[2018] 10G NIC Compatibility: Mellanox ConnectX-2 / ConnectX-3

[Wanderhoden.]

Hey there,

just a quick question, as I can't find any recent information that is up to date right now [11/2018].
Is anyone using a Mellanox ConnectX-2 or ConnectX-3 SFP+ NIC along with Freenas 11.1 U6?

Do you have any issues or suggestions which one to pick?
The ConnectX-3's price seems to be twice as high compared to the X-2.

 

[Chris Moore]

just a quick question, as I can't find any recent information that is up to date right now [11/2018].
Is anyone using a Mellanox ConnectX-2 or ConnectX-3 SFP+ NIC along with Freenas 11.1 U6?

I was using a MELLANOX 10GB CONNECTX2 - MNPA19-XTR like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MNPA19-XTR...8-10Gbe-SFP-NETWORK-CARD-W-CABLE/282378633999
For over a year, but I was having trouble with connection speed. I switched to a Chelsio card like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Chelsio-10...8-30-2x-10G-SFP-Tranceivers-HIGH/113233543113
I am still having the same speed issue, so it is not down to the card. Both of the cards work fine in my backup NAS but something in the configuration of my primary NAS is making the connection run slow. Either of those cards should work fine for you.

 

[Wanderhoden.]

Thanks for the advice.
Right now it's boiling down on either the X2 or the X3. Unfortunately there's nothing interesting / cheap from Chelsio or Intel on the German ebay sites.

The X2 is officially EOL and seemed to have issues with older versions of Freenas, whereas the X3 still receives official support from Mellanox and even has recent Win10 drivers.

 

[Chris Moore]

and even has recent Win10 drivers.

I bought and am still using the Mellanox X2 for the Windows 10 system I have on the 10Gb network. It has not given me any problems. In the US, the price difference between the Mellanox ConnectX-2 or ConnectX-3 is less than $20 on eBay, so you may as well go with the newer card. I honestly don't know how well it is supported in FreeNAS, but I am guessing that if the ConnectX-2 works, the ConnectX-3 should work also.

 

[Wanderhoden.]

Are you using the Windows integrated drivers or the ones from Mellanox for the X2?
Some guys seemed to have problems installing the Mellanox drivers on Win10 because they are only officially supported for Win8.1.

I am able to get two X2 for 60€ or two X3 for roughly 120€. If somebody claims to have problems with the X2, I would definitely go with the newer ones.

 

[nev_neo]

the x2 card works perfectly fine for me. I'm able to push line speeds on freenas (for a short period of time albeit).
I also have the x3 cards in some of my hyper-v boxes. No issues on that end either. I guess it pretty much comes down to if you need the pcie 3.0 or pcie 2.0.
Either of them are able to hit 10gig speeds without an issue.

 

[Wanderhoden.]

Can you tell me something about the heat development from both cards? I've read that the X2 cards are running quite hot while the X3 generation tends to be cooler.

 

[nev_neo]

Not that much of a difference for me. They're both warm to the touch.