Cisco Switch

[slamjet]

Anyone know hot to configure these things?

I'm installing my first Cisco switch (SF 302-08) and I'm getting confused with the VLAN settings. I need to have at least two VLANs that both can access the WAN port (one of the giga ports) while not being able to interact with teach other.

So this is what I've done:

- Protected the g1 port (WAN access)

- Created two static VLANs (#2 - Office, #3 - Open WiFi) using Port to VLAN.

- Set all the ports to General interface mode.

- VLAN 2 has ports 1-7 & g1 members and untagged.

- VLAN 3 has port 8 & g1 members and untagged

So my questions are:

- Will this setting enable both VLANs to access the internet while not being able to access each other?

- What do I do with VLAN 1? I can't forbid any of the ports on it. Will this VLAN mess up what I'm trying to accomplish?

The last time I messed with VLANs was with an old Netgear switch that I didn't have this configuration to worry about. Any suggestions, ideas, advice?

[slamjet]

Ok, so I installed the switch, only to find that I needed to have a router that was VLAN aware and capable (SF302-08 Switch, RVS4000 Router). It was a 10 hour workday this past Saturday to get it all to work. But for the life of me, I couldn't get it figured out. Last time I messed with VLANs, it was well before trunking was as complicated as it is now. SOOOOO, I got hold of Cisco tech support via live chat to figure it out.

Bottom line, their tech support is the absolute #1 customer service I have ever experience. Their engineer remote-desktop'd to my system and configured it to what I needed. It took him 2.5 hours to figure it out so I don't feel so bad for my ignorance. But it works. Now all I need is to put in the replacement access point that died on me and I'm done. More working on it in the morning, like, 4:00am in the morning. But it was a frustratingly educational experience.

I won't shy away from Cisco small business products anymore.

[JudoMinja]

Cool! I'm glad you had a good customer service experience. If you haven't already, I'd leave them a very kind and supportive thank-you comment. I wonder if they'd be willing to teach good customer service skills to other businesses...

[ctr123]

ok here is a funny story. Today my 3year old son was telling me something and it felt like he was talking in a foreign laungage. I didn't understand one word he was saying. I turned to my 4year old daughter and said did you understand any of that and she very clearly translated what my son had just said. I felt excatly the same way reading your post. I really should learn more about stuff. Glad you got your help.

[Mahone]

ok here is a funny story. Today my 3year old son was telling me something and it felt like he was talking in a foreign laungage. I didn't understand one word he was saying. I turned to my 4year old daughter and said did you understand any of that and she very clearly translated what my son had just said. I felt excatly the same way reading your post. I really should learn more about stuff. Glad you got your help.

A bit like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtOwOQi-DQI

I didn't see this post before, but cisco ios is brilliant, their switches are brilliant, and everything else cisco makes is just rubbish. The old saying "no-one got fired for buying cisco" only applies to switches and (some) other networking equipment.

Edited October 19, 2011 by Mahone

[slamjet]

Cool! I'm glad you had a good customer service experience. If you haven't already, I'd leave them a very kind and supportive thank-you comment.

Already did.

ok here is a funny story. Today my 3year old son was telling me something and it felt like he was talking in a foreign laungage. I didn't understand one word he was saying. I turned to my 4year old daughter and said did you understand any of that and she very clearly translated what my son had just said. I felt excatly the same way reading your post. I really should learn more about stuff. Glad you got your help.

So you have your three year old and your four year old at the table talking to you at the same time. Problem is, your four year old doesn't want the three year old to know what she was telling you. So to fix this problem, you put up a cardboard wall on the table, you sit at the end of the wall and you listen to each child with different years, the left for your three year old, the right for the four year old.

Same principle. There are two computer networks (your two children) residing in a network switch (the table) with one (your daughter) not wanting the intrusion of the other ports (your three year old), but needing to share the same internet (you). So I put up a wall between them using Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs or your cardboard wall) and assign them different routes (your two different ears) to the same internet (you).

Hope this helps you understand just a little bit of geeky talk. But this is a configuration that you would 90% not need in your home, so forget it. So tell the kids to stop yelling, make them march to their rooms and sit down at the table with some nice ice cream.

[ctr123]

That does help me to understand it somewhat. (I've always loved anologies) but now I'm just curious. Why I can understand how helpful it would be to be able to listen to both my children at the same time and understand what they are saying. What is the purpose of two computer networks needing the same internet at the same time?

[ctr123]

Mahone that link was blocked to me?

[Mahone]

That does help me to understand it somewhat. (I've always loved anologies) but now I'm just curious. Why I can understand how helpful it would be to be able to listen to both my children at the same time and understand what they are saying. What is the purpose of two computer networks needing the same internet at the same time?

Using the same analogy, The purpose of vlans would primarily be to stop your children talking directly to each other, and having to go through you (if you allow them to). This is because if your children can communicate directly with each other, a lot of unnecessary communication gets sent along with it that all the other children in the room can also hear and creates a loud noise. When they go via you, only the child you intend to pass the message onto hears it, and therefore the room is a lot quieter, just as network traffic would be a lot quieter.

Clear as mud?

Mahone that link was blocked to me?

Sorry, is it saying it isn't available in your country? It's a british comedy, must have blocked in in the US on copyright grounds.

[ctr123]

Thanks yes a bit clearer. clearer than mud but not spring water either. And that is what it is saying about the link.

I really do wish that there was this cisco technogoly for real life people sounds like it would be very handy. lol

[Guest johnymac001]

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