Switch Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ)

Topic

This article covers frequently-asked questions about Datto Switches.

Environment

  • Datto Switches

Description

FAQs:


How can I adjust the bandwidth with Datto Switches? Can I set an overall bandwidth for the whole switch?
The bandwidth on Datto switches can be throttled on an individual port basis using the Rate Limit field to set allowed Receive (Rx) and Transmit (Tx) bandwidth. To set the overall bandwidth, set these values on the uplink port that the switch uses to connect to your router or gateway.


Does the PoE functionality support the passive PoE standard on the older OM2P-HS APs?
No, our switches only support 802.3af PoE. You would need to power non-802.3af devices by power adapter or by passive PoE injector.


How do Datto switches communicate with the Cloud Management Page? Do I need to open more ports on my firewall?
The Datto switches use the same ports (80 and 443) as our APs. You may also need to allowlist www.cloudtrax.com (external link) and www.AmazonAWS.com(external link) as we recommend with our APs.


Are the SFP modules proprietary, or can "generic" modules be used?
You can use Generic SFP modules, but Datto does not support them.


Are Datto switches capable of Gigabit speeds?
Yes, all ports are 10/100/1000 Mbps capable.


I already have switches in my network, but I'd like to start adding some Datto switches to my network as well. Is this possible?
Yes, our switches are compatible with other switches and routers using the standard TCP/IP protocol.


Can Datto switches be daisy-chained?
Yes, you can link switches together on the network and maintain speeds using link aggregation.


On the Voice VLAN, does it add devices to this VLAN based on OUI?
When enabled on a port, the Voice VLAN feature allows VLAN tagged on the port and modifies the priority for packets that match the Voice VLAN ID and OUI prefix. Traffic is not automatically tagged. See Voice VLAN for more information.


Are all ports designed as trunk only, or can they be individually set as access ports only?
To set a port as an access port, set only the PVID and Untagged VLAN. To have a trunk port allow multiple tagged VLANs.


Are jumbo frames supported?
Yes. Jumbo frames are supported.


What provisions are there for failed firmware updates?
Like our APs, our switches use dual partitions for updates, so the existing firmware is not overwritten for an update. If the new firmware install fails, the device will revert to the previously installed firmware.


Can an ACL deny an entire subnet access to a destination, or only by IP?
Yes, you can set ACL by subnet.


Are there single-mode SFP's as well?
We sell both single-mode and multi-mode fiber SFP modules.


Are Datto switching capacity rates and forwarding rates published anywhere?
Yes. You can access our datasheet on switches by clicking the link below. You need Partner Portal access to view the file: Datto Networking Switches Datasheet 5-23-19.


Does the L8 switch have a fan?
Yes.


How many APs can my Datto switch power?
To answer the question of how many PoE powered devices you can support on a single PoE switch, you need to consider how much power your PoE devices require, and how much power your switch can provide.

Client devices today usually support standards-based 802.3af or 802.3at PoE power. These PoE standards mean that the device can draw up to a maximum of 15.4W (af) or 25.5W (at) from the switch to the connected port.

For PoE switches, you should look for their "PoE Budget" or "Power Dedicated to PoE" value, which is the total amount of power it has available to divide between PoE devices connected to it.

For example, if you have a switch with a PoE budget of 45W, and two PoE devices that use the 802.3af standard (max 15.4W), then even if both devices draw their maximum allowed power (15.4 x 2 = 30.8W), there will still be plenty of spare power in the switches PoE budget.

Now let's take the example a step further. While the two PoE devices use the 802.3af standard, that only defines what the maximum power values are that the device can draw, not the actual amount of power the device will draw. If the device only draws 5W of power during regular operation, then the scenario becomes (5W x 2 = 10W total PoE power draw) much less demanding on the AP, leaving the majority (10W - 45W = 35W) of its PoE budget available. Information on both the PoE standard used and the normal/expected PoE power draw of your device should be available in the device manufacturer's technical detail pages or datasheets.

Power consumption also needs to be considered when planning how many devices to run on one switch. As mentioned above, a device may only draw 5W of power during regular operation. However, that same device may still draw up to its PoE type maximum (15.W/25.5W) at any time. You may experience this during times of high activity, such as boot-up cycles when first connected or when the device resets. If you plan for your devices to only use 5W and install ten devices on a switch with a 55W PoE budget, you may find that only a few of the devices can boot up correctly if the switch itself ever loses power, reboots, or another event where all the PoE devices try to power back on at the same time.

Next, let's talk about what happens if you max out your switches PoE budget. Datto switches provide PoE power on a priority basis (Low/Medium/High/Critical). For example, if you have a switch with a 45W PoE budget and four PoE client devices that use 15W each all set with a different priority, the device configured with a 'Low' priority will have its PoE power re-allocated to supply the device with higher priority. This configuration ensures that specific devices will never lose power or will always have enough power, even if the switch has already expended its entire PoE budget.

One last thing to consider is that power draw on a PoE device can fluctuate. The power needed during initial boot-up compared to when the device is idle will often be significantly different. If the manufacturer datasheets do not state a max power draw value for your device, it's generally recommended to assume the device will draw its maximum allowed power during initial boot.

Can I locally access my switch?
No, there is no local access to any Datto switch.