Stage V: I want a 10GbE Switch

After two or three weeks after my 10GbE implementation, I wanted a 10GbE switch to be able to use it for my virtual machines. I checked the price for that Kind of ethernet switches and decided not to buy one…. at the moment.

At the same time, the company solutioncenter was updated with a new network infrastructure. The “old” Brocade FastIron switches are replaced by the new VDX series. I was able to rescue one of the old FastIrons from the scratch….. 🙂

This switch offers 48 ports of gigabit network and two tengigabit ports.

Stage5

In the meantime I was able to aquire an old Compaq 42HE rack for my homelab, which is placed in the Basement:

Now I had room for my homelab and I planned additional servers, but where should I get more 10GbE ports?

cq-rack-sides

Cisco SG500X-24P:

I found one of these switches on the Internet and got one.

cisco-sg500x-24-k9-g5

The Cisco SG500X-24 is a 24-port stackable managed Gigabit Ethernet switch, with 4 Enhanced Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP+) slots and optional 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity. It offers energy-efficient technology (EEE), true stacking, IPv6, and the advanced security and network features needed to support a growing business network. The switch is easy to manage and includes a limited lifetime warranty with next-business-day advance replacement. It offers Power over Ethernet (PoE), too.

So I got “enough” server power and network capabilities, the next part would be a central storage…..