Setup and Initialisation
We’ve have had a look at the hardware; now it is time to look at the software. But before we can do that, we need to locate the switch in our network.
Companion Application
Buffalo has a companion app for Windows systems called the Business Switch Configuration Tool. With it, you can easily find all the Buffalo switches on your network. That also covers switches that aren’t in the same IP range as your client system.
You can change the IP address of any switch with the option of manual and DHCP settings, or you can go directly to the web interface if everything is as it should be with the IP.
Login Page
There isn’t a whole lot to say about the login page; it’s as simple as it can be.
Welcome Page
Once logged in, this welcome page will greet you. It will show basic details such as the product name, serial number, and MAC address, as well as user-defined location and system contact. The switch’s IP setup and boot code, and firmware version will also be visible here.
“These kind of fans aren’t silent, but they aren’t as loud as other’s I’ve heard. Still, it might be worth upgrading them with something like Noctua’s NF-A4x20.”
I can tell you for a FACT that the Noctuas do NOT work in this switch, so don’t waste $30 on a pair of them. After the switch is up and running, it drops the fan header voltage back to only 7v (down from 12v during start-up), and the Noctuas won’t even try to spin at that voltage. Just for fun, I tried out some 80mm fans after modifying the 3 pin header to work in the BS-MP2008. Turns out that if the fan isn’t spinning fast enough, the DIAG light on the front of the switch flashes all the time. So picking an aftermarket replacement isn’t as easy as the author of this article makes it out to be.
Regarding the original fans, the BS-MP2008 uses a pair of Deltas that are horribly out of balance, which gives them a weird sound when running, even at the lower speed caused by running them at 7v. If you fire one up loose in your hand, it literally bounces around, that’s how bad they are. I’m sure there is a quiet, smooth running Sunon MagLev fan out there that will work in this unit, but it’s proving elusive to find.
Nice article. It would be nice to know what “silent” fans do work well.
You can off-course also replace the fan with a higher quality, less noise one, using another 12-volt connection. It should be fairly straightforward, if you like modding stuff.
I also replaced the fans in my noisy Ubiquity 48-PoE switch with the Noctuas. But fortunately you can use the existing 12v connections in the Ubiquity, no modding required.