Review: Netgear's Prosafe 24-Port Gigabit Smart Switch

Network switches never get much fanfare. They sit in racks connecting network segments and generally go unnoticed—until, of course, they stop working. Yet, what would a network be without them? Nothing much more than a small workgroup, perhaps.

Higher-end, so-called "smart switches" do a lot more than connect network segments. Vendors are producing switches that add a layer of security in a data center, are fault-tolerant and can efficiently use bandwidth.

Netgear has created such a switch. The ProSafe GS724AT illustrates just how feature-rich the humble switch has become.

Netgear sent reviewers the same in-the-box contents that anyone purchasing the switch would get: rubber footpads for tabletop installation, a power cord, a rack-mount kit (compatible with a 19-inch rack), an install guide, a smart switch resource CD and warranty/support information.

The switch is preconfigured to use DHCP, so it is readily accessible on a network. In the absence of DHCP, the switch defaults to the hard-coded IP address—very convenient for setup. It's lightweight, weighing in just over 6 pounds and measuring 1.7 inches high by 17.32 inches wide by 8.07 inches deep, making it a good fit for even the most crowded of racks.

This device features an embedded Web server and management software. The resource CD also has a Smart Wizard that can detect the connected switch. The Smart Wizard expeditiously discovered the GS724AT and two additional switches on the network. After device discovery, the management console offers several configuration options: Configuration Setting, Password Change, Web Access, DHCP Refresh and Discover.

The Web Access option opens the console in a browser and gives access to myriad administrative tasks. From the System tab, the system name, location and contact information are defined. There is also a setting for Jumbo Frames. When this setting is enabled, the switch will pass Ethernet frames larger than 1,500 bytes (which is the standard allowable size in most switches). The feature is disabled by default.

This area of the management interface is also used for more run-of-the mill device settings: idle timeout period, IP information and SNTP server definition. The management console, in addition, offers the option to view the device in a graphical representation and will show the LED status and port usage. It's a useful way for a network administrator to "see" the switch if it is situated at a remote location.

Where the GS724AT really shines is in its advanced features, and the ease in configuring them. Reviewers tested the SNMP monitoring capabilities. The interface makes setting this up very straightforward. There is support for SNMP v1, 2 and 3. Testing was done using v1; all the setup really entailed was defining a network machine where the SNMP traps could be sent. Captured network information can then be viewed using a third-party application like Wireshark.

This switch can also use LLDP to discover and manage other vendors' switches on a network, provided those devices support LLDP. Ports can be virtually aggregated through a feature called LAG (Link Aggregated Groups). Aggregating ports multiplies the bandwidth, providing link redundancy for multiple devices and load balancing.

Reviewers ran a series of throughput tests using Ixia's IX Chariot utility. Testing was conducted with a Windows Vista desktop client and laptop running Windows XP as endpoints. The Netgear switch had the desktop client, a second workstation and a server connected to it.

Results were impressive. Single direction one-pair testing averaged 90 Mbps. Bidirectional testing with 100 transactions per record averaged 90.136 Mbps as traffic went back and forth between the two endpoints. Since our Test Center's daily network throughput capacity is 100 MB, Netgear proved itself to almost maximize the full bandwidth with very little latency.

There are several security options for the device: RADIUS and TACACS+ are supported and port authentication can be set up for 802.1x. The support feature, however, was lacking. Clicking the Support tab redirects to a knowledge base and an online manual. Several entries were input into the support's search field, like LLDP, SNMP and LAG—all features within the switch. The LLDP search came up with zero results when searching through the knowledge base and the manuals. SNMP and LAG showed results but were mostly just redundant information provided in the user manual on the resource CD. Such a feature-rich device warrants an equally hearty online support system with detailed information about the features.

Within each configuration page, there is a separate Help button that explains the feature being configured further. This is information contained within the switch management interface and is more useful than the extraneous online support page.

Support issues aside, with capabilities such as VoIP QoS, port mirroring and the ability to use an access control list to identify not only MAC addresses but IP addresses to deny or allow access,the GS724AT is a smart switch that allows for advanced features without giving a network administrator too much of a headache configuring it. It's a switch that the Test Center can feel confident recommending.