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Brocade ICX Series (cheap & powerful 10gbE/40gbE switching)

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billc.cn

Member
Oct 6, 2017
49
9
8
Got my 6450 yesterday. Was quite shocked by the fan noise (at over 50dB one metre away). Will definitely need some modding there.

I think the prices of the ICXes doubled in recent weeks in Europe as well. When I first saw this thread, one can get a 6450-24 from Germany for ~€250, now it's double that if you can find one.
 

zhoulander

Active Member
Feb 1, 2016
181
46
28
Bought 3x Sunon 6.3 cfm maglev to put in a 6450-48P from Amazon but one was defective. Out of curiosity I left it running with only 2 active fans and it got up to 58C with no load before I shut it down (fans were running in low mode). Now have some of the 10 cfm fans on order.
 

miked1

New Member
Mar 15, 2017
8
0
1
55
I finally had a chance to rack my 6610-24. Chassis fan enclosure- silent as a mouse post boot. Or, if not, it definitely isn't noticeable over the PSU fans. Speaking of the PSU, I was expecting some fan/airflow noise from it but wow is the exhaust fan loud. It's more than capable of drowning out every other server fan, including two of the notoriously whiny Supermicro non-platinum PSUs. Using a completely non-scientific phone-base sound meter, I clock it at ~65dB 1 foot from the back of the rack and ~2 from the back of the switch. I wish I knew under what testing environment Brocade came up with "From 39.6 dB (24 ports, 1 fan, 1 PSU)" in their spec sheet, and if they included the PSU in the dB calculation, but mine is nowhere near that. Yeah, yeah- don't expect data center grade equipment in a residential 77* room to be quiet.

A question for all racking a 6610. How well does yours mount (and method used- ears, rails, tray, etc)? Mine with ears only almost touches the R210II, mounted with 1U space, below it.

Here's my 6610 show chassis:
Code:
SSH@coreswitch>sh chassis
The stack unit 1 chassis info: 

Power supply 1 not present
Power supply 2 (AC - Regular) present, status ok
    Model Number:    23-0000144-02
    Serial Number:    05M     
    Firmware Ver:     A
Power supply 2 Fan Air Flow Direction:  Front to Back

Fan 1 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2
Fan 2 not present

Fan controlled temperature: 60.5 deg-C

Fan speed switching temperature thresholds:
        Speed 1: NM<----->80       deg-C
        Speed 2:       75<-----> 87 deg-C (shutdown)

Fan 1 Air Flow Direction:  Front to Back 
MAC 1 Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 60.5 deg-C
CPU Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 57.5 deg-C
sensor A Temperature Readings:                                   
    Current temperature : 37.0 deg-C
sensor B Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 45.0 deg-C
sensor C Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 33.5 deg-C
sensor D Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 28.0 deg-C
stacking card Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 59.5 deg-C
    Warning level.......: 84.0 deg-C
    Shutdown level......: 87.0 deg-C
Boot Prom MAC : cc4e.2481.dc04
Management MAC: cc4e.2481.dc04
SSH@coreswitch>
 

arglebargle

H̸̖̅ȩ̸̐l̷̦͋l̴̰̈ỏ̶̱ ̸̢͋W̵͖̌ò̴͚r̴͇̀l̵̼͗d̷͕̈
Jul 15, 2018
657
244
43
Got my 6450 yesterday. Was quite shocked by the fan noise (at over 50dB one metre away). Will definitely need some modding there.

I think the prices of the ICXes doubled in recent weeks in Europe as well. When I first saw this thread, one can get a 6450-24 from Germany for ~€250, now it's double that if you can find one.
Do the fans spin down at all after the switch boots? If they don't then update your firmware, mine are both pretty quiet after updating (-24 and -24p here.)

Also, yeah, this thread did terrible things to ICX6xxx prices, yeesh. I wish I'd picked up a 6610 when they were still popping up for <$130 regularly.
 

kapone

Well-Known Member
May 23, 2015
1,095
642
113
I finally had a chance to rack my 6610-24. Chassis fan enclosure- silent as a mouse post boot. Or, if not, it definitely isn't noticeable over the PSU fans. Speaking of the PSU, I was expecting some fan/airflow noise from it but wow is the exhaust fan loud. It's more than capable of drowning out every other server fan, including two of the notoriously whiny Supermicro non-platinum PSUs. Using a completely non-scientific phone-base sound meter, I clock it at ~65dB 1 foot from the back of the rack and ~2 from the back of the switch. I wish I knew under what testing environment Brocade came up with "From 39.6 dB (24 ports, 1 fan, 1 PSU)" in their spec sheet, and if they included the PSU in the dB calculation, but mine is nowhere near that. Yeah, yeah- don't expect data center grade equipment in a residential 77* room to be quiet.

A question for all racking a 6610. How well does yours mount (and method used- ears, rails, tray, etc)? Mine with ears only almost touches the R210II, mounted with 1U space, below it.

Here's my 6610 show chassis:
Code:
SSH@coreswitch>sh chassis
The stack unit 1 chassis info:

Power supply 1 not present
Power supply 2 (AC - Regular) present, status ok
    Model Number:    23-0000144-02
    Serial Number:    05M    
    Firmware Ver:     A
Power supply 2 Fan Air Flow Direction:  Front to Back

Fan 1 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2
Fan 2 not present

Fan controlled temperature: 60.5 deg-C

Fan speed switching temperature thresholds:
        Speed 1: NM<----->80       deg-C
        Speed 2:       75<-----> 87 deg-C (shutdown)

Fan 1 Air Flow Direction:  Front to Back
MAC 1 Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 60.5 deg-C
CPU Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 57.5 deg-C
sensor A Temperature Readings:                                  
    Current temperature : 37.0 deg-C
sensor B Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 45.0 deg-C
sensor C Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 33.5 deg-C
sensor D Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 28.0 deg-C
stacking card Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 59.5 deg-C
    Warning level.......: 84.0 deg-C
    Shutdown level......: 87.0 deg-C
Boot Prom MAC : cc4e.2481.dc04
Management MAC: cc4e.2481.dc04
SSH@coreswitch>
There are different firmwares/revisions of the PSUs. The "good" ones ramp down the fan after boot, although nowhere near quiet.

Hence my hackjob of adding 3x 120mm fans on top of the chassis... :) I suspect the fans are quiet per spec in a refrigerated data center...in a home setting not so much.
 

billc.cn

Member
Oct 6, 2017
49
9
8
Do the fans spin down at all after the switch boots? If they don't then update your firmware, mine are both pretty quiet after updating (-24 and -24p here.)

Also, yeah, this thread did terrible things to ICX6xxx prices, yeesh. I wish I'd picked up a 6610 when they were still popping up for <$130 regularly.
That was measured after the spin down. The fan puts out over 80dB at boot...

I think I just got an old fan that has gone bad. The spec of the stock fan says the noise level is 29dB.

---
Edit:

Would never have imagined a switch will turn me into a Sunon 40mm-fan expert, but here's my research on which fan to buy:

According to Sunon's guide on How to Select the Right Fan, 3CFM should be sufficient to limit a 40W device to 30°C temperature rise, and it scales linearly with power. I picked 30°C because the hottest heatsink stabilises at about 67°C in a 20°C room with the stock 10CFM fan, which means its thermal dissipation is limited by other factors instead of the air flow.

Now if you put all of these into Sunon's search page, you will find a list of suitable fans:
  • Fan type: DC Fan
  • Size: 40x40x6 to 40x40x28
  • Voltage: 12
  • CFM >= 3
  • Noise <= 30
Among them, the HA and MF series uses their own Vapo bearing which should be more resistant to dust and thus stay silent longer.

Disclaimer: the numbers mentioned are specific to the non-POE version of 6450. You should carefully measure the power consumption and chip temperatures if you plan to reduce the air flow.
 
Last edited:

K D

Well-Known Member
Dec 24, 2016
1,439
320
83
30041
Code:
enable
conf t
vlan 55
tagged e 1/2/2
interface e 1/2/2
dual-mode 1
#it'll go back to passing untagged vlan 1 traffic as well
#then tag it in any other tagged vlans you want it in
vlan 60
tagged e 1/2/2
vlan 70
tagged e 1/2/2
etc
Worked perfectly. Thank you.
 

Thomas H

Member
Dec 2, 2017
60
25
18
53
I have a 6450 coming and need some advice on wiring office for 10G. The server, NAS, and 6450/networking is in the closet and my office is about 35 ft (10m) away. There is existing Cat6 runs but 10G on 10GBASE-T seems less practical. I was thinking of running LC to LC fiber optic cable in conduit and terminate to LC keystone jack. Looking for any advice. Thanks.
 

mb300sd

Active Member
Aug 1, 2016
204
80
28
34
I have a 6450 coming and need some advice on wiring office for 10G. The server, NAS, and 6450/networking is in the closet and my office is about 35 ft (10m) away. There is existing Cat6 runs but 10G on 10GBASE-T seems less practical. I was thinking of running LC to LC fiber optic cable in conduit and terminate to LC keystone jack. Looking for any advice. Thanks.
The LC keystones are nice. I have my entire house wired with them down to the purpose built server closet. Definitely run conduit if you can, I regret permanently installing everything now that I need to switch to MPO.
 

fohdeesha

Kaini Industries
Nov 20, 2016
2,728
3,078
113
33
fohdeesha.com
I finally had a chance to rack my 6610-24. Chassis fan enclosure- silent as a mouse post boot. Or, if not, it definitely isn't noticeable over the PSU fans. Speaking of the PSU, I was expecting some fan/airflow noise from it but wow is the exhaust fan loud. It's more than capable of drowning out every other server fan, including two of the notoriously whiny Supermicro non-platinum PSUs. Using a completely non-scientific phone-base sound meter, I clock it at ~65dB 1 foot from the back of the rack and ~2 from the back of the switch. I wish I knew under what testing environment Brocade came up with "From 39.6 dB (24 ports, 1 fan, 1 PSU)" in their spec sheet, and if they included the PSU in the dB calculation, but mine is nowhere near that. Yeah, yeah- don't expect data center grade equipment in a residential 77* room to be quiet.

A question for all racking a 6610. How well does yours mount (and method used- ears, rails, tray, etc)? Mine with ears only almost touches the R210II, mounted with 1U space, below it.

Here's my 6610 show chassis:
Code:
SSH@coreswitch>sh chassis
The stack unit 1 chassis info:

Power supply 1 not present
Power supply 2 (AC - Regular) present, status ok
    Model Number:    23-0000144-02
    Serial Number:    05M    
    Firmware Ver:     A
Power supply 2 Fan Air Flow Direction:  Front to Back

Fan 1 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2
Fan 2 not present

Fan controlled temperature: 60.5 deg-C

Fan speed switching temperature thresholds:
        Speed 1: NM<----->80       deg-C
        Speed 2:       75<-----> 87 deg-C (shutdown)

Fan 1 Air Flow Direction:  Front to Back
MAC 1 Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 60.5 deg-C
CPU Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 57.5 deg-C
sensor A Temperature Readings:                                  
    Current temperature : 37.0 deg-C
sensor B Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 45.0 deg-C
sensor C Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 33.5 deg-C
sensor D Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 28.0 deg-C
stacking card Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 59.5 deg-C
    Warning level.......: 84.0 deg-C
    Shutdown level......: 87.0 deg-C
Boot Prom MAC : cc4e.2481.dc04
Management MAC: cc4e.2481.dc04
SSH@coreswitch>
Does the psu fan get WAY quieter after boot? That should be happening. I know with rev A power supplies (which you have), when two are installed, both must be powered for them to ramp down, otherwise it stays at full speed. That may apply to when only one is installed as well, which sounds like might be happening. My 48p measures a couple db lower than the advertised spec once fully booted, if yours is staying at 60db or more, it sounds like the psu isn't spinning down
 

miked1

New Member
Mar 15, 2017
8
0
1
55
Does the psu fan get WAY quieter after boot? That should be happening. I know with rev A power supplies (which you have), when two are installed, both must be powered for them to ramp down, otherwise it stays at full speed. That may apply to when only one is installed as well, which sounds like might be happening. My 48p measures a couple db lower than the advertised spec once fully booted, if yours is staying at 60db or more, it sounds like the psu isn't spinning down
No, the PSU fan never spins down; it is always full tilt. I'm going to try swapping the PSU to slot 1 to match fan slot 1 rather than fan slot 1, PSU slot 2 that it shipped with.
 

sean

Member
Sep 26, 2013
67
33
18
CT
That was measured after the spin down. The fan puts out over 80dB at boot...

I think I just got an old fan that has gone bad. The spec of the stock fan says the noise level is 29dB.
Same thing for me. I have the switch in the basement and I can hear it on the floor above. I have one fan arriving today that I plan on testing to ensure it works before replacing the other two fans.
 

fohdeesha

Kaini Industries
Nov 20, 2016
2,728
3,078
113
33
fohdeesha.com
No, the PSU fan never spins down; it is always full tilt. I'm going to try swapping the PSU to slot 1 to match fan slot 1 rather than fan slot 1, PSU slot 2 that it shipped with.
well that would definitely be your issue, these power supplies are deafening before they spin down - they get like 3x quieter once they spin down. You can try the other PSU slot, but I'm pretty sure Rev. A supplies will not spin down unless there's two power supplies installed. I thought these revision power supplies were quite rare (I've personally never seen them) but more and more people in this thread are finding them, I guess due to how much activity we've made on ebay

Same thing for me. I have the switch in the basement and I can hear it on the floor above. I have one fan arriving today that I plan on testing to ensure it works before replacing the other two fans.
Man you guys are having the worst luck with these things :p 6450 should be near silent stock, you must have terribly failing fans
 

tommybackeast

Active Member
Jun 10, 2018
286
105
43
The LC keystones are nice. I have my entire house wired with them down to the purpose built server closet. Definitely run conduit if you can, I regret permanently installing everything now that I need to switch to MPO.
Keystone related question: Normally, keystones plug into a 1gang keystone wall plate. I have a need to install a LC Keystone plug by itself into the wall underneath a baseboard heat system. So I have about 1" - 1.5" of actual wall (right about the floor). I cannot fit a 1gang plate in there turned sideways. Any thoughts on how to do this? (only idea I had was taking 1gang keystone plate, gently sawing it to 2" x 2", then drilling two holes in it for 2 screws to attach to drywall.