Date: Fri, 05 Jun 1998 08:33:01 -0700 From: Mike Smith <mike@smith.net.au> To: Glenn Johnson <gjohnson@nola.srrc.usda.gov> Cc: hardware@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: advice for fast ethernet hardware Message-ID: <199806051533.IAA01271@antipodes.cdrom.com> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Fri, 05 Jun 1998 11:25:27 CDT." <199806051625.LAA18241@symbion.srrc.usda.gov>
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> I have a cluster of FreeBSD worksations that have 3Com 3C905 NICs. > They are currently hooked into a 10Mbps hub, which is connected to our > 10Mbps LAN. I do a lot of transfers and NFS mounts between my machines > and would like to take advantage of the 100Mbps NICs. Unfortunately, our support for the '905 currently *sucks*, so you're not going to be taking much advantage of them. 8( > My first question is, do the 3C509s work okay at 100Mbps? If so then, They work, but you would be better off selecting a card that's better supported. The Intel EtherExpress Pro 100+ is going for about $50 these days, and these are the top recommendation. > would it be worth the extra money to get a 10/100Mbps Switch as opposed > to a 10/ 100Mbps hub? This depends on your activity patterns. If you have a single server and many clients, then a switch is less useful. If you have a more incestuous arrangement, then a switch will give better results. But unless you're really pushing the network, it's unlikely that the difference will be worth the cost. > I have noticed a large difference in price for > what seems to be similar equipment, dependent on the manufacturer, so > brand recommendations would be extremely helpful. Performance and > reliability are more important than price. I thank you in advance for > your help. We're using a Lantronix switch for the freebsd.org machines; it appears to work just fine. I also have a D-Link 8-port 100MBps hub in my office - it was cheap and works "as desired". YMMV. -- \\ Sometimes you're ahead, \\ Mike Smith \\ sometimes you're behind. \\ mike@smith.net.au \\ The race is long, and in the \\ msmith@freebsd.org \\ end it's only with yourself. \\ msmith@cdrom.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hardware" in the body of the message
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