Need recommendations for home switch

[marcoi]

My three nodes will all have quad nic plus onboard nics so I'm looking at 18 range, so i want to get a 24 or more port GB switch. I want it near silent and low power. It doesn't need level 3 functions but should be smart enough to support vlan, etc. I don't mind either new or used. Budget is about 100-150 range. If possible it would be nice to have 2-4 sfp+ 10GB connections for future expansion.

Nodes are esxi with various VMs running in case anyone want to know. For now I'm staying away from NAS storage for VMs as I dont have the budget to buy new HDD so not a lot of storage IO. In the future there might be a need thus the though for 10gb sfp+ connectors.

I been looking at something like this
Amazon.com: TP-Link 24-Port Gigabit Ethernet Easy Smart Switch (TL-SG1024DE): Computers & Accessories

thanks for the help.

ps if you feel something is awesome but above my budget let me know anyways just clarify in the post its more.

 

[StammesOpfer]

You have a solid pick there for new.
For the 10Gb SFP+
The Mikrotik CSS326 would be right price new but I don't know if they have a release date yet.
Used you could go Dell powerconnect 5524. It isn't fanless but it isn't terribly loud and at approx. 30watts idle it is more power hungry than the others.
Also Mikrotik CRS226 a little more money but very low power draw and no fans.

 

[marcoi]

How loud would the dell be? I see some videos online that they replace the fan on the unit. Would it be heard say in a living room?

 

[turgin]

I have the 8 and 16 port versions of the TP you listed for about a year. I've been very happy with them so far. Decent little switch IMO.

 

[StammesOpfer]

How loud would the dell be? I see some videos online that they replace the fan on the unit. Would it be heard say in a living room?

I would say audible but not intrusive. Sound is very subjective. If I could tuck it away someplace where it was muffled a little I would be ok but that is me.

 

[Jerry Renwick]

My old netgear 10G switch is working fine in my network. But maybe it is one of the quietest switches currently available. As a comparison, my 24 port 10GbE switch idles at around 120 watts and is as loud as most servers.

 

[marcoi]

I leaning towards the Dell powerconnect 5524. I can always mod the fans if needed. Right now I'm waiting to see what a local recycle has laying around. Any recommendations for 10GB nics on the cheap? again looking for low watt usage.

 

[marcoi]

Local guy has a Cisco Catalyst 3750G-24TS-1U-24 Anyone have experience with that switch?

 

[maze]

Solid layer3 switch. Dont Think it has sfp+ though

 

[marcoi]

Solid layer3 switch. Dont Think it has sfp+ though

no it doesnt, its also seems like it has a high wattage rating. I dont recall what the spec sheet said but it was over 100 which is more then i want. I put an offer on two dell powerconnects. that way i can connect them with hdmi and have 4 sfp+ ports for future usage.

 

[wildchild]

Solid layer3 switch. Dont Think it has sfp+ though

Actually, it can have 2x spf with the app modules (i know as i have them, although i have replaced them with 3570x's).
They turn real sweet when you put the ip routing image on them, they are rock solid, well documented and stackable.

If you are located in europe, you might be interested in my stack of 3750g's with the afv. Routing image on them

Local guy has a Cisco Catalyst 3750G-24TS-1U-24 Anyone have experience with that switch?

 

[maze]

no it doesnt, its also seems like it has a high wattage rating. I dont recall what the spec sheet said but it was over 100 which is more then i want. I put an offer on two dell powerconnects. that way i can connect them with hdmi and have 4 sfp+ ports for future usage.

What model of Dell switches and whats the wattage on Them? - looking for 4x sfp+ and a bucket of 1g's myself

 

[marcoi]

I got Dell powerconnect 5524 for 125 EA shipped. 24 GB ports with two 10gb SFP+ each. They interconnect using HDMI cables.
Power Consumption Max (Watts): (29.4W)
Support for PowerConnect 5524 | Dell US

 

[marcoi]

So my dell switches are coming in today. I want to see about getting some 10gb cards for my servers. Any recommendations? I have dell, intel and Supermicro systems. More about experimenting with 10gb so i dont need anything super expensive etc. Each switch has 2 SFP+ ports. I would need to know also how to hook the cards up to the switches, ie what components are needed.

 

[wildchild]

You have a choice
There are mellanox (connectx-2 EN , connectx-3, intel 520x which can be had cheaply on ebay.
Connecx-2 EN is EOL, but supported well within esxi, linux and windoes not in solarish, only infiniband is supported as far as i know

IBM Mellanox ConnectX-2 EN Dual Port 10GB SFP+ Adapter MNPH29D-XTR High Profile | eBay

Connectx-3 is not yet Eol, but in not well supported in solarish works well in esxi,linux and windows

Lenovo 00W0053 MLNX ConnectX-3 EN 2PT SFP+ 10GbE Adapter Server ZZ | eBay
Intel although usually a bit more expensive is well supported in all of the above
INTEL/DELL X520-DA2 Ethernet Server Adapter 10Gbps Dual Port E10G42BTDA | eBay

If the distance is short, i'd choose dac, and i believe cisco's are most common, but you should be able to get them from fs.com too

 

[marcoi]

@wildchild Thanks for the options. I'm running esxi 6.5 on all three servers for now. Is there a reason that i should get two port card vs one?
Also do all three options use the same interface to connect to the switch?

 

[wildchild]

Esx 6.5 you should be fine with all options above, although if you are ordering the connectx-2 , you need to make sure you've updated them to the latest firmware, otherwise you will have issues with the vmware driver.

A dac and a spf+ gbic basically have the same interface.
Difference is, with a gbic you'll need fiber inbetween.
Make sure you order gbic and fiber to match modes.

Especially for esx i'd buy the 2 port versions, that you can interconnect 2 esxi boxes directly together and run vmotion directly inbetween, and use them directly.
I guess it's personal preference to buy 2 ports when there isnt much price difference

 

[marcoi]

Well I got my switches in today. They been reset so i can't access the gui until I can get to CLI but i dont have the cable so waiting until I get them. So far thought they seem to take 20 watts idling with one port full. The fans didnt stay on for very long. When they were on they were enough to bug me while being 2 ft away. So they might get replaced or I may put a resistor in place to reduce spin, idk yet. Got to see once they are configured.

 

[marcoi]

I got my cable: Amazon.com: KUMEED 6Ft FTDI RS232 USB to RJ45 Serial for Cisco Console Rollover Cable for Cisco Routers Windows 10,8, 7, Vista MAC Linux: Computers & Accessories
It works with the power connect. I also got the original dell cable as a backup. After connecting and runnign the simple wizard i was able to get into the interface and update to the latest firmware.

Seems the fans only kick on if the CPU temps hit 50C, then they stay on until they are below 39C. I'm going to pop the cover off one of the switches and see about putting a resister inline and keep the fans always on but at a lower rpm to avoid the spin up every 30 mins give or take.

I love the hdmi connection option, i see both switches in one interface.