From my limited experience with routers and switches you only need IP addresses if you need to open ports through firewalls or to send files from one machine on the network to another.


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The switch he's talking about is a little bit more heavy duty than your typical home network hub. It almost certainly will need some configuration when it gets plugged in because just plugging it in then plugging everything into it will most likely just cut you off from the rest of the network. I would very much advise reading the installation manual here (it's only a couple of pages) and the first couple of chapters of the administration manual here.

Put it this way, you might expect to be able to use a chisel without reading the manual, but this is more a lathe than a chisel.

Yeah I've read the manuals and set up stuff, but it was at 11pm at night. It definitely needs configuring but just wondered jf there was anything else that I need to watch out for. I don't wanna waste time setting it up, finding out it doesn't work and then having to revert the setup back to the original. I will have around 4-5 hours of play time and it needs to be working thereafter.

It's a Netgear, therefore it will work as plug & play if you so wish.

You can give it an IP but it's not needed for it to function.

You'll do more damage to the network messing around with the switch (providing you don't create a loop when you install it) by playing with settings than just plugging it in.

The reason I was going to give it an IP address is that every time I connect a computer to the data socket, it automatically detects IP settings and it connects to the wrong network so I have to manually configure them. All of the computers in the building are manually configured, which is why I figured it'd be best to manually configure the switch.

How do you create a loop?

A loop is when you connect things together so there is more than one path. For example, two patch leads going between the same switches. Or two switches that are connected together, each being connected to a third. They light up like a christmas tree as the packets go around in endless circles.

The Netgear supports Spanning Tree which is designed to prevent loops. In fact, you could say it encourages them because you can use two connections to provide redundancy. Still not always a good idea though.

As Sas says, by default the Netgear is set up to "just work". Nothing is blocked. Just be sure to use a gigabit port as the uplink to the main switch, and be sure it is patched to a gigabit port on the main switch.

There is something wrong with that network then. You shouldn't have 2 different networks running on the same VLAN

It was set up by the PCT! Part of the issue with this is that a new person comes out each time, meddles with things to sort out one problem and creates more problems that aren't readily identified until they've left. We then have to have someone else out to sort out the first one's problems. My boss has stated they're relatively inexperienced guys but they're cheap and hence why they're used. It's also why we try and manage the computer systems ourselves until we reach a problem.

From what I recall, the security cameras and dispensing computers/printers are in a DMZ and could be accessed by automatically plugging in a computer. The servers are on a manually configured IP address. I can only access the medical files and the internet once the computer has been manually configured.

Okay so I've managed to connect the switch to my PC, access it (had to change the network adapter's settings to match what netgear wanted), configure it so it had the same IP address range as the computers in the network. I've now connected my computer to the switch (applying the settings that the network adapter had previously) and connected the switch to the wall socket. I've managed to access the intranet and the internet so far.

Will need to check medical programs.

Computer programs are working.

PC to Switch = 1Gbps
Switch to Network = 10/100Mbps

Stupid question but how can I test whether it's 10 or 100 Mbps?

EDIT: Tried Lan Speed Test which wrote a 20MB file and then read it. Getting 75mbps read and 45Mbps write across different computers on the network.

Best way to tell is to look at the lights, they usually tell you what speed the port's connected at.

Orange light means 10/100 but trying to work out which it was.

Print servers. Does anyone know anything about these? We seem to have an HP directjet 300x attached to the printer. Would this need reconfiguring too or could I just plug'n'play into the gigabit switch?

Ah, I see. On mine it tells you if it's 10 or 100. It suggests the switch your switch is plugged into is 10 or 100, most likely it's a 10/100 switch, so it will be 100. The printer switch should just plug and play, but it will most likely be 10/100.

If your internet is faster than 10mb then do a speedtest.
Failing that you need to log in to the switch.
I'd put my money on 100mb as 10mb kit hasn't been around since the days of hubs

Well thankfully it seemed to have worked well without any problems.

Having said that, now that I've arrived home, I've just realised I didn't check the security cameras were working.
I'm just grateful the surgery was shut in the afternoon.