2 Subnets 1 NAS

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rmitt90

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Hello! I just completed my first dedicated FreeNAS build, and it's been great so far. What I'm finding is that I'm bottlenecking my transfer speeds by using Gbe. I designed this as a backup AND active storage solution, so all of my PCs can be SSD only, then have my data folders mapped for easy access. For 2 of my 3 PCs, the gigabit speeds are completely fine, but for my primary PC, I'm pretty limited on space on my OS drive, so I want to install games and software on the NAS. As it is currently, this works (even faster than when I had the drives in the PC directly!), but because all of this is going through my preexisting network, things will obviously slow down when downloads are running as well. What I'd like to do is get two 10Gb cards and run a dedicated line from the NAS to my main PC, while also remaining connected to the original network for the other PCs. Has anyone done a setup like this, and if so, are there any specific cards you would recommend?

My FreeNAS build:
-MOBO: SUPERMICRO MBD-X11SSM-F
-CPU: Xeon E3-1220 v6
-Cooler: Hyper 212 (lapped, no fan)
-RAM: 32GB Crucial ECC @ 2400
-Drives: HGST DeskStar NAS 6TB x6 in raidz2
-PSU: Seasonic FOCUS 550W
-Case: Silverstone CS380B
 

loch_nas

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The most recommended 10Gbe controllers for FreeNAS are the controllers of Chelsio. You can find them for a good price on ebay.

But you will still need a switch capable of 10Gbit. I would recommend switches with SFP+ interfaces, because you can connect those two interfaces with fiber optic cables. For those interfaces you will need compatible transceivers.

If you go that fiber optic path, I can highly recommend fs.com. There you can buy cheap generic transceivers.

For questions related to 10Gbe you should read and ask here:
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/10-gig-networking-primer.25749/
 
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rmitt90

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I was actually thinking of just doing a straight dedicated line from the NAS to the PC, no router or switch in between, then I'd manually assign each with a static IP (like 10.x.x.x). I BELIEVE that should work, and I'd then be able to map my drives under that separate subnet to make sure I'm using the correct link.
 

Chris Moore

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Chris Moore

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But you will still need a switch capable of 10Gbit.
No, you can go direct from system to system. However, you might want to watch the videos I linked to because you can build a switch much cheaper than buying it. I did.
 

loch_nas

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Of course you can build a direct connection. So yes, then you don't need a switch.

I was just thinking too complicated, sorry.
 
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rmitt90

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No problem, thanks for the replies! So I'm seeing one potential issue, and that would be the length of the cables that I can use with these. I'd need a run that's about 20 meters, but I don't see anything on cables past about 7m
 

Chris Moore

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rmitt90

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Ok, so it looks like my best bet would be the Chelsio 110-1047-20 in this case. It's difficult to find information about this card online, though. Does anyone know if it is compatible with windows 10?
 

Chris Moore

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One of the nice things about the fiber optic adapters is that they are agnostic to the brand of card on the other end of the link. You could put an Intel card in the Windows system and a Chelsio card in the FreeNAS system and they would work just fine with each other. The cards don't need to match except that they are both using the same cable format.
 

rmitt90

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Awesome! Was wondering if that was the case. So now the last piece of the puzzle: I need to find a decent, cheap, card that supports windows 10 with either a built in fiber connector or SFP+
 

loch_nas

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Mellanox is often recommended in WWW as an affordable Gbe controller. Ebay is full of them. Maybe it's better to buy them from US resellers on ebay.
 
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