Netonix Forums

I am very happy so far with the 2 WISP Switches I have running and a 3rd in setup fase and 2 more waiting to be deployed.
Very robust and all the monitor functions are priceless..

But, in configuring and maybe making full use of all the options it would really be nice if some manual could be produced.
Special all the options and functions might have some explanation so even the not so advanced network operator can make use of these....
Some explanatory can be found in digging through the forum or by just simply try and error.. but a simple manual could give some of us already a flying start in stead of running on loose boots...

Some examples:
Under the "Ports" tab: - What is PS (PoE Smart) actually doing?
- What is FC (Flow Control) actually doing?
- What is MC (Multi Cast) on a port actually doing?
- How is MTU to be set?
- What happens, or is prevented to happen, if Iso (Port isolation) is enabled?

Under the "VLANs" tab: - ID; Is this actually the ID put on the package or just some ID given internally? So does this ID traverse outside the switch, or does it only process vlan package with this specific ID?
- T or Tag. What is exactly the meaning of "Tag"? Is this the same as what MikroTik calls "Service Tag"?
- U or Untagged. Same question. Or just "it will pass all traffic?
- Order; In the latest firmware we can now arrange the order. But does that have any meaning, the order?

I'm not even going further. LAG, STP etc are even more advanced usage.

I can understand a skilled and experienced network operator find these questions all a bit stupid but I'll bet that a good manual would even help the nerd and definately make more basic users happy. And happy users will be happy buyers and happy promotor....

WirelessRudy

Thanks for your comments, and yes, a user manual is planned to be done, hopefully soon....

Dave

I also strongly agree we need a manual, we just do not have the staff "yet" to do this.

Since we are not making equipment for the consumer but were targeting WISPs and Integrators we assumed there is a certain level of techiness or the at least the ability to use tools such as Google or Wikipedia.

Sadly right now there are only 3 of us:
Chris => Design Concepts/Parts Procurement/Assembly/Firmware Testing/Hardware Testing/Forum Support & Moderator/Store Manager/Shipping/Sales
Dave => Hardware Design/Parts Selection/Parts Procurement/Hardware Testing/Firmware Testing/Forum Support/
Eric => Firmware Development/Testing/Forum Support/IT

We pretty much follow the standard so a quick Google or Wikipedia of the desired option will answer 99% of your questions.

Functions that are pretty much answered in Wikipedia as we follow the STANDARDS:
Link Speed - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethernet
Flow Control - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_control_(data)
Multi-Cast - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multicast
MTU - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_transmission_unit
STP/RSTP - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanning_ ... e_Protocol
LACP & Static LAG - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_aggr ... l_Protocol & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_aggregation
IGMP Snooping - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IGMP_snooping
VLAN - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_LAN HOWEVER THIS JUST PROVIDES THE BASICS AND WE NEED TO EXPLAIN MORE HOW WE IMPLIMENT IT


Things NOT answered in Wikipedia:

POE Smart (but discussed many times on forum)
Basically if you have POE Smart ENABLED (which you should 99& of the time) will check the port for cross short cables before the switch will apply POE power to the port. If you turn the POE on then plug in a cable to a live port POE Smart does nothing for you as the POE power is already ON.

POE Power option on the Ports Tab
24V - Provides 24V on pairs 3 & 4 (Pins 4,5 being positive)
48V - Provides 48V on pairs 3 & 4 (Pins 4,5 being positive)
24VH - Provides 24V on all 4 Pairs (Pins 1,2,4,5 being positive)
48VH - Provides 48V on all 4 Pairs (Pins 1,2,4,5 being positive)

Port Isolation (but discussed a couple times on forum)
Any port with Port Isolation Enabled will not talk to any other port with POrt Isolation also Enabled. Pretty much the same as client Isolation on an AP.

TFTP Auto Backup under the Device/Configuration Tab
Basically if you put in the URL including the desired filename the switch will auto backup the config to the TFTP server every time you click Save/Apply
Example: TFTP://172.17.10.5/filename

The list goes on, but yes we need a manual

This post was started almost a year ago. Is there any update on the manual for the switches? We have just purchased quite a few of the 12 port and 24 port switches and I can not use all the functions of the switches because I have no manual.

Mikey@systemseven.net wrote:This post was started almost a year ago. Is there any update on the manual for the switches? We have just purchased quite a few of the 12 port and 24 port switches and I can not use all the functions of the switches because I have no manual.

I think I answered this questions on another thread where you just posted the same question/complaint on: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1818#p15264

What possible switch specific features are you having difficulty with that you can not use and I will be glad to either post a link to a post that answers your question or answer it.

However keep in mind I am not here to teach you how to use and implement VLANs, STP, and LAGs and that is not the reason for a user's manual to begin with.

A manual simply tells you how to configure something if you do not understand the UI/CLI not teach you how to become a network engineer and use industry standard protocols, that is what classes are for.

You did answer the question in another post. I hadn't read through all of them when I posted my question. And I apologize for busting your B***s for it, that wasn't what I was trying to do. Just trying to get a head of the game here at my company and having to learn things on my own. I know about being under manned very well so I understand you guys are doing your best and thank you for your response, that will actually help me understand the switch better.

I do like the user interface and its new to me especially, because I am just now starting to work on the "network" side of things so Im out of practice with a lot of that. But Im really glad you are taking the time to respond and help with questions. Thank you for that.

I'm also extremely annoyed/disappointed by the complete lack of real documentation. A FORUM IS NOT DOCUMENTATION.

For example, I've been searching for (literally) 15 minutes trying to find the definition of what "Power Down" and "Power Up" mean on the Ports tab.

An improperly/poorly documented product is one that doesn't have a place in my network, and it looks like Netonix isn't going to have a place past the trial unit I bought.

valnet wrote:I'm also extremely annoyed/disappointed by the complete lack of real documentation. A FORUM IS NOT DOCUMENTATION.

For example, I've been searching for (literally) 15 minutes trying to find the definition of what "Power Down" and "Power Up" mean on the Ports tab.

An improperly/poorly documented product is one that doesn't have a place in my network, and it looks like Netonix isn't going to have a place past the trial unit I bought.

Well then one can ask a question like you just did however I can not answer this question as there is no "Power Down" and "Power Up" on the Ports Tab?

Maybe re-ask the question with more accurate information.

Are you asking about input fields maybe on the Power Tab?

If you mouse over the box it puts up a range 9.0V to 60V which means power OFF this port if the input voltage from your batteries drops below the voltage you put in the box and then power it back ON when the voltage reaches the voltage specified in the other box.

I know this is a stretch but think about it. This is a smart DC switch which means it can accept input voltage from 9V-60V and is designed to hook directly to your battery bank so if the batteries start to discharge one can tell the switch to power off less important ports and then turn the port back on when voltages recover.

Does this make sense now?

I try to answer questions quickly but if you do not want our product then maybe you will be happier somewhere else.

CLICK IMAGE BELOW TO VIEW FULL SIZE

I also ask for a Manual. The product is very promising and I would like to see a better documentation and a "ticket system" for a better follow up.

@sirhc: I think your reasoning for not providing documentation is weak. Netonix should provide a comprehensive feature guide like every other manufacturer of quality networking equipment does. The reason "you should know how to do this and it's obvious" is utterly preposterous. Of course we know how to do this stuff, or we WOULDN'T BE BUYING THE SWITCH. What we need is a guide to navigate Netonix's particular representation of standard features. Sometimes it doesn't always make sense how things are grouped together or what the particular short-hand meanings are.

A USER FORUM DOES NOT COUNT AS DOCUMENTATION. I just spent 3 hours of MY VALUABLE TIME searching YOUR FORUMS trying to figure out why I can't configure VLAN's on a LAG interface. According to various posts, when a LAG is configured, it's interface index should show up in the VLAN table; but it's not for me. I'll bet there's a post somewhere that says "Oh, yeah. That's not supported on your model." Well, then, according to your logic, it "should be obvious".

These switches are great product. But I won't buy them ever again until I see Nettonix get their shit together and MAKE SOME DOCS.