[CentOS] [OT] Network switches

Tue Mar 24 23:12:45 UTC 2009
Les Mikesell <lesmikesell at gmail.com>

Luke S Crawford wrote:
> 
>> 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.)  

If you get a service contract on any piece of Cisco equipment, you 
typically get download access to all of the firmware updates.  However, 
in a lot of scenarios there are several choices, each with a different 
set of bugs that you won't know about unless you open a TAC case and 
tell an engineer exactly what features have to work for you.

-- 
   Les Mikesell
    lesmikesell at gmail.com