Beginner's question about 10Mbps and 100 Mbps networks

[Ian]

I currently have a small LAN which includes a pc server running XP Pro
and also a laptop running Win98. Both have 10/100 ethernet network
cards and the devices connect via an HP Ethertwist hub and twisted pair
cable. Network traffic between the two devices is currently a maximum
of 10 Mbps - is it possible to get 100 Mbps performance and if so what
would I need to upgrade? Thanks in advance for any help.

[daytripper]

On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 17:06:36 GMT, Ian <ian@nospam.com> wrote:
I currently have a small LAN which includes a pc server running XP Proand also a laptop running Win98. Both have 10/100 ethernet networkcards and the devices connect via an HP Ethertwist hub and twisted paircable. Network traffic between the two devices is currently a maximumof 10 Mbps.
Is it possible to get 100 Mbps performance and if so whatwould I need to upgrade?

Yes.
Replace the hub with a 10/100 switch...

[Ian]

On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 17:07:21 GMT, daytripper
<day_trippr@REMOVEyahoo.com> wrote:
On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 17:06:36 GMT, Ian <ian@nospam.com> wrote:I currently have a small LAN which includes a pc server running XP Proand also a laptop running Win98. Both have 10/100 ethernet networkcards and the devices connect via an HP Ethertwist hub and twisted paircable. Network traffic between the two devices is currently a maximumof 10 Mbps.Is it possible to get 100 Mbps performance and if so whatwould I need to upgrade?Yes.Replace the hub with a 10/100 switch...


Thanks for the info re the network switch. Are there any brands you'd
recommend? I only need 4 ports and it's just for home use.

[Yousuf Khan]

Ian <ian@nospam.com> wrote: Yes. Replace the hub with a 10/100 switch... Thanks for the info re the network switch. Are there any brands you'd recommend? I only need 4 ports and it's just for home use.

100Mbps Ethernet switches are pretty much old-time technology these days, so
it doesn't matter about brands anymore. Just get the cheapest ones you can
find.

Actually, if you have a highspeed Internet connection, you might want to
consider buying a broadband router. These things usually include a four-port
Ethernet switch inside them, and as a bonus you get to share your Internet
connection for free. Here your choices are: D-link, Linksys, Netgear, SMC,
etc.

Yousuf Khan

[daytripper]

On Sun, 11 Jul 2004 10:50:07 GMT, Ian <ian@nospam.com> wrote:
On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 17:07:21 GMT, daytripper<day_trippr@REMOVEyahoo.com> wrote:On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 17:06:36 GMT, Ian <ian@nospam.com> wrote:I currently have a small LAN which includes a pc server running XP Proand also a laptop running Win98. Both have 10/100 ethernet networkcards and the devices connect via an HP Ethertwist hub and twisted paircable. Network traffic between the two devices is currently a maximumof 10 Mbps.Is it possible to get 100 Mbps performance and if so whatwould I need to upgrade?Yes.Replace the hub with a 10/100 switch...Thanks for the info re the network switch. Are there any brands you'drecommend? I only need 4 ports and it's just for home use.

I'm brand-agnostic on soho switches, they're so simple to implement now you
could probably select one while wearing a blindfold and do just fine.

fwiw, I've been using a Linksys 8-port non-blocking "workgroup" switch for
years now, uplinked to my router. It just works. But they all should, so buy
on price...

/daytripper

[Mark Carroll]

In article <n932f05ituc12d2gnrdq7or5iubtu1a37u@4ax.com>,
Ian <ian@nospam.com> wrote:
(snip)Thanks for the info re the network switch. Are there any brands you'drecommend? I only need 4 ports and it's just for home use.

I'd probably look at http://tinyurl.com/2n5v2 but also consider
http://tinyurl.com/yuldu if a few more ports might someday be handy.

We use a few of those at work and they seem fine and low-hassle.

-- Mark

[CJT]

Ian wrote:
On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 17:07:21 GMT, daytripper <day_trippr@REMOVEyahoo.com> wrote:On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 17:06:36 GMT, Ian <ian@nospam.com> wrote:I currently have a small LAN which includes a pc server running XP Proand also a laptop running Win98. Both have 10/100 ethernet networkcards and the devices connect via an HP Ethertwist hub and twisted paircable. Network traffic between the two devices is currently a maximumof 10 Mbps.Is it possible to get 100 Mbps performance and if so whatwould I need to upgrade?Yes.Replace the hub with a 10/100 switch... Thanks for the info re the network switch. Are there any brands you'd recommend? I only need 4 ports and it's just for home use.
FWIW, the only switches I've had trouble with are Hawking. I've had
especially good results with Netgear. I'd put 3Com in the "good"
group of brand names, too, although I haven't used them recently. In
the cheaper tier, I've had good results with TrendNet and
Siemens/Speedstream. Of course there are many others I haven't tried.

And YMMV, of course. HTH.

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form che...@prodigy.net.

[Mark Carroll]

In article <40F194AD.80301@prodigy.net>, CJT <abujlehc@prodigy.net> wrote:
(snip)FWIW, the only switches I've had trouble with are Hawking. I've hadespecially good results with Netgear. I'd put 3Com in the "good"group of brand names, too, although I haven't used them recently. Inthe cheaper tier, I've had good results with TrendNet andSiemens/Speedstream. Of course there are many others I haven't tried.
(snip)

Mmmm, yes, we moved to TrendNet because our Hawking switches tended to
run very hot and die in significant numbers: enough that it seemed
cheapest in the long term to just not use them for anything important
any more, replacing them before any of the remainder failed. One
Hawking switch even sounded like it was arcing. (I still have some
around, actually - I meant to open them to see if there was any
obvious design flaw.) It was a pity, because they were cheap, compact,
and easy to install.

-- Mark