Hi, need your help. I am no network guy and had just tried to install Cisco 2960 (blu one) between router and EE8.
I could not get him to work. All plugged in.
Lights green - but no connection to internet/router.
Where do I need to get the cable (from router) in - tried all options.
Is there any installation needed - found a guide in the net - but no respond on IP 
Any help is very much appreciated
RESET has done the deal! SORRY.
Yes, press and hold the red button on the back usually does the trick.
The Cisco will now reduce the volume of unwanted multicast LAN data reaching the ethernet ports on your EE8 switch.
Iâm on the lookout for a Cisco 2960G (G to get Gb as I have 150Mb coming to the house, so no point further restricting it). It looks like using a USB-console cable you can further configure the router. So a couple of questions if anyone knows:
I suspect @Simon-in-Suffolk may have a view here if I may call him in.
Thank you!
You may have 150 MB coming into your house, but that rate of data transfer will not be used by your LAN to send audio files to your streamer.
I was thinking more for the other devices that will be coming off that switch, e.g. a Mesh and 4k TV
Youâll need to setup ssh before you can logon remotely which requires console connection. Or run express setup mode which does it over Ethernet. Once you have ssh access you can do all further config remotely.
I used to turn off unused ports/POE, just the basics to reduce power consumption. Password is a given.
We used to have all our non audio devices into BT ISP hub, with only 272 connected to Cisco. So only uplink and one LAN port active. Cisco was always given a static IP address outside of the DHCP range of ISP hub. Give it a nice host name such as âmusicswitchâ which makes ssh command easier to remember 
You can tweak all sorts of settings but the basic default port setup with IGMP snooping on (itâs on for all VLAN by default) provides a good enough setup.
Cisco worked - but unfortunately I have to reset / restart every time I pull the plug.
There is a difference - Cisco to EE8 to ND555.
But with Cisco it tended to more details but a bit into analytical as well.
Liked it better (today) with EE8 alone.
Will also post in my ND555 thread 
Are you in the IT profession by any chance?
Yes, but not a network engineer.
However, it never did any harm to be able to go into a data centre or client site and have enough knowledge to configure a replacement switch. And in service delivery management a deep understanding of tech is a strength - making decisions in the middle of the night with 6 figure SLA penalties at stake is helped by this.
Those tech days are long gone now, but itâs like riding a bike once you open the Cisco cheat sheet PDF 
yes⌠itâs usually referred to as a loop back address. You would need to set this up at the initial install. The techniques for doing this are readily available on the web from Cisco and else were.
yes you would configure passwords (typically access password and the enable password. Other settings that our beneficial for home audio use completely vary on home network. For non BT Hub users, I usually recommend an IGMP querier ⌠this keep multicast group status fresh on the home network as opposed to needing to be rediscovered on timeout by applications. This helps application like UPnP, Roon and the Naim app be more responsive and quick. The BT hub has a good IGMP querier built in (it just works in the background) so not needed for BT customers. Some other ISPs who provide multicast based services may also have queries in their routers⌠I donât know who does who doesnât. Again the 2960 can tell you if it is seeing querier messages from the router. This is about usability and user experience rather than so called âsound qualityâ.
Thank you both Simon and @IainO spot on responses. My TalkTalk Eero router does not support IGMP, so the 2960 might help here.
If you need help with Cisco commands just shout
Many thanks - may well do. Not brought it yet though, but Iâll perhaps document what I do, which may eventually become a basic guide for people here.
I have all the commands I ran, start to finish, to config ssh via console cable then build switch config remotely.
Stashed in a txt file on PC somewhere I hope.
That would be great if you could share it!
Well got my 2960G, did a Hard reset then updated the firmware via the web interface, which seemed to get stuck, but a restart cured, although the web interface shows the dashboard, but none of the menu options work. Havenât yet got a cable for console access.
I cant yet say if its improved anything, but it does feel a quality piece of kit.
Anyway, other thing was that it uses 13.7 Watts of energy. Iâd be interested what effect turning off unused ports has on that figure, but currently it means ÂŁ37 annually, and is a little more than my new inside freezer. Does that match other peoples findings?
It does get warm to the touch with an internal temperature of 48 degrees. It is screwed to a panel with ports facing down, and extra deep feet to allow for better airflow.
It might make a marginal difference, but if there is nothing connected to the ports the link wonât be up, so the power consumption for that port specifically is I suggest going to very little. Now if the port is connected to something else and the link is up, but not being used for anything⌠then powering down the port or unplugging the Ethernet lead would make a more notable difference I suggest.
But yes configurable switches such as these have relatively powerful computers inside that are designed to work quickly and so yes they do generate heat⌠from an eco point of view, the best bet, if you donât need that capability, is to use a basic consumer switch⌠they wonât include these advanced ASICs and so almost certainly run cooler and use less power.
From an eco point of view I would also keep clear of linear powersupplies where you can too.
Many thanks Simon. Since being in, I have noticed that the Roku WiFi stick (which goes through this switch) has had better performance. The TV would often pause with a spinning circle, but that seems to have stopped now, so it will be staying. Presumably this is because my router, and my Netgear Mesh do not support IGMP snooping
Here is my start to finish minimal config (via console cable to factory reset device)
I connect to the console via a USB->console cable plugged into Ubuntu laptop (on Windows Iâd be using Putty)
sudo screen /dev/ttyUSB0
enable
conf t
hostname musicswitch
ip domain name home
username admin privilege 15 secret [PASSWORD]
enable secret admin
interface Gi0/1
no switchport
ip address 192.168.1.X 255.255.255.0 (X is a valid static IP outside of Hub ISP DHCP range)
ip default-gateway 192.168.1.255
media-type rj45
[ This configures the uplink for connection to ISP Hub ]
crypto key zerosize rsa
crypto key generate rsa
2048
ip ssh version 2
no aaa new-model
line vty 0 15
transport input ssh
login local
line console
login local
[ You can now SSH to device on the static IP ]
int range Fa0/1-8
shutdown
power inline never
int Fa0/1
no shutdown
speed 100
[ This enables a single port for connecting the streamer to the switch ]
copy running-config startup-config
write mem
reload
DONE!
I also had commands to âpinâ MAC addresses to a port, which means there is never a need for the switch to do any discovery. This means things like the naim app find devices instantly (but the commands are not really needed on a network which is functioning correctly). They look a bit like this, where Y is streamer IP address:
arp 192.168.1.Y [MAC ADDRESS] arpa
mac address-table static [MAC ADDRESS] vlan 1 interface fa0/1