With STA (Spanning Tree Algorithm) enabled on the TigerSwitch, ports go through listening and learning before forwarding on start-up. STA is designed to prevent loops in the network. When I disabled STA, the TigerSwitch didn't lose any frames as bandwidth utilization climbed to 100 percent. Another work-around is to set individual port configuration to "edge port" so it will automatically forward packets for ports connected to end nodes.
Interestingly enough, the same tests applied to a more expensive Extreme Networks Black Diamond switch (Module G8T 51033) with STA enabled didn't yield any start-up performance costs per port, proving you get what you pay for.
Eye of the Tiger
The TigerSwitch Web interface is very clean and easy to navigate. Without effort, I set up DSA and RSA host keys to enable SSH (Secure Shell) access. I also restricted management access with an IP filter. 802.1X port authentication with RADIUS or TACACS is supported, along with many of the same features found in data-center-class switches.
Sean Doherty is a senior technology editor and lawyer based at our Syracuse University Real-World Labs®. Write to him at [email protected].
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