I am working on a separate project (first one was just a single 6100 for company-in-a-chassis setup) that will include two C6100 XS23-TY3s (8 nodes total):
3x VMware hosts
3x physical database servers with local storage
2x nodes set as shared storage (NAS) for vSphere
The question is now how to connect them so they can communicate via faster-than-gigabit speeds?
We have two options:
Intel 82599 10GbE Daughter Card - TCK99
Mellanox dual port QDR Infiniband Daughter Card - JR3P1
Which option is better?
Please note that the only switch I currently have is a 48-port gigabit switch with no 10GbE functionality; and I do not have any prior experience with 10GbE or Infiniband. The price is also a factor (that's why all of us purchase off-lease 6100s, right?).
What I was thinking is that I can have either of these fast cards installed on both shared storage nodes along with LSI Megaraid 9260-8i card and probably also on all 3 VMware host nodes that doesn't need local storage (planning to boot either from USB with ESXi or once I'm ready will install it on iSCSI target off the storage node). I have an license for vSphere Essentials and may later purchase "Plus" upgrade that will give me vMotion and HA. So far we have 2 (or 5) 10GbE or Infiniband controllers so I guess I'll need a switch for them that also have to be connected to existing network.
So, what do you guys recommend? It will be great if you can help me choose the right switch and cable for particular adapter and share your thoughts about whole setup and particular cards.
Thanks!
3x VMware hosts
3x physical database servers with local storage
2x nodes set as shared storage (NAS) for vSphere
The question is now how to connect them so they can communicate via faster-than-gigabit speeds?
We have two options:
Intel 82599 10GbE Daughter Card - TCK99
Mellanox dual port QDR Infiniband Daughter Card - JR3P1
Which option is better?
Please note that the only switch I currently have is a 48-port gigabit switch with no 10GbE functionality; and I do not have any prior experience with 10GbE or Infiniband. The price is also a factor (that's why all of us purchase off-lease 6100s, right?).
What I was thinking is that I can have either of these fast cards installed on both shared storage nodes along with LSI Megaraid 9260-8i card and probably also on all 3 VMware host nodes that doesn't need local storage (planning to boot either from USB with ESXi or once I'm ready will install it on iSCSI target off the storage node). I have an license for vSphere Essentials and may later purchase "Plus" upgrade that will give me vMotion and HA. So far we have 2 (or 5) 10GbE or Infiniband controllers so I guess I'll need a switch for them that also have to be connected to existing network.
So, what do you guys recommend? It will be great if you can help me choose the right switch and cable for particular adapter and share your thoughts about whole setup and particular cards.
Thanks!