Networking For SME HELP!

[dannyedi]

Hi need advise, my office have just over 20 staff working here but the networking here sucks. So i'm trying to find a solution for the office. Currently we have 10mbs up and down static ip broadband, but looking to change the speed to a 20 or a 30 mbs up/dwn dynamic ip broadband package(so currently the speed sucks also But its FTTO that's good). 

The office is 20m long and 6m wide, but the all of the walls are 150mm thick brick walls. Which is divided to front and back. And we occupy 2 floors (1st and 2nd)

The current setup is (modem>router>Switcher)*front>(AP>Switcher(server/other desktop))*back
Due to this setup the front area is not covered by the server. The 2nd floor uses wifi and a small switch that connects to the 1st floor back switch

Any advise on changing the setup ? And advise on new hardware. Currently using a stock isp router(which is bad) but will buy a new one maybe the ASUS RT-AC68U, and a new switcher NETGEAR ProSAFE JGS516PE.

 

 

[InVis]

What is your budget?

What are you guys working with?

What kind of data do you transfer?

Have you analyzed the network usage to see if you have bottlenecks anywhere?

 

What kind of server capacity are we talking? NAS, SAN, sql database servers, LDAP servers, AD servers, Printservers?

 

Do you need a policy based firewall in your router? How many ports do you need?

How many VLANs do you need?

 

How far away is your servers from your switchroom / networking closet?

Would it be feasable to have a 8 or 16u wallmounted rack in either end of the building for networking stuff?

 

How much ethernet do you have installed currently and which cat? cat5e? cat6? cat6a? cat7?

Are you using a transparrent proxy for caching internet stuff? (hope you are with that low of a connection and that many people)

[dannyedi]

 

What is your budget?

What are you guys working with?

What kind of data do you transfer?

Have you analyzed the network usage to see if you have bottlenecks anywhere?

 

What kind of server capacity are we talking? NAS, SAN, sql database servers, LDAP servers, AD servers, Printservers?

 

Do you need a policy based firewall in your router? How many ports do you need?

How many VLANs do you need?

 

How far away is your servers from your switchroom / networking closet?

Would it be feasable to have a 8 or 16u wallmounted rack in either end of the building for networking stuff?

 

How much ethernet do you have installed currently and which cat? cat5e? cat6? cat6a? cat7?

Are you using a transparrent proxy for caching internet stuff? (hope you are with that low of a connection and that many people)

 

 

Hi i'm from malaysia so the product price might differ from yours. Our budget currently is around Rm3000 (696.69usd) give or take, in context a Dlink DGS-1016D cost around Rm250-280 and DGS-1210-28 is Rm859. Pricelist http://www.viewnet.com.my/downloads/viewnet_diy_pricelist.pdf

 

The office is an architectural firm so we are using BIM (Revit), 3Dmax, AutoCad to name a few.

 

What kind of data do we transfer is Cad drawings, 3D models and Bim files. 

 

As for bottlenecks, currently we are using 3/4 dinky 10/100 switcher that is dirt cheap. And the router is a dinky thing as well. So opening some website takes a while. As well as slow downloading files.

 

As for server we are using some kind of dell poweredge tower server (more then 4yrs) for projects and we have a plotter and a copier but i don't know how its connected to the network.

 

As for firewall, i don't think we have a good one or any because we just connect the modem to the dinky router. As for ports front switch we probably need only 8-16 port and back switch we need 24 port. As for Vlan i have no idea.

 

As for distance from server to switchroom is 0 because we dont have a swtichroom ,The server is located at the Back area of our building where all the production/staff is located at. 

As for Racks, would love to have one but most of the walls are occupied. Plus racks here are quite expansive so don't know if we have the budget for it.

 

As for Ethernet, we have around 20. As for cable I need to recheck it but most of the cable should be Cat5e and maybe some Cat5 laying around. Thinking of changing the cable to Cat6 for future proofing.

 

And we dont have a transparrent proxy server at all. 

[Blake]

 

 

 

 

Hi i'm from malaysia so the product price might differ from yours. Our budget currently is around Rm3000 (696.69usd) give or take, in context a Dlink DGS-1016D cost around Rm250-280 and DGS-1210-28 is Rm859. Pricelist http://www.viewnet.com.my/downloads/viewnet_diy_pricelist.pdf

 

The office is an architectural firm so we are using BIM (Revit), 3Dmax, AutoCad to name a few.

 

What kind of data do we transfer is Cad drawings, 3D models and Bim files. 

 

As for bottlenecks, currently we are using 3/4 dinky 10/100 switcher that is dirt cheap. And the router is a dinky thing as well. So opening some website takes a while. As well as slow downloading files.

 

As for server we are using some kind of dell poweredge tower server (more then 4yrs) for projects and we have a plotter and a copier but i don't know how its connected to the network.

 

As for firewall, i don't think we have a good one or any because we just connect the modem to the dinky router. As for ports front switch we probably need only 8-16 port and back switch we need 24 port. As for Vlan i have no idea.

 

As for distance from server to switchroom is 0 because we dont have a swtichroom ,The server is located at the Back area of our building where all the production/staff is located at. 

As for Racks, would love to have one but most of the walls are occupied. Plus racks here are quite expansive so don't know if we have the budget for it.

 

As for Ethernet, we have around 20. As for cable I need to recheck it but most of the cable should be Cat5e and maybe some Cat5 laying around. Thinking of changing the cable to Cat6 for future proofing.

 

And we dont have a transparrent proxy server at all. 

 

You need to sell the c-level staff on the benefits of a server room, really important, even it it is just a single rack for your servers and a single coms rack, throw an AC unit in there (two would be better), and I am talking about your ~$600 units with the compressor on the outside of the building type, no need for actual server room cooling for the loads a single rack will put out. Also sell the c-levels on a proper networking solution, as it will add to the business, 10/100 for clients is 'fine' for now (if you cad files etc are all on a file server then you really need gigabit, minimum), but a switch going down and stopping a floor from working for even 30mins would cost the company well more then the cost of an actual managed switch.

 

My recommendation, is put together a spec for a proper SME network (with redundant links, new servers, server room and comms rack, etc), present it to the Owner, get his response in writing, as when your network fails, and it will in it's current state, even with a single ~700USD switch/modem, you need to CYA.

 

For the cable, if you need to replace it Cat6A or Cat7 for future proofing.

[InVis]

 

 

 

 

Hi i'm from malaysia so the product price might differ from yours. Our budget currently is around Rm3000 (696.69usd) give or take, in context a Dlink DGS-1016D cost around Rm250-280 and DGS-1210-28 is Rm859. Pricelist http://www.viewnet.com.my/downloads/viewnet_diy_pricelist.pdf

 

The office is an architectural firm so we are using BIM (Revit), 3Dmax, AutoCad to name a few.

 

What kind of data do we transfer is Cad drawings, 3D models and Bim files. 

 

As for bottlenecks, currently we are using 3/4 dinky 10/100 switcher that is dirt cheap. And the router is a dinky thing as well. So opening some website takes a while. As well as slow downloading files.

 

As for server we are using some kind of dell poweredge tower server (more then 4yrs) for projects and we have a plotter and a copier but i don't know how its connected to the network.

 

As for firewall, i don't think we have a good one or any because we just connect the modem to the dinky router. As for ports front switch we probably need only 8-16 port and back switch we need 24 port. As for Vlan i have no idea.

 

As for distance from server to switchroom is 0 because we dont have a swtichroom ,The server is located at the Back area of our building where all the production/staff is located at. 

As for Racks, would love to have one but most of the walls are occupied. Plus racks here are quite expansive so don't know if we have the budget for it.

 

As for Ethernet, we have around 20. As for cable I need to recheck it but most of the cable should be Cat5e and maybe some Cat5 laying around. Thinking of changing the cable to Cat6 for future proofing.

 

And we dont have a transparrent proxy server at all. 

 

whoa.. I see you have gotten the usual networking task - upgrade eveything to future proff but use no money at all

 

I will start by saying that you will have to get more money to build a decent SME network, even with no redundancy, you need more money..

 

I would go for this:

- 2x DGS-1210-28 for your swtiches with fiber SFPs for vlan trunking etc.

- 1x DGS-1210-10P for WiFi

- 4x Ubiquiti UniFi AC Pro AP for WiFi

- 1x relay rack for your networking stuff or a 42U rack cabinet 

- Upgrade to cat7 ethernet.

- Use patchpanels

- Find a central location where you can place your networking rack and maybe your future server racks (can be enclosed and airconned later on), as it would be a waste to run cables to somewhere you need to move again at some point

- Get a new router - a PFsense box or a Ubiquiti Edgerouter PoE or EdgeRouter Pro SFP and set up some zonecontrol

- Connect your servers to 2 or 4 aggregated links on your switch with jumboframes enabled.

- Set up different VLANs - a storage VLAN, a WiFi VLAN, a Guest VLAN, a Employee VLAN and a management VLAN on your switches.

 

That is at least what I would do in your situation

Your boss will love you, your co-workers will love you, you will love you (if eveything is set up right)