In my long-range home-lab roadmap, I want to do VSAN. I have the three servers ready, and they all are already equipped with X520's. So now I just need to connect them. Short term, I need 4 ports. But in addition to using a 10GB port per server for VSAN, I'd also like to have a 10GB port to connect the servers for NFS. So with three boxes, that would mean 6 ports, and hell why not throw an x520 into my workstation and make it a lucky 7. So I've come up with two options:
My old Dell PowerConnect is going to fail at some point. I have to reboot it every month or two, so it's only a matter of time.
Option A is to get an LB4M for all of my gigabit connections (6 per server, plus all the other random stuff you plug in like a router, printer, etc). Then add to that an LB6 for 24 ports of 10GB glory. My question here is...first can I stand the noise. And second, how do I actually uplink the two? The LB4M that I have found on ebay seem to provide a pair of 10GB uplinks. Can I just use a pair of twinax dacs?
Total cost for this option is $145 for the LB4M with 2x10GB + $399ish for the LB6 + $50ish for the twinax cables (if I can do this). So for about $600, I end up with 22 ports of usable 10GB, which gives me plenty of room to expand.
Option B is to just replace the PowerConnect with a single switch that has ports of 10GB. Either the D-Link DGS-1510-28X or the Dell X1052. This leaves me with only four ports, which basically means until I add on an additional 10GB switch.
Total cost for this option is $550ish depending on the price of the X1052 if I go that route.
So...will option A work? And if so, will I be able to handle those switches being a relative networking moron. And if somehow I can...will I be able to hear myself think. And if I can hear myself think, will my wife kill me.
And to top all of this off...I'll have another thread to discuss how I configure the software layer of all of this as it pertains to ESXi and the guest OS's.
Thoughts?
My old Dell PowerConnect is going to fail at some point. I have to reboot it every month or two, so it's only a matter of time.
Option A is to get an LB4M for all of my gigabit connections (6 per server, plus all the other random stuff you plug in like a router, printer, etc). Then add to that an LB6 for 24 ports of 10GB glory. My question here is...first can I stand the noise. And second, how do I actually uplink the two? The LB4M that I have found on ebay seem to provide a pair of 10GB uplinks. Can I just use a pair of twinax dacs?
Total cost for this option is $145 for the LB4M with 2x10GB + $399ish for the LB6 + $50ish for the twinax cables (if I can do this). So for about $600, I end up with 22 ports of usable 10GB, which gives me plenty of room to expand.
Option B is to just replace the PowerConnect with a single switch that has ports of 10GB. Either the D-Link DGS-1510-28X or the Dell X1052. This leaves me with only four ports, which basically means until I add on an additional 10GB switch.
Total cost for this option is $550ish depending on the price of the X1052 if I go that route.
So...will option A work? And if so, will I be able to handle those switches being a relative networking moron. And if somehow I can...will I be able to hear myself think. And if I can hear myself think, will my wife kill me.
And to top all of this off...I'll have another thread to discuss how I configure the software layer of all of this as it pertains to ESXi and the guest OS's.
Thoughts?
