This a mini review of a new(ish) Netgear product called the S3300-28X. This is a 24 port switch with 2 copper 10GB BaseT ports and 2 SFP+ 10GB ports. The cost is about $500-550 shipped.
I needed a new switch for my homelab, and after looking at the new D-Link switch with several 10GB ports, I realized that four 10GB ports would suffice for my needs (a few servers and one main workstation) with everything else running at 1GB. I just recieved the switch today from Amazon, so I haven't had a lot of time to play with it. That said, here are my initial impressions:
1) It is not loud for a SMB/prosumer switch. I would not want it on my desk, but it could be placed in a hallway closet and you would probably not hear anything. The fan has various modes -- in a fairly warm room it settled on 30% duty cycle which was just slightly louder than my main computer cooling fans. The higher pitch is of course a bit annoying. It would not be noticeable in a busy office or similar environment with a few people moving around. Officially rated at/under 40 dba.
2) The web GUI interface is much faster than previous Netgear switches I have owned. There is hardly any perceptible lag when you click on various options.
3) The GUI interface is reasonably understandable and well laid out. There are far more options and configuration switches than I expected for a switch of this class.
4) I was able to achieve plug and play 10 gig connectivity between my main file server and workstation
That's it for now. Tomorrow I will be setting up an SFP+ module and a DAC connection for 10GB to some secondary servers I have. A Brocade DAC cable did seem to work when I briefly tested it today.
I needed a new switch for my homelab, and after looking at the new D-Link switch with several 10GB ports, I realized that four 10GB ports would suffice for my needs (a few servers and one main workstation) with everything else running at 1GB. I just recieved the switch today from Amazon, so I haven't had a lot of time to play with it. That said, here are my initial impressions:
1) It is not loud for a SMB/prosumer switch. I would not want it on my desk, but it could be placed in a hallway closet and you would probably not hear anything. The fan has various modes -- in a fairly warm room it settled on 30% duty cycle which was just slightly louder than my main computer cooling fans. The higher pitch is of course a bit annoying. It would not be noticeable in a busy office or similar environment with a few people moving around. Officially rated at/under 40 dba.
2) The web GUI interface is much faster than previous Netgear switches I have owned. There is hardly any perceptible lag when you click on various options.
3) The GUI interface is reasonably understandable and well laid out. There are far more options and configuration switches than I expected for a switch of this class.
4) I was able to achieve plug and play 10 gig connectivity between my main file server and workstation
That's it for now. Tomorrow I will be setting up an SFP+ module and a DAC connection for 10GB to some secondary servers I have. A Brocade DAC cable did seem to work when I briefly tested it today.
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