Drackeo Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 Hi All, Just got into unraid and im already planning a massive hardware overhaul. I'm moving from a i7-2600 to a dual Xeon E5-2630 V3 machine. As a part of this upgrade Id also like to use this opportunity to start transitioning to 10 gig. What im wondering is what it the cheapest way I can move foreword with adding 10 gig to my server. There looks to be a LOT of old server hardware on ebay that I could get for like $40. The linked card looks to be 10gig over standard rj45. Would something like this work with Unraid? Quote Link to comment
Tom3 Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 Hi Drackeo - you have first to make a decision: to use RJ45 / Cat 6A cable, or to use SFP+ based connectors. This will drive the kind of card you purchase. For RJ45 / Cat6A: Pros: * Connectorized cables are inexpensive and readily available, or you can make your own. Cons: * The modules with RJ45 are usually higher priced, * The latency is a (lot) more than SFP+ units, * The power is a higher than SFP+ units. * The reach is sometimes limited to 30 meters depending on the interface. Some SFP+ to RJ45 adaptors have such limited reach. For SFP+ : Cons: * You need a special cable. Can be DAC (Direct Attached Copper), Multimode fiber (several hundred meters) or Single mode fiber (about 10 km). * DAC copper usually limited in reach to maybe 10 meters. Pros: * The prices on 10G DAC and fiber have dropped dramatically recently. I saw DAC 3 foot for $15, MMF for $17 and SMF for $27. * SFP+ usually has much better latency and lower power. You should look at the total system cost (Cards, modules, cables, etc.). NICs with SFP+ and 10G switches with SFP+ can be significantly less expensive than RJ45. Note there are SFP+ adaptors that plug into SFP+ slot and provide RJ-45 interface. Check the reach of these as the less expensive ones have poor reach on CAT 6A. The power of the adaptor may limit how many you can plug into a SFP+ switch. But they are handy when you have a device and you have to convert. -- Tom Quote Link to comment
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