How do I connect two switches

[Chucklesuk]

I have two XS508M 10gb switches.  Can someone please tell me the best way to connect either together or direct to router.

Do/can I connect the two switches together or should I run two independent cables to the router? Which would be the best. 

Since switching to fibre the router (BT) only has 4 ports and really need 3 for other things. Tried connecting both switches and some kit will not work. (unless I connect to other switch) Do I need a crossover cable? Or connect each switch to router direct?  Cat 6 cable with short (3mtr) run.

Thanks

[schumaku]

---

@Chucklesuk wrote:

I have two XS508M 10gb switches.  Can someone please tell me the best way to connect either together or direct to router

---

This BT router (unknown to most people outside of the BT EU isolated world) does it have multiple 10 GbE capable ports?

@Chucklesuk wrote:

Do/can I connect the two switches together or should I run two independent cables to the router? Which would be the best. 

---

Anything works - the question is much more: Should these ports be plain GigabitEthernet or some 2.5Gb only or max 5 Gb MultiGig, looping through the router will add a bottleneck if not going through a 10 GbE switch

@Chucklesuk wrote:

Since switching to fibre the router (BT) only has 4 ports and really need 3 for other things. Tried connecting both switches and some kit will not work. (unless I connect to other switch)

---

Technically the XS505M and XS508M can accommodate any Fast Ethernet (100Mb/s), Gigabit Ethernet 1, MultiGig Ethernet (2.5 and 5 Gb/s) Ethernet, as well as 10 Gigabit devices, automatically, on fully correct wired connections.

10Mb/s Ethernet can't sync. 

@Chucklesuk wrote:

Or connect each switch to router direct?

---

See above, already explained ref. bandwidth.

@Chucklesuk wrote:

Do I need a crossover cable? ...  Cat 6 cable with short (3mtr) run.

---

Nothing wrong with straight or fully and correctly wired crossover cables - most devices are supporting AutoX, straight cables are preferred.

@Chucklesuk wrote:

Tried connecting both switches and some kit will not work. (unless I connect to other switch)

---

More details please - what "some kits", what  "other switch", and connected how please? Crystal ball is on a holiday in Transylvania.

[Chucklesuk]

Hi thanks for reply.

When l mentioned other kit l mean Hive control for central heating etc and another hub for home lighting control (Phillips Hue).  When l added the second switch which was connected in series if you like then with another port connected to the router  the two hubs would not work/connect. However when l connected the hubs to the other identical switch all worked ok. That seemed strange to me. 
I will try two lines from router to each switch as soon as l make up a new cable.

Regard to speeds no idea what the router gives but as l said both switches 10gb also the Nas drives on my network. The connected pc l just finished building is only 2.5gb  motherboard as no spare slots for a 10gb card as used in my old scrapped pc. So a mixture of speeds.

But my main question is should l connect each switch individually to the router or just loop them together with one line to router?

Hope your crystal ball has a good holiday. Lol

Thanks again

[schumaku]

---

@Chucklesuk wrote:

I will try two lines from router to each switch as soon as l make up a new cable.

Regard to speeds no idea what the router gives but as l said both switches 10gb also the Nas drives on my network.

Installing a new line does make sense only if the router does have two or more 10 GbE ports ... unless you are on a very new BT Business platform (e.g. using the Meraki MX75) very unlikely.

[schumaku]

---

@Chucklesuk wrote:

When l mentioned other kit l mean Hive control for central heating etc and another hub for home lighting control (Phillips Hue).  When l added the second switch which was connected in series if you like then with another port connected to the router  the two hubs would not work/connect. However when l connected the hubs to the other identical switch all worked ok.

---

Probably two beautiful examples of non-fully-standard-compliant Ethernet kits - the link auto-negotiation does go to a mode to unsupported link speeds.

This goes that far that at least Hive does state it can't work with 2.5 GbE ports. 5 GbE and 10 GbE have apparently not hit them in masses yet.

Sometimes possible workarounds are using fully wired RJ45 copper cables with four pairs (eight strands). In case this still fails, there is no other option than adding a simple Gigabit Switch (or Fast Ethernet Switch) to the installation. 

Root cause is that the Hue Hubs and Hive Hubs (and other devices) are incredible keen for auto-negotiating to 10 Mb/s Full Duplex - despite of being 100FX-capable - what is not available on these modern Multi Gig switch and router ports.

At least some vendors (here: Hive) are honest:

This isn't limited to Netgear's XS505M and XS508M switches - any brand switch and router brands are affected, including Cisco (heavy iron and SMB), Ubiquity, ....