<div class="gmail_extra"><div class="gmail_quote">On Sat, Dec 8, 2012 at 12:55 PM, sjm <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:sjm.mlists@gmail.com" target="_blank">sjm.mlists@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div class="im"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
be confusing, but that's a hassle I can live with. One of the major goals,<br>
again, is to divide my LAN into 2, maybe 3 subnets - and really play with<br>
the routing and switching options.<br>
</blockquote>
<br></div>
You actually can run several subnets mixed on the same network. VLANs help separate that, but it all depends on what you want to do. Can you draw a quick diagram of things you're thinking about?<div class="im"><br>
</div></blockquote><div><br>I get the subnetting pretty darned well now. I still ain't all that fast, but I can plan my subnets, even using VLSM pretty much by thinking through the calculations in my head. :-) Of course, wait until next month, after I have not had to subnet anything. :-(<br>
<br>I am thinking to separate out the server from the workstations and laptops, or maybe the wired from the wireless systems. Alternatively, his-n-hers subnets. :-D<br> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div class="im">
<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
One thing I would like to be able to do is to run:<br>
<> Firewall/Proxy server (Isn't this where switches and routers start<br>
coming into play more?)<br>
</blockquote>
<br></div>
Yes & no. A pure router doesn't do any firewalling. Technically, a proxy server is a *server*, not a network device.<div><br></div></blockquote><div></div><div><br>Yeah, I do still know the difference between routers and servers, but I wanted to give an idea of my infrastructure - what I want to do. I get the impression, both from techies and marketing materials, that most routers are offering VPN, security, etc. these days. Even managed switches seem to get promoted as a first line of defense - Extreme networks offers switches with intrusion detection capabilities. Shouldn't that be the role of an ids on a server box (traditionally speaking)? <br>
</div><div><br><br> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<br>
While all these might be part of the network infrastructure of a place, they all sit at a level (or few) above the routing and switching.<div class="im"><br></div></blockquote><div>Yeah, that's what we studied in the class. I do get the differences at the basic level. But the network devices seem to be getting more and more advanced these days.<br>
<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div class="im">
<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
Some say build a Linux firewall. Others say that's what routers are for.<br>
In fact, the main reason (as I understand it) for dedicated routers is that<br>
their flash drive is faster than standard hard disks. But if I get a box<br>
with a solid state drive, wouldn't that overcome most of that issue?<br>
</blockquote>
<br></div>
Well, and they have dedicated switching/routing hardware that can handle much higher throughput (think a 48port Gb switch with all ports running at close to full saturation).</blockquote><div><br>I think this drives more at the gist of my question than anything else. When I look at managed switches, they all seem to have at least 24 ports, when I really only need about 8 (at most). Still, at least a Cisco router would get me using their interface. Even so, why not just a linux box with 2-4 ports as a router? Is it more important to know Cisco or more important to know networking?<br>
</div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div class="im"><br>
<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
If any of what I am saying doesn't make sense - just be patient with me.<br>
Again, partly, I want to play with Cisco and get more familiar with the<br>
interface (beyond Packet Tracer, which is still a great tool). But also to<br>
put my networking skills to use by planning and implementing my LAN.<br>
</blockquote>
<br></div>
It depends what you are looking for. As Tim mentioned, the languages are slightly different between the venders. If you are looking to understand more the concepts, then another vender like HP might not cost as much and still give you the practice in the concepts. If you want to practice more the Cisco language as well, then you will need to pay the higher price for the Cisco boxes.<span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><br>
<br>
sjm</font></span><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5"><br>
</div></div></blockquote></div></div>