Question : router-to-switch vs. router-to-switch-to-switch<wbr />

ok here's the scenario. our office is scattered into three different floors in a building. one on 8th, 12th, and 23rd. we are in the process of centralizing the network making each department use a common PDC and internet connection. the PDC and the router(which is linked to a broadband connection) will be installed on the 23rd floor. then i will setup a switch for each floor which has a line directly connected to the router. now since it will cost me two lines for each switch to be connected to the router (i.e. 8th to 23rd and 12th to 23rd), will it make any difference if i setup a single line only (i.e. install a switch on the 12th floor then cascade it to another switch on the 8th floor)? will the workstations on the 8th floor receive lesser bandwidth or slower internet connection? sorry coding is my forte and i don't have experience on this. it's urgent so i'll give 500 for a simple question.

Answer : router-to-switch vs. router-to-switch-to-switch<wbr />

As long as the ethernet run to either switch will not exceed 300 feet Max (100 meters), there is no loss of speed.  But to be safe, if you can keep each cable to no more than 150 feet, you are better off for 100 base.  Also NO connections along that cable -- must be top quality CAT8, high speed ends, no junctions, run directly to switch.  Since the cable is so crucial you should run two, just for redundancy's sake.

There is another topology possible, but you probably don't want to get into it -- as the main broadband connection comes up the floors, if it is cable, you can simply split it once, with no significant signal loss (the signal is buffered by the broadband company with amplifiers and reducers) and you could run it both to the top floor and the bottom floor.  This would mean 2 broadband modems and routers and is more involved to set up initially, but down the road, many companies often find the need to spin off some features they didn't think about, like web servers, mail servers, and you name it.  Then they find they really need 2 networks -- 1 a protected corporate one tightly locked down with one router, and 2. a second one more loosely controlled for web and other outside traffic.  You could build in this plan if you go over that possibility with them now, and set it up in advance.  It should get you a raise for thinking so far ahead.