Any cost efficient methods to get greater than 1Gbps transfers

[nattan]

I would like to have my end to end transfer speed upgraded. Basically from my workstation to my nas backup. I can saturate my 1Gbps fairly easy, and when I have bench marked my disk read its pushing 600MB/s on the highs and about 350-400 on the low.

Is there any "cheap" (hate using that term for computer hardware) ways to get 10Gbps just from my work station to the nas under $800 (being the cost of a 10Gbps switch)

 

[cyberjock]

Yes. Buy two used Intel 10Gb LAN cards on ebay and direct connect the two. I did this for $325 including the networking cable about 16 months ago. Its even cheaper now.

 

[nattan]

Yes. Buy two used Intel 10Gb LAN cards on ebay and direct connect the two. I did this for $325 including the networking cable about 16 months ago. Its even cheaper now.

Any card should be able to communicate with another correct? So for example I should be able to get a Intel and HP card and that would work? Or do they need to have specific specs?

 

[marbus90]

If they're RJ45, yes. SFP+ requires more voodoo. Direct Attach Copper cables would usually be restricted to specific vendors, if you use different vendors, you should use SFP+ to SR fiber optics on both ends.

 

[BigDave]

Any card should be able to communicate with another correct? So for example I should be able to get a Intel and HP card and that would work? Or do they need to have specific specs?

cyberjock has recommended Intel expansion cards because they are known (read PROVEN) to work better with FreeBSD/FreeNAS.
Any 10Gb card would be fine as long as the chipset/chipsets on that card on the the approved hardware list for FreeBSD,
but once again, INTEL is King when it comes to NIC!!!!
Your budget ($800) is way over what cyberjock has recommended ($325 or less), so don't cheap out!

 

[Ericloewe]

cyberjock has recommended Intel expansion cards because they are known (read PROVEN) to work better with FreeBSD/FreeNAS.
Any 10Gb card would be fine as long as the chipset/chipsets on that card on the the approved hardware list for FreeBSD,
but once again, INTEL is King when it comes to NIC!!!!
Your budget ($800) is way over what cyberjock has recommended ($325 or less), so don't cheap out!

Actually, for 10GbE, Chelsio is better. It's also more expensive by almost an order of magnitude.

 

[BigDave]

Yep, you're right about the 10Gb cards Eric
What shocked me was the cost of the cables
I found this used card today, but a 6ft. long (1.8m) cable was well over $60 US

 

[cyberjock]

Go to ebay and search for "Intel E15729". That's the cards I have. They're fiber optic so you can get much longer cables for MUCH cheaper than the RJ45. Looks like the going rate is about $75 per card. Hard to say no to that!

 

[gpsguy]

Shop at Monoprice for cables: http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=102&cp_id=10237

 

[Abrila]

Yes. Buy two used Intel 10Gb LAN cards on ebay and direct connect the two. I did this for $325 including the networking cable about 16 months ago. Its even cheaper now.

Lets say I have already got the nics. What type of fiber cable is it? According to Intel's website, its a MMF connection. And are there any windows 7/8.1 drivers available?

 

[Ericloewe]

And are there any windows 7/8.1 drivers available?

We're not exactly talking about ancient hardware from a manufacturer who's gone belly up.

Lets say I have already got the nics. What type of fiber cable is it? According to Intel's website, its a MMF connection. And are there any windows 7/8.1 drivers available?

None. SFP+ direct-attach twin-ax cables. Or you can buy SFP+ transceivers plus the optical cabling they require (Single Mode or Multi Mode).

 

[DataKeeper]

Choices.. Depends on what you want really. I'm looking to expand 10GbE throughout the house to different rooms on 3 floors. For now, I'm spending roughly $300.00 for each Intel X540-T1 (RJ45) nic and I've purchased 2 for now. That's $600 bucks and purchase a $5 cat6 cable from Amazon (CableMatters iirc the sellers name) and plug them into each other. Later if you want to add another system you'll need to buy the Netgear switch, currently at about $800 bucks or used one for a bit cheaper. I'm guessing here but I think you'll see more 10GbE switches hit the market soon and prices start to drop over the next couple years.

The fiber route is cheaper but as time goes by I think copper and RJ45s will win out. So for now two X540-T1 cards and a cable between them will set you back $605.00 bucks. Maybe $50-$60 bucks cheaper from other vendors.

 

[Black Ninja]

Go to ebay and search for "Intel E15729". That's the cards I have. They're fiber optic so you can get much longer cables for MUCH cheaper than the RJ45. Looks like the going rate is about $75 per card. Hard to say no to that!

Can you tell for the people new to fiber what modules these cards need and what sort of fiber cable ?

 

[jgreco]

What type of fiber cable is it? According to Intel's website, its a MMF connection.

That's multimode fiber, and ideally you want 50/125 OM2 or OM3 fiber. OM1 (62.5/125 fiber) will work over distances of maybe two dozen meters if you're lucky. OM2 will work dandy for household distances (several dozen meters) and is usually the best option since it is priced similarly to OM1. OM3 is often colored aqua and can go a good fraction of a kilometer. (And before anyone decides to correct me with specs, "try it in the real world.")

The cheap Asian stuff on eBay is probably sufficient but the build quality is sometimes marginal. For example, some of them feel that the duplexing clip is optional, and the ends may be uneven. It'll still work but it's vaguely annoying. I have been annoyed over the years at some of the cables we've sourced and so lately I've been speccing cables from an Atlanta joint known as "cablesandkits.com", which has a decent selection and we've gotten fiber patch from them for a decade all with a very consistent air of quality and durability. I have seen better, but not with such a wide selection or reorderability.

 

[jgreco]

Can you tell for the people new to fiber what modules these cards need and what sort of fiber cable ?

Made a few notes over at https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/10-gig-networking-primer.25749/#post-195839

 

[marbus90]

The specs aren't stating otherwise for OM3 - 550m for 1Gbps, 300m for 10Gbps. That's still 30-55% of a km for you Freedom Unit users. :P

 

[jgreco]

Since we're talking 10Gbps, I am just going to say that I define "3/10ths of a kilometer" as being "a good fraction of a kilometer."

 

[Black Ninja]

Made a few notes over at https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/10-gig-networking-primer.25749/#post-195839

I read it plus addition info about the different fiber specs om1,om2,om3. Now I understand I will need LC-LC om3 aqua color like you said. Now I am trying to learn about the modules I will need , for the nic and for the switches , what are the things to look for there ?!

 

[Black Ninja]

Made a few notes over at https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/10-gig-networking-primer.25749/#post-195839

I am sorry I didn't read the new notes you added today. Thank you very much for that.

 

[jgreco]

You probably don't need OM3, but my suggestion is to shoot for OM2.

What kind of card and switch are you planning to get?