Roles for the Desktop Switch and Switch 1000
Benefits of switching over bridging
A Core Competence Product Evaluation
Product Overviews
The 3Com SuperStack II Desktop Switch is a 24-port 10 Mbps Ethernet Switch, with one 100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet port, a plug-in module slot for an additional high-speed interface (Fast Ethernet, ATM OC-3), and a transceiver module slot for a 10 Mbps Ethernet uplink. The SuperStack switches are the only units we found in the workgroup switch category that support ATM. This 19" rack mountable unit provides dedicated 10 Mbps connections for individual end stations ("power users" and servers). Both switches are also stackable.
The Desktop Switch supports Virtual LAN configurations,
four packet forwarding modes, flow management, and the SNMP agent
in the switch supports industry standard Remote Monitoring (RMON)
MIB modules.The aptly named Desktop Switch supports one end station
per port on all ports other than those designated as backbone
ports, and can optionally support a separate spanning tree protocol
(STP) for bridging per VLAN.
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| Figure 1. SuperStack II Desktop Switch | Figure 2. SuperStack II Switch 1000 |
At a glance (front and back), the 24-port model of the SuperStack II Switch 1000 is indistinguishable from the Desktop Switch. The two units have seemingly identical port configurations and plug-in module options, but the primary difference between the two switches is the way ports may be configured.
The Switch 1000 can also support one end station per port on all ports other than those designated as backbone ports, and by connecting Ethernet hubs/repeaters into switch ports, an individual Switch 1000 can support up to 500 total end stations across its normal ports (and an unlimited number of end stations over its downlink port or backbone ports). As of March 1, 1997, the street price of the 24-port switch ranged from $2588.00 - $3185.95. A 12-port model of the Switch 1000 is also available. Street prices for this model range from $2058.00 - $2599.95: Both Switch 1000 models come with a 100 Mbps Ethernet interface. The "buy after you try" price of the Desktop Switch we obtained direct from 3Com was $2995.00.
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