Upgrading System - Faster CPU to help SMB? 10Gig Ethernet options?

[Trianian]

My existing system has been running flawlessly for over half a decade, but is now completely out of space. Have just purchased 6 10TB WD drives for an upgrade. Plan to run them in a single RAID Z2 for 60TB RAW, 40TB actual.

Current system. Intel G620, IBM / LSI controller in IT mode. 16GB Ram, 5 x 2TB HD, Boot drive: USB thumb drive
Planned upgrade: Intel i3-3245, 32GB RAM, IBM/LSI, 6 x 10TB WD WD100EMAZ, Boot drives: 2x Micron 64GB MLC sata SSDs, mirrored

The use will be a video editing repository little else, no jails or VMs. 4K files can be massive, so would like to move to 10gig networking. It will be direct connected to a nearby workstation, so a 10Gig switch is unnecessary.

Looking for a pair of relatively inexpensive 10 gigabit NICs for a short (under 2 meter) point-to-point connection between the Freenas box and a Windows workstation. Used enterprise NICs are fine. Would like relatively low power cards. Have read that many of the older enterprise 10Gig cards use significant power and create a lot of heat.

SMB performance: My understanding is that SMB is single threaded, so rewards higher frequency CPUs. My current system can see latency during scrubs or when accessing multiple files at once.

Would using a faster CPU help in this regard? Have a better CPU of the same socket siting on the shelf. The current CPU is an 2.6GHz Intel G620. It scores a 1325 at CPUbenchmark for a single thread.

The unused CPU is a 3.4GHz i3-3245, also a 2-core model, but has a 1832 single thread rating. Will there be any real world advantage to installing this better CPU?

Thanks

 

[jgreco]

Start with the 10 Gig Networking Primer.

https://www.ixsystems.com/community/resources/10-gig-networking-primer.42/

Ignore what anyone might have said about "older enterprise 10Gig cards use significant power and create a lot of heat." An Intel X520-SR2 uses about 11 watts of power. If that's too much for you, there are options that use slightly less power but with other potential issues. It's best for beginners to stick with what's known to work. WAY OLD cards definitely used a lot more power but no one recommends using them, plus they represent an opportunity to learn esoteric ethernet stuff you don't want to learn.

 

[Trianian]

Start with the 10 Gig Networking Primer.

https://www.ixsystems.com/community/resources/10-gig-networking-primer.42/

Ignore what anyone might have said about "older enterprise 10Gig cards use significant power and create a lot of heat." An Intel X520-SR2 uses about 11 watts of power. If that's too much for you, there are options that use slightly less power but with other potential issues. It's best for beginners to stick with what's known to work. WAY OLD cards definitely used a lot more power but no one recommends using them, plus they represent an opportunity to learn esoteric ethernet stuff you don't want to learn.

Thanks.

So a pair of X520 NICs and an SFP+ DAC cable should be all I need?

The Intel are better / more stable options than the frequently mentioned products from Mellanox?

The X520-SR2 or X520-DA2? The DA2 seems to suit my immediate peer-to-peer needs, but suspect it won't be optimal if a 10G switch is ever put in the loop. Can a DAC be used with the SR models or is there a similar peer-to-peer cable for the fiber version?

 

[jgreco]

The upside to the X520 is that it has an extremely stable driver and incredible cross-platform compatibility, so it works on Windows, ESXi, FreeNAS, Linux, etc., you'd be hard-pressed to find something it doesn't work on.

The Mellanox stuff is *cheap* because most of it is coming out of the high performance computing world as upgrades happen. The upside is cheap and somewhat lower power consumption on most of them. The downsides are that you need to understand what you're buying, because Mellanox sells a large range of products, and cards that can be Infiniband or Ethernet, and may need configuration, etc. If you pick the right cards, they'll work pretty well in FreeNAS. If you don't pick the right cards, it won't work at all. Hazard for hobbyists or other newcomers.

I don't encourage SFP+ DAC cables because they're very limiting, and can have vendor compatibility issues (probably not in this case though, heh). Usually it's pretty cheap to acquire the optics and a bit of fiber, and then you can go the distance, so to speak. But if it suits you, there is nothing wrong with the DAC cable strategy in this case.

The "DA" vs "SR" is only a descriptor for whether the card comes outfitted with optics. A SR card with its optics removed is functionally a DA card. And vice versa.

There is a lot of discussion of vendor-locked optics and other useful info in the 10G primer.

 

[Trianian]

The "DA" vs "SR" is only a descriptor for whether the card comes outfitted with optics. A SR card with its optics removed is functionally a DA card. And vice versa.

There is a lot of discussion of vendor-locked optics and other useful info in the 10G primer.

So to confirm, a DAC cable will work perfectly well with an SR card. Just unplug the optical unit that's installed and plug in the DAC. And a DA card will work optically with a optical module?

Are NICs with the Intel chipset like the Dell 0942V6 and Supermicro 82599ES just rebranded Intel adapters? Don't see many mentions of them regarding Freenas.

Usually it's pretty cheap to acquire the optics and a bit of fiber

So with the SR versions, the optical module is included. What is the specification / name of the optical cable needed for a short direct connect? My searches are only turning up the copper varieties.

 

[Jessep]

For DAC or transceivers and cables I would suggest FS.com.

I prefer the armoured cables.