So after a nice long time of not getting anything done, I've finally got my 16 Port switch put into use. Currently the settings are consistent with an unmanaged switch as all ports are currently identified as untagged within the default VLAN profile.

So while for now it has ports 1-16 generally unmanaged other than some QoS traffic prority settings, with my modem connection set as the highest priority, and my major workstations set to the next lowest, and my house WiFi set to medium. Eventually, this switch's VLAN setting will help compartmentalize various network groupings.

Ultimately the primary internet facing VLAN will be setup to include workstations and other end user devices (Port 1 + 2-8?), a second VLAN will manage internal exchange between server and internal devices (Ports 2-12?), and then a third VLAN will be primarily configured as the servers internet facing connection (1 + 9-12.) The remaining 4 ports are unspoken for as of yet and will likely be disabled until they get brought into the arrangement (most likely for wired video devices or WAP's).

Another function of this switch is the trunk capabilities (Link Aggregation Grouping), If my server were to include 4 ethernet cards, I can have 4 connections from server to switch to optimize access speeds and reliability by providing multiple channels of connection to avoid as much delay as possible with multiple clients trying to access resources simultaneously.

Much of this is just my initial conception and I'm sure future research and situational reality will prove this needs to be done differently, but for now I'm just glad to have some progress. Hopefully after the holidays I can get to work on the heart of the project itself (the server) and start with the real fun.