Brocade ICX6450-24P vs Aruba S2500-24P for Homelab

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tojoski

New Member
Sep 22, 2019
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First-time poster, long-time lurker here.

I am looking at replacing my Zyxel GS1910-24 with something that has both 10G uplinks, and POE. The kicker is, I don't really need any of the L3 features, I would rather leave all the VLAN config in my Pfsense box.

I would really also prefer to use the webui over the CLI. Thats probably not going to win me any popularity, but all I really want to do is monitor the temps (I might fan-mod this, as it will be 15ft from where I sleep) and tag a few ports for the VLAN.

I am running the same motherboard in my file server as I am my main desktop, the Gigabyte GA-7PESH2, which has dual 10GB ethernet. So I will be using 2 of the SFP+ for Ethernet transceivers. I also have a fiber transceiver for a down link to a separate building behind the house.

I also want to start adding security cameras, so the POE would be really handy.

Both of the above switches can be had in the $200 - $300 range on ebay, which is really a steal for such a device.

I have also been looking at the Aruba S1500-24P and the Aruba S3500-24p, both of which are sub $150 on ebay. The 35oo seems similar to the 2500 except it has a redundant PSU, which will be harder to get quiet.

Opinions?

EDIT: It appears that on the S1500 does not have SFP+, only SFP, so thats off the table.
 
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BoredSysadmin

Not affiliated with Maxell
Mar 2, 2019
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It's not 100% clear to me - how many exactly 10gig ports do you need or better - need later?
 

BoredSysadmin

Not affiliated with Maxell
Mar 2, 2019
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I assume you've seen and read (at least in part) the long-ass thread on Brocade ICX switches here. I got sucked in and pull the trigger for ICX6610-24p. 0% Ragrets (;)). No seriously - it's an awesome switch and guides he written are some of the best I've ever read.
It does have gui, but it's clunky and fugly. It's somewhat usable, but not great.
here's PDF guide for it:
https://wiki.spoje.net/lib/exe/fetch.php/howto/network/fastiron_08030_webguide.pdf

 

nezach

Active Member
Oct 14, 2012
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+1 for ICX6450-24P, mine is running like a charm. I would think there are a lot more people using ICXs here so getting help on them will be easier. Also, you probably want more than 2 10gig ports, cause if you are only connecting 2 devices, you might as well connect them directly with each other.
 

tojoski

New Member
Sep 22, 2019
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+1 for ICX6450-24P, mine is running like a charm. I would think there are a lot more people using ICXs here so getting help on them will be easier. Also, you probably want more than 2 10gig ports, cause if you are only connecting 2 devices, you might as well connect them directly with each other.
I keep seeing that some functionality on those is tied to licenses?
 

kiteboarder

Active Member
May 10, 2016
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I own both the Aruba 2500 and Brocade 6610s.

DO NOT get a 6610 if it's in the same room where you sleep. No fan mods on that one.

The fan mod on my 2500 made it nearly silent. Now, the box is a bit warm / hot to the touch, but it's been running like a champ for two years.

I would say if you just want plug and play and forget it, the 2500 will work great for you. It has a nice GUI for temps display.

If you want to learn more stuff, the Brocade will be a bit more fun.

Good luck!
 
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fohdeesha

Kaini Industries
Nov 20, 2016
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pretty sure the aruba's do not have any ipv6 capability (no tunnel termination or creation, routing, multicast for ipv6 etc). keep that in mind if that's a factor (and it should be, because it's 2019 and ipv6 is almost older than I am). licenses are free

as mentioned above, the s2500 equivalent noise/power wise would be the icx6450. the icx6610 is a great switch with a lot more ports but it's also louder
 

tojoski

New Member
Sep 22, 2019
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Thanks for all the input here.. it sounds like the ICX6450 is the better choice.

The tinkerer in me wonders if it's possible to design a circuit for fan control to convert the 4.5 -12v into a pwm duty cycle %.. thus allowing the use of the noctua 40mm x 20 fans.