Finding information on a switch

Mace_37 · 06-02-2006, 12:55 PM

I'm updating a network topology and I don't really know an overly large amount about netwokring.
I have a switch on my network that I'm connected to (I can't see it, somewhere in this building). And I need to fill out some fields about this switch:
Device
Name
LAN Interface
Uplink Port

I thought that switches were too low of a level to be assigned names, and I've never heard of a lan interface before. But my question is this, can anyone help me find out this information? Is there some program that will display this for me, or some other way?

mgmcc · 06-02-2006, 02:44 PM

If you cannot physically access the "switch" I don't see how you can get information about it. It isn't something that has to be installed in a computer, so the computer itself won't give you any details.

Are you sure the "switch" isn't part of a router, in which case entering the router's LAN IP address into a web browser will load its Setup pages and give details.

The LAN interface will be an RJ45 port on the "switch" into which a standard ethernet cable terminating in an RJ45 plug connects. Its "uplink" port is used to connect it to another network switch to provide additional ethernet ports.

**Squashman** · 06-02-2006, 09:10 PM

If it is a managed switch it will have an IP address. It will most likely be a staticly assigned IP outside your DHCP address pool. You can use SuperScan to scan all the IP addresses on your network, from there you could probably determine a few things about it.

Mace_37 · 06-05-2006, 09:01 AM

I have a network diagram of the switch and it just says the IP is 10.228.1.x with a class C mask, so I don't think it's a router. I can physically access the switch now, but will that change anything?

And so the uplink port would just be the name of the switch it attaches to?

mgmcc · 06-05-2006, 09:58 AM

Quote:

I can physically access the switch now, but will that change anything?

I thought what you were trying to to was to get details about the particular switch - the type of device, name, LAN interface and whether it had an Uplink Port.

The LAN (Local Area Network) interface is what the computers connect to and would normally be a number of standard RJ45 ethernet ports.

Some switches have an "Uplink Port", or possibly a port that can be toggled between a normal LAN port and an Uplink Port, in order to daisy-chain additional switches. The effect is the same as using a "crossover" ethernet cable instead of a "straight-wired" cable.

Mace_37 · 06-05-2006, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgmcc

I thought what you were trying to to was to get details about the particular switch - the type of device, name, LAN interface and whether it had an Uplink Port..

Sorry, what I meant was "will this change the amount of information that I can get?"

okay, I believe that all of my questions were answered. Thanks.

**Squashman** · 06-09-2006, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mace_37

I have a network diagram of the switch and it just says the IP is 10.228.1.x with a class C mask, so I don't think it's a router. I can physically access the switch now, but will that change anything?

And so the uplink port would just be the name of the switch it attaches to?

10.x.x.x is not a class c address.

06-02-2006, 12:55 PM	#1 (permalink)
Mace_37 Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 11 OS: xp	Finding information on a switch I'm updating a network topology and I don't really know an overly large amount about netwokring. I have a switch on my network that I'm connected to (I can't see it, somewhere in this building). And I need to fill out some fields about this switch: Device Name LAN Interface Uplink Port I thought that switches were too low of a level to be assigned names, and I've never heard of a lan interface before. But my question is this, can anyone help me find out this information? Is there some program that will display this for me, or some other way?

06-02-2006, 02:44 PM	#2 (permalink)
mgmcc Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: Dundee, Scotland Posts: 244 OS: XP, Vista, Mac OS X	If you cannot physically access the "switch" I don't see how you can get information about it. It isn't something that has to be installed in a computer, so the computer itself won't give you any details. Are you sure the "switch" isn't part of a router, in which case entering the router's LAN IP address into a web browser will load its Setup pages and give details. The LAN interface will be an RJ45 port on the "switch" into which a standard ethernet cable terminating in an RJ45 plug connects. Its "uplink" port is used to connect it to another network switch to provide additional ethernet ports.

06-02-2006, 09:10 PM	#3 (permalink)
Squashman Tech, Networking Forums Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: 1265 Lombardi Ave. Posts: 1,142 OS: All of the above	If it is a managed switch it will have an IP address. It will most likely be a staticly assigned IP outside your DHCP address pool. You can use SuperScan to scan all the IP addresses on your network, from there you could probably determine a few things about it.

06-05-2006, 09:01 AM	#4 (permalink)
Mace_37 Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 11 OS: xp	I have a network diagram of the switch and it just says the IP is 10.228.1.x with a class C mask, so I don't think it's a router. I can physically access the switch now, but will that change anything? And so the uplink port would just be the name of the switch it attaches to?