10gb Network

Dogfood09

Dogfood09

Dogfood09

Associate
Joined
18 Dec 2009
Posts
423
Hi All,

If i wanted to improve my network speeds from my qnap NAS to my PC am i right in thinking that i would need a 10gb pci card for my PC and one for my NAS and then the correct cable to connect them both to get the 10gb? or is there something i am overlooking?
 
Do QNAP sell NASs where you can install a 10GBe NIC if it doesn't already have one? Seems unlikely, but not impossible.

To have it seamless you'd really want a 10GBe capable switch (with at least two 10GBe ports).

Also, is the array fast enough to see enough benefit to justify the cost?
 
bremen1874 said:
Do QNAP sell NASs where you can install a 10GBe NIC if it doesn't already have one? Seems unlikely, but not impossible.

To have it seamless you'd really want a 10GBe capable switch (with at least two 10GBe ports).

Also, is the array fast enough to see enough benefit to justify the cost?
Click to expand...

On the first point, yes: http://shop.qnap.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=235

System Requirement: QNAP NAS with 1 available PCIe slot and QTS 4.3+
Click to expand...
 
I've just got a Synology DS1618+ and am interested in making my network 10gbps capable. Problem is, it's really expensive and for 90% of uses 1gbps is fast enough. If I could do it all (PCI-E card for NAS and PC & 2 x switches) for under £300 I'd be interested but it's looking like a lot more than that.
 
bremen1874 said:
Do QNAP sell NASs where you can install a 10GBe NIC if it doesn't already have one? Seems unlikely, but not impossible.
Click to expand...
Yes they do depending on the NAS itself of course. I have a 10 Gbit card in mine which works fine. Span.com sell NAS parts for the major vendors which are compatible.
 
10Gbe can be done on the cheap, just need to know what to look for. Problem for most is that whilst fibre/twinax is cheaper than 10Gbase-T, it isn't popular in the home environment. The other issue is that pre-built NAS units tend to be limited to very specific adaptors which can't be bought cheaply.

10Gbe SFP+ NIC's that can be had dirt cheap:
Mellanox Connect-X 2/3
Solarflare 5122/6122/7122 (these are good for those owning macs)
Chelsio N320/T320/T420

Mikrotik crs305-1g-4s+in 5 port swtich does 4x 10GBe for under £120. (perfectly fine for bog standard L2 switching)
Couple of cheap SFP+ SR transceivers from FS.com along with some OM3 fibre and job done. For short runs, twinax DAC's can be used which saves a few more quid.
 
Could I use any of that in my Synology? It's got a PCI-E slot. I'll need two cards (Nas and server) and two switches so it could be expensive. Also, will the BT smart hub 2 be a bottleneck?
 
It looks like my NAS will take the Mellanox card, can get two for £50. From looking at this diagram of my home network; If I upgraded Switch 1 and 2 (£240) and got 4 NIC card (£100) that would be the whole network at 10gbps?

21d0e2o.png
 
And the interconnect between the switches?

Synology seem to list the Mellanox ConnectX-3 and newer rather than the Mellanox ConnectX-2 you've linked. It'd be worth double checking compatibility. At least it's not much money to risk.

If 10GBe equipment is cheap there's usually a reason, drivers or whatever.
 
Cheapest sfp+ switch is the Mikrotik 5 port. It has 4x sfp+ and a 1gb ethernet uplink. Around £130
 
was going to say the microtik 4 port 10Gb is worth a look. last time i looked though they were a bit like hens teeth stock wise at a reasonable price.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom