Category Archives: Enterprise Network

Unlock Network Stability: Master Fault Detection Tech

With the rapid development of information technology, the network has become an indispensable part of data center operations. From individual users to large enterprises, everyone relies on the network for communication, collaboration, and information exchange within these centralized hubs of computing power. However, the continuous expansion of network scale and increasing complexity within data centers also brings about numerous challenges, prominently among them being network faults. This article will take you through several common fault detection technologies, including CFD, BFD, DLDP, Monitor Link, MAC SWAP, and EFM, as well as their applications and working principles in different network environments.

What is Fault Detection Technology?

Fault detection technology is a set of methods, tools, and techniques used to identify and diagnose abnormalities or faults within systems, processes, or equipment. The primary goal is to detect deviations from normal operation promptly, allowing for timely intervention to prevent or minimize downtime, damage, or safety hazards. Fault detection technology finds applications in various industries, including manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, energy, telecommunications, and healthcare. By enabling early detection of faults, these technologies help improve reliability, safety, and efficiency while reducing maintenance costs and downtime.

Common Types of Network Faults

Networks are integral to both our daily lives and professional endeavors, yet they occasionally fall victim to various faults. This holds particularly true within data centers, where the scale and complexity of networks reach unparalleled levels. In this part, we’ll delve into common types of network faults and explore general solutions for addressing them. Whether you’re a home user or managing an enterprise network, understanding these issues is crucial for maintaining stability and reliability, especially within the critical infrastructure of data centers.

What Causes Network Failure?

Network faults can arise from various sources, often categorized into hardware failures, software issues, human errors, and external threats. Understanding these categories provides a systematic approach to managing and mitigating network disruptions.

Hardware Failures：Hardware failures are physical malfunctions in network devices, leading to impaired functionality or complete downtime.
Software Issues: Software-related problems stem from errors or bugs in the operating systems, firmware, or applications running on network devices. Common software faults include operating system crashes, firmware bugs, configuration errors and protocol issues.
Human Errors: Human errors, such as misconfigurations or mistakes during maintenance activities, can introduce vulnerabilities or disrupt network operations. Common human-induced faults include unintentional cable disconnections, misconfigurations, inadequate documentation or lack of training.
External Threats: External threats pose significant risks to network security and stability, potentially causing extensive damage or data loss. Common external threats include cyberattacks, malware attacks, physical security breaches or environmental factors.

By recognizing and addressing these common types of network faults, organizations can implement proactive measures to enhance network resilience, minimize downtime, and safeguard critical assets against potential disruptions.

What Can We Do to Detect These Failures?

Connectivity testing: Checks for proper connectivity between devices on a network. This can be accomplished through methods such as a ping test, which detects network connectivity by sending packets to a target device and waiting for a response.
Traffic analysis: Monitor data traffic in the network to detect unusual traffic patterns or sudden increases in traffic. This may indicate a problem in the network, such as congestion or a malicious attack.
Fault tree analysis: A fault tree model is created by analyzing the various possibilities that can lead to a fault. This helps in determining the probability of a fault occurring and the path to diagnose it.
Log analysis: Analyze log files of network devices and systems to identify potential problems and anomalies. Error messages and warnings in the logs often provide important information about the cause of the failure.
Remote monitoring: Utilize remote monitoring tools to monitor the status of network devices in real time. This helps to identify and deal with potential faults in a timely manner.
Self-healing network technologies: Introducing self-healing mechanisms to enable the network to recover automatically when a failure is detected. This may involve automatic switching to backup paths, reconfiguration of devices, etc.
Failure simulation: Tests the network’s performance under different scenarios by simulating different types of failures and assessing its tolerance and resilience to failures.

Commonly Used Fault Detection Technologies

In the next section, we will explore some common fault detection technologies essential for maintaining the robustness of networks, particularly within the dynamic environment of data centers. These technologies include CFD, BFD, DLDP, Monitor Link, MAC SWAP, and EFM, each offering unique capabilities and operating principles tailored to different network contexts. Understanding their applications is vital for effectively identifying and addressing network faults, ensuring the uninterrupted performance of critical data center operations.

CFD

CFD (Connectivity Fault Detection), which adheres to the IEEE 802.1ag Connectivity Fault Management (CFM) standard, is an end-to-end per-VLAN link layer Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) mechanism utilized for link connectivity detection, fault verification, and fault location. It is a common feature found in networking equipment and protocols. Its primary function is to identify faults or disruptions in network connectivity between devices. Typically, it operates through the following steps: monitoring connectivity, expecting responses, detecting faults, and triggering alerts or actions. By continuously monitoring network connectivity and promptly detecting faults, CFD ensures the reliability and stability of network communications, facilitating quicker issue resolution and minimizing downtime.

BFD

BFD (Bidirectional Forwarding Detection) is a function that checks the survival status of the forwarding path between two adjacent routers, quickly detect failures, and notify the routing protocol. It is designed to achieve the fastest fault detection with minimal overhead and is typically used to monitor links between two network nodes. The BFD can be said to be an effective function when there is an L2 switch between adjacent routers and a failure occurs where the link status cannot be transmitted. FS offers a range of data center switches equipped with BFD functions, guaranteeing optimal network performance and stability. Opting for FS enables you to construct a robust and dependable data center network, benefiting from the enhanced network reliability facilitated by BFD.

DLDP

DLDP (Device Link Detection Protocol) is instrumental in bolstering the reliability and efficiency of Ethernet networks within data centers. Serving as an automatic link status detection protocol, DLDP ensures the timely detection of connection issues between devices. DLDP maintains the status of links by periodically sending messages, and once it detects any abnormality in the link, it promptly notifies the relevant devices and takes necessary actions to rectify the issue, ensuring network stability and reliability. This proactive approach not only enhances network stability and reliability but also streamlines fault troubleshooting processes within Ethernet-based data center networks, ultimately optimizing operational performance.

Monitor Link

Monitor Link is to trigger the change of the downlink port state by monitoring the change of the uplink port state of the device, thus triggering the switching of the backup link. This scheme is usually used in conjunction with Layer 2 topology protocols to realize real-time monitoring and switching of links. Monitor Link is mainly used in scenarios that require high network redundancy and link backup, such as in enterprise or business-critical networks that require high availability.

As the figure shows, once a change in uplink status is monitored, the Monitor Link system triggers a corresponding change in downlink port status. This may include closing or opening the downlink port, triggering a switchover of the backup link. In a data center network, Monitor Link can be used to monitor the connection status between servers. When the primary link fails, Monitor Link can quickly trigger the switchover of the backup link, ensuring high availability in the data center.

MAC SWAP

“MAC SWAP” refer to MAC address swap, which is a communication technique in computer networking. This involves swapping the source and destination MAC addresses during the transmission of data packets, typically performed by network devices such as switches or routers. This swapping usually occurs as packets pass through network devices, which forward packets to the correct port based on their destination MAC addresses.

Within the intricate network infrastructure of data centers, MAC address swapping is pervasive, occurring as packets traverse various network devices. This process guarantees the efficient routing and delivery of data, essential for maintaining seamless communication within both local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs) encompassed by data center environments.

Overall, MAC SWAP enables real-time monitoring of link status, providing timely link information and embodies flexibility to some extent, but may also introduce additional bandwidth overhead and have impact on network performance.

EFM

EFM (Ethernet in the First Mile), as its name suggests, is a technology designed to solve link problems common in the last mile of Ethernet access and provide high-speed Ethernet services over the first mile of connection. The last-mile problem usually refers to the last physical link in the network access layer between the subscriber’s equipment and the service provider’s network, and EFM is committed to improving the performance and stability of this link to ensure that subscribers can get reliable network access services.

EFM is often used as a broadband access technology for delivering high-speed Internet access, voice services, and other data services to businesses and residential customers within data center environments. EFM supports various deployment scenarios, including point-to-point and point-to-multipoint configurations. This flexibility allows service providers to tailor their network deployments based on factors such as geographic coverage, subscriber density, and service offerings.

As data centers strive to expand Ethernet-based connectivity to the access network, EFM plays a pivotal role in enabling service providers to deliver high-speed, reliable, and cost-effective Ethernet services to their customers. This technology significantly contributes to the overall efficiency and functionality of data center operations by ensuring seamless and dependable network connectivity for all stakeholders involved.

Summary

In the face of evolving network environments, it is increasingly important to accurately and rapidly identify and resolve fault problems. Mastering fault detection techniques will definitely unleash your network’s stability. Integrating fault detection techniques into network infrastructure, especially in data center environments, is critical to maintaining high availability and minimizing downtime.

How FS Can Help

The comprehensive networking solutions and product offerings not only save costs but also reduce power consumption, delivering higher value. Would you like to reduce the occurrence rate of failures? FS tailors customized solutions for you and provide free technical support. By choosing FS, you can confidently build a powerful and reliable data center network and enjoy improvement in network reliability.

Unveiling Storage Secrets: The Power of Distributed Systems

In the realm of data center storage solutions, understanding the intricacies of expansion methods is paramount. Effective storage is crucial for managing the growing volumes of data and ensuring secure, efficient access. As data centers evolve, reliable and flexible storage options are essential to meet the ever-changing demands of businesses. With this foundation, this article will start with traditional storage systems and move towards distributed storage fundamentals and their diverse applications.

Direct Attached Storage

Direct Attached Storage (DAS) refers to storage devices directly connected to a server, utilizing interfaces like SATA, SAS, and USB. It offers cost-effective and simple installation, with good performance for applications like operating systems and databases. However, DAS has limited scalability and challenges in resource sharing among servers. Additionally, server failures can impact storage access, highlighting the need for careful consideration in its implementation.

Centralized Network Storage

Unlike DAS, NAS and SAN storage is networked storage, where NAS has its own file system that can be accessed and used directly through a PC, while SAN does not have its own file system, but has dedicated switches that provide storage services to servers over a dedicated network.

NAS

NAS (Network Attached Storage) is a specialized storage server designed to provide file-level data access over a network. Connected through Ethernet, it enables access via protocols such as NFS and CIFS/SMB. NAS offers centralized management, facilitating easy sharing and good scalability for storage needs. However, compared to DAS, NAS typically incurs a higher cost. Furthermore, its performance is susceptible to network conditions, which can affect data access speeds. Despite these drawbacks, NAS remains a popular choice for organizations seeking efficient and centralized file storage solutions.

SAN

SAN (Storage Area Network) is a high-speed dedicated network designed to facilitate block-level data access, primarily tailored for enterprise-level applications. SANs typically utilize advanced technologies like Fiber Channel (FC) or Ethernet, establishing connections between servers and storage devices via protocols such as FC-SAN or iSCSI. These networks offer numerous advantages, including high performance, scalability, and suitability for large-scale data storage and mission-critical applications. SANs also support data redundancy and robust disaster recovery mechanisms. However, the implementation of SANs comes with notable drawbacks, such as high initial costs, complex configuration and management requirements, necessitating specialized knowledge and technical support throughout their lifecycle.

In summary, DAS is like a large-scale portable hard drive, suitable for small environments or personal use; NAS is a storage device within a network, ideal for small businesses or households requiring file sharing capabilities; SAN is a network within storage devices, designed for high-performance, high-availability storage solutions for large enterprises and data centers.

Basics of Distributed Storage

From the organization structure of storage, storage can be divided into three types: direct attached storage (DAS), centralized network storage (NAS and SAN), and distributed network storage. Next, we will explore distributed storage in detail, examining its core principles, advantages, classifications and applications.

Distributed storage is a data storage architecture that disperses data across multiple independent physical storage devices (nodes) over a network, rather than centrally storing it on a single or a few devices like traditional storage. This technology is designed to enhance the scalability, performance, reliability, and efficiency of storage systems. Consequently, it is particularly suitable for handling large-scale data storage and access requirements.

Advantages of Distributed Storage

Distributed storage systems offer numerous benefits that make them a preferred choice for modern data storage needs, especially in large-scale and geographically dispersed environments. Here are some of the key advantages:

Reliability and Redundancy: These systems typically replicate data across multiple nodes, ensuring that even if one node fails, the data can still be retrieved from another node. This replication enhances the reliability and availability of the data. Additionally, distributed storage systems are designed to be fault-tolerant, allowing them to continue operating smoothly even in the event of hardware failures. For instance, if a data center is rendered inoperative due to a natural disaster, other data centers can still provide data access services, ensuring continuous availability.
Scalability: Distributed storage systems can easily expand storage capacity by adding nodes, an approach known as horizontal scaling. In contrast, centralized systems need to expand by adding capacity to individual storage devices, known as vertical scaling, which is typically less efficient and more costly. In addition, distributed storage systems can balance workloads across multiple nodes, preventing a single node from becoming a performance bottleneck. This scalability makes distributed storage suitable for a wide range of needs, from small businesses to large-scale Internet services.
Cost Efficiency: Distributed storage systems often utilize commodity hardware, which is more economical than specialized storage solutions. This reduces hardware costs and allows organizations to build large-scale storage systems using affordable equipment.
Improved Disaster Recovery: By storing data in multiple locations, these systems are better protected against natural disasters, power outages and other localized disruptions. Cloud storage providers typically back up data in different geographic locations to ensure high availability and security.

In summary, distributed storage represents a powerful and versatile solution for modern data management, offering significant advantages in reliability, scalability, cost efficiency, and disaster recovery. These advantages make it an essential component of enterprise storage architectures, capable of meeting the diverse needs of today’s data-driven organizations.

Classification of distributed storage

Based on the characteristics and requirements of different scenarios, distributed storage products can be classified into four main categories based on storage objects, product forms, storage mediums, and deployment methods.

Classification by storage object

In terms of storage objects, it includes distributed block storage, distributed file storage, distributed object storage, and distributed unified storage. Distributed block storage examples include Ceph and vSAN, while distributed file storage examples are Ceph, HDFS, and GFS. Distributed object storage, such as Ceph and Swift, is designed for handling unstructured data like text, audio, and video. Distributed unified storage supports block, file, and object storage, catering to the diverse needs of virtualization, cloud, and container platforms.

Classification by product form

When it comes to product forms, distributed storage can be delivered as appliances, pure hardware, or pure software. Appliances integrate hardware and software for high compatibility and performance. Pure hardware solutions, such as disk arrays and flash clusters, offer reliable storage for sensitive data. Pure software solutions provide customized application software and platform licenses, ideal for optimizing existing storage hardware in legacy data centers.

Classification by storage medium

Regarding storage mediums, distributed storage can be all-flash or hybrid. Distributed all-flash storage, composed entirely of SSDs, offers exceptionally high read and write speeds, making it suitable for performance-intensive applications. Distributed hybrid flash storage combines SSDs and HDDs, balancing cost and performance, and is currently the mainstream choice for many enterprises.

Classification by deployment method

Deployment methods for distributed storage include virtualization integration, container integration, and separation. Virtualization integration involves deploying storage and server virtualization on the same hardware node, simplifying architecture and reducing costs. Container integration is designed for environments like Kubernetes, offering seamless integration and efficient resource management. Lastly, the separation method keeps storage nodes and applications distinct, allowing flexible adaptation to different computing environments and ensuring scalability and performance for large-scale data storage needs.

Mainstream Technologies in Distributed Storage

Ceph

Currently, the most widely used distributed storage technology, Ceph, is the result of Sage’s doctoral studies, published in 2004 and subsequently contributed to the open-source community. It has garnered support from numerous cloud computing and storage vendors. Supporting object storage, block device storage, and file storage, it demands high technical proficiency in operations and maintenance. During Ceph expansion, its characteristic of balanced data distribution may lead to a decrease in overall system performance.

GPFS

Developed by IBM, GPFS is a shared file system, and many vendor products are based on it. It is a parallel disk file system that ensures all nodes within a resource group can access the entire file system in parallel. GPFS consists of network shared disks (NSD) and physical disks, allowing clients to share files distributed across different nodes’ disks, resulting in excellent performance. GPFS supports traditional centralized storage arbitration mechanisms and file locking, ensuring data security and integrity, which other distributed storage systems cannot match.

HDFS

HDFS (Hadoop Distibuted File System), a storage component of the Hadoop big data architecture, is primarily used for storing large data. It employs multi-copy data protection, suitable for low write and multiple read businesses. It has high data transfer throughput but poor data read latency, making it unsuitable for frequent data writes.

GFS

Google’s distributed file storage system, designed specifically for storing massive search data. The HDFS system was initially designed and implemented based on the concept of GFS (Google File System). Similarly suitable for large file read/write operations, it is unsuitable for small file storage. Ideal for processing large-scale file reads, requiring high bandwidth, and insensitive to data access latency for search-like businesses.

Swift

Swift is also an open-source storage project primarily oriented towards object storage, similar to the object storage service provided by Ceph. It is mainly used to address unstructured data storage issues, targeting object storage businesses that require high data processing efficiency but low data consistency. In OpenStack, the object storage service uses Swift rather than Ceph.

Lustre

An open-source cluster file system based on the Linux platform, jointly developed by HP, Intel, Cluster File System, and the U.S. Department of Energy, formally open-sourced in 2003, mainly used in the HPC supercomputing field. It supports tens of thousands of client systems and can support PB-level storage capacity, with a single file supporting a maximum of 320TB capacity. It supports RDMA networks and optimizes large file read/write fragmentation. It lacks a replica mechanism, leading to single points of failure. If a client or node fails, the data stored on that node will be inaccessible until it is restarted.

Amazon S3

Amazon S3(Simple Storage Service) is a cloud storage service provided by Amazon and belongs to distributed object storage. It allows users to store and retrieve any amount of data and provides high reliability and durability. It is widely used in backup, archiving, static website hosting, and other fields.

GlusterFS

GlusterFS is a scalable distributed file system that supports distributed data volumes and can store data across multiple servers. It adopts decentralized architecture, providing high availability and performance, suitable for large file storage and content distribution.

Applications of Distributed Storage

In the realm of modern technology, distributed storage has emerged as a pivotal solution, catering to a diverse array of needs across various sectors. Here’s how distributed storage is transforming data management:

Cloud Storage: At the core of cloud service providers, distributed storage facilitates elastic scalability and ensures data isolation and security in multi-tenant environments.
Big Data Analytics: Powering platforms like Hadoop with HDFS, distributed file systems enable the storage and processing of massive datasets, supporting large-scale data analytics.
Containerization and Microservices: With tools like Kubernetes, distributed storage offers persistent storage volumes, ensuring data persistence across containerized environments, vital for container orchestration and microservices architecture.
Media and Entertainment: Meeting the high-throughput and large-capacity demands of media storage and streaming services, distributed storage solutions excel in scenarios requiring seamless handling of multimedia content.
Enterprise Backup and Archiving: Leveraging its high scalability and cost-effectiveness, distributed storage emerges as an ideal choice for enterprise backup and long-term data archiving, ensuring data integrity and accessibility over extended periods.

In essence, distributed storage applications are revolutionizing data management practices, offering unparalleled scalability, resilience, and efficiency across a spectrum of industries.

Summary

In the rapidly evolving landscape of data centers, the shift from traditional storage systems to distributed storage solutions has become increasingly pivotal. This article explores the foundational knowledge of distributed storage, including its concepts, advantages, and classifications. We delve into mainstream technologies driving this innovation and highlight their diverse applications across various industries.

As a leading technology company specializing in network solutions and telecommunication products, FS leverages advanced distributed storage to enhance data center operations, offering scalable and efficient solutions tailored to modern enterprise needs. Join us to explore further insights and knowledge, and discover our range of storage products.

Unlocking Advanced License Benefits in Enterprise Switches

Enterprise switches play a vital role in modern network architectures, facilitating efficient and secure data transfer within an organization. The Basic license provides standard features, while the Advanced license takes enterprise switches to a whole new level of power and functionality. This article aims to explore the concept of premium licenses in enterprise switches, highlight their importance and delve into the additional features and benefits they offer. We will also focus on the advanced license options available in FS Enterprise Switches, showcasing their capabilities and benefits.

Advanced License Basics

An advanced license is a type of high-level software license, which is not a tangible product but a software package. The advanced software license supports multiple advanced features such as MPLS, LDP, MPLS L2VPN, MPLS L3VPN, VXLAN-BGP-EVPN, IPFIX, etc. In enterprise switches, licenses act as authorization keys that unlock specific features and modules within the switch’s firmware.

Basic licenses typically provide standard functionalities such as data forwarding and basic security features. However, advanced licenses offer a wide range of additional functionalities and advantages, such as increased port counts, support for advanced routing protocols, and more granular traffic control. By understanding the different types of licenses, organizations can make informed decisions, select the appropriate license for their specific needs, and effectively take advantage of the features provided.

Unleashing the Full Potential of Advanced License

To fully unleash the potential of advanced licenses in enterprise switches and optimize network performance and security, organizations can leverage the following functionalities:

VLAN Partitioning: With advanced licenses, organizations can divide their switches into multiple Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs). This enhances network security and provides greater management flexibility.
Quality of Service (QoS): Advanced licenses empower organizations to prioritize network traffic based on specific criteria, such as application type, source, or destination. This ensures that critical applications receive the necessary bandwidth and guarantees a higher quality user experience.
Advanced Routing Protocols: Advanced licenses often include support for advanced routing protocols such as Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) or Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). These protocols enable efficient and scalable routing within enterprise networks, enhancing network stability and performance.
Traffic Monitoring and Analysis: Advanced licenses may offer features for traffic monitoring and analysis, allowing organizations to gain insights into network traffic patterns, identify potential bottlenecks, and proactively optimize network performance.
Enhanced Security Features: Advanced licenses can provide additional security features such as Access Control Lists (ACLs) and Secure Shell (SSH) protocols. These features enhance network security by allowing organizations to control access to network resources and encrypt network communications.

FS Enterprise Switches with Advanced Licenses

FS Enterprise Switches with Advanced Licenses are suitable for organizations that require robust performance, scalability, and advanced networking capabilities. The S5800-48T4S is an FS enterprise switch with an advanced license. Built with advanced hardware and software, the S5800-48T4S delivers a robust Layer 3 routing solution for next-generation enterprise, data center, Metro, and HCI networks. Here are some key details about FS Enterprise Switches:

Advanced License Functions: The Advanced License includes a range of advanced networking functions to enhance the capabilities of the switches. These functions include MPLS, LDP, MPLS-L2VPN, MPLS-L3VPN, VxLAN-BGP-EVPN, and IPFIX.
Network Protocols and Features: The switch supports multiple network protocols and features to optimize network performance and security. These include MLAG for link aggregation and redundancy, a DHCP server for automatic IP address assignment, and support for IPv4 and IPv6 routing.
Management and Monitoring: FS Enterprise Switches with Advanced Licenses offer comprehensive management and monitoring capabilities. They support protocols like SNMP for network monitoring and can be managed using software-defined network (SDN) solutions through RPC-API.
Security Features: The switches provide advanced security features to protect the network and ensure secure access. These features include support for ACL for traffic filtering, MAC whitelisting for controlling access based on MAC addresses, ARP inspection for preventing ARP spoofing attacks, IP source guard to validate IP packet sources, and IEEE802.1X RADIUS authentication for secure user access.

ConclusionAdvanced licenses in enterprise switches unlock powerful functionalities that enhance network performance and security. FS enterprise switches offer comprehensive advanced license options to meet diverse network requirements. By leveraging advanced licenses, organizations can optimize their network infrastructure and achieve a robust and efficient network. If you want to learn more, please visit FS.com.

Related Articles:

Introducing the Advanced License of Enterprise Switches | FS Community

Wi-Fi Setup with SOHO Network Switch: Step-by-Step Guide

In today’s digital age, Wi-Fi has become an integral part of our daily lives, enabling seamless connectivity and access to information. For small businesses and home offices, a stable and efficient Wi-Fi network is essential for productivity and communication. This article aims to provide a comprehensive step-by-step guide on setting up Wi-Fi using a Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) network switch.

Understanding SOHO Network Switches and Their Advantages

Before we dive into the setup process, it’s important to understand what SOHO network switches are and how they help build a reliable Wi-Fi network. SOHO network switches are designed for small networks and offer many advantages. They enhance network bandwidth and ensure smooth and uninterrupted data flow. Additionally, they provide stable connections, eliminate lag and reduce network congestion. In addition, SOHO network switches support multi-device connections to meet the needs of modern enterprises and homes.

Evaluating Wi-Fi Needs and Choosing the Right SOHO Network Switch

To begin the setup process, it’s important to evaluate your Wi-Fi requirements. Consider the scale of your network and the coverage range needed. Determine the number of devices that will connect to the Wi-Fi network and the required bandwidth to accommodate their usage. These considerations will help you select the most suitable SOHO network switch for your specific needs. Compare different models based on their features, performance, and scalability. FS S3150-8T2FP switch is based on the high-performance hardware and FSOS platform, it supports functions such as ACL, QinQ and QoS. Its simple management mode and flexible installation can meet the requirement of any complicated scenarios. This access switch delivers a compact, cost-effective solution for carrier’s IP MAN and enterprise networks.

Setting Up the SOHO Network Switch and Wi-Fi Network

Once you have chosen the appropriate SOHO network switch, it’s time to proceed with the setup. This section will guide you through the necessary steps to establish your Wi-Fi network.

Connecting Network Devices and Basic Configuration: Connect the SOHO network switch to your modem or router using an Ethernet cable. Then, connect other network devices like computers and printers to the switch using Ethernet cables. Perform basic configurations such as assigning IP addresses and configuring network settings.
Creating the Wi-Fi Network and Setting Security Measures: Access the management interface of the SOHO network switch through a web browser using its IP address. In the interface, set up the Wi-Fi network by choosing a name (SSID) and password. Enable encryption (WPA2 is recommended) to protect data transmitted over the network. Configure firewall settings and access controls to enhance network security.
Extending Wi-Fi Coverage Range and Signal Optimization: Identify areas with weak Wi-Fi coverage by checking signal strength in different parts of your space. Install additional access points or Wi-Fi range extenders strategically to expand coverage, ensuring a strong signal throughout. Optimize signal strength by adjusting the placement of network devices and antennas, avoiding obstacles and interference sources. Consider implementing mesh networking technology for seamless coverage across larger areas.

By following these steps, you can successfully set up your SOHO network switch and establish a secure and reliable Wi-Fi network. Remember to regularly update the firmware of your network switch for improved performance and security.

Applications and Management of Business Wi-Fi

Beyond the initial setup, it’s essential to explore the applications and management of your business Wi-Fi network.

Guest Networks and Access Control: Set up a separate guest network and implement access controls to ensure security and limit unauthorized access.
Performance Management: Monitor and optimize Wi-Fi performance by adjusting settings, minimizing interference, and regularly updating firmware and software.
Network Security and Privacy: Regularly review and update security settings, use strong passwords, consider additional security measures like VPNs, and educate users about secure Wi-Fi practices.

Conclusion

Setting up Wi-Fi using a SOHO network switch is a crucial step for small businesses and home offices in achieving a stable and efficient wireless connection. By understanding the advantages of SOHO network switches, evaluating Wi-Fi needs, and following the step-by-step guide provided in this article, users can establish a robust Wi-Fi network tailored to their specific requirements. Regular management and maintenance of the Wi-Fi network are essential for ensuring continued stability, security, and high performance. By prioritizing network needs, security, and performance optimization, businesses and households can enjoy the benefits of a reliable and efficient wireless connection. If you want to learn more, please visit FS.com.

Related Articles:

Steps to set up WiFi using a soho network switch | FS Community

Boost Network with Advanced Switches for Cloud Management

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, cloud computing and effective cloud management have become crucial for businesses. This article aims to explore how advanced switching solutions can enhance network cloud management capabilities, enabling organizations to optimize their cloud environments.

What is Cloud Management?

Cloud management refers to the exercise of control over public, private or hybrid cloud infrastructure resources and services. This involves both manual and automated oversight of the entire cloud lifecycle, from provisioning cloud resources and services, through workload deployment and monitoring, to resource and performance optimizations, and finally to workload and resource retirement or reallocation.

A well-designed cloud management strategy can help IT pros control those dynamic and scalable cloud computing environments. Cloud management enables organizations to maximize the benefits of cloud computing, including scalability, flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and agility. It ensures efficient resource utilization, high performance, greater security, and alignment with business goals and regulations.

Challenges in Cloud Management

Cloud management can be a complex undertaking, with challenges in important areas including security, cost management, governance and compliance, automation, provisioning and monitoring.

Resource Management: Efficiently allocating and optimizing cloud resources can be complex, especially in dynamic environments with fluctuating workloads. Organizations need to ensure proper resource provisioning to avoid underutilization or overprovisioning.
Security: Protecting sensitive data and ensuring compliance with regulations is a top concern in cloud environments. Organizations must implement robust security measures, including access controls, encryption, and vulnerability management, to safeguard data and prevent unauthorized access or breaches.
Scalability: As businesses grow, their cloud infrastructure must be scalable to accommodate increased demand without compromising performance. Ensuring the ability to scale resources up or down dynamically is crucial for maintaining optimal operations.

To address these challenges, organizations rely on cloud management tools and advanced switches. Cloud management tools provide centralized control, monitoring, and automation capabilities, enabling efficient management and optimization of cloud resources. They offer features such as resource provisioning, performance monitoring, cost optimization, and security management.Advanced switches play a vital role in ensuring network performance and scalability. They provide high-speed connectivity, traffic management, and advanced features like Quality of Service (QoS) and load balancing. These switches help organizations achieve reliable and efficient network connectivity within their cloud infrastructure.

Advantages of FS Advanced Switches in Cloud Management

Selecting a switch with cloud management capabilities is crucial for ensuring smooth operations. FS S5810 series switches seamlessly integrate with cloud management tools, enabling comprehensive network management and optimization. These enterprise switches come with the superior FS Airware to deliver managed cloud services.

FS S5810 Series Switches for the Cloud-managed Network

FS Airware introduces a cloud-based network deployment and management model. The network hardware is still deployed locally, while the management functions are migrated to the cloud (usually referred to as public cloud). This approach allows administrators to centrally manage the network from any location using user-friendly graphical interfaces accessible through web pages or mobile applications. With FS S5810 series switches and FS Airware, you can enjoy the following benefits:

Centralized Visibility and Control: With FS Airware, enterprises can centrally monitor and manage network resources, applications, and services. This provides continuous oversight and control, enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring peace of mind.
IT Agility and Efficiency: FS Airware enables remote management, remote operations and maintenance (O&M), and mobile O&M across the internet. This reduces costs and offers automatic troubleshooting and optimization capabilities, leading to increased operational efficiency and a competitive edge.
Data and Privacy Security: FS S5810 switches support various security features such as hardware-based IPv6 ACLs, hardware CPU protection mechanisms, DHCP snooping, Secure Shell (SSH), SNMPv3, and Network Foundation Protection Policy (NFPP). These functions and protection mechanisms ensure reliable and secure data forwarding and management, meeting the needs of enterprise networks.
Easy Switch Management: FS Airware simplifies the deployment and management of switches across individual branches. It enables remote centralized deployment and management, significantly enhancing management efficiency.

By combining the FS S5810 Series switches with FS Airware, organizations can achieve centralized visibility and control, enhance agility and efficiency, increase data and privacy security, and simplify switch management across cloud network infrastructure.

Conclusion

In conclusion, as cloud computing continues to dominate the digital landscape, efficient cloud management is critical for enterprises to remain competitive and agile. Advanced switching solutions, such as the FS S5810 Series with FS Airware, enable enterprises to overcome resource allocation, security and scalability challenges. Advanced network hardware and cloud-based management tools work together to create an optimized cloud environment. If you want to learn more about FS S5810 enterprise switches and the network platform Airware, please visit FS.com.

Related Articles:

Achieve Cloud Management with Advanced Switch Solutions | FS Community

Gateway vs Router: What’s the Difference?

When it comes to the difference between gateway vs router, many people who are unfamiliar with gateway and router may be confused. So it’s necessary to clarify the differences between them. To help you get a general idea about the differences between gateway and router, this article will focus on what is a gateway, what is a router, gateway vs router: what’s the difference, and when to choose which.

What Is a Gateway?

As is suggested by its name, a gateway is a network entity and also called the protocol converter. It can connect a computer of one network to another and define the boundaries of a network. If two networks of different protocols want to connect with each other, both networks need to have gateways which provide exist and entry points for computers from the two networks to communicate. In another word, a gateway can join dissimilar systems.

Gateway vs router: How a gateway works as a protocol converter

Figure1: How a gateway works as a protocol converter

What Is a Router?

As a network layer device, a router connects multiple networks together and controls the data traffic between them. People who are new to router often muddle it with network switch, which is a high-speed device that receives incoming data packets and redirects them to their destination on a LAN. Based on internal routing tables, a network router reads each incoming packet’s IP address and its destination IP address, then decides the shortest possible path to forward it. What is a routing table? A routing table contains a list of IP addresses that a router can connect to transfer data. Besides, routers usually connect WANs and LANs together and have a dynamically updating routing table. Gigabit Ethernet switches and hubs can be connected to a router with multiple PC ports to expand a LAN. Not only that, a router divides broadcast domains of hosts connected through it.

Gateway vs router: How a router works in wired and wireless connections

Figure2: How a router works in wired and wireless connections

Gateway vs Router: What’s the Difference?

What are the differences between gateway and router? The following chart will differentiate them from 7 different aspects.

Network Equipment	Router	Gateway
Primary Function	To ensure that data packets are switched to the right addresses.	To connect two networks of different protocols as a translator.
Feature Support	DHCP server, NAT, static routing, wireless networking, IPv6 address, Mac address	Protocol conversion like VoIP to PSTN, network access control etc.
Dynamic Routing	Supported	Not supported
Hosted on	Dedicated appliance (router hardware)	Dedicated/virtual appliance or physical server
Related terms	Internet router, WIFI router	Proxy server, gateway router, voice gateway
OSI layer	Works on Layer 3 and 4	Works up to Layer 5
Working principle	Installing routing information for various networks and routing traffic based on destination address	differentiating what is inside network and what is outside network

Gateway vs Router: When to Choose Which?

To choose between gateway vs router, you need to consider the requirement of your network.

Connection In One Network With Router

For example, there are 30 computers connected inside Network A. All these computers communicate with each other. In this situation, no gateway is needed. Because a router with a routing table that defines the hops within those 30 computers is enough.

Connection Between Different Networks With Gateway

In another hand, we suppose that there are two networks, that are Network A and Network B. Computer X from Network A wants to send data to Computer Y from Network B, then there need to have both a Gateway A and a Gateway B so that the two networks will be able to communicate.

Summary

Gateway vs router is detailedly explained in the above passage from the aspects of primary function, supporting feature, support of dynamic routing, working principle, etc. Briefly speaking, a gateway is a single point of access to computers outside your network like a door, while a router determines the shortest possible path your data can travel from Computer A to Computer B, like a hallway or a staircase. All in all, it is important to consider both your current and potential future needs when assessing what option to use between gateway vs router.

What Is DWDM？

The Internet demand is always growing, especially the hugely popular video streaming services are increasing greatly. This provides a threat for the service provider. As the hottest topic in the telecommunication industry, DWDM offers unprecedented bandwidth which promises an effective solution to the challenges posted by the Internet growth. But what is DWDM, do you really know？

What Is DWDM?

DWDM wiki has defined it as an optical multiplexing technology. As one wavelength pattern of WDM system (the other pattern is CWDM), it stands for Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing, which is used to increase bandwidth over existing fibre networks. This powerful technology can create multiple virtual optical fibres, so as to increase bandwidth on existing fibre optic backbones. It means that the fibre in DWDM system can transmit multiple signals of different wavelengths simultaneously. More specifically, the incoming signals are assigned to specific wavelengths within a designated frequency band, then the signals are multiplexed to one fibre. In addition, the most commonly used grid is the 100GHz grid, which consists of a spacing of 0.8nm per channel.

After knowing what is DWDM, we need to learn DWDM architecture. A typical DWDM architecture includes transmitter, receiver, optical amplifier, transponder, DWDM multiplexer and demultiplexer. Transmitter and receiver are the place where the source signal comes in and then multiplexed. Optical amplifier can amplify the signals in the wavelength range, which is very important for DWDM application. Transponder is the converter of wavelength. It’s responsible for converting the client optical signal back to an electrical signal. Multiplexer first combine multiple wavelengths of different fibre to one fibre, and at the receiving end, the demultiplexer separates all wavelengths of the composite signal onto individual fibres. Commonly, channels of DWDM Mux/Demux are available in 8, 16, 40 and 96 channels. All the DWDM basics work together to enable high capacity data flow in ultra-long distance transmission. The following figure is DWDM working principle.

Why Use DWDM Technology?

The most obvious advantage of DWDM technology is providing the infinite transmission capacity, which would meet the increasing Internet demand. And more capacity can be added just by upgrading several equipment or increasing the number of lambdas on the optical fibre. Thus, the investment of DWDM technology has been reduced. Besides, DWDM technology also enjoys several other advantages, like the transparency and scalability.

Transparency. Due to DWDM is a physical layer architecture, it can support Time Division Multiplex and data formats like Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel with open interfaces over a physical layer.

Scalability. It’s easy to be expanded. A single fibre can be divided into many channels, thus there is no need to add extra fibre but the wavelength will be increased. All these advantages make DWDM popular in the network.

Application of DWDM

As a new technology more applications of DWDM are yet to be tapped and explored. It was first deployed on long-haul routes. And now, DWDM technology is ready for long distance telecommunication operators. Using point to point or ring topology, the capacity will be dramatically improved without deploying an extra fibre. In the future, DWDM will continue to provide a higher bandwidth for the mass of data. With the development of technology, the system capacity will grow.

Conclusion

As for the question what is DWDM, I believe you have a good understanding of it. This powerful technology is related closely with current industry advancements trend. Now, service providers are faced with the sharp growth in demand for network capacity, DWDM is the best solution. With DWDM technology, the transmission work is no longer limited by the speed of available equipment, because it provides the high bandwidth without limit. We believe, DWDM will shine in the network world.

Best Way to Set Up Ethernet Switch and Mesh Network

Want to connect all your wired and wireless devices and expand your network with ease? Setting up an Ethernet switch and mesh network may be the best way. Because today it becomes increasingly difficult to use only a router to make your all connections since the approach of IoT. However, Ethernet switch and mesh network will function adequately no matter how many connections you want to make. Here focus on the Ethernet switch and mesh networking.

Why Mesh Networking?

Unlike the stand-alone routers, which will arise signal loss or strength drops when you go away from them, while mesh Wifi networks can use another connection to create a continuous wireless link which minimises the possibility of dead zones. For example, you put your router in the downstairs living room. When you are on the first floor, your phone can connect to the Internet with a strong signal. But when you want to search the Internet in the upstairs office, the signal would degrade. Of course, you can boost a Wifi router’s connection with a signal amplifier. But in that situation, you have to manually connect your phone to the amplifier’s Wifi network. And if you go back to the downstairs, you have to switch back to the main router’s wireless network again. What a pain! Luckily, working with mesh Wifi networks, things are different. In a wireless network, all the nodes are connected with each other which means any node could be an Access Point (AP). Therefore, through the APs, wireless mesh network allows your phone automatically connects to the strongest signal no matter you are in the upstairs or downstairs. That’s better than what we could do with the traditional router Wifi networks.

Figure 1: Mesh network exists in our life.

When to Set Up Ethernet Switch and Mesh Network

If you want to build a wireless mesh network, using an Ethernet switch is a good choice. Before installation, you should consider how much coverage you need in your home. For many people, the money might be better spent on a Wifi router with good quality, since the mesh network equipment like the switches cost too much. But if you want to cover a large area with signal and your home brick is too solid for signal travel through, then use a switch to build wireless mesh network is a way to go.

Use FS Ethernet Switch to Build Mesh Network

Achieving a cheap mesh network is based on switches. FS.COM publishes a set of Gigabit Ethernet switch supporting 1G, 10G, 40G and 100G Ethernet, in order to meet different demands. All the Ethernet switches meet all design and safety standards made by international and industrial organizations like ISO9001, FCC etc.

The following is a 10Gb switch named S5800-48F4S. It has 48 1GbE SFP ports and 4 10GbE SFP+ ports. This switch is a Layer2/3 switch with low latency of 2.3us. With the switching capacity, it provides a throughput of 130.95MB. Besides, it supports functions like MLAG, SNMP and so, making it becomes popular on market. Following the S5800-48F4S switch installation guide, you can easily finish the switch installation. Then you can configure the bridge parametres of AP according to the installation instructions to build a mesh network.

Figure 2: S5800-48F4S 48 Port Ethernet Switch

Conclusion

Due to mesh network advantages and disadvantages, we understand why and when to use wireless mesh network. Based on Ethernet switch, mesh networking can spread out fast Wifi across a relatively large area, which makes our life and work more efficiently. So don’t hesitate, pick one Ethernet switch from FS.COM to optimise your Wifi network.

VPLS vs VPWS—How Much Do You Know?

Recently, network virtualisation technology is the most popular and advanced technology both in our daily life and professional fields. There is a wide range of VPN technology available, such as VPLS and VPWS. Based on the use of Ethernet transport, VPLS and VPWS provide high-speed communications. But many business users who are seeking the most cost-efficient and efficient solutions for their network are confused when they face the two technologies VPLS and VPWS. Here focus on VPLS vs VPWS, to unveil their mysteries.

What Is VPLS？

Virtual private LAN service (VPLS) is a Layer 2 technology that uses MPLS and VPN to connect different LANs over the Internet. It’s a point to multipoint service that enables geographically isolated sites to be connected through a MAN or a WAN. And all services in a VPLS are on the same LAN. CE and PE are the two basic concepts used in VPLS. CE stands for custom edge, which is the device like a router or a 10gbe switch at the customer premises. PE, the provider edge, is defined as the router at the network of the service provider. It’s typically connected with the CE and responsible for VPN access.

How VPLS Works?

Now let’s look at how VPLS works. In VPLS, first, the packet from a service provider network is sent to a CE device (for example, a 48 port 10gbe switch ). Then, the packet is sent to a PE router. It goes through the service provider network via the MPLS label-switched path. At last, when the packet arrives at the exist PE router, it will forward the traffic to the CE device at the destination customer site. For people who implement VPLS on a data switch, they will enjoy a fast, secure and homogeneous network with lower latency.

Figure 1: Example of VPLS

What Is VPWS?

Virtual private wire service or VPWS is built on MPLS network and provides point to point connections that connect end customer sites in a VPN. It’s also a Layer 2 technology that consists of three main elements, PE routers, Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) and Label Switched Path Tunnel. Unlike the traditional VPNs over Layer 2 circuits, which needs extra separate networks for IP and VPN services, VPWS can share the provider’s core network infrastructure between IP and Layer 2 VPN services. Thus, the cost of these services will be reduced. In addition, a VPWS Layer 2 VPN can be a full mesh or a hub and spoke topology. And MPLS is the tunneling in the core network. But other tunneling protocols like GRE also can be used in VPWS.

Figure 2: Example of VPWS

VPLS vs VPWS: What Are the Differences?

From the above, we can see clearly that the biggest difference of VPLS vs VPWS is that the VPLS provides a point to multipoint servers, while the VPWS provides a point to point service. It means that the CE devices of VPLS and VPWS are different. For VPLS, the CE routers just send all traffic to the PE devices. In contrast, in VPWS, CE routers are used to carry out Layer 2 switching and have to decide which virtual wire could be used to send data to another customer site.

Conclusion

As regard with VPLS vs VPWS, we know they both can build a Layer 2 VPN service to meet today’s high speed network requirement. So don’t be hesitated, use your data switches or routers to set up a safety and efficient VPLS or VPWS service to optimise your network.

What Is DHCP and How It Works

To transmit data back and forth across the Internet, an IP address that administrators have to accomplish and configure on a router or Lay3 fibre switch is the essential cornerstone of a host. Besides, when you want to communicate with other networks, you need to know the default gateway address and subnet mask for the local network, as well as the DNS server. DHCP can help you get all the information dynamically. So what is DHCP and how it works?

What Is DHCP?

DHCP wiki defines the term dynamic host configuration protocol as a network management protocol used on UDP/IP networks. It assigns an IP address and some other configuration parameters to each network device automatically, so that the device will be authorized to communicate with other IP networks. This means users don’t need to configure the network, just plug the wire into your computer or connect to the WiFi, your computer will automatically receive the IP address, subnet mask, default gateway and DNS server. Then how to enable DHCP? DHCP can be installed on a single server or integrated in most network equipment like a Gigabit PoE switch, a router or even the firewall. The following are some related terms we should know.

DHCP Client—It obtains an IP address and other parameters from a DHCP server. It is the initiator of an IP address allocation.
DHCP Server—It assigns IP address and other parameters to the DHCP client.
DHCP Repeater—It forwards DHCP messages between a DHCP server and DHCP clients.
DHCP Snooping—It records the users’information that has applied for IP address through the layer 2 equipment.

What Are the Advantages of DHCP?

DHCP protocol reduces the complexity and numbers of administrative work by using automatic TCP/IP configuration. This is the greatest benefit. Today, no matter in the data centre or at home, more and more devices are being networked from printers and fax machines to TV and fridges. Often times, these devices are placed in different locations, without DHCP, you have to get up out of your comfy chair and find the device and configure each manually. But assisted by DHCP protocol, all you need to do is changing the settings on the server or may be a 10gbe switch. As addresses are assigned automatically, there is no need to keep a record of the used and free ones. Besides, DHCP snooping can detect unauthorized DHCP server on the network.

How DHCP Works?

As the title mentions what is DHCP and how it works, now we have learned what DHCP is, let’s turn to its operation. In essence, DHCP leases IP address and other parameters to the specific clients for a period of time. The following picture shows how DHCP works.

Step one: When a new client wants to join a network, it will broadcast a DHCP discover packet to the servers.

Step two: To answer the request, DHCP servers will send the free DHCP offer packet to the client.

Step three: The client takes the first DHCP offer message from different serves. Then it will send a DHCP request to the Internet to indicate which IP address it has taken.

Step four: DHCP server sends an acknowledge message to make sure the IP address has been used that will not assign to any other client. And now the client can participate on the network.

Conclusion

With regard to the question, what is DHCP and how it works, I think you have found the answer. Any questions of DHCP or network switch supporting DHCP, you can visit FS.COM or contact via sales@fs.com.