Comment by thekombustor
3 years ago
10Gbps mesh for only $48, assuming you already have very modern (expensive) USB4 capable machines.
The article also seems to make the assumption that a server would be pulling 1000W all the time, 24/7, which is rarely the case (of course, I can't comment on what their workload might be, but it would be quite unlikely)
Still, I like the direct networking being done here. But saying "you can build a 10Gbps mesh for $50" when you have 3x $750+ machines seems a bit disingenuous. It is not unreasonable to get 10Gb SFP+ NICs on ebay for ~$50 a pop ($150 for 3)
$50 would be roughly all-in for the SFP+ NIC, two optics and a generous length of multi-mode fiber. I just did this, and here's the breakdown of my costs from eBay:
1x Juniper EX3300-24p - $75
7x SFP+ optics - $7/each
3x Intel X520-DA2 NIC - $20/each
4x 3 meter OM3 LC-LC fiber - $6/each
1x 30 meter OM3 LC-LC fiber - $24
-----
Total: $232
The EX3300-24p has 24x 1gb copper ports with PoE+ on them, and 4x SFP+ ports. If you need more SFP+ ports you'll want to find a different switch - but for a small multi-use home network the EX3300-24p nicely matched my requirements.
> If you need more SFP+ ports you'll want to find a different switch
CRS309-1G-8S+IN, Suggested price $269.00
>> Desktop switch with one Gigabit Ethernet port and eight SFP+ 10Gbps ports
https://mikrotik.com/product/crs309_1g_8s_in
Mikrotik switches/products are pretty intriguing. Do you have any experience with that model? I'm interested in how stable it is and if the known bugs are anything to be concerned about.
1 reply →