From: "Sean Anderson" 
Subject: Switches
Date: 1998/02/21
Message-ID: #1/1
Organization: NovaSoft 1997
Newsgroups: fido.novell


I have about 60 (40 or so active light to moderate users) connections on a
Netware 4.10 network with brand new 3Com Superstack II hubs.  I had the
network crash the other day, all workstations would freeze up because they
lost their connecton to the file server and would get a message saying
Error "890: File server unknown".  This would happen at random time
intervals after which a power reset of the hubs and file server would bring
the network back up temporarily (sp).  At first we thought it was Arcserve,
nope.  Then after my supervisor called in a consultant, oooooooh, he
charged us $500 for three hours, did absolutly shit, and sold my boss on a
switch.  By now I'm so pissed I could kill someone.  The consultant firm
won't shut up about a switch, which we don't need (yet).  I ended up fixing
the problem after the consultant left by rearanging the file server
connections between the hubs, after which I found some bad ports on my new
Superstack II 10 hub.  My point is, the "un-named" Cincinnati consulting
firm was going to sell us a $1200 - 2000 switch, set it up charging $150+
an hour without even hooking up a sniffer or a FLUKE.  I mentioned the idea
of a Lan-alyzer several times and they just blew it off.  Huh? 
Professional?  Watch out guys.