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Thread: Cicso Switch & Router

  1. #1
    Did someone said Pizza :) FanacooL's Avatar
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    Question Cicso Switch & Router

    Im desinging a network and i need to know the series number of the CISCO products that have the following features: -

    1) Switch with atleast 4 ethernet ports plus 1 printer port.
    2) ROuter with 2 serial and 2 ethernet ports.

    I need price n features ..... links are also appreciated.
    One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man!

  2. #2
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    I would think that this is for a school project; correct me if I'm wrong. The point of a school project is to find these things on your own and hopefully learn something in the meantime.

    Seeing as how you appear lost on the matter, some information might help.

    Most Cisco routers can be upgraded to allow at least a maximum of 4 ethernet ports, or fibre optic ports, or serial ports, or whatever. You just need to find one with the appropriate scalability ability and then find the expansion cards which you need.

    A switch doesn't have a "printer port" per se. A printer connects to it with a standard ethernet cable through TCP/IP and the appropriate print server software.

    As for price n features, try http://www.cisco.com and follow the necessary links to find some resellers, which should have prices for you.
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  3. #3
    Did someone said Pizza :) FanacooL's Avatar
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    First thing i am not in a school n so obviously its not a school project...
    One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man!

  4. #4
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    striek, perhaps he meant a router with a built in printer port, like frequently used in the soho- market. I have never seen a switch with that concept onboard. like you said the other option is a printer with ethernet port (a network printer) or a network -> to parallel or USB box like the jetdirect from HP.

    About the Cisco routers, indeed, the pro routers are mostly based on a modular concept, they provide many types of slots, this is to add connectivity and several services in the future on an "integrate-as-you-grow" basis. The 1800 series is a good start. This page gives you an idea:

    http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/...d8016a59b.html

  5. #5
    Did someone said Pizza :) FanacooL's Avatar
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    About that printer port i mean i want to directly attach the printer on my network not through any PC directly on the switch. I have heard that there are switches that have such option. Obviously the printer will be network printer.
    One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man!

  6. #6
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    The routers used for the soho market are generally not just routers. If they've got more than one ethernet port out the back, they've got an integrated switch as well. So basically a switch with an integrated printer port, for a soho market, IS a router, since switches are rarely sold in that market anymore. So a soho router with 4 ethernet ports + a printer port might fit your requirements since it is also a swith.

    Pretty much any Cisco router can be upgraded to match what you need, so that shouldn't be too hard. And since the printer is as network printer and likely can communicate via TCP, I would just use a 5th port on the switch as a printer port and plug an IP printer into it. Then I could call that ethernet port a printer port.
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  7. #7
    Did someone said Pizza :) FanacooL's Avatar
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    I think i should clear the scenerio now cause i am free at the moment n can enlighten the problem....

    Ok we have joinned family system around 8 families living together in 3 floors + 2 other houses near by..... Now all of us have system n so i decide to practice some of the networking stuff in the family...... The 2 houses are adjacent to the main one..... Total number of system around 32 preciesly excluding 2 servers that i have ....... So i want to connect them all together n want to share the internet n other facilites ....... Now the reason why i want that switch thing is that 2 of my cousin has 3 system and 1 printer ..... By studying all the distance and estimating the cost i realize that using switches at differnt place would be more suitable rather than connect all with one large switch cause otherwise large wires will be going around in my room ...... well i can easliy connect the printer with one of the system and then share it from there the old and classic but this method has a drawback they had to switch on the system in order to use the printer..... So i asked a friend for an alternative he said there may be an option in switch though which u can attach the printer on the switch directl, but he wasn't confirm abt this so thats i why i asked abt such switch....... with price obviously......

    So i thought its worthwhile to ask help frm u ppl. This could solve my problem in short time.....

    Striek I dont know much abt that SOHO router or whtever it is..... i will do some workover it..... Just one thing is there any switch that can fullfill my requirment cause i think router would be more expensive then the switch cause i need it for 3 differnt places so total 3 such routers would be expensive dont u think so.....
    One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man!

  8. #8
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    A SOHO router is a Small Office / Home Office router, the usual Linksys / D-Link kid intended for these places.

    I would suggest using one of these to connect to the various switches you will need. It might be difficult to find these switches with printer ports, though. I'm not aware of any that have one.

    This is likely because a switch is a 'dumb' network device. The computers on your network will have no idea the switch even exists, and therefore cannot communicatte with it.

    I think you will need specific IP printers which can be effectively used with any switch. The printer drivers then communicate via TCP/IP with these printers. The printer then appears oon the network just as a computer does. Without a specifically designed printer, your printer drivers will have no idea that the printer is on an ethernet port. Any printer designed for a USB or parallel connection will be unable to communicate through a switch because this would require travelling along the ethernet wires first, which the printer drivers are unaware of unless specifically designed to use them.

    Basically, instead of printer-enabled switches, I would look for switch-enabled printers.
    Government is like fire - a handy servant, but a dangerous master - George Washington
    Government is not reason, it is not eloquence - it is force. - George Washington.

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  9. #9
    Did someone said Pizza :) FanacooL's Avatar
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    Ok fine i got ur point on the printer problem any specific deskjet printer u recommned which is obviosuly a switch-enable.
    One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man!

  10. #10
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    Ok fine i got ur point
    No. You didn't.

    You didn't. You didn't! YOU DIDN'T!

    /me continues to beat Fanacool with the point, smacking him over the head with it until he bleeds.
    /me then babbles endlessly about IP <-> printer communication theory.

    I've never used (as in had to go and price one out) a JetDirect printer though. I don't even know if office supply stores sell them, and I certainly don't know if office stores in Pakistan sell them.

    Now if you didn't get the point, I will be happy to beat you up with it some more. And you don't like being beaten over the head with my point, I've got a whole freezer full of large trout I could slap you around with.
    Government is like fire - a handy servant, but a dangerous master - George Washington
    Government is not reason, it is not eloquence - it is force. - George Washington.

    Join the UnError community!

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