IBM RackSwitch G8264 Questions

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TrumanHW

Active Member
Sep 16, 2018
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Sorry for resurrecting a dead-thread.

I'm inept at networking. Apologies for syntactic statements which make little if any sense.

I think I want this or another switch similar.
I'll need to use SFP+ to RJ-45 for old devices that're required.
I really want any switch I get to have SFP+ & a few QSFP+ network.
Noisy fans... how difficult is swapping out quiet fans..?
I'm a novice; do I need to specifically avoid either of these models?
Or this category of hardware in general?
I don't speak CLI 'natively' ... I can just follow recipes

I have one client who's a documentary creator whom I want to provide 10 - 20 Gb/s to his FreeNAS server which can transmit <1GB/s (and others that can exceed 2GB/s -- and I believe the near future will offer much faster, for even less).

(If someone wants further justification for QSFP+ ... with Intel's XPoint Tech getting off the ground, the pricing of NAND may drop substantially ... and subsequently make the ability for even faster SOHO systems, workstations and servers.)


These seem like good deals -- is it nonsensical to ask which is 'easier' to use?

1. IBM RACK SWITCH G8264 7309-HC3
• 48-PORT 10BGE SFP+
• 4-PORT 40GBE QSFP+
• W/ DUAL POWER
Difficulty Rating: ?

2. Cisco Nexus 3064 - N3K-C3064PQ-10GX
• 48-PORT 10BGE SFP+
• 4-PORT 40GBE QSFP+
• W/ DUAL POWER
Difficulty Rating: ?
 
Last edited:

TrumanHW

Active Member
Sep 16, 2018
253
34
28
MiniKnight
Fan replacement is probably doable if you are OK with a hack job. The 40G switches are all loud.


Sorry. Let me try again.
I need at least SFP+ for just about all the ports.
Are the SFP+ switches which have just a few QSFP+ ports as loud?

What do you think of the two switches I've clarified and whittled down to for the time being...

Thanks
 

Aestr

Well-Known Member
Oct 22, 2014
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386
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Seattle

Huy Le

Member
Dec 1, 2015
30
3
8
36
Sorry for resurrecting a dead-thread.

I'm inept at networking. Apologies for syntactic statements which make little if any sense.

I think I want this or another switch similar.
I'll need to use SFP+ to RJ-45 for old devices that're required.
I really want any switch I get to have SFP+ & a few QSFP+ network.
Noisy fans... how difficult is swapping out quiet fans..?
I'm a novice; do I need to specifically avoid either of these models?
Or this category of hardware in general?
I don't speak CLI 'natively' ... I can just follow recipes

I have one client who's a documentary creator whom I want to provide 10 - 20 Gb/s to his FreeNAS server which can transmit <1GB/s (and others that can exceed 2GB/s -- and I believe the near future will offer much faster, for even less).

(If someone wants further justification for QSFP+ ... with Intel's XPoint Tech getting off the ground, the pricing of NAND may drop substantially ... and subsequently make the ability for even faster SOHO systems, workstations and servers.)


These seem like good deals -- is it nonsensical to ask which is 'easier' to use?

1. IBM RACK SWITCH G8264 7309-HC3
• 48-PORT 10BGE SFP+
• 4-PORT 40GBE QSFP+
• W/ DUAL POWER
Difficulty Rating: ?

2. Cisco Nexus 3064 - N3K-C3064PQ-10GX
• 48-PORT 10BGE SFP+
• 4-PORT 40GBE QSFP+
• W/ DUAL POWER
Difficulty Rating: ?
If the G8624 is anything like the G7028 i had, the unit would not boot up if you disabled more than one fan. I bought 3 different 40mm fans at different speeds and none of them would allow the unit to post either. I concluded the RPM must be at a certain load otherwise the unit would not post. My final solution was to DIY a tach sensor like here Generate Fan RPM Signal W/O Fan but the switch ended up dying in a surge before i had the chance.
 

TrumanHW

Active Member
Sep 16, 2018
253
34
28
Thanks Huy ... any way to retrofit fans (ala LB6M Quanta + Noctua fans) on a QSFP+ that's less than $500 - eBay pricing?

Microtik has some cool devices but none of them really are a jack and ace of all trades - they get pretty ugly, expensive, and because no one makes modular network systems unless it's enterprise gear, it's all outrageous.

irrational desires...
Near-silence
56GbE / 40GbE/ 28SFP+ / 10GbE SFP+ ...
1GbE
Upgradeable Wireless tech; Eg, N + AC... or even AD or AX as they become viable.

It seems like a "roll-your-own" solution is the only way to make something reasonably inexpensive, quiet, "ala carte,"

liquid cooled computer -- A computer case that's ~ 1u - 3u and looks the part (front LEDs which show connection, transfer, receive and on bottom, a link speed (always available in the OS) via color-coding with a legend across the bottom of the front panel:

case which has 2 layers of PCI slots in a row ...

But would this require two OS, i.e., DD-WRT (or equivalent) + PFsense...allowing PCI cards which had, say,
- 1x 4-port 56GbE QSFP+ PCI card
- 1x 4-port 28SFP+ PCI card
- 1x 4-port 10GbE SFP+ PCI card,
- 2x 10G-baseT (for 10 or 1 GbE in RJ-45)
- built in pair of 1GbE (i.e., redundant modem connections)

Because this seems like it's ultimately going to be the cheapest system that'd combine:
- VPN
- Firewall
- Manage downloads
- Store OS updatess
- Protect against malware / viruses
- Isn't "deleterious" to performance the way anti-virus is, which feels more like a monogamous virus...
- Allows the best WiFi, generationally available -- without over-spending
- Water-cooling would make it mouse-fart-quiet
- Likely - faster ignoring the anti-virus effects, as my WiFi ALWAYS ran slower if it were hot.
- Presumably more efficient than 'appliances.' This'd consolidate otherwise redundant hardware, CPU, RAM, etc...