25w Pentium D-1508
- Thread starter Patrick
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10Gbase-T PHY's use more power and when you build a PCB you tend to build circuits from those ICs to the rear I/O ports. You then decide whether to use that IC or not. Think how many boards that have LSI controllers also have versions without the controllers nor the ports. Same PCB, different surface mount components.
I think that is the biggest driver, you need to spec one or the other and so if you build a platform for SFP+, SFP+ ports are your option.
SFP+ is frankly my preferred interface. Cables/ optics may cost more but you get lower power consumption on the server and switch side, lower latency and lower cost switches.
This...especially for home use. Not all of us have the ability to completely separate our tech gear from our living spaces so less power/heat = less noise as well.
Well the D-1540/41 is $200 raw cpu and less than $500 a board.... Around $480. The D-1508 is $130 cpu.
So add depends on how much the 10G copper phy costs compared to the SFP version (and of course SAS controller for those models)
So I would hope around high 3xx for the no frills version best case, and less than 500 with the SAS or extra NIC's.
In the datacenter I much prefer to deal with Fiber compared to bulky, heavy, inflexible copper cable and the less power lower latency is a big plus.
For application with DB's on one host and apps on other nodes like I run the reduced latency is a big thing.
At home it's really just power saving and nice cables...
SM don't have a 6C with 6 sata and SFP in mini-itx.... Guess we can't get everything we want but love the idea of the Low core count for storage servers, especially if Low idle power.
Speaking a bit more broadly in terms of what I have heard from other vendors, the SFP+ receiver ports are so large that with 4x DIMM slots and a PCIe slot you run out of room in mITX.
I've decided to go with the FlexATX models so I'll be able to get the onboard LSI controller + SFP+ interfaces. Big motivation was the added chassis' options for going beyond mini-itx.
Not just for home use. There exist very large enterprise deployments that require fiber even for 1Gbe connections if they leave the rack due to reduced error rates from crosstalk, etc. Even if you require shielded Cat-6 - when you stack 400-500 cables into a waterfall tray they create noise. And if you require the cost of using shielded Cat-6 you can prove the case that Fiber is actually cheaper to manage.
I'd say SFP+ is preferred for most use cases - and 10BbaseT is a limited SOHO play.
My guess is that almost any transceiver will work - and the Cisco SFP-10G-SR should work fine.
For the most part it is the Switch/Server that is SFP-locked, not the SFP itself (i.e., any complaint SFP+ transceiver should work in an platform that is unlocked, but only properly branded SFP+ will work in a server/switch that implements locks).
SuperMicro has never, to be best of my knowledge, locked SFP/SFP+ in any product. I wouldn't expect them to do so now. The bad-actors for doing this have been Intel, HP and Cisco.
For most of us here, however, the answer will be passive DAC.
The Gigabyte MB10-DS3 and MB10-DS4 include 4x DIMMs, the PCIe slot, and SFP+ in a Mini-ITX form factor. Any word on when those will be available?
For a single server in a home environment are we really talking that much of a difference between 10GBe and SFP? Let's be realistic please. Noise/heat from ethernet ports for a single server?
From an annual standpoint. How much do you save in terms of electricity for one machine using SFP instead of ethernet?
From an annual standpoint. How much do you save in terms of electricity for one machine using SFP instead of ethernet?
I'm less concerned about the noise/heat of a single server using SFP+ vs. 10Gbase-T as I am the switches needed to run one setup over the other. 10Gbase-T switches are very loud because the supplied fans need to move enough air to remove the amount of heat that will POTENTIALLY be created. Since all SFP+ switches don't have nearly as much heat potential the fans are often quieter. That's what I've been reading at least. And since my servers/networking gear sit in an open door office next to my living room, these are serious concerns of mine.
P.S. I expect to be using at least 3-4 servers/nodes with dual SFP+ interfaces in them once my network reconfig is complete.
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1 server dual port connected to switch. Delta 10w between 10Gbe and SFP lets say...
87kwhr/yr or about $25 in electricity...
From the tests on Xeon-D platforms we know the 10G is hot, and that's the latest model stuff, people using PCIe cards with older tech could be seeing 10w per card just at the server end compared to total.
For me, at home, its just short-term practicals. I can get a 24 or 48 por SFP+ switch for <$20/port (sometimes a lot less if you hit the right deal). 10Gbase-T is still about 8-12x that cost for low port counts (8-12 ports) and a LOT more for bigger platforms. DAC cables are a pain compared to Cat-6e, but for now they can be found cheap on eBay.
This is a short term problem that will sort itself out. For now that's comparing used vs new - I get it - and maybe in 2 years you get a different answer.
This is a short term problem that will sort itself out. For now that's comparing used vs new - I get it - and maybe in 2 years you get a different answer.