Ethernet Switch with 10Gb Uplink or 1Gb Uplink

With the booming high speed broadband technology, modern Ethernet switch has stretched its branches to SMB operators and even home individuals. The exclusive property of network switch to big enterprises no longer exists. Accordingly questions about the uplink ports on Ethernet switch has put forward by lots of newbies. What is uplink on Ethernet switch? What is the function of 10Gb uplink on gigabit switch? For a specific home or SMB usage, should I employ network switch with 10Gb uplink or 1Gb uplink? With concerns of a reliable backbone, should I upgrade to gigabit access switch with 10G uplink to core 10GbE switch? For anyone with doubts about Ethernet switch with 10Gb uplink vs 1Gb uplink, this article may help.

Understanding Uplink Port on Ethernet Switch

Uplink port on Ethernet switch serves as different layer network connection, which enables a lower network to link up to a higher network. One also uses it as regular port to connect end users while link aggregation is not involved. Connecting the uplink port on one access Ethernet switch to the regular port on another higher-layer core switch enables bandwidth expansion. The uplink bandwidth will be shared by all the end devices connected to the access switch regular ports. For example, by putting a 10Gb uplink on a 1Gb Ethernet switch, it would let 10 devices on the switch communicate at 1Gb each at the same time with the rest of the network. Otherwise if the uplink was only 1Gb, those 10 devices would only be able to get about 100Mb each.

Ethernet Switch with 10Gb Uplink

10Gb uplink is commonly built in 1Gb access Ethernet switch for 10G link aggregation. Thus gigabit switch with 10Gb uplink is also called as 10GbE switch by many users. In the market such Ethernet switches with 10Gb uplinks are available for copper and optical SFP switch with 2/4 uplinks. For instance, FS provides 4 SFP+ 10Gb uplinks on 24/48-port 1000Base-T RJ45/SFP managed gigabit switches such as S3910 series 24-port stackable 1000Base-T Ethernet switches.

Some vendors like FS.COM also bring in PoE to 10Gb uplink switch for advanced features. Say S1600-48T4S 48-port PoE+ managed gigabit switch. It can boost your network to a switching capacity of 180Gbps and offers 600W total power budget for power-hungry PDs. Such Ethernet switches with 10Gb uplinks frequently used as access layer switches to link up to backbone core 10GbE switch. Then all end users on the gigabit switch can share the 10Gb bandwidth, not 1Gb anymore.

Ethernet switch with 10Gb uplink application

Figure 1: Deploying FS 48-port Ethernet switches with 4 SFP+ 10Gb uplinks ports as access switches to connect 10Gb core switch in data center layer.

Ethernet Switch with 1Gb Uplink

Only a few years ago 100Mb Ethernet switch are still common among many SMBs as access switch. However, nowadays it has gradually obsoleted by 100/1000MBase gigabit switch. To enhance network connection resiliency, modern gigabit switch comes with 24/48 RJ45 100/1000Base-T ports and 4 1Gb SFP ports for uplink. Except uplink function, The SFP uplinks on copper gigabit Ethernet switch provides optical link option when the network requires fiber cabling. FS supplies such SFP uplinks on 8/24- port PoE+ managed gigabit switch with different power budget for 1G speed.

FS PoE gigabit Ethernet switch with SFP 1Gb uplink

Figure 2: FS PoE+ Ethernet switches with SFP 1Gb uplinks and  PoE+ switch with SFP+ 10Gb uplinks are natural fit for IP cameras, VoIP phones and wireless APs.

Ethernet Switch with 10Gb Uplink or 1Gb Uplink Selection Guide

So how to choose from 10Gb and 1Gb uplink of Ethernet switch? Try to ask yourself about questions as follows. What kind of application virtualization are you implementing? How many users are there? Whether the applications and user quantity requiring for the extra bandwidth of 10Gbps? Is my cabling up-to-snuff for 10Gb uplink? Can I afford 10Gb Ethernet?

Then here are some suggestions for you. First, attach importance to applications virtualization. If your employees only need to open occasional Word documents, reply to emails or update database records, there would not be much of a requirement for 10G uplink on Ethernet switch. But if you should do lots of mass data transfer such as photos and videos exchange even in a small advertising shop it would quite be another story. Second, concern about number of users. The proliferating wireless APs and office devices bring much burdens to your network. Third, for concerns of future-proof expansion and a reliable backbone, even if your current 1GbE is unsaturated, Ethernet switch with 10Gb uplinks is also a good solution for enterprises with hardware upgrading demands. But if the aforesaid factors not concerned, your gigabit Ethernet switch with 1Gb uplink may suit your network just fine.

Conclusion

Both 10Gb uplink and 1Gb uplink on Ethernet switch are designed for link aggregation of multi-layer switch connection. Ethernet gigabit switch with 10Gb uplink enables total 10Gbps bandwidth to divide to end devices for accessing max. 1G speed. While Ethernet switch with 1Gb uplink delivers max. 100Mbps data rate to 10 devices. For concerns of high bandwidth applications, multiple office devices quantity and future-proof expansion, Ethernet switch with 10Gb uplink is the way to go. Otherwise your existing gigabit switch with 1Gb uplink can make sense.

Gigabit Switch with 10G Uplink Recommendation

Touching on switching capacity of the modern networks, the invariant rule is: the faster, the better. Of course for large enterprises, 10G network is a lower value. And more often 40G even 100G network is required for data centers. However, for individuals, small and medium-sized business (SMB), 10G network is often out of reach for exorbitant price of 10gbe switch. In this case, Ethernet switch with 10G uplink can help to achieve 10G network. This article will recommend affordable managed gigabit switch with 10G uplink.

Gigabit Switch with 10G Uplink: Choose 1000Base-T Copper Switch or Fiber SFP Switch

Generally, there are two gigabit switch with 10G uplink solutions: 1000base-T copper switch and 1G SFP fiber switch. In the current market, 1000base-T gigabit switch with 10G uplink is usually more popular, especially with home individuals, office users, and SMBs. The main reason is largely traced back to price discrimination between them. RJ45 copper gigabit switch employs existing Ethernet copper cable (Cat5e/6, etc.) as a medium to transmit data, which saves one budget for matched fiber optics of SFP switch. Moreover, the 1000base-T copper switch is backward compatible with legacy networks. However, 1G SFP link owns the edges of reduced electromagnetic interference, lower latency and power consumption over copper link. For advanced users sensitive to aforesaid factors, one can consider taking gigabit switch with SFP uplink.

FS copper vs SFP gigabit switch with 10G uplink

This figure shows FS S3800-24T4S copper gigabit switch vs S3800-24F4S 1GE SFP switch with 10G uplink.

1000Base-T Copper Gigabit Switch with 10G Uplink Recommendation

For 1000Base-T copper gigabit switch, here recommends both PoE and non-PoE ones for your selection guide.

·Non-PoE

For non-PoE gigabit switch, here strongly recommends you FS S3900-24T4S 24 port switch and S3900-48T4S 48 port switch. They come with 24/48-port 10/100/1000base-T ports with 4 x 10GE SFP+ uplinks. Both of them are gigabit stackable managed switches and designed to cater for cost-efficient gigabit access or aggregation for 10G uplink networks.

FS P/N S3900-24T4S S3900-48T4S
1000Base-T RJ45 Port 24 48
10GbE Uplink 4 4
Switch Class Layer 2+ Layer 2+
Switching Capacity 128Gbps 176Gbps
Power Consumption 43W 48W
Throughput 95Mpps 130Mpps
·PoE

For Gigabit PoE switch with 10G uplink, here recommends you S1600-48T4S 48 port PoE+ switch with 4 SFP+. The 48 port PoE switch can better fit for SMBs or enterprise class network as access switch. It can be mounted in a rack, on a wall or on desktop. One can connects it to VoIP phones, wireless APs and IP cameras for intelligent switching and network growth. Besides this 48 port PoE switch, 8 port gigabit switch and 24 port PoE switch are also available. Generally speaking, 8 port gigabit switch is suitable for home use. And 24 port PoE switch is commonly deployed in small business with few connections.

S3800-48T4S and S1600-48T4S gigabit switch application

Deploying FS S3800-48T4S 48 port switch and S1600-48T4S 48 port PoE+ gigabit switch with 4 x 10G uplink in access layer.

Fiber SFP Gigabit Switch with 10G Uplink Recommendation

For gigabit SFP switch with 10G link, here recommends S3900-24F4S. It comes with 4 x 1GE combo ports, 20 x 1G SFP ports and 4 x 10GE SFP+ ports. This 24 port gigabit switch comes with 1+1 redundant power supplies. For 48 port switch demand, go for S5800-48F4S. It is a Layer 2/3 switch with 4 x 10G SFP+ uplinks. The table below lists the details of these two Ethernet switches.

FS Fiber SFP Gigabit Switch S3900-24F4S S5800-48F4S
Port Configuration 24 x 1G SFP ports, 4 x 10G SFP+ uplinks 48 x 1G SFP ports, 4 x 10G SFP+ uplinks
Switch Class Layer 2+ Layer 2/3
Switching Capacity 128Gbps 176Gbps
Throughput 95Mpps 130.95Mpps
Max. Power Consumption 43W 75W
Conclusion

For 10G network, deploying gigabit switch with 10G uplink can largely save you budget. No matter copper RJ45 1000base-T switch or 1GE SFP switch, you should consider your own requirements before purchasing an Ethernet switch. Gigabit switches with different ports have been recommended in this post, including 8 port gigabit switch, 24 port switch and 48 port switch. All those can be found in FS.COM with the most competitive price.

Dell Powerconnect 2700 Vs. 2800 Series Switches

Both the Dell PowerConnect 2700 series and 2800 series switches are secure, fixed-port Gigabit switches. The Dell PowerConnect 2700 series was launched in the early 2000s, designed to deliver full wire-speed switching performance. Not long after the 2700 series, the 2800 series were released to support jumbo frames for networks that need to move large files across the network. They are both cost-effective solutions for small network environments, such as branch offices, schools and etc. However, it seems that it is hard to make a decision about purchasing these two series switches. This article would offer a satisfied solution to you and give a brief introduction to 2700 series and 2800 series switches.

Dell PowerConnect 2700 Series Switches

The Dell PowerConnect 2700 series switches are web-managed switches, the web-interface allows the user to easily manage the switch without learning CLI commands or integrating the switch into an SNMP-based application. These switches offer three port densities, including 8, 16, 24 and 48 Gigabit Ethernet 1 ports. Besides, the 2724 and 2748 have SFP slots in a combo port arrangement that deliver fiber capabilities. Auto MDI/MDIX and autonegotiation of speed, duplex mode and flow help deliver improved control over your network traffic. Totally, there are four models of 2700 series switch—Dell PowerConnect 2708, 2716, 2724, 2748. The main features of these switches are listed in the below:

  • There switches are prepared in advance for any elevated IT requirements.
  • They could eliminate the potential risks within the switch.
  • The 2700 series switches provide the flexibility to meet the requirement of various end users and applications environments.
  • They provide smartly balancing quality and the best prices.

dell-powerconnect-2716-overview

Figure1: Dell Powerconnect 2716 switch(Resource: www.DELL.com)

Dell PowerConnect 2800 Series Switches

As same as the 2700 Series Switch, Dell PowerConnect 2800 Series Switches are also web-managed Gigabit Ethernet switches. These switches offer four port densities, including 8, 16 , 24, and 48 port Gigabit Ethernet ports. In addition, the 2824 and 2848 have SFP slots in a combo port arrangement that deliver fiber capabilities (SFP transceivers optional). The PowerConnect 2800 family also supports jumbo frames for networks that need to move large files across the network. There are also four switch models of 2800 series switches—Dell PowerConnect 2808, 2816, 2824, and 2848. Main benefits of 2800 series switches are listed in the following.

  • Easy web access to the managed features provides a secure environment by offering password restricted access.
  • These switches offer enhanced security by allowing the user to specify which IP addresses have access to the switch.
  • The 2800 series switches support up to six link aggregation groups consisting of up to four ports per group.
  • Advanced cable diagnostics help improve network troubleshooting.

Dell 2800 series switch

Figure2: Dell 2800 Series Switches(Resource: www.DELL.com)

Dell 2700 Vs. 2800 Series switches

As being described, the Dell PowerConnect 2700 and 2800 series switches are nearly identical. But they still have some subtle differences in STP, management configuration, switching and price.

—Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

Compared to Dell PowerConnect 2700 series switches, 2800 series support more STP protocols and support 9000 jumbo frames (not not 9014, etc.). If you do a ping -f on the 2724 with jumbo frames enabled it will go to 5000, 5500, 6000, but not 9000 – they get fragmented at that point. Granted that is only useful for iSCSI traffic, and even then it’s not 100% necessary. And the 9014+ jumbo frames is of the preference.

—Management Configuration

Both 2700 and 2800 series switches are small office switches with minimal management. They all not have LACP. BootP/DHCP IP address management or Static IP address assignment are set within the 2800 series switches. The 2800 series switches have CLI and SNMP Command Subset while the 2700 series switches do not.

—Switching

The link aggregation of both two series switches are up to eight aggregated links and up to eight member ports per aggregated link (IEEE 802.3ad). But the Jumbo frame of 2700 series switches support up to 9000 Bytes (2716, 2724, and 2748). The 2800 series switches have LACP support (IEEE 802.3ad).

—Price

Compared to 2700 series switches, 2800 series switches are cheaper. Just take the same 16-port switch for a example, a new Dell 2816 switch only needs $56 while a new Dell 2716 switch costs $112 on eBay.

Conclusion

Through this article, we are clear about the Dell 2700 and 2800 series Gigabit Ethernet switches as well as their differences in STP, management configuration, switching and price. They all powerful switches with outstanding cost and power savings. You can select an appropriate one according to your need.