[geeks] Networking stuff

[Big Endian]

>We are rapidly running out of network ports and I am thinking we would be
>better off moving towards the modular cabinets rather than buying more
>switches and tying them together. We have 96 10/100 ports, 4 1000SX ports
>(with more SX needed) and we are going to be growing quickly.

Ok... you want HIGH port density here.  Something big.  I wish I needed that.

>We have some 3Com switches now, so I was looking at 3Com, but I was
>wondering what you guys think. I was looking at the 4007 cabinet, but what
>about Cisco? Any recommendations? Right now we have a mix of 3Com
>(2xSuperStack 3300's), Intel 510T, IBM (2x24port10/100), Netgear GS504
>(4-1000SX).

Fun mix.  I have a 3com superstack II at home, I love it.  Netgears 
are also nice.  I think you definitely want to look at a smarter 
switch though.

>I am really out of my league here, so I have a lot of reading to do, does
>anyone have any recommendations? Hell, I have most of our 24port 100Mbps
>switches connected with crossover cables :-(

thats ok... when I first got here they had three HUBS.  Two of them 
were 100mbps, one was 10mbps.  They had linked the two 100s THROUGH 
the 10, thus limiting the entire network to 10mbps.  It was dumb.  I 
can't imagine anything much worse.

>So basically, what HW brands do you recommend? and what should I read?

I replaced all that mess with a single HP 4000M here at work.  I love 
them.  They aren't as fast as the higher end cisco switches but they 
are by far the cheapest modular switch out there and they work 
incredibly well, hot swap everything nice menu or command line 
managable, SNMP support, the tagged VLAN support is fun to.

Beyond that (the 4000s max out at 80 ports/switch but will probably 
be much less for you) you should look into  an HP 4108GL 
(http://www.hp.com/rnd/products/switches/switch4108GL/summary.htm).

If you want Cisco go with the 4000 series catalysts.  They are 
equivalent to the 4108GL hp.  There are other options like Foundry 
networks and Extreme networks but I don't think thats what you're 
looking for and I don't know them that well.

daniel