How to choose a switch in the AV OVER IP project? How to determine the network structure according to the project? We have this question in most projects. Switches are one of the most commonly used equipment in weak current. Regarding its use and selection, we have to know. In this issue, let’s learn more about how to choose switches in the next project.
- Network Size and Hierarchy
What needs to be considered is the network scale and switch application level, which are mainly divided into small and medium networks and large and medium networks.
When choosing a switch, you can use the OSI reference model to choose. If the company is only doing data forwarding, it is recommended to use a two-layer switch. If the departments are divided to isolate the departments, it is recommended to choose a three-layer switch. If you need to set up gateways, firewalls and other functions, you need a more advanced firewall-level switch.
How to plan the network hierarchy:
The network structure determines what equipment to use. Some small networks only have the core layer and the access layer, so the core switch is relatively better to choose, and the pressure is not great. For example, some small monitoring networks are only used in the internal network. Just choose a Layer 2 switch.
- Number of ports on the switch
The number of ports of the switch and the number of physical ports supported by the switch determine the number of terminals or secondary receiving devices connected to the switch, which need to be selected according to actual needs. Of course, you also need to consider subsequent network expansion. The access port of the switch is used to connect to the internal network terminal, and the uplink port is used to connect to the upper-level equipment.
If the number of input node and output node is around 16, and the number of points does not change much in the long term, you can choose a 24-port switch. If there are more than 16 points, and there are other network equipment, you need to do some redundancy on the number of ports. Otherwise, you can choose a 48-port switch.
- Port parameters
Port speed (100M, Gigabit, 10G) and port type (RJ45, SFP/optical port, PoE power supply network port, etc.). There are several optical ports, or several electrical ports, etc., the number of 100M ports and Gigabit ports. As AV OVER IP occupies a lot of bandwidth while transmitting ultra-high-definition video signals, a gigabit switch must be selected in the project.
- Forwarding rate
The data in the network is composed of data packets, and the processing of each data packet consumes resources. Forwarding rate (also known as throughput) refers to the number of data packets that pass per unit time without packet loss. Throughput is like the traffic flow of an overpass. It is the most important parameter of a three-layer switch, and it marks the specific performance of the switch. If the throughput is too small, it will become a network bottleneck and negatively affect the transmission efficiency of the entire network.
The switch should be able to achieve wire-speed switching, that is, the switching rate reaches the data transmission speed on the transmission line, thereby eliminating the switching bottleneck to the greatest extent. For the Layer 3 core switch, if you want to achieve non-blocking transmission of the network, this rate can be ≤ the nominal Layer 2 packet forwarding rate and the rate can ≤ the nominal Layer 3 packet forwarding rate, then the switch is doing Layer 2 and Layer 3 Line speed can be achieved when layer switching.
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