Hi friends!
I'm putting together a list of parts I'll need to build a small 100Gbps network in my home lab. I'm pretty inexperienced with optics so I was wondering if someone could check my thinking on the parts list below. I've also created a simple network diagram that illustrates the addition to my network which is attached.
My main concern is the connection to the 'Desktop' client in the diagram. It seems like 100GBase-SR4 transceivers are the right choice but I was surprised how expensive the cables are (anywhere from ~$300-600 based on my limited Googling). Am I making the correct choice here? Are there cheaper alternatives? I briefly read about 100GBase-BiDi transceivers but those seem too expensive for the hobbyist (~$400) compared to the 100GBase-SR4 transceivers (~$50).
The run to the 'Desktop' client isn't quite 100m but it's difficult to estimate given the route the cable will have to take through my house (up to the ceiling, across the garage, through the wall to the outside of the house, up one story around a window, and then through the wall again into my office). I figured I'd just get the maximum allowable length to hedge my bets.
Here's the parts list:
If you're curious what the purpose is, I have a flash storage array on my servers in the garage that I'd like to share with my desktop without a huge network bandwidth limitation.
Appreciate any advice and thank you all for being a great resource!
I'm putting together a list of parts I'll need to build a small 100Gbps network in my home lab. I'm pretty inexperienced with optics so I was wondering if someone could check my thinking on the parts list below. I've also created a simple network diagram that illustrates the addition to my network which is attached.
My main concern is the connection to the 'Desktop' client in the diagram. It seems like 100GBase-SR4 transceivers are the right choice but I was surprised how expensive the cables are (anywhere from ~$300-600 based on my limited Googling). Am I making the correct choice here? Are there cheaper alternatives? I briefly read about 100GBase-BiDi transceivers but those seem too expensive for the hobbyist (~$400) compared to the 100GBase-SR4 transceivers (~$50).
The run to the 'Desktop' client isn't quite 100m but it's difficult to estimate given the route the cable will have to take through my house (up to the ceiling, across the garage, through the wall to the outside of the house, up one story around a window, and then through the wall again into my office). I figured I'd just get the maximum allowable length to hedge my bets.
Here's the parts list:
| Qty | Item | Price | Net Price |
| 3 | Mellanox Connect-X 5 (MCX515A-CCUT) | 120 | 360 |
| 2 | 10Gtek 100G QSFP28 DAC Cable | 25 | 50 |
| 1 | 10Gtek 100G QSFP28 100GBase-SR4 (OEM) Transceiver | 50 | 50 |
| 1 | 10GTek 100G QSFP28 100GBase-SR4 (Mellanox) Transceiver | 50 | 50 |
| 1 | Plenum MTP Fiber Optic Cable, 8-Fiber, Single-mode, 100 Meter | 320 | 320 |
| 1 | 10Gtek 40G QSFP+ DAC Cable | 25 | 25 |
| 1 | MikroTik CRS504-4XQ-IN | 650 | 650 |
| Total | 1505 |
If you're curious what the purpose is, I have a flash storage array on my servers in the garage that I'd like to share with my desktop without a huge network bandwidth limitation.
Appreciate any advice and thank you all for being a great resource!
