Mellanox ConnectX-2 VPI

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Allan74

Member
May 15, 2019
132
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18
After just getting my mind wrapped around a shopping list to get some basic 10G connectivity, I have come across a bunch of SINGLE QSFP Port Mellanox ConnectX-2 VPI cards that are attracting me based on their price (under $20/each).

I had previously only planned to enable a DAC connection to start from my main workstation to file Server using 10G. These cards seem to only require PCIe 2.0 and DAC cables are available to accommodate what I had planned to do with 10G cards, so, is this a viable option ? or will I be backing myself into a corner when it comes time to expand and face the Enterprise prices of gender changers etc to connect an entire 10G network at home ?

Another concern I have is Windows 10 compatibility, as both current machines to be connected together via DAC are running it.

Should I leave this 'too good to be true' deal well enough alone and just order 10G SFP+ hardware ? or can this turn out to be a blessing in disguise and give me a 40G start to a future network, or leg at least ?

thanks in advance.
Allan
 

Roelf Zomerman

Active Member
Jan 10, 2019
147
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blog.azureinfra.com
Looks like the one I have in my second server.. running Server 2019.. so should also support win10.. no problems for me so far..

As far as backing into a corner.. 40G is very fast.. probably faster than your average desktop can sustain. You might be able to have a 40GB NIC, but the harddrives need to be able to keep up with that.. given SATA3 is only 6G.. you'd need many drives and many controllers to be able to get to that speed.. I'd say you are fine with the 10G only..
 

Allan74

Member
May 15, 2019
132
13
18
Looks like the one I have in my second server.. running Server 2019.. so should also support win10.. no problems for me so far..

As far as backing into a corner.. 40G is very fast.. probably faster than your average desktop can sustain. You might be able to have a 40GB NIC, but the harddrives need to be able to keep up with that.. given SATA3 is only 6G.. you'd need many drives and many controllers to be able to get to that speed.. I'd say you are fine with the 10G only..
Just to clear up things.....
1) Stay away, they may be 'over my head' as someone who was simply looking to acquire a bit of 10G P2P connectivity ?
(as I already know the difference between SFP and SFP+, so can't for see trouble)
OR...
2) Go ahead, as long as you are fine with your storage being a bottleneck, even IF connected @ 40G ?

Lastly, as I plan on simply running a DAC between Workstation and Media Server for file transfers exclusively, I have seen cables labeled as both QSFP and QSFP+ and alot of conflicting information from some sellers. The cards are listed as QSFP. Should I expect trial and error and be at the mercy of the Used Marketplace on a cable purchase, essentially rolling the dice, or are QSFP and QSFP+ cables the same or are + cables backwards compatible ?
Again, this is going to be a 3 meter DAC only... (to keep things simple).

thanks.
Allan