Labs

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Netgear's FSM726S has a lot going for it - Dell's new PowerConnect 3024 is virtually identical. Netgear is a force to be reckoned with in the small to medium-sized business networking sector, as it has concentrated solely on this area ever since it was spun off from Nortel Networks in 2000 and has now captured a sizeable chunk of the UK market.

The FSM726S was announced as Netgear's first managed switch in the beginning of 2002 and made its initial appearance in the UK a few months later. It's a compact box offering 24 10/100BaseTX ports and a good combination of Gigabit Ethernet options for the price.

Of most interest is the pair of 1000BaseT ports, as these can be used for low-cost backbone or high-speed server connections over copper, but each port

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is also paired with a GBIC (gigabit interface converter) slot. These accept industry-standard 1000BaseSX and LX GBIC modules, allowing long-distance fibre-optic connections to be implemented, although the high cost of the cabling limits their value to smaller businesses. The copper and GBIC ports are arranged in pairs, so you can only use one of each and the interfaces must be selected from the management interface.

For switch management, you get the same CLI and browser interfaces as for the Dell, but with a spot of Netgear branding plastered over them. Consequently, you'll find them easy to use, with good access provided to switch parameters and statistics.

Up to six switches can be physically stacked together using the supplied cables. To test this, we joined the Dell and Netgear switches together via their rear ports, where they appeared in the browser window as one unit with a single IP address. The comprehensive display panel on the switch keeps you in touch with port-related action, and the FSM726S provides stack status indicators as well.

Companies that find this switch appealing have a difficult choice ahead, as both Netgear and Dell offer tempting propositions. Neither will disappoint and, while the substantially lower cost of the PowerConnect 3024 will sway many, the decent five-year guarantee offered by Netgear makes the FSM726S a more attractive long-term bet.