Recent content by CA_Tallguy

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    Deals on Dell FX2S from a few sellers

    I decided it is time to upgrade since there are a few deals on Dell FX2S systems out there. I have ordered one so have no experience yet, but was attracted by the density -- up to 8 compute nodes per chassis, WITH INTERCHASSIS 10GBPS NETWORKING. eBay Search for FX2S priced from $500 to $1500...
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    Sun Oracle 7096186 PCIE Switch Adapter... plx?

    Did anyone ever try this card out?
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    Confusing Mellanox Mezzanine Cards for C6320

    Here's a table I'm starting with information on various Dell cards. I **THINK** these are all mezzanine cards. I'm having trouble finding firmware for my 3CYRK so maybe I will try to force 1965W update if I can find that firmware as they are as close as you can get to the same thing AFAIK...
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    Swtiching over Multiple Uplinks on VMware VDS

    Came across this info and wanted to cross link it under my original question for any others trying to understand why a vSwitch is not a switch... https://blog.ipspace.net/2010/11/vmware-virtual-switch-no-need-for-stp.html I wonder if there is a way to override some of this default behavior but...
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    Direct Connect vSphere 7 with 3 or 4 Hosts Possible?

    So I have caved in and purchased a Mikrotik 10G switch but I am STILL wanting to configure some direct connections between hosts. The main thing about having hardware switches is that I don't want to pay for an extra 1U at my data center. So I'm actually going to rig up the switch in an empty...
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    Is "vSAN Recovery" during yellow boot screen normal?

    I just want to confirm that "vSAN Recovery" during boot is not a normal thing? If it were not BAD then I would assume they'd use "initializing" or some other nomenclature that didn't suggest something had gone awry. Is this called PLOG recovery? Just want to make sure that this is...
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    Confusing Mellanox Mezzanine Cards for C6320

    I am continuing my saga with these cards and trying to update firmware. So far cannot find it but have inquired on Dell forums. Here's a repost from that thread of what I have encountered so far (so this info will be archived for others here as well). To run these updates on linux, you...
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    Swtiching over Multiple Uplinks on VMware VDS

    SOME IDEAS ON MOVING FORWARD FROM HERE..... I'm going to try a hybrid of direct connections and soft swtiches (Open vSwtich, routerOS, pfSense, etc). GOAL: Since directly connecting 2 nodes DOES work and is a very robust connection, and can provide the best line speeds, it would be a shame to...
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    Swtiching over Multiple Uplinks on VMware VDS

    Couple of points for anyone considering trying this.... don't overlook/underestimate the chicken and egg problems in a setup like this, especially with vSAN. I got a setup working at like 2.5gbps with Mikrotik Cloud Hosted Router (no optimizations or jumbo frames) and then mindlessly made...
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    Swtiching over Multiple Uplinks on VMware VDS

    Shifting gears to investigate options such as RouterOS, pfSense, vyOS etc as I am going to need more than just a port on a vDS anyway. Maybe Open vSwitch. There is a nice configuration detailed on Proxmox wiki where it looks like an instance is hosted on every physical host and then there is...
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    Swtiching over Multiple Uplinks on VMware VDS

    This is frustrating. Why can't I add a physical nic to a vDS and get it to function like a normal switch and switch port? Back in 2015, someone on VMware boards did some extensive attempts to get something like this working. He thought he had it working by using several vDS's instead of one...
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    Swtiching over Multiple Uplinks on VMware VDS

    So I'm trying to cross connect my physical ESXi hosts with 40GbE direct connect cables because that's the only way I can get 40GbE.... (and I don't want to pay data center to host a 1U switch that would be only 1GbE or 10GbE max anyway). I do know that VMware only officially supports 2 node...
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    C6100/C6220 Mellanox 40Gbe mezzanine cards $69.99 BO'd 4 @ $25

    Sorry to bump this old thread but wanted to add a little info.... both 3CYRK and Y5WKX work with C6320 sleds (using 4NWN5 bridge card) but what is odd is that the 3CYRK/BCAA is also coming up as PRO model whereas I thought FCAA is the better card with VPI? Or is with/without VPI completely...
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    Confusing Mellanox Mezzanine Cards for C6320

    I've purchased a couple mezzanine cards off ebay and am a bit confused. The BCAA/3CYRK I believe was originally sold by Dell for the C6220 and I bought 3 of these to try in my C6320 sleds. THEY DO WORK (use 4NWN5 bridge card) and they come up as Connectx-3 PRO and MT27520 family. Since I...
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    The Dell PowerEdge C6320/C6300 Mega Thread

    Let's talk about MEZZANINE CARDS for a moment.... there are a bunch of interposer/bridge cards out there that LOOK like they may be interchangable out there but they are NOT compatible! JKM5M Printed Wiring Assy.Daughterboard.Serial Attached Scsi.Bridge.X3.Data Center Solutions HH4P1...