Convert unmanaged switch to managed switch

michael_dmt

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Oct 6, 2016
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I've read a thread about converting 'dumb' switch to managed by using arduino uno board and some wires, but I've been thinking if it is possible to convert an unmanaged switch by actually using raspberry pi? If possible, how to actually do that? Thank you in advance.
 
Solution
If there was some magic way to take some crappy cheap single board computers and make a $20 switch become a $500 switch do you not think there would be a company out there selling "upgrades" to people. It will never be cheaper to hack something together than for a manufacture to add more microscopic gates to a chip.

Sounds like you are going to massively disappointed when you find out how the world of electronics works today. You are going to need years of study to even understand how computer chips are manufactured and function. This is not some silly phone app that you can use prepacked app generating tools to get. Then again if you spend the time to learn and get the degrees the guys that design and build electronic...
Anyone who even considers doing this does not understand many of the function a managed switch does. Any thread that says you can do this has little knowledge of the hardware involved in actual manged switches.

I will take a example of the most common function people use a manged switch for, vlans. I want ports 1 & 2 to only talk to each other and ports 3 &4 to only talk to each other.

So you start with a dumb unmanged switch. All the ports can talk to each other. You open up the switch and you find 1 large chip with all the ports connected to it. How do you propose hooking up your single board computer. How can you make connections inside a chip so you can add the function.

Although things like raspberry are good to get people interested in the topics of embedded computers it hides the fact that the real world devices working nothing like these little single board devices. Almost all electronic devices require advanced degrees in engineering and software that you use to create chips.

 

michael_dmt

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Managed switch would be expensive. I'm a student and currently undergoing a subject, so for academic purpose I would like to know the possibility and ways of doing as my thread titled.
 

michael_dmt

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I'm a student and currently undergoing a subject, so for academic purpose I would like to know the possibility and ways of doing as my thread titled. That's the reason.
 

But everyone here with far more knowledge and experience is saying no. I guess you could google it for yourself?
 
If there was some magic way to take some crappy cheap single board computers and make a $20 switch become a $500 switch do you not think there would be a company out there selling "upgrades" to people. It will never be cheaper to hack something together than for a manufacture to add more microscopic gates to a chip.

Sounds like you are going to massively disappointed when you find out how the world of electronics works today. You are going to need years of study to even understand how computer chips are manufactured and function. This is not some silly phone app that you can use prepacked app generating tools to get. Then again if you spend the time to learn and get the degrees the guys that design and build electronic hardware devices are some of the highest paid people there are.
 
Solution

michael_dmt

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Okay, now it's clear. I'd like to thank you for the response.
 

michael_dmt

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Thank you for the response, sir.
 
If u just wanto learn networking, u can find cheap used managed 10/100 mbit switches, but you will be immediately overwhelmed by the configuration you never had to make with a dumb switch, without actually taking some classes. Then you don't really learn anything until you got a few components hooked up and the pieces talking to each other.