In order to save and restore switch configurations on the Netgear GS105Ev2 switch, you must use the latest version of the switch firmware AND the latest version of the ProSafe Utility.
First, download the ProSafe Utility from the Netgear downloads page - version 2.3.5 - unzip and install.
Next, download the current firmware from the Netgear GS105Ev2 download page - version 1.4.0.2.
Lastly, install the new firmware with the new ProSafe Utility. These latest version fix a bug that prevented restoring switch configurations.
When this is completed, you will be able to save and restore the switch configurations available in the AREDN Software section.
It did not work (last week) for me either. Forced me to figure it out (sort of).
What would be really handy are screen shots of those three sub-menus under 802.1Q/Advanced, for a couple of configurations
Ken
The current pre-made configurations for the GS105Ev2 switch are likely built on top of a less-than-current version of the firmware on the switch. This is on me as I didn't check the firmware at the time I created these pre-built configurations and should have. I don't have access to the switch anymore and we won't be able to inspect what GS105Ev2 firmware version was used until 1st week in Dec. Sorry about that folks, we'll get the site updated with the compatible switch firmware as soon as we can. Looks like over time we'll need pre-built configs for switch, switch hardware version, AND switch firmware version. Hopefully, netgear won't be releasing new firmware versions every day :) .
I can't reproduce this issue. Can you please check the "System->Status->Switch Information" page? what firmware version is showing--attach a screen shot? I was able to load the .cfg files available on this website in to a GS105Ev2 for both firmware versions 1) V1.4.0.2 and 2) V1.3.0.3 (the current and prior version.)
Joe AE6XE
KI6VPB, can you send me a backup .cfg file created from your netgear GS105Ev2? We're in unknown territory here as the .cfg files may not be transportable across netgear devices, even if both have the same firmware version. This may have something to do with the history of upgrading firmware versions on the device. I want to bring up the .cfg files from your system and mine in a hex editor and hope I can spot something that will clue us in to what is going on. Can you also send me the exact .cfg that fails to load on your netgear -- just in case it somehow got changed? thus send me a .cfg that works and one that does not on your device. I'd expect the reverse in loading on mine netgear...
<callsign> at arrl.net
Thanks for helping to get to the bottom of this.
Joe AE6XE
I'll need to check the backup files. I wonder if they were made with 1.3.x firmware....
Anyway, there is a How-To on configuring a switch manually: http://www.aredn.org/content/configuring-netgear-gs105e-switch-lanwan-ports
do you happen to have this illustration for two nodes? It seems like it should be very straight forward but I am missing something.
Do you have a config for a tough witch with three nodes and two LANs?
Nevermind. I got it.
Basic question: are "smart" LAN switches even necessary?
An AREDN/Broadband Hamnet node uses three VLANs on its LAN port: default (untagged), 1 and 2. The default (i.e., untagged) VLAN serves local computers. The node runs a DHCP server on this VLAN, so you can plug in an ordinary computer and it will "just work".
VLAN 2 is used for linking two or more nodes. An ordinary client computer will simply ignore any traffic on VLAN 1 unless it has been explicitly configured to use it. DHCP is not used.
VLAN 1 is used to talk to an "upstream" ISP, such as a cable or DSL modem (or another LAN served by one) to access the outside Internet and/or create tunnels over it to remote mesh nodes. The node runs a DHCP client on this VLAN. Again, an ordinary computer will simply ignore any traffic on VLAN 1 unless it has been explicitly configured to use it.
An ordinary "dumb" (unmanaged) switch simply passes all Ethernet frames unmodified, including any VLAN tags. So it seems to me that the only time you really need a smart (managed) switch is when you want to use VLAN 1 to talk to an upstream network that expects untagged traffic. Then you'd use the switch to translate VLAN 1 tags on the mesh node port to/from untagged traffic on the upstream network port, and to not pass untagged or VLAN 2 traffic to the upstream network.
If the Ubiquiti nodes had more than one physical Ethernet port, VLANs wouldn't even be necessary. The main purpose of a VLAN is to control where broadcasts go, and this is especially important with DHCP since the mesh node acts as a DHCP client on one VLAN while it's a DHCP server on another, and you must keep these separate. The nodes also broadcast other types of information such as ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) and OLSR "Hello" packets, but it wouldn't hurt to send these to the client or upstream networks because they'd just be ignored except by other mesh nodes.