WisdPi 5 GbE USB network

[jerrythea]

I’ve been doing some extensive testing of this particular USB adapter.

https://a.co/d/eN6ap7f

When the USB is used with an operating system that supports the Realtek 8127 driver I’m able to get consistent 4.7 GB per second iperf3 results bidirectionally.

some observed requirements:

Windows 11 Pro automatically downloads the working RealTek driver and will work out of the box with this adapter. Don’t download the driver directly from RealTek.

macOS Sequoia will work with this adapter mostly. There’s some inconsistency in the display of the adapter hardware. But this does not seem to impact performance.

For Linux, the story is more complex.

if you’re running a Distro with Kernel 6.10 or newer things work quite well performance wise. there’s some confusion in the display of the hardware characteristics using ethtool, but this doesn’t affect performance.

unfortunately, Proxmox 8.2 is still on Kernel 6.8 so I will be experimenting with Proxmox as a VM (nested) to see if I can compile a driver that supports this chip.

The most consistent results I’m seeing is when the two devices are connected via a 10 GbE switch.

Considering that these devices are going for about $30
Each, this has huge potential for a Proxmox cluster network upgrade.

I am using a MokerLink 10 GbE 10baseT switch which cost about $250.

https://a.co/d/gvIaU5W

 

[jerrythea]

I have compiled the Realtek Linux/Unix drivers inside of a Proxmox VE VM (nested) and passed through the USB to this Proxmox VE VM.

Realtek

It took some work, but after successfully compiling and installing the driver, I get the expected full speed.

However, the kernel is tainted, and I am not super excited about moving production Proxmox systems to a hand-build kernel module.

 

[jerrythea]

The price savings of this approach is pretty dramatic.

Upgrading a 4 node cluster, with an additional NFS server, from 2.5 GbE to 5GbE is about $400

Doing the same with 10 GbE thunderbolt dongles would make no sense (close to $1300), and it would be better to scrap the whole thing and start with systems with built-in 10 GbE.

Given that this is not an option, this is looking pretty good.

Here is the forum post on Proxmox:

Kernel 6.10 oder neuer....

Hallo zusammen! ist bekannt ob und wann die aktuelle Version von PVE den Kernel größer als 6.10 erhält? Und zwar ich habe zwei R8126 (Realtek 5gb NIC) die ich gerne nutzen würde, als Direktverbinung zwischen PVE und PBS. Leider werden Sie jedoch nur ab der Kernelversion 6.10 unterstützt...

forum.proxmox.com

 

[jerrythea]

The price savings of this approach is pretty dramatic.

Upgrading a 4 node cluster, with an additional NFS server, from 2.5 GbE to 5GbE is about $400

Doing the same with 10 GbE thunderbolt dongles would make no sense (close to $1300), and it would be better to scrap the whole thing and start with systems with built-in 10 GbE.

Given that this is not an option, this is looking pretty good.

Here is the forum post on Proxmox:

Kernel 6.10 oder neuer....

Hallo zusammen! ist bekannt ob und wann die aktuelle Version von PVE den Kernel größer als 6.10 erhält? Und zwar ich habe zwei R8126 (Realtek 5gb NIC) die ich gerne nutzen würde, als Direktverbinung zwischen PVE und PBS. Leider werden Sie jedoch nur ab der Kernelversion 6.10 unterstützt...

forum.proxmox.com

Using proper kernels greater than 6.10 I have successfully done iperf3 load testing between two systems without USB dropouts or other kernel issues.

 

[jerrythea]

While I wait for better support of 5 GbE in Proxmox VE, I have decided to probably return the Mokerlink.

It works quite nicely, but the fans are very loud.

I was able to order the new 4 Port Microtik until from neobits.

Hopefully it arrives soon:

https://www.neobits.com/mikrotik_crs304_4xg_in_cloud_router_switch_304_4xg_in_p26901251.html

 

[jerrythea]

The price on the Microtik is similar to the Mokerlink, but has half as many ports.

However, it is fanless!

And has a more mainstream management interface, and some actual support.

 

[MountainBofh]

I know you already purchased your switch, but Mikrotik makes a nice 8 port 10gb switch as well.

https://www.amazon.com/MikroTik-Desktop-Gigabit-Ethernet-CRS309-1G-8S/dp/B07NFXN4SS/

 

[jerrythea]

That’s. SFP+ switch.

the Microtik is 10 BaseT

 

[MountainBofh]

That’s. SFP+ switch.

the Microtik is 10 BaseT

You're right, I'm a moron. Sorry about that!

 

[jerrythea]

I found a thread discussion on Proxmox Communities on using the newer Ubuntu 6.11 Kernel with Proxmox 8.2.

I am testing this now inside of a Proxmox VE VM (Nested) and will then proceed to test on bare metal if it goes well.

Proxmox Kernel 6.8.12-2 Freezes (again)

 

[Arise]

Hi @jerrythea , I'm testing my devices with wisdPi and I struggle a bit with my hardware.

I've noticed that USB 5Gbps and 10Gbps is actually a thing, never bothered much until today as for me if it was USB3 then it was fast enough for my purposes.
It looks that when connected to USB 3.2 Gen 1 (capped at 5Gbps) the WisdPi adapter can do 3.10 Gbits/sec on Windows and 3.27 Gbits/sec on Linux.
So my next step in testing would be to buy some hardware like a switch to simplify things for me and take out some incompatibilities.

My current options:

Switch Mokerlink 8 port x 10GbE (cheap, not much info on it, but is a risky hardware, don't know the exact model)
Switch Qnap QSW-2104-2T-R2 (4-port 2.5GbE and 2-port 10GbE Multi-Gig unmanaged switch.)
Switch USW-Flex-XG (Ubiquiti Flex 10 GbE - A compact, 5-port, Layer 2 switch that supports 10 GbE speeds )

Switch TRENDnet TEG-S762, 6 Porturi (Very risky, mentioned as problematic on the internet, might not properly support the 5GbE).

So, the question is if I should buy Mokerlink which is cheapeast option, but not possible to return in case is not working properly with the WisdPi USB adapter and rest of my hardware.

 

[jerrythea]

Return some of the WispdPi and get open box OWC tb3 10g NICs for any Linux servers.

I returned the MokerLink due to high noise and low quality.

I went with the Microtik crs 304. alternatively the Trendnet 5 port unmanaged is ok.

if you need more than 4-5 10g ports it will cost more.

 

[Arise]

I kinda have CRS304-4XG-IN high in my list, actually top 1 favorite to buy, even the price looks good, just I dont know yet if 4 ports are enough for my "pheriperals".

I know about MokerLink noise, but could that be fixed? Can I try and replace the heatsink or maybe power it from an external 12V power? Did you managed to look inside?
What means low quality about MokerLink? Those devices for me are usually plug and forget, so unless something happens that forces me to check them periodically like they freeze and then I unplug/plug their power source to reboot them.