8/3/2004 -- Cisco's Linksys subsidiary this week unveiled the SRW224, a new 24-port 10/100 switch that's outfitted with 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports. What's interesting, of course, is that Cisco positions the Linksys entry as a switch for small business (SMB) customers -- in spite of its array of enterprise-lite features.

Cisco says that the new Linksys SRW224 -- which also ships with its WebView monitoring facility -- has been designed for small businesses that require advanced management capabilities, potential fiber expandability, and -- of course -- Gigabit Ethernet speed.

In a statement, Allen Powell, Linksys' director of channel sales, touted the new switch's low price tag, which works out to about $9 per port. "With the introduction of our WebView switch, we continue to affordably provide the technology that today and tomorrow's networks require," he asserted.
In addition to its two Gigabit Ethernet ports and mini GBIC port, Linksys' new SMB switch boasts features such as VLAN and Port Trucking, auto speed negotiation and auto MDI/MDI-X. The latter feature allows the switch to automatically sense and configure the cable type (i.e., cross-over or straight-through) connected to each port.

One of its biggest selling points is, of course, its WebView technology, which lets administrators monitor their networks and control them remotely through a Web browser. The switch also features a console port for administrators who wish to manage their networks directly from a PC. Users can tap WebView to tweak port configurations, enable or disable ports, configure up to 64 VLANs, trunk ports, and specify QoS priority traffic settings.

Another interesting feature is the mini GBIC port, which lets network administrators add mini GBIC SFP Transceivers. Linksys offers a Gigabit Ethernet (MGBT1) fiber optic SFP transceiver module with up to a 500m range (MGBSX1), as well as a fiber optic transceiver module with up to a 40km range (MGBLH1). -Stephen Swoyer