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I need to connect three GS728TP switches in a single cabinet, but I inadvertently bought the non-stacking variety. I plan to chain them instead, but would like to create a ring for redundancy/throughput, etc.
Does anyone have any advice, like how to prevent loops?
You can daisy chain or cascade your 3 GS728TP switches. There is no limit on cascading NETGEAR switches but be reminded that the good practice would be up to 2-3 switches daisy chained. It is because the more switch you daisy chain will add latency on the network.
I recommend that it would be best to connect your GS728TP switches using LAG preferably LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol). Here are the advantages of having LACP configured between GS728TP switches:
1. Even if one physical links fails, it will detect if the point-to-point connection is using a media converter, so that the link status at the switching port remains up. Because LACPDUs (Link Aggregation Control Protocol Data Units) do not form a component of this connection, the link will be removed from the link aggregate. This ensures that packets will not be lost due to the failed link.
2. Both of the devices can mutually confirm the LAG configuration. Errors in the configuration or wiring will be detected.
As reference, kindly read pages 77-79 of the GS728TP Software Administration Manual here
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!
You can daisy chain or cascade your 3 GS728TP switches. There is no limit on cascading NETGEAR switches but be reminded that the good practice would be up to 2-3 switches daisy chained. It is because the more switch you daisy chain will add latency on the network.
I recommend that it would be best to connect your GS728TP switches using LAG preferably LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol). Here are the advantages of having LACP configured between GS728TP switches:
1. Even if one physical links fails, it will detect if the point-to-point connection is using a media converter, so that the link status at the switching port remains up. Because LACPDUs (Link Aggregation Control Protocol Data Units) do not form a component of this connection, the link will be removed from the link aggregate. This ensures that packets will not be lost due to the failed link.
2. Both of the devices can mutually confirm the LAG configuration. Errors in the configuration or wiring will be detected.
As reference, kindly read pages 77-79 of the GS728TP Software Administration Manual here
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!
I think that pretty much answers my question - chaining will be fine, especially if we put our servers on the middle switch in the chain. We'll also put our broadband router on the middle switch to minimise latency as we plan to implement VOIP shortly. The switches will be linked using the SFP ports and likely optical interconnects.
I see there is a later version of the GS728TP that appears nearly identical but with only two SFP ports. As a matter of interest, does it have any additional stacking features?
Kind regards, Ken
Model: GS728TP|ProSAFE 24-port PoE Smart Switch with 8 PoE+-port
I see there is a later version of the GS728TP that appears nearly identical but with only two SFP ports. As a matter of interest, does it have any additional stacking features?
The GS728TPS switch has 24 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit PoE ports and 6 SFP fiber ports, 2 of which are combo ports. Up to two SFP ports (port 27 and 28) at a time can be used as stacking ports. As reference, kindly read pages 13-14 of the GS728TPS Hardware Installation Guide here. To know more about the specifications of the GS728TPS switch, kindly check its data sheet here.
Also, you may want to consider the S3300-28X-PoE+ (GS728TXP) switch which has 24 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit PoE ports, 2 100M/1G/10GBASE-T copper ports (ports 25–26) that can be use for stacking and 2 10G/1G SFP+ fiber ports (ports 27–28) that can also be use for stacking. As reference, kindly read pages 14-15 of the S3300-28X-PoE+ Hardware Installation Guide here. To know more about the specifications of the S3300-28X-PoE+ switch, kindly check its data sheet here.
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!
