Rob Townley <rob.townley at gmail.com> writes: > i would like to see real performance data via something like netperf > with client machines booted from a standardized LiveCD, then > peformance under their Linux Distribution and performance under > Windows. Performance data is not the most important metric, at least for me. For me, the big problem is reliability and security. My problem with used cisco is that getting access to the firmware usually costs more than the used parts I'm buying... If I'm going to use the thing as a router at the head of my network, I want to be sure that the thing can be secured, and sometimes that requires a firmware update. If someone sold support contracts (by support contracts, I mean firmware. I don't need help, I just need the firmware.) for old switches for less than the value of the switch, I'd buy. If someone sold switches with open source firmware, I'd buy. (I've bought myself an OpenGear console server instead of a cheaper used cyclades for similar reasons.)