Gigabit adapter in Server needed?

[melickas]

Our server has (2) onboard network adapters (one for internal LAN, one
for external) that are not gigabit - only 10/00. We are going to
purchase a Linksys SR2024 10/100/1000 Switch, and some of our
workstations have gigabit adapters.

The server is a file server with many CAD files that are accessed and
one other large shared Quickbooks file.

Do we have to install a gigabit network adapter for the Internal LAN in
our server or will the Gigabit switch take care of this - ie, is this a
bottleneck if we do not replace it?

Thanks

 

[Robert L [MS-MVP]]

install a gigabit network adapter for the Internal LAN will help.

Bob Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN Troubleshooting on http://www.ChicagoTech.net
How to Setup Windows, Network, VPN & Remote Access on http://www.HowToNetworking.com
Our server has (2) onboard network adapters (one for internal LAN, one
for external) that are not gigabit - only 10/00. We are going to
purchase a Linksys SR2024 10/100/1000 Switch, and some of our
workstations have gigabit adapters.

The server is a file server with many CAD files that are accessed and
one other large shared Quickbooks file.

Do we have to install a gigabit network adapter for the Internal LAN in
our server or will the Gigabit switch take care of this - ie, is this a
bottleneck if we do not replace it?

Thanks

 

[melickas]

Thanks for the reply however in reading the literature for this
particular switch (Linksys SR2024) it states the following:

Drop this switch in place of your current workgroup hub or switch, and
you can upgrade your high-requirement workstations to full Gigabit
speeds as necessary, while continuing to service other clients at their
current speeds...With the 24-Port 10/100/1000 Gigabit Switch, you can
connect your existing 10/100 Ethernet network to a Gigabit server
backbone without any additional equipment. All ports have automatic
MDI/MDI-X crossover detection, so you don't have to worry about the
cable type. Each port independently and automatically negotiates for
best speed and whether to run in half- or full-duplex mode.

This leads me to believe that a new adapter is not necessary - what am
I missing here? Thanks again

 

[Phillip Windell]

Drop this switch in place of your current workgroup hub or switch, and
you can upgrade your high-requirement workstations to full Gigabit
speeds as necessary, while continuing to service other clients at their
current speeds...With the 24-Port 10/100/1000 Gigabit Switch, you can
connect your existing 10/100 Ethernet network to a Gigabit server
backbone without any additional equipment. All ports have automatic
MDI/MDI-X crossover detection, so you don't have to worry about the
cable type. Each port independently and automatically negotiates for
best speed and whether to run in half- or full-duplex mode.

This leads me to believe that a new adapter is not necessary - what am
I missing here? Thanks again

You are misinterpreting what you are reading. It is not telling you that
you get gigabit speeds without a GigNic on the other end of the cable. It is
telling you that the Switch will auto-negotiate with the 10/100 Nic and will
then function at either 10 or 100 depending on what was successfully
negotiated. This was written by Marketers trying to sell you that product,
it was not written by Technicians,...they aren't lying,..they just simply
aren't making the truth clear. The truth is that you don't even have a
Gigabit Server Backbone and the fact that the switch can be a connection
point between a 100 LAN and a 1000 LAN (assuming all the same IP subnet) is
totally irrelevant to what you are doing.

A "Gigbit Server Backbone" would be where all the Servers have Gigbit Nics
and connect into Gigbit ports on the switch which creates 1000mbps Virtual
Circuits between all the Servers and the Switch. The rest of the slower
10/100 machines would connect to the Switch (or another Swicth linked to
this switch) which then create 10/100mbps Virtual Circuits between the
slower machines and the Switch(es). So you now have a set of 10/100mbps
Virtual circuits and a set of 1000mbps Virtual Circuits and can communicate
together across the Switch(es),....hence the "gobbledy-gook Marketing-speak"
that you read in the literature.

The speed will always run at the speed of the slowest device involved. Sort
of like if you were going to teach Spanish to your dog. You could be an
excellent Spanish teacher capable of teaching it very fast,...but no matter
how hard your try, you will never progress any faster than the dog is
capable of learning the Spanish.

Ok, so that may not be the best example,...but I like to come up with
unusual examples,...people remember them easier.

--
Phillip Windell [MCP, MVP, CCNA]
www.wandtv.com
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Understanding the ISA 2004 Access Rule Processing
http://www.isaserver.org/articles/ISA2004_AccessRules.html

Microsoft Internet Security & Acceleration Server: Guidance
http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver/techinfo/Guidance/2004.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver/techinfo/Guidance/2000.asp

Microsoft Internet Security & Acceleration Server: Partners
http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver/partners/default.asp

Deployment Guidelines for ISA Server 2004 Enterprise Edition
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/isa/2004/deploy/dgisaserver.mspx
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