28SFP -- Switch deals on eBay (choosing hardware)

TrumanHW

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Dell EMC S5248F-ON Switch 48x SFP28 (25Gbe) and 4x QSFP28 (100Gbe) with 2x PSUs -- $800 (shipped)
Are these okay choices..? Or do they have hidden costs like being picky about modules or cables..?



The BEST eBay deal I've seen (was afraid to purchase as I didn't understand what "top of rack" meant)
CELESTICA QUESTONE2 D3030 25GbE TOP OF RACK DATACENTER 48 PORT SWITCH ... which was $450 !!
Is there a simple meaning of Top of Rack??

Thanks
 
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I like my Cisco Nexus 3064 which has 48 SFP+ ports and 4 QSFP ports. I used to use an HP A5820X (which is really a re-badged H3C) switch. I was perfectly happy with this one. It is much quieter than the Nexus. I only changed to get 40G. Also since I work for a Cisco partner, software access is easier for me on the Nexus. The CLI in the HP/H3C is similar to Cisco products, but there were some differences. It wasn't a huge deal for me since I rarely had to make changes to it. HP switch on eBay for $350.
 

TrumanHW

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Is H3C a rebranded quanta..? (reminds me of a quanta model but I'm not sure)...
I like that switch's value, for SURE. I have a DLink Layer 3 that's okay ... but I really am looking for some QSFP+ or SFP28 ports if possible, as I mentioned, I'm going to build-out an all NVMe system...and 10Gb isn't going to be nearly enough.

The two switches which I chose above are both SFP28 switches ... which is what makes them pricier (I thought) as the gen of SFP28 is supposedly fewer watts per port, thus, runs cooler, and (more importantly in a residential environment) QUIETER! Lol. My DLink really does run quietly. And, were I to spend the time figuring out what the jackass who worked for me did to my quanta 10GbE switch in which I put PWM fans I think ... would also be a nice option (people at least seem to like it).

But again, I need something with some options for higher speed; ideally, something that'll also be quiet. :)
 
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I really am looking for some QSFP+ or SFP28 ports
Sorry, I misread that as 28 SFP+ ports. It depends on your density requirements. There are some other Nexus models that have 6 QSFP ports that are available on eBay. I personally stick with enterprise gear for that sort of thing. Perhaps it is snobby of me, but I don't consider Dlink or Netgear to be enterprise grade.
 

TrumanHW

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I'm just as snobbish where possible.

As I said, I'm only tolerating the D-Link crap bc I've been unable to justify (performance) changing thus far, and it's QUIET. But as you probably noticed, all the inquiries were enterprise thus far on this thread and the other in which we're speaking (very similar subjects).

Perhaps the primary question of this thread was, what in the heyell is TOP OF RACK ..? Were I not worried that meant something I didn't understand, I'd have ABSOLUTELY bought that switch. Was there reason not to..? You did see -- it was UNDER $500 for an 48 port SFP28 switch!

And the next least expensive SFP28 switch I'd found was the Dell EMC switch above that.

Do you know of less expensive SFP28 switches..? Pray tell, if so, which..?
Do you see reasons for which these switches might be a "get what you pay for" misadventure..?

Quiet is great. Running COOL is great. I don't need a lot of ports; I'd have loved a ...

- 12 port SFP28
- 4 port SFP 100
- 12 port GbE (standard) ...

or even
4x QSFP100
12x SFP28
12x 10G-baseT / 1G-baseT combo ...

But I'd 'settle outta court' for SFP28 ... and much later on get one with QSFP100 ... unless the temp + noise is no diff than SFP+ with QSFP+ switch ... in which case, why spend the extra. That's the other question. ARE SFP28 (and the QSFP100) so much more efficient that they will run quieter and cooler ...? And if not, what justifies SFP28 costing MORE than QSFP+ ..? (savvy) ..?
 
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Here is something that talks about the difference between transceiver types. https://community.fs.com/blog/sfp-vs-sfp-vs-sf-p28-vs-qsfp-vs-qsf-p28-what-are-the-differences.html
My opinion is that "top of rack" is more of a marketing term. I would infer that to mean small and probably fixed configuration. The general idea would be that you would have uplinks that are higher speed going back to some core device, and the majority of the ports in the TOR device would go to things living in that same rack. The limited number of ports coming out of the TOR device back to the core would mean less cables going between each rack and the core.
 

TrumanHW

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Okay, so all that matters is the specs ... and ...
How you or I choose to use something is utterly germane to the issue and a red herring to consider relevant?
 

TrumanHW

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THUS, that would have been an EXCEPTIONAL deal ... ? Or have you never heard of a Celestica..?
 
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Spearfoot

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It's amazing what kind of fleabay deals you can get on switches that cost thousands of dollars when they were new!

I bought two Brocade ICX 6610-48P-E switches for $175 apiece, including shipping and State sales tax. One is a spare and the other is in my shop rack. These have dual 1000W PSUs with 48 x 1GbE PoE ports; 8 x 10GbE SFP+ ports on the front; and 4 x 40GbE stacking ports on the back which can be used for data -- 2 are 40GbE and 2 are breakout ports (40GbE to 4 x 10GbE). I use the breakout ports on the back to make 6 x 10GbE connections to three servers. I could connect two servers @ 40GbE to the non-breakout ports... but I don't even come close to using the 10Gb bandwidth I already have! Here's a typical listing:


There's a Brocade "Mega-Thread" on STH with a wealth of information about these switches by some very knowledgeable users:


I also have a pair of Brocade ICX 7150-C12P desktop switches: one is a spare, the other connects my office to my shop 6610 via fiber @ 10Gb, so my desktop finally has a highspeed link to my All-in-One systems.
 
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