Hi there,
since we have some serious problems finding another machine after a count of four managed switches (currently PB 6.1.4, but I'm upgrading to 6.4.2 in a few weeks), I just wanted to ask for the recommended requirements.
So…
- Which Layers should the managed switches support?
- What ports are used for what usage - and from which type of machine to which other machine?
- How about Multicasts? What are the correct IGMP-Settings? Which version should we use, should we drop or flood, … - should we use it at all?*
- What minimum bandwidth is needed for which usage?
- Are you planning to support the usage of tagged VLANs, so I could send ArtNet, sACN and the Pandora-stuff over one single cable? (I know some network-cards support this and I'm using that already, but I'm curious whether you are planning something.)
- Can I change the Multicast-Groups to custom addresses if needed?
- Is the client trying to connect to a master until it finds one - or does it stop after a number of failed tries?
- Are there special requirements for managed switch-Configurations?
- Are there any known products or protocols that might cause problems and which should be located in a different VLAN?
* Disabling IGMP Snopping recently caused a complete loss of connection between the manager and every single machine; but it was recommended in some help-file I found. Maybe you want to provide a good and detailed documentation for the networking things?