Layer 2 Switch:
Packets are examined and forwarded using only the MAC address. If you have a small central
network, a layer 2 switch should do the job. If the network is exclusive and will only transmit the
bandwidth of VE devices, layer 2 switches with the correct settings can get the job done effectively.
Further Considerations
Number of ports: Choose a switch that has enough ports to match the number of VE devices you will
be installing. Switches typically come in 5, 8, 10, 16, 24, 28, 48, and 52-port configurations. If you are
installing 13 VE transmitters and 13 VE receivers, you will need to purchase a switch with at least 28
ports.
Stackable verse Standalone
Stackable switches allow you to easily manage and configure ports spanning across multiple
switches that the VE devices are connected through. This provides a centralized method to configure
and troubleshoot the initial setup of VE devices on a network which makes fine tuning the bandwidth,
data throughput and video quality easier. Stackable switches can be configured to direct the VE
transmissions between many units more specifically and effectively. Standalone switches provide the
same configuration features as Stackable switches but they must be set individually. Stackable
switches provide an easy way to manage multiple switches, as one unit. For example, instead of
configuring, managing, and troubleshooting 6 28- port switches individually, you can manage the six
as if they are a single unit using Stackable Switches. The six switches (168 ports) function as a single
switch and are managed from one web or GUI interface.
What Stackable Switches Can Do:
Create a link aggregation group with one port in one unit of the stack and another port of that
group in another switch in the stack.
Select a port on one switch in the stack and mirror the traffic to a switch port on another unit of
the stack; thus copy the configuration to direct traffic more effectively between VE devices.
Apply custom ACL security settings to any port on any switch in the stack.
Stackable switches can be setup in a ring configuration, so that if a port or cable fails, the stack
automatically routes around the failure, at microsecond speeds. Stackable Switches also allow you
to add and remove stack “members” which are automatically updated and recognized as such.
