Three Management Modes of Managed Industrial Ethernet Switches

Three Management Modes of Managed Industrial Ethernet Switches
    Managed industrial Ethernet switches can be managed in the following ways: through RS-232 serial port (or parallel port) management, through web browser management, and through network management software management.
1, through the serial port management
    The network management switch comes with a serial cable for switch management. First plug one end of the serial cable into the serial port on the back of the switch, and the other end into the serial port of an ordinary computer. Then turn on the switch and computer power. Using the "HyperTerminal" program that comes with the Windows system, serial data management.
First, open the "HyperTerminal", after setting the connection parameters, you can interact with the switch through the serial cable. This method does not occupy the bandwidth of the switch, so it is called Out of band.
         In this management mode, the switch provides a menu-driven console interface or command line interface. You can use the Tab key or the arrow keys to move through the menus and submenus, press the Enter key to execute the corresponding command, or use a dedicated switch management command set to manage the switch. Different brands of switch command sets are different, and even switches of the same brand have different commands. Using menu commands is more convenient in operation.
2, through the Web management
    Managed switches can be managed through the Web (web browser), but the switch must be assigned an IP address. This IP address has no other purpose than the use of the management switch. By default, the switch does not have an IP address. You must enable this management mode after specifying an IP address through the serial port or other means.
    When using a web browser to manage the switch, the switch is equivalent to a web server, but the web page is not stored in the hard disk. Instead, the web program in the NVRAM can be upgraded through the program in the NVRAM of the switch. When the administrator enters the IP address of the switch in the browser, the switch delivers the web page to the computer just like a server, and it feels like you are visiting a website. This method occupies the bandwidth of the switch and is therefore called "In band".
    If you want to manage the switch, just click on the corresponding function in the web page and change the switch parameters in the text box or the drop-down list. Web management This method can be performed on the LAN so remote management can be achieved.
3, through the network management software management
    The network management switches all follow the SNMP protocol (simple network management protocol). The SNMP protocol is a set of network equipment management standards that conform to international standards. Any device that conforms to the SNMP protocol can be managed by the network management software. You only need to install a set of SNMP network management software on a network management workstation. Through the LAN, you can easily manage switches, routers, and servers on the network. Through the SNMP network management software interface, it is also an in-band management method.
4, summary
    Managed switch management can be managed through the above three methods. Which method is used? When the switch is initially set up, it is often managed through out-of-band management. After the IP address is set, in-band management can be used. In-band management Because management data is transmitted over a publicly-used local area network, remote management is possible, but security is not strong. Out-of-band management is communicated through the serial port. Data is transmitted only between the switch and the management machine. Therefore, the security is strong. However, because of the limitation of the serial cable length, remote management cannot be implemented. So which way you take depends on your requirements for security and manageability.