Increase Connection Speed in School Lab
Question
Users in a school lab are reporting slow connections to the servers and the Internet.
Other users in the school have no issues.
The lab has 25 computers and is connected with a single 1Gb Ethernet connection on Cat 5e wiring to an unmanaged switch.
There are also three spare Cat 5e cable runs, which are not in use.
The school wants to double the connection speed between the lab and the servers without running new cables.
Which of the following would be the BEST solution?
A.
Plug in a second spare cable at each end to double the speed. B.
Replace the switches with ones that utilize port bonding and use the spare cables. C.
Replace the switches with 10Gb switches and utilize the existing cabling. D.
Plug in a second cable and set one port to TX and one port to RX.
B.
Explanations
Users in a school lab are reporting slow connections to the servers and the Internet.
Other users in the school have no issues.
The lab has 25 computers and is connected with a single 1Gb Ethernet connection on Cat 5e wiring to an unmanaged switch.
There are also three spare Cat 5e cable runs, which are not in use.
The school wants to double the connection speed between the lab and the servers without running new cables.
Which of the following would be the BEST solution?
A.
Plug in a second spare cable at each end to double the speed.
B.
Replace the switches with ones that utilize port bonding and use the spare cables.
C.
Replace the switches with 10Gb switches and utilize the existing cabling.
D.
Plug in a second cable and set one port to TX and one port to RX.
B.
The current setup has a single 1Gb Ethernet connection for 25 computers in the school lab, which is causing slow connections to the servers and the Internet. However, other users in the school have no issues, indicating that the issue is specific to the lab's network. The school wants to double the connection speed between the lab and the servers without running new cables.
Option A suggests plugging in a second spare cable at each end to double the speed. However, plugging in a second cable without configuring it properly will not double the speed but will create a loop in the network, resulting in network congestion and potential network failure. Therefore, this option is not a feasible solution.
Option B suggests replacing the switches with ones that utilize port bonding and use the spare cables. Port bonding or link aggregation can combine multiple network connections to increase the bandwidth between devices. In this case, by using the three spare cables, the switches can be configured to bond the four connections, resulting in increased bandwidth. This option is a feasible solution and can effectively double the connection speed between the lab and the servers without running new cables.
Option C suggests replacing the switches with 10Gb switches and utilizing the existing cabling. This option is a feasible solution as well, but it may not be the most cost-effective option, as it requires replacing the switches. Additionally, the existing cabling may not support 10Gb connections, which would require upgrading the cabling as well.
Option D suggests plugging in a second cable and setting one port to TX and one port to RX. This option is not a feasible solution, as it is similar to option A and would create a loop in the network, resulting in network congestion and potential network failure.
Therefore, the BEST solution for doubling the connection speed between the lab and the servers without running new cables would be to replace the switches with ones that utilize port bonding and use the spare cables (Option B).
