10gb internet

[ag90]

im looking into building a 10gig network.

 

am i required to have a 10gb nic in the computers i want 10gb in. or can i simply have a cable from the 10gig switch and plug it injto the computer.

 

if i do please suggest som good nics and switches.

 

and also do i require any kind of special networking cabels to handle 10gig connection?

 

and i am planning on buying a storinator and it includes a nic. do i simply take a cable from that nic and into the switch?

[dadasmithywinkle]

im looking into building a 10gig network.

 

am i required to have a 10gb nic in the computers i want 10gb in. or can i simply have a cable from the 10gig switch and plug it injto the computer.

 

if i do please suggest som good nics and switches.

 

and also do i require any kind of special networking cabels to handle 10gig connection?

 

and i am planning on buying a storinator and it includes a nic. do i simply take a cable from that nic and into the switch?

If you want 10gig connection, then of course you need to have a 10gig port in the computers you'll be connecting to.

[ag90]

but cant i just use a nic?

[Extingquish]

If the port is 1Gb for example, the speed between the switch and the PC will run at 1Gb, so you're pretty much required to get a 10Gb nic, yes

[ag90]

ok, could you recommend a nic

[Extingquish]

Sorry, I think my wording was awful in my last post  

 

If the storinator includes a 10Gb nic, you'll only need to buy a 10Gb nic for the PC you're connecting it to, but I don't really know of any, hopefully the other members will have a better idea than me  

[warzer0]

am i required to have a 10gb nic in the computers i want 10gb in. or can i simply have a cable from the 10gig switch and plug it injto the computer.

All parts of the connection must support 10gbit, from computers, switches, wires, and storage in order to get full 10gig speed. You'll otherwise be limited by the slowest part of the network.

and also do i require any kind of special networking cabels to handle 10gig connection?

Depends. Their website shows that they can use either copper 10gig or fiber 10gig. I'm guessing you want copper 10gig. If so, ensure all cables comply with CAT6 or CAT6A standards (they're only a little more expensive then normal CAT5E and are backwards compatible).

if i do please suggest som good nics and switches.

The Intel X540 series would be my first choice for a NIC into your computer; indeed storinator says that it's one of the options for the 10gbe component. I don't know of any good 10gbe switches that don't cost more then the storinator though. Netgear's got 10gbe 8 port switches for less then $1000 USD but I haven't had any personal experience with them.

Mind if I ask how many client computers the storinator is intended to serve and how intensive their file transfer loads are going to be?

[45Drives]

Hi, Allison here from 45 Drives. Everyone who's chimed in already is right - you would need a NIC in your computer if you want 10Gbit speeds. We use Intel X540-T2 here, but any 10G card will do.

 

We've done a lot of testing in our own lab for 10Gbit, and we’ve found CAT6 or CAT6A cables worked just fine. CAT6A would be the ideal choice because it can reach up to 100m (whereas CAT6 is only 56m). No need to upgrade to CAT7 cables - only difference from CAT6A is reduced interference from other CAT cables, so that's up to you.

 

Switches have come way down in price in the last little while –we’ve used the Netgear Prosafe 8-port switch in our own lab and it’s been serving us great so far (and it's the cheapest available right now). 

 

Thanks for checking out the Storinator - let me know if you've got any other questions, or feel free to email info@45drives.com.

[foxhound590]

that netgear switch wouldn't be the XS708E would it and isn't cat7 just over spec cat6a or has it been standardized 

@45Drives

[45Drives]

that netgear switch wouldn't be the XS708E would it and isn't cat7 just over spec cat6a or has it been standardized 

@45Drives

 

Correct, the Netgear switch is the XS708E, we use one in the lab and it’s great.

 

And yes, Cat7 has been standardized (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_7_cable)

 

You're right - it's essentially fancy Cat6a cable. It's rated up 600MHz while Cat6a is only 500MHz, otherwise they are essentially the same.

[Blade of Grass]

 

Correct, the Netgear switch is the XS708E, we use one in the lab and it’s great.

 

And yes, Cat7 has been standardized (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_7_cable)

 

You're right - it's essentially fancy Cat6a cable. It's rated up 600MHz while Cat6a is only 500MHz, otherwise they are essentially the same.

 

How's the performance on that switch? I've heard complaints about Netgear's switching fabric being too slow to keep up with 10Gb Ethernet in the past.

[45Drives]

How's the performance on that switch? I've heard complaints about Netgear's switching fabric being too slow to keep up with 10Gb Ethernet in the past.

 

We've noticed no issues with performance, and have successfully saturated our 10G network. 

 

Of course, there are always "nicer" switches but for ~100/port, our R&D team thinks it offers wonderful performance.