I hesitate to post this as I fear it will sound like my thoughts are all over the place... but will anyway
Current setup for homelab use:
pfSense Router (Qotom i5) connected to >
Netgear GS110TP (Primary, in spare room) connected to 2 x QNAP NAS each with 2x1GB LACP LAG
1G SFP connection to secondary GS110TP>
Netgear GS110TP (Secondary, in living room) connected to Mac Mini as music server, Macbook Pro as Movie server, another Macbook pro as work machine. All those Macs back up to the QNAPs over the network with Time Machine and/or clone jobs.
TP-Link Archer C5400 as main Wireless AP, plus a couple other older Asus routers as APs.
A couple TP-LINK MC220L Ethernet>MiniGBIC 1G SFP transceivers that I'm not currently using.
APC UPS, transfer switch for inverter input, monitored PDU
All the SFP slots are currently using 3rd-Party Netgear compatible AGM731F 1000Base-SX modules
Switch upgrade reasoning:
Now that I have a full server rack, and all the ports of the primary GS110TP are full, I'd like to move to a larger rackmount switch for my primary switch. Why? Honestly.... my current setup is pretty much sufficient but I like gear and I like to experiment, especially with more enterprise-y type stuff, and in doing so improve my networking skills. Currently I'm not using VLANs but I may want to try in the near future. I'd rather have advanced capabilities and slowly learn to use them over time.
Requirements:
Copper Gigabit: 16-30
POE: Not really necessary
WebGUI interface: A good web management interface is essential. CLI also welcome but I will primarily use the web interface.
SFP/SFP+ ports: 2-4 SFP minimum. But I am thinking if I am buying a new switch, it might make sense to buy something capable of running 10G so thinking about SFP+ ports. Then later I could add a second small switch to replace the secondary GS110TP. At the same time I'm also considering not having SFP+.
Noise: I could tolerate a low-noise fan, though fanless would be better. But definitely not a very loud continuous fan, even though the rack is in a spare room.
Licensing: I don't want to be bothered by complex licensing arrangements.
SFP compatibility: As I already have 1G SFP modules, it would be good if I could use these for the moment without having to buy new ones.
Management Level: I don't think I need L3 capabilities, but likewise I am happy to have as a learning experience.
Monitoring: I'd like to be able to play with monitoring stats on another sevice, cloud etc.
Cost: Can be fairly flexible for the right device but say around $500 or less. Happy to consider secondhand. Need to buy in UK or Europe.
New models being considered:
TP-Link T1700G-28TQ: This does seem to have everything I need and is fanless too. Wasn't super-impressed by the web gui and firmware of my TP-Link Archer C5400 AP, though am using it as AP only so wasn't a big deal. Have looked at the emulator for this model and I guess OK but not very exciting.
Netgear GC728X: Pretty new model but ticks a lot of the boxes. Uncertain about the cloud model, but seems you can also fully administer it with local web interface if you want. More info here.
Mikrotik CSS326-24G-2S+RM - but read about lack of LACP support.
Ubiquiti UniFi 24 port/48 port
Secondhand models being considered:
Netgear GS728TP / GS728TX /GSM7224
HPE Aruba 2530
Juniper EX2200/2300/3300
Cisco small business SG300/500
Cisco models like 2960 - But I'm confused/scared about licensing needs and don't want to deal with that. But maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing.
Dell Powerconnect 5524
I do realise this list is a bit all over the place. Really I do. But as mentioned this is largely for a bit of playing and experimentation and I like gear that's more powerful than my needs
So wondering what people's thoughts or advice might be.....
Current setup for homelab use:
pfSense Router (Qotom i5) connected to >
Netgear GS110TP (Primary, in spare room) connected to 2 x QNAP NAS each with 2x1GB LACP LAG
1G SFP connection to secondary GS110TP>
Netgear GS110TP (Secondary, in living room) connected to Mac Mini as music server, Macbook Pro as Movie server, another Macbook pro as work machine. All those Macs back up to the QNAPs over the network with Time Machine and/or clone jobs.
TP-Link Archer C5400 as main Wireless AP, plus a couple other older Asus routers as APs.
A couple TP-LINK MC220L Ethernet>MiniGBIC 1G SFP transceivers that I'm not currently using.
APC UPS, transfer switch for inverter input, monitored PDU
All the SFP slots are currently using 3rd-Party Netgear compatible AGM731F 1000Base-SX modules
Switch upgrade reasoning:
Now that I have a full server rack, and all the ports of the primary GS110TP are full, I'd like to move to a larger rackmount switch for my primary switch. Why? Honestly.... my current setup is pretty much sufficient but I like gear and I like to experiment, especially with more enterprise-y type stuff, and in doing so improve my networking skills. Currently I'm not using VLANs but I may want to try in the near future. I'd rather have advanced capabilities and slowly learn to use them over time.
Requirements:
Copper Gigabit: 16-30
POE: Not really necessary
WebGUI interface: A good web management interface is essential. CLI also welcome but I will primarily use the web interface.
SFP/SFP+ ports: 2-4 SFP minimum. But I am thinking if I am buying a new switch, it might make sense to buy something capable of running 10G so thinking about SFP+ ports. Then later I could add a second small switch to replace the secondary GS110TP. At the same time I'm also considering not having SFP+.
Noise: I could tolerate a low-noise fan, though fanless would be better. But definitely not a very loud continuous fan, even though the rack is in a spare room.
Licensing: I don't want to be bothered by complex licensing arrangements.
SFP compatibility: As I already have 1G SFP modules, it would be good if I could use these for the moment without having to buy new ones.
Management Level: I don't think I need L3 capabilities, but likewise I am happy to have as a learning experience.
Monitoring: I'd like to be able to play with monitoring stats on another sevice, cloud etc.
Cost: Can be fairly flexible for the right device but say around $500 or less. Happy to consider secondhand. Need to buy in UK or Europe.
New models being considered:
TP-Link T1700G-28TQ: This does seem to have everything I need and is fanless too. Wasn't super-impressed by the web gui and firmware of my TP-Link Archer C5400 AP, though am using it as AP only so wasn't a big deal. Have looked at the emulator for this model and I guess OK but not very exciting.
Netgear GC728X: Pretty new model but ticks a lot of the boxes. Uncertain about the cloud model, but seems you can also fully administer it with local web interface if you want. More info here.
Mikrotik CSS326-24G-2S+RM - but read about lack of LACP support.
Ubiquiti UniFi 24 port/48 port
Secondhand models being considered:
Netgear GS728TP / GS728TX /GSM7224
HPE Aruba 2530
Juniper EX2200/2300/3300
Cisco small business SG300/500
Cisco models like 2960 - But I'm confused/scared about licensing needs and don't want to deal with that. But maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing.
Dell Powerconnect 5524
I do realise this list is a bit all over the place. Really I do. But as mentioned this is largely for a bit of playing and experimentation and I like gear that's more powerful than my needs
So wondering what people's thoughts or advice might be.....
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