipment (hubs /switches) to end-user equipment (computers/printers) you use straight through cables. lets say network gear transmits on pair A and receives on Pair B, end-user gear receives on pair A and transmits on pair B

to hook end-user to end-user or network to network, we need a crossover cable so pair A becomes pair B on the other end (an uplnk port is just a end user port grafted onto a network box so we can use a straight through cable)

So if you have an uplink port on one end connect it to a normal port at the other end and it should work if both hubs are the same speed. if neither hub has a uplink port, just get a crossover cable.

I tried to remain child-like, all I acheived was childish.

 

[adsfx]

thanx alot jimbopalmer
will try with a xover cable tomorrow!
cheers MG

 

[BobW333]

One thing to watch out for is delays. Don't connect more that 3 hubs in series otherwise you will start having problems.
If you need more ports, the best solutuion is a switch at the central cab. and hubs downstream, but only one hub per switch port.
(I know that you've looked at this but finances are a problem!) Using a switch reduces the size of broadcast and collision domains and, in theory, should make the network more efficient!

 

[adsfx]

thanx bob, have installed hubs - but really need a 'backbone' switch - it it worth the cost of a managed 1?

 

[jimbopalmer]

I use a LOT of managed switches, 55 stacks of switches in 45 buildings. When you cannot see the blinky lights, good management is vital. If your only switch is where you can see the lights giving you hints, management is a lot less important.

I tried to remain child-like, all I acheived was childish.

 

[BobW333]

If this is a remote site, or a large network then the answer would be YES but if just a single switch then its down to budget and personal choice.

We use a mixture of HP Procurve's and Cisco switches and there's nothing between them (on our network) for reliability but value for money goes to the HP's.

 

[Grenage]

Same here, The procurve modular managed switches are very good value for money. Being able to see how much data is being sent from certain connections really helps define bottlenecks and the like.