Tell me more ×
Server Fault is a question and answer site for professional system and network administrators. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 0 down vote favorite

I'm looking to select a switch solely for use in a DMZ. It's a small business network (around 30 users), with mail, VPN, Sharepoint, etc in the DMZ. Nothing too complicated. All connected to a leased line.

I'm thinking that just a decent unmanaged switch will do. Perhaps a Cisco 100 series? Having said that, I can see where SNMP monitoring of traffic on the ports and port mirroring might come in handy at some point. Also, maybe QoS if VoIP is installed in the future. Other than that, can anyone suggest other reasons why you might want to use a managed switch in a DMZ of this size/complexity? What advantages could it provide in future?

Regarding managed switches - Some people seem to be of the opinion that smart web managed switches are great for more simple requirements. The Cisco 200 series is a good example. Other people seem to have a problem with them, and recommend always going for something like a Cisco 2960 series unless price is really an issue. To me, it seems something like the Cisco 200 series are great if you don't have a CCNA/IOS experience and don't need the advanced features. Am I missing something here? Buying something like a 2960 seems like a bad idea if you don't have the extra skills required to configure & manage it. Is there a reason for installing something like a 2960 if you're not making use of it's advanced capabilities?

share|improve this question
1  
We don't do shopping questions here; for rationale and some possible suggestions for other places to try, see serverfault.com/questions/292013/… – womble Aug 2 '11 at 0:39
To me, it's a question asking advice on the right tool for the job. The model numbers mentioned are purely examples to help clarify my question. I'm not looking for a "Buy this model from this vendor" answer... – Newt Aug 2 '11 at 0:55
I don't buy the subjectivity argument either. That could be applied to just about any question. My question also isn't localised at all... – Newt Aug 2 '11 at 0:58
FWIW, I do believe the spirit of the question could have been asked in a much more ServerFault friendly way and not been closed. Generally speaking, mentioning hardware models in a post, unless you're asking for a specific solution involving that one model, is usually the kiss of death here. – WesleyDavid Aug 2 '11 at 2:06
Even without mentioning hardware models, the question is "I have this specific problem which almost nobody else will ever have, please tell me what to do, advice which will be useless in three months" -- which is definitely "Too Localised". Also, we really don't care whether you "buy" the argument; the community consensus is that shopping questions are off-topic, and thus the question is closed. You can discuss it on meta.serverfault.com if you'd like, but don't expect to get any different answers there. Be thankful you got an explanation of why this question was closed. – womble Aug 2 '11 at 9:15

closed as off topic by womble, Shane Madden, Steven Monday, WesleyDavid, EEAA Aug 2 '11 at 2:02

Questions on Server Fault are expected to relate to professional server, networking, or related infrastructure administration within the scope defined in the FAQ. Consider editing the question or leaving comments for improvement if you believe the question can be reworded to fit within the scope. Read more about closed questions here.

1 Answer

up vote 0 down vote

Since the network device is exposed to the Big Bad Internets, you probably want as much monitoring of the bits that flow through it as you possibly can. Sure, you have a firewall in front of it, but being able to mirror ports, watch sflow / netflow data (for intra-DMZ traffic) and generally manage your network devices without firewall intervention will be a boon to you. Just make sure you actually use those features if you get them.

That said, less anal and pedantic admins have certainly done just fine with unmanaged switched in the DMZ.

share|improve this answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.