Office Networking question

[kentuckyser]

I am starting up my own engineering firm, and I have a few questions regarding the network.

Background: I have experience wiring routers, hubs, internet, etc for home networking, but not office. I know the basics, that's it.

Info: I will have 5 workstation computers plug a laptop, I will also have a "server" computer which will act as network storage. I don't plan on having network logins or domains, just individual users on each local workstation. So basically, the "server" computer is acting as network storage and that's it.

I will be using a cable internet connection, and I need a wireless setup as well so I can bring my laptop to access the internet AND the LAN.

The motherboards on my workstations support 10/100/1000Mbps on the built-in ethernet. Can I design a network to take advantage of the 1000Mbps on the motherboard? Or am I limited to 10/100?

So far, I think I need:

1.) A switch of some sort.
2.) Wireless router?
3.) Cable modem (comes with internet contract)
4.) CAT5 or CAT6 cable

What else do I need? Can anyone recommend specific brands/models to purchase? Also, how do I go about installing and wiring these?

Thanks for the help.

[kentuckyser]

I think I just need to use a wireless router from the cable modem, and uplink to a 24 port switch. This should provide my LAN, and also my internet connection, right? Then, I'll just designate the HDD's on the "server" computer as my mapped network drives.

Will printer sharing be enabled like this?

[koldchillah]

Welcome to Speedguide!

If you get a gigabit switch, you can take advantage of the gigabit speeds with each computer that has the gigabit NIC.

A wireless router will act as a basic NAT firewall as well as provide you the wireless capability you seek. Check out the "Pre-N" series from Belkin or now Linksys officially released their 802.11N series as well that makes the range 4x stronger than 802.11G and over 10x faster. :thumb:

Regular CAT5 only supports 10/100. CAT5e supports gigabit speeds, but CAT6 is basically a slightly improvement version of CAT5e. I can get CAT6 for almost the same price as CAT5e so it's my first choice, but CAT5e is fine as well.

Good luck getting all setup. :thumb:

[koldchillah]

I think I just need to use a wireless router from the cable modem, and uplink to a 24 port switch. This should provide my LAN, and also my internet connection, right? Then, I'll just designate the HDD's on the "server" computer as my mapped network drives.

Will printer sharing be enabled like this?

Sounds about right, but I never share an entire drive at one time. Create a folder under that drive called "FILEVAULT" or whatever, and then share that folder instead of the root of the drive, ESPECIALLY if you are running your OS on the same volume.

[YeOldeStonecat]

Check out the Linksys/Cisco SR2015 switch.....16 ports of 10/100/1000 goodness.

They have a smaller SD2008 model...8 ports...just thinking the next size up..room to grow. A port to uplink to the router, you'll probably have a couple of networked printers...such as an HP DesignJet plotter and professional deskjet series, and laser.

I guess I've veer away from my usual business setup of having a full business grade router, and keeping a wireless access point as a separate unit...in your case..with a small office and the need of a gigabit switch...we can put in a wireless router.

I'd normally suggest getting an RV0 series router..but the 082 and 015 models are 10/100 ports. They have an RV0041 model...with 4x gigabit ports..but you need 5..plus an uplink for the WAP.

So...going with the SD2008 switch...lets take a look at this new model....
WRV200. I'd look towards this first...it's designed for small business.
http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Promotion_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1145389418385&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper

Also recently released...their new N product, as Kold mentioned above...
WRT300n....
http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1144763513404&packedargs=site%3DUS&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper

Now...definitely wire with CAT5e...or even better...CAT6. Make sure you get matching standard ends, data panels, patch panels, etc. I'm a fan of Panduit as a brand. And have it wired by a professional who can test and verify it that what they install..can support giga speeds.

Workstations and your server...gigaNICs of course.

Now for your server....lots of options here...don't forget to consider hard drive speed....and backup options.

Engineering...so you're working with large files, probably CAD stuff. If you don't have the computers already...get professional workstations..designed for engineering type work. Workstations stuffed 2 gigs of RAM, fast hard drives, graphics cards that support CAD products better such as nVidia Quadro and ATI Fire cards. You'll want a lightweight antivirus program also....one that doesn't bog down the system like many do..especially when you're working with large files. NOD32 and the latest Kapersky are two of the lightest ones.

Also especially important for graphics workstations (well...all workstations in my opinion...but especially those who work with LARGE files)...battery backup unit for each workstation/monitor...and yes the switch/router. An APC es500 for each one. When the power suddenly goes out..and you're a CAD user working on a massive file...you can bet that file you invested many hours in will get hosed.

[kentuckyser]

Welcome to Speedguide!

If you get a gigabit switch, you can take advantage of the gigabit speeds with each computer that has the gigabit NIC.

A wireless router will act as a basic NAT firewall as well as provide you the wireless capability you seek. Check out the "Pre-N" series from Belkin or now Linksys officially released their 802.11N series as well that makes the range 4x stronger than 802.11G and over 10x faster. :thumb:

Regular CAT5 only supports 10/100. CAT5e supports gigabit speeds, but CAT6 is basically a slightly improvement version of CAT5e. I can get CAT6 for almost the same price as CAT5e so it's my first choice, but CAT5e is fine as well.

Good luck getting all setup. :thumb:

Thank you! And thanks for taking the time to reply.

Yes I was originally looking at the Netgear GS724T Gigabit switch, but I will be shopping some more. CAT6 it is,...and I will take a look at those Linksys routers. Although, I've always had problems with wired Linksys routers in the past for home networking. I guess it just left a bad taste in my mouth.

[kentuckyser]

Sounds about right, but I never share an entire drive at one time. Create a folder under that drive called "FILEVAULT" or whatever, and then share that folder instead of the root of the drive, ESPECIALLY if you are running your OS on the same volume.

Good idea. I'll creat a root directory and share from there. That way I can hide other files I don't want anyone to see. Thanks.

[kentuckyser]

Check out the Linksys/Cisco SR2015 switch.....16 ports of 10/100/1000 goodness.

They have a smaller SD2008 model...8 ports...just thinking the next size up..room to grow. A port to uplink to the router, you'll probably have a couple of networked printers...such as an HP DesignJet plotter and professional deskjet series, and laser.

I guess I've veer away from my usual business setup of having a full business grade router, and keeping a wireless access point as a separate unit...in your case..with a small office and the need of a gigabit switch...we can put in a wireless router.

I'd normally suggest getting an RV0 series router..but the 082 and 015 models are 10/100 ports. They have an RV0041 model...with 4x gigabit ports..but you need 5..plus an uplink for the WAP.

So...going with the SD2008 switch...lets take a look at this new model....
WRV200. I'd look towards this first...it's designed for small business.
http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Promotion_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1145389418385&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper

Also recently released...their new N product, as Kold mentioned above...
WRT300n....
http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1144763513404&packedargs=site%3DUS&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper

Now...definitely wire with CAT5e...or even better...CAT6. Make sure you get matching standard ends, data panels, patch panels, etc. I'm a fan of Panduit as a brand. And have it wired by a professional who can test and verify it that what they install..can support giga speeds.

Workstations and your server...gigaNICs of course.

Now for your server....lots of options here...don't forget to consider hard drive speed....and backup options.

Engineering...so you're working with large files, probably CAD stuff. If you don't have the computers already...get professional workstations..designed for engineering type work. Workstations stuffed 2 gigs of RAM, fast hard drives, graphics cards that support CAD products better such as nVidia Quadro and ATI Fire cards. You'll want a lightweight antivirus program also....one that doesn't bog down the system like many do..especially when you're working with large files. NOD32 and the latest Kapersky are two of the lightest ones.

Also especially important for graphics workstations (well...all workstations in my opinion...but especially those who work with LARGE files)...battery backup unit for each workstation/monitor...and yes the switch/router. An APC es500 for each one. When the power suddenly goes out..and you're a CAD user working on a massive file...you can bet that file you invested many hours in will get hosed.

Thank you for your reply. I've been reading a lot of your posts lately.

Let me get one thing straight. If I want to "uplink" from the router to the switch, I simply run cable from a LAN port on the router, to the uplink port on the switch? I even saw some switches that didn't have a designated "uplink" port, but they had auto-sensing ports that determine whether it's an uplink connection, or something else.

I'll probably need a larger 16 port switch like the SR2015 you suggested. I like the Linksys "N" model router, especially with the 4x faster speeds.

When you say data panels and patch panels, what are those used for? I thought you could simply run the CAT6 from the computers to the switch itself. Then from the switch to the router, etc. Is it possible for me to make the cables myself? I've seen people do it with a special tool, and I'm never scared to try anything. I'm trying to do everything myself to save cost.

The server will be running 10,000 RPM drives with 1 GB RAM, gigaNIC, etc.

I'm building the workstations myself. Each using high quality components with 250GB HDD's, 2 GB Ram, ATI FireGL V5000 video card (AutoCAD recommended), dual monitors, AMD X2 4200+ Dual Core Processors, etc. Thanks for the recommendations on the anti-virus software...we will be needing it.

Yes, battery backups will be a must. Thanks for the recommendation there. That's my biggest downfall, I know what I need, but I'm in the dark about brands, and sometimes how to connect these devices.

One more question,...if I have wireless printers, they will connect through the wireless router, right? If they are wired, should I also run them into the ports on the router?

[kentuckyser]

Ok, I did some reading on patch panels and I think I have it figured out. It seems that the patch panel is used mostly for "tidying up" wiring, keeping yourself organized, etc...doesn't seem to me like it's a necessity...but it's good to have.

Basically, I run CAT6 from the workstation with a terminated end to the patch panel. At the patch panel, the cable is untwisted and wired into the panel itself without a RJ45 jack. Then, you create short cables (both ends terminated) that connect your labeled patch panel ports to the ports on the switch. Is that close?

We will probably be using drop connections from the ceiling for our workstations...I don't think we will be getting fancy using jacks in the wall. Having said that, in your opinion, given someone with basic knowledge (although never having actually done any wiring except running cables), would it be safe to say that this is a task that me and my partner could accomplish?

[YeOldeStonecat]

Yeah...I prefer using patch panels. Here's a few shots of a home setup I was upgrading.....it was a mess before...it's about 1/2 down here...still lots of phone and coax we had to re-organize....

Yes...this was part of someones summer home...a huge summer mansion on an island...he's there barely 2 months out of the year. These pics are getting pretty old..did this a while ago...gotta upload some pics of an insurance firm I did a few weeks ago.

http://www.speedguide.net/~brian/patt3.jpg
http://www.speedguide.net/~brian/patt4.jpg
http://www.speedguide.net/~brian/patt5.jpg
http://www.speedguide.net/~brian/patt6.jpg

As for wiring on your own....I'm not a fan of that.....whenever I'm to setup a network...and I'm told someone "ran the cables themselves"...I'll walk away and not return until they had someone fully certified in it, or had me bring my guy in, to redo it. I've spent waaaay too much time chasing down issues. CAT5e/6 is even more sensitive to being done properly...especially if you want giga speeds.

[kentuckyser]

Ok, I'll try to find someone to run the wires to the patch panel for me. I think that's all I'll need them to do. I can handle everything else, it seems.

Nice installation, by the way. I saw that house in another thread, amazing!

[YeOldeStonecat]

Ok, I'll try to find someone to run the wires to the patch panel for me. I think that's all I'll need them to do. I can handle everything else, it seems.

And BTW...my above statement wasn't intended as a knock on your abilities....in rereading it it may have come off that way.

I'm just basing it on my experience....I've sat there trying to get stuff working on a network...spinning my wheels for hours because of some issue..to find out it was a home made cable somewhere.....

They're touchy. Using cheap crimpers....you can have issues. Using just a "link light" to test to see if the cable is good...is barely a good test...I've seen many bad cables that a link light test said was good. You've gotta spend near a grand in hardware to get good tools to make them right. That's my opinion anyways. I've gone through a few cabling classes...I still generally don't run cables myself..too time consuming.

[kentuckyser]

No offense taken at all, I appreciate your help. I can just see myself banging my head on the desk trying to figure out an issue which leads to my faulty wiring.

[YeOldeStonecat]

I'm building the workstations myself. Each using high quality components with 250GB HDD's, 2 GB Ram, ATI FireGL V5000 video card (AutoCAD recommended), dual monitors, AMD X2 4200+ Dual Core Processors, etc. Thanks for the recommendations on the anti-virus software...we will be needing i

What are you using for all the components? (brands 'n stuff)

[kentuckyser]

Antec Sonata II Case w/450 watt PSU
Sony Internal Floppy
Western Digital Caviar 250 GB 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache SATA HDD
Lite-On DVD/CD-ROM
Lite-On Cd/DVD Burner
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ 939 Socket Dual Core Processor
ASUS A8N-E NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX Mobo
2 GB DDR PC3200
ATI FireGL V5000 128 MB PCI Express w/Dual DVI outs
(2) Samsun 940-B Black 19" LCD

Should do just fine. It's better than what I'm using now, even.

[YeOldeStonecat]

16 meg cache Caviars...nice...should handle tossing around large files well. :thumb:

Floppy drives eh? Hardly see those anymore.

I love the Sonata cases...have one right here at home.

Fan of Asus motherboards myself too. Probably only thing I'd change is brand of monitor...I love Viewsonics, their VX and VP series. Going DVI on the monitor input, right?

[kentuckyser]

Personally, I never use floppy drives,...but they're always good to have just in case...especially since the drive itself is only 5 or 6 bucks. I used to get files from an old school engineer on floppy disks...so...just in case.

I shopped around for monitors and found the Samsungs to be highly recommended from the guys over on the PCMechanic forum. The video card has dual DVI outputs so yes, I'll be using DVI on both LCD's.

I was originally interested in the ViewSonic LCD but there were more people that had bad things to say about them then there were of the Samsungs.