Common Questions About Smart Switches FS526T, FS750T, GS724T and GS748T

What is a Smart Switch?

A smart switch has many of the benefits of a managed switch without the complexity or cost of a fully managed switch. With a smart switch, you can monitor ports, configure trunks, and set prioritization, all with an intuitive Web interface. A smart switch has more capability than an unmanaged switch, but not all that of a fully managed switch. For example, a smart switch can configure ports, set up trunking, and even virtual LAN’s (VLAN’s), but it cannot participate in SNMP.

• The default settings match what you would find in an unmanaged switch, so you can use them right out of the box without even touching the management features.
• The gigabit ports negotiate with other equipment to work at 10 or 100 Mbps.
• If there is no DHCP server, the IP address defaults to 192.168.0.238.

How is It Used?

Smart switches are ideal for small networks that can benefit from the speed of gigabit uplink. Examples are:

• Server connections
• Gigabit backbone
• High-speed uplinks
  

What is the Difference Between the GS524T and the GS724T?

While both switches have 24 10/100/1000 Mbps ports, the GS524T is a pure unmanaged switch while the GS724T offers both Smart Switch capabilities and the option of fiber connectivity via two SFP GBIC slots. These GBIC slots are shared with two copper ports, so there are only 24 active ports at one time.

The SFP GBIC slots accept any SFP GIBC that complies with the specification. NETGEAR offers two: the AGM731F multimode fiber, and the AGM732F single mode fiber.

Aside from the physical differences (13” box for the FS526T and 17” box for the FS750T) and the number of Fast Ethernet ports (24 vs. 48), the switches are very similar. Both have two built-in Copper Gigabit ports, run the SmartWizard Discovery Software and have the intuitive Web browser interface.

NETGEAR has three smart switches: the FS526T with 24 Fast Ethernet ports and two Copper Gigabit ports, the FS750T with 48 Fast Ethernet ports and two Copper Gigabit ports, and the GS724T with 24 Copper Gigabit ports.

Early FS726T's use the default password admin, instead of password. (The FS750T always uses password.)

How is Initial Configuration Done?

The Smart Switches ship with the SmartWizard Discovery program that will discover the switch on your network, enabling you to connect to the switch via your web browser. Configuration after that is through an intuitive Web browser interface.

Where is the SmartWizard Discovery Software?

SmartWizard Discovery is Windows-based software from the Smart Switch CD. You have to install the software on a PC on the same network as the Smart Switch. The putting the CD-ROM in your CD drive should automatically start the installation process. The installation file is setup.exe. Simply double-click the file icon to start installation, and follow the directions. Once Smartwizard Discovery is installed, a shortcut icon appears on the desktop. You can start it by double-clicking the icon any time.

What's the IP Address for Web Management?

The switch ships with the GearDiscovery utility, software you load on a network PC. The GearDiscovery Utility finds the switch on the network and determines if it got an address from a DHCP server on the network or is using the default IP address. Once you know the IP address, a browser can manage the switch.

The SmartWizard Found the IP address, but I Still Can’t Access the FS750T

The Smartwizard Discovery program can work across your network to locate your FS750T switch, but your PC must be in the same subnet to enable your browser to connect to the switch. This means you will have to change either the Switch IP address or your PC IP address. You can change the switch IP setting through the Smartwizard Discovery. Select the FS750T and click the button of Configuration Setting.

The Port-based VLAN Works Differently on the FS750T and FS526T

The FS526T has no limitation on setting any port-based VLAN, i.e., any physical port can be assigned to any VLAN. However, for the FS750T there are two port groups, which are mutually exclusive. Ports 1 through 24 are in one group and have no limitations on the VLANs that can be set up within the group. Ports 25 to 50 are in the second group. Ports from group 1 cannot belong to a port-based VLAN with ports from group 2. Tag-based VLANs have no such restrictions.

Doc ID: N101195.asp July 19, 2004