[Blog] New Server Build (Daydreaming)

Current Setup:

Dell PowerEdge T110 II (Hiigara)

• Xeon E3-1230v2
• 32GB of DDR3
• 750GB SATA SSD, 1TB HDD
• 10Gbit SFP+
• ESXi 7.0

Why am I upgrading?

TLDR; Wife is tired of having another mini tower in the living room. Wants it in the server rack. Instead of jerry-rigging a mount, better to upgrade to a 2U/3U/4U form factor. 

I currently have this server running in the living room. This is a limitation of the configuration of the house and where the internet comes in. My wife, understanding as she is, has finally had enough of the pile of computers in the living room, and has decreed that this server MUST go into the server rack to help declutter. 

Having done a ton of research, they don't make an easy to use rack-kit for this model of Dell. I could rig something up using a shelf but that seemed annoying and not that cheap ( $80-100). I could also transplant the components into a 3/4U case, but that would cost about as much, and be no gurantee that the motherboard and PSU would fit. 

My esxi server has been running great for the past 10 years. Performance-wise, I haven't been disappointed in it. It certainly hasn't "felt" like I needed an upgrade. I'm guessing this was helped by the fact that every other non-work computer I have access to are slower than this computer, and I haven't got a new computer since this one. 

That all changed when I got into my head to build a gaming computer. It's relatively modest with a circa 2019 Ryzen processor, and 2nd hand graphics card ( featured in another blog post). Because of the research I did for that machine, it showed me just how old and slow this server is compared to modern systems. 

With all that, if I'm putting money into this server, maybe its more worth it to add more budget, and purposely create an esxi machine for the rack. 

Needs and Wants

• Relatively modern performance. Let's say at-or-better than a mid-teir Ryzen processor.
• 6C/12T minimum, 12C/24T preferably. Likely Single Processor, but Dual Processor would be slick
• 64+GB of RAM, maybe up to 128GB
• 3U preferably, 4U if absolutely needed, 2U if possible
• "budget" not looking to break the bank, aiming for $600 range, but could go higher if I find I need to
• transcoding support - Either via Intel Quicksync in the processor, or via cheap-ish GP

[Blog] Upgrading the home network for >1Gbps internet service part 2

 TLDR; I chose the UCG Fiber https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/cloud-gateways-compact/collections/cloud-gateway-fiber/products/ucg-fiber It has the right combination of 2.5GBase-T, 10GBase-T and SFP+ ports that can support 10Gbit Fiber, with a price that's hard to beat. 

Early on in the process it became pretty clear that using the provided XB8 modem/router from Xfinity was not going to cut it. If used as intended, it was serviceable, but once I started adding simple things like port forwarding, or trying to deactivate the Wifi, it basically gave up. This put me on course to get a new, 2+GBit capable router. 

Requirements

1. Capable of routing 2.5+GBit/s. Preferably even higher as I dont want to have to upgrade again if the internet gets faster
2. A few 2.5Gbit ports, this goes hand-in-hand with being able to route 2.5Base-T speeds
3. A few SFP+ ports, for 10Gbit connectivity to the CR326-24G
4. Nice to have: 10GBase-T port, since the NAS has multiple 10GBase-T ports already ( save on a SFP+ NIC)
5. Cheap-ish

Candidates

• DIY Router VM inside my ESXI server
• DIY Router using a mini-PC from China
• Turn-key solution such as Ubiquity or Miktotik

DIY Router VM

• Pros
  
• Cheapest by far. Would simply need to get a 2.5GBit NIC
• Potentially very flexible with powerful PFSense or similar software
• Cons
• Point of failure, ESXI server goes down, no internet
• ESXi server will become critical to basic network operation
• Quite a bit of configuration and time to maintain settings
• Still need a 2.5GBit switch that has SFP+ to connect to rest of network

DIY Router via MiniPC

• Pros
• Isolate network
• Cons
• Can get expensive. A miniPC that has 10GBit, 2.5GBit and SFP+ can get pricey, close to $300
• Support is nonexistant
• Same amount of configuration and time requirements as VM Solution
• Still need a 2.5GBit switch that has SFP+ to connect to rest of network

Turnkey Solution

• Pros:
• Simplest solution
• Ubiquity would integrate well with existing APs
• Cons:
• Can be expensive
• Potentially limited functionality based on who created the software

In the end the Ubiquity Cloud Gateway Fiber fit the best into my needs AND was cheaper than a DIY solution. Especially considering that it had enough ports to act as the router AND switch. With 4 2.5GBit ports, it has enough ports for some "medium speed" devices. The 10GBase-T port could plug directly into the NAS. Finally, the 2x SFP+ 10GBit ports is enough to connect the ESXi server and backbone switch to the router at full 10GBit. All for the low low price of $274. I couldn't beat that when trying to roll-my-own. 

[Blog] Upgrading the home network for >1Gbps internet service part 1

 Recently Xfinity upgraded my service to 2100 Mb/s down, 300 Mb/s up. This is likely in no small part because of competition from ISPs such as Sail/Twist and Sonic starting to encroach on their monopoly. 

300Mbit up is a welcome change. Its still not the promise land of symmetric up/down of old Google Fiber, but its a step in the right direction. 

Moving to >1Gbps internet presents a challenge for wired networks as Gigabit ethernet has been the standard for more than a decade now. I adopted gigabit infrastructure relatively early on, but with a hodge-podge of consumer grade 4/5/8 port unmanaged gigabit switches.

Past Upgrades

Last year I finally upgraded to a CRS326-24G+2S-RM managed switch as my backbone, with a Dell Connect 2816 managed switch in my upstairs office. This allowed me better control of the network ( and to get rid of a few of my tiny switches, though not all). 

With this recent (admittedly low-cost) investment, I'm hesitant to whole-shot upgrade everything. But upgrades will be necessary as even with the new internet speed, none of my computers can directly utilize the new speed. 

Necessary Upgrade Goals

I had to identify the critical parts that MUST be upgraded to best utilize this new speed. This came down to:

1. Modem
• Potential speed increase is worthless if the modem can't run fast enough
• This was taken care of my Xfinity upgrading me to the XB8 Router+Modem. It can utilitze the speed and contains 3 Gigabit ports, 1 2.5 Gbit port(key), and Wifi 7 support
2. Router:
• I run my own router, sicne I dont like the idea of Xfinity getting access to my internal network.
• Plus the XB8 is good for simple configs, but once you step away from that, it gets cumbersome very quickly
3. Backbone network (CRS) 
• Though this is primarily a gigabit switch, it DOES contain 2 10Gb/s SFP+ ports
4. NAS:
• One of the perks of using a very overbuilt motherboard for my NAS build is that it contiains 2x10GBase-T (RJ-45) ports
5. ESXi server
• My Dell PowerEdge T110 II based esxi server is getting long in the tooth, but still does everything I've asked of it. Unfortunately only has gigabit ports.
• BUT, it does have PCI-e slots that are open and can accept additional NICs, whether it be 2.5Gb or 10Gb SFP+ based.

Not upgrading ( for now )

• Unifi U6 LR
• Unifi AP AC Lite
• Both of these APs are still working well, and I'm hesitant to upgrade them. But they are both limited to a 1Gb WAN port
• Misc laptops/desktops
• Not every machine really NEEDs 2.5 or 10Gb speed. I'd love to have all 10Gb network, but money is a thing.
• IOT devices
• None of these are even saturating 1Gbs, and they're wireless. Upgrading these would be a waste. 

2.5Gbe vs 10Gbe?

That brings up another question. Should I upgrade to 2.5Gb for now or go all the way to 10Gb? 2.5Gb would allow me to utilize the new speed, its cheaper, lower power and if i'm being honest, probably sufficient for my needs.

10Gb is more future proof. For certain machines/connections, the difference can be felt and utilized. The 2 most obvious machines are the ones highlighted, the NAS and esxi servers. Also, certain work machines do have 10Gbase-T ports that can be utilized. 

I eventually decided on a hybrid network. 10Gbit between the router and the backbone switch, NAS and Esxi machine. 2.5Gb between the modem and router, but with a router that's flexible enough to handle 10Gbit service (if that ever happens). 

Next entry will detail my meandering decision making in choosing my router.