Connecting multiple GS728TP and GS752TP switches together in a rack

[davidbeard]

We've recently replaced our Prosafe Plus JGS524E switches with both (4) GS728TP and (2) GS752TP switches in our main server rack.  We are planning to redesign our flat network using multiple VLANs.  Am I wrong in my thinking but can we now use SFP to connect between each switch?  Any advantages/benefits of doing this?  Previously we would use port 24 from each switch and plug that port into an open port of a switch that was used for distribution.  What would be best practice to do this?  The switches are less than a foot from one another.  Thanks.

[DaneA · Accepted solution]

Hello @davidbeard,

Welcome to the community!

You can cascade the switches (a mix of GS728TP and GS752TP) using either the SFP ports or ethernet ports.  It is more applicable to use the SFP ports to cascade 2 or more switches if the distance between each other is more than 100 meters.  There is no limit on the number of NETGEAR switches that can be daisy chained or cascaded together.  However, the best practice would be up to 2-3 switches cascaded.  It is because the more switch that you cascade will add latency on the network.  

The compatible SFP modules for both GS728TP and GS752TP switches are AGM731F, AGM732F and AFM735.  Kindly check their differences below:

As reference, kindly check the data sheet of the GS728TP and GS752TP switches here.

Regards,

DaneA

NETGEAR Community Team

[DaneA · Accepted solution]

Hello @davidbeard,

Welcome to the community!

You can cascade the switches (a mix of GS728TP and GS752TP) using either the SFP ports or ethernet ports.  It is more applicable to use the SFP ports to cascade 2 or more switches if the distance between each other is more than 100 meters.  There is no limit on the number of NETGEAR switches that can be daisy chained or cascaded together.  However, the best practice would be up to 2-3 switches cascaded.  It is because the more switch that you cascade will add latency on the network.  

The compatible SFP modules for both GS728TP and GS752TP switches are AGM731F, AGM732F and AFM735.  Kindly check their differences below:

As reference, kindly check the data sheet of the GS728TP and GS752TP switches here.

Regards,

DaneA

NETGEAR Community Team

[DaneA]

@davidbeard,

I just want to follow-up on this.  Let us know if you have further questions.

Otherwise, if ever your concern has been addressed or resolved, I encourage you to mark the appropriate reply as the “Accepted Solution” so others can be confident in benefiting from the solution. The NETGEAR Community looks forward to hearing from you and being a helpful resource in the future!

Regards,

DaneA

NETGEAR Community Team

[davidbeard]

Thank you for your response.  So am I assuming correctly that when using SFP for less than 1-foot that this would not be a recommended practice?  That being said, our current setup is coming from our SonicWALL we feed a DMZ switch that separates the LAN and WAN.  From the DMZ switch it then feeds a GS752TP switch which is basically a distribution switch.  The remaining (3) GS728TP switches then use their port 24 to connect back to the GS752TP.  Would this setup cause the latency you were referring to?  If so, what would be best practice to accomplish this?  Thanks again for the great information and help.  

[DaneA]

@davidbeard,

Thanks for the feedback.  You could still make use of the SFP ports to cascade switches even if the distance is just 1-foot.  It is just alright.  In our laboratory, some switches are cascaded using the SFP ports even if their distance between each other is just about more or less than 1-foot.   

About your current setup, I believe its just fine.  You may want to perform an iPerf test within your existing network setup.  Kindly check the links below about iPerf:

IPERF: How to test network Speed,Performance,Bandwidth

Iperf Tutorial

Basic Network Testing with iPerf

Regards,

DaneA

NETGEAR Community Team

[DaneA]

@davidbeard,

I just want to follow-up again.  Let us know if you have further questions.

Otherwise, if ever your concern has been addressed or resolved, I encourage you to mark the appropriate reply as the “Accepted Solution” so others can be confident in benefiting from the solution. The NETGEAR Community looks forward to hearing from you and being a helpful resource in the future!

Regards,

DaneA

NETGEAR Community Team