split network setup - help please

[Reb0ot]

Hi guys,

 

I will be having a 2x100mbit leased line installed in an office and need to have the following setup:

 

- 50 workstations

network needs to be:

25 of them on a ring network and 25 on a distributed network

 

What sort of hardware should I get for this?

Cisco? Some other alternative?

 

Cheers

[sc302]

Like I said it is hub and spoke layout, would be also considered a star lan. They are all "home run" to a high end core switch. Regardless of the backbone, which should be a managed switch at the least, the most important item is clock sync. Your latency is going to be the internet or external connection / vpn. There should not be a measurable amount of latency on the local lan...That should be less than 1ms.

Do some research into the terms that you have mentioned, ring network and distributed network. You should pick up on the major flaws with these types of design quickly.

[+BudMan]

So you need help with your homework..

Man you think they would update the questions.. That one is pathetic.. Ring network -- talk about dated..

[Reb0ot]

nope not homework, just a question i got from a friend, but unsure how to answer it, so i told him i would put it here to see if someone could shed some light.

[xendrome]

Honestly not to sound mean, but if you have to come here to ask for advice on such a low level setup/question, I would suggest your friend hire some professionals to come in and setup a proper network.

[sc302]

That technology is no longer mainstream. It is reserved for mainframe terminals. This would be local network. This network setup its very dated and would not be used in today's network design due to the simple fact if one terminal bites the dust the entire network is down.

[+BudMan]

So your friends homework then ;) There is no possible way such a question would come up in conversation -- not even the nerdest of nerds would ask such question. And I am full blown ?ber Nerd of the highest order and we would not talk about a ring networks in that context.

Now a fiber ring or sonet might come up. Ethernet over Sonet for example but your talking lan in your context. That question is clearly some dated homework to be sure. Why would you have 25 workstations on one sort of technology even if current and 25 on another? Its some dated bs question in some lame textbook that was written by someone with no imagination and used by a teacher lacking even the most basic of understanding of the subject and just parroting the nonsense in the book. Without coming up with their own scenario to actually teach the subject matter in a usable manner to the student.

[Reb0ot]

Its for a setup in the middle east, for traders, apparently this is the way they set it up over there so that there is less latency of refresh rate from the exchange, since trading is measured in micro-seconds.

 

I would agree that I have not seen a ring network in many years - I remember studying it on my cisco course, but I mostly remember that if one node goes down, then it pretty much cuts of the network from that node onwards. So a bit useless.

 

I think the setup is something as follows:

 

Exchange <--> USA DC <--VPN--> Middle East DC --> Office (2x100mbit)

 

Building = 2 offices with 25 computers each.

The network needs to be split into 2, and one network cannot communicate with the other, but they are allowed to use bandwidth.

[sc302]

A ring network is not fast. Each terminal is a hop that has the potential of slowing down communication. It is inefficient slow and not the proper use of a modern network. Ethernet hub and spoke is the most common with the most direct connection you can get with speeds connecting to the gateway/firewall in less than 1 ms in most cases.

Our trade partners in the US do not use the type of networks that you describe even when connecting to foreign trade commissions.

[+BudMan]

"so that there is less latency of refresh rate from the exchange"

Then they sure an the hell should not be doing this for starters!

USA DC <--VPN--> Middle East DC

What vpn could they be using that does not add latency?? Let me see here, oh yeah NONE of them ;)

[Reb0ot]

sc302 what sort of network layout do they use?

[Reb0ot]

budman I dont know.... its whatever the tradecenter sets them up with.

[+BudMan]

Ok - to the next nonsense point of this topic.

 

"so that there is less latency of refresh rate from the exchange"

 

If this is the point of the design.. then this is inherently flawed logic.

 

"25 of them on a ring network and 25 on a distributed network"

 

Even if we don't take into account ring in a lan sort of setup is years and years out of date - and lets just just call it 2 different configurations, be it switches, be it connection type, whatever Lets call these design aspects design X and design Y for how your workstations are connected/configured.

 

So we get this question then.

 

"25 of them using design X and 25 of them using design Y"

 

One of these designs we can assume would provide for "less latency of refresh rate from the exchange" which is the goal right?  Then why in the world would you connect half your workstations with an inferior method to your desired goal?

 

So your friend is in the middle east -- maybe something has been lost in translation here?

 

To sc302 point - lan speeds are normally below 1ms, with the latency your going to have going across the ocean.. I don't see how some minor percentage of ms or half ms on a lan is going to make any sort of difference..  But if that is the goal then your going to want the shortest runs possible from each workstation to the core/vpn/internet/ connection that you get your data from.

 

And yes your going to what good equipment, so yeah cisco would be a valid choice.  You wouldn't for example want to use unmanaged green switches from belkin or tp-link in this sort of setup ;)

[Reb0ot]

Like I said it is hub and spoke layout, would be also considered a star lan. They are all "home run" to a high end core switch. Regardless of the backbone, which should be a managed switch at the least, the most important item is clock sync. Your latency is going to be the internet or external connection / vpn. There should not be a measurable amount of latency on the local lan...That should be less than 1ms.

Do some research into the terms that you have mentioned, ring network and distributed network. You should pick up on the major flaws with these types of design quickly.

Cheers sc302