Switches

• Although any 802.3 compliant switch should work with CobraNet, some less expensive switches cannot operate at wire speed or have limited queue buffer sizes and can cause problems when a large amount of traffic exists.
• Some less expensive gigabit switches will not operate at 1 Gigabit if any port is in use at 100 Mbit.
• It is best to avoid bargain switches and use good quality switches from reputable manufacturers.
• We strongly encourage the use of managed switches in larger projects for the following reasons:
  • They can be configured to limit broadcast storms or otherwise throttle the data rate on specific ports. This can be a benefit to CobraNet. Do not limit the bandwidth to less than the CobraNet device needs to operate properly.
  • Port mirroring capability is very useful if debugging is necessary.
  • Statistics logging is very useful if debugging is necessary.
  • Use of VLANs can be very useful in large applications.
  • Link aggregation can be very useful to increase bandwidth between switches and to provide a measure of redundancy.
  • STP, RSTP and MSTP can be used to create fault tolerant topologies.
  • QoS can be implemented to ensure that CobraNet has the highest priority.

    CobraNet devices themselves cannot generate or process tagged QOS packets.

    Some protocols, such as VOIP, will also attempt to secure the highest priority. Be sure to consider the types of protocols and priorities that will exist on the network in order to ensure that sufficient bandwidth and priorities are in place for CobraNet.