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The following picture describes the network setup of an institution:
So one side of the building, closest to the server and main switch, has 6 classrooms, each one with 25 computers that connect to a switch that is connected directly to the main switch. Then, on the other side of the building there are another 3 classrooms with 25 computers each. Each classroom has its own switch and they connect to another switch that is connected to the main switch through a CAT7 cable that runs a distance of less than 300ft. The institution has been experiencing a lot of network congestion on the second part (C_7, C_8, C_9), mainly slow internet download speed, and also they wants to add 3 more classrooms on the second part of the building (C_10, C_11, C_12).
My questions are:
- Is it obvious that the congestion is because of the network's physical configuration, meaning that since C_7, C_8 and C_9 all connect through the same CAT7 the bandwidth is not enough? Would the problem most likely be solved if, lets say, each classroom was connected directly to the main switch through its own CAT7 cable? This was my first thought, without digging in too deep, because of the simple fact that nodes C_1 to C_6 are not experiencing connection problems.
Even if the answer to the question is no, should they change the physical configuration when they add the 3 new classrooms? If so, what would you recommend:
- replacing the existing CAT7 cable with fiber optics and have the 6 classrooms(c_7 to c_12) connect to it through the same switch
- OR connect each one of the 6 classrooms directly to the main switch with its own CAT7 cable.
Please justify your choice so that I can learn.
If you didn't specify the bandwidth on each link, the question cannot be answered. – Sakura Kinomoto – 2018-12-05T23:46:15.270
Lets assume that it's all Gigabit Ethernet. Would the answer be different if it were Fast Ethernet? – Benjamin Preminger – 2018-12-06T00:02:27.907
There isn't enough information here... Why do you think there is a bandwidth issue? Have you logged into the switches and monitored the links to see if they are queuing packets on the interfaces? Are there any errors on any of the links? And this would also vary based on the activities occurring. I have seen with more computers on a single link and have zero issues. This should be evaluated by a professional and is probably a bit above a simple online diagnosis. That said, if it was me, either of your potential "solutions" is probably going to help, assuming 10Gbps or better on the fiber. – acejavelin – 2018-12-06T01:35:10.383
Also, a network of this size should probably be VLAN'd out for simplicity, and very thorough QoS rules applied. If you just have a big flat network with 225+ computers on it used by students with no QoS, your likely going to have issues regardless of the amount of bandwidth you throw at it. This is really something a networking professional should be called upon for. – acejavelin – 2018-12-06T01:38:00.893