Netgear ProSAFE XS728T 24-Port 10GbE Ethernet Switch

[crmaris]

Today, we will evaluate a high-end switch from Netgear. The XS728T offers 10GbE transfer speeds through copper cables and is also equipped with four SFP+ ports for fiber optic cables.

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[Ferrum Master]

My five cents.

When testing through-output of the device you must separate tests with data types... 64,512,1518 byte etc to see how the CPU and bus chokes up. (I cannot find meaning of QD4 in the text, lack off coffee still ) And maybe add the same task from two sources((try using RAM drive)simulate official Xena Bay test likeness). It will show really how the routers differ horse power wise. Much more fun.

 

[Dippyskoodlez]

As always, love the in depth tear down analysis. Not many places do this enough

 

[Disparia]

Nice.

I think I've used Netgear more than any other brand, especially their "smart managed" switches since so many SMBs out there only use a subset of features found on managed switches (mostly LAGs and VLANs). Used three of their 48-port gigabit smart switches with PoE at the last place I wired up. Price per switch was so good that a 4th was bought as backup and we were still under budget.

 

[crmaris]

My five cents.

When testing through-output of the device you must separate tests with data types... 64,512,1518 byte etc to see how the CPU and bus chokes up. (I cannot find meaning of QD4 in the text, lack off coffee still ) And maybe add the same task from two sources((try using RAM drive)simulate official Xena Bay test likeness). It will show really how the routers differ horse power wise. Much more fun.

Thanks for your suggestions. My switch test methodology is still a work in progress, so I am open to suggestions. Actually I have just finished my new NAS test setup which can be also used in switch testing. Currently I am in the exploration phase, searching for ways to fully utilise my new client Shuttle PCs.

 

[xciter327]

Hi first post here.

Could you indicate what kind of network adapters have been used? The indicated network adapter is Intel® PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Server Adapter which is only capable of 2 * 1Gbps sections.

Maybe include an iperf test, since its easy to run on many systems.

 

[nickbaldwin86]

So when are workstations going to be standard with 10G cards? right now no mainstream PC has 10G, only servers.

Doesn't do much good to upgrade a infrastructure to 10G if your end clients cant use the speeds. the back end of infrastructures have been 10G for a while now but the end user wont see 10G for a while.

Maybe the next Intel chips will be 10G?

 

[Easy Rhino]

NSA is listening on this device.

 

[cadaveca]

So when are workstations going to be standard with 10G cards? right now no mainstream PC has 10G, only servers.

Doesn't do much good to upgrade a infrastructure to 10G if your end clients cant use the speeds. the back end of infrastructures have been 10G for a while now but the end user wont see 10G for a while.

Maybe the next Intel chips will be 10G?

Sorry Nick, but ASRock has had a 10G workstation motherboard for many months now. X99 WS-E/10G.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/X99 WS-E10G/

And yes, Intel controllers.


So yeah... you were saying?

 

[Athlon2K15]

Hi first post here.

Could you indicate what kind of network adapters have been used? The indicated network adapter is Intel® PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Server Adapter which is only capable of 2 * 1Gbps sections.

Maybe include an iperf test, since its easy to run on many systems.

X540_T2

 

[nickbaldwin86]

Sorry Nick, but ASRock has had a 10G workstation motherboard for many months now. X99 WS-E/10G.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/X99 WS-E10G/

And yes, Intel controllers.


So yeah... you were saying?

You got me! tho not really because its not main stream. 1 board and it is out of stock. so you were saying?

 

[Disparia]

You got me! tho not really because its not main stream. 1 board and it is out of stock. so you were saying?

10Gbe adoption is really picking up and becoming mainstream -- because it's market segment is mostly servers and heavy-use 2P workstations. There's plenty of server boards to chose from as well as a dozen workstation oriented boards with options significantly increasing this year.

Sure there are examples like the ASRock X99 WS-E10G, X11SSZ-TLN4F, or even the ASUS ROG 10Gbe adapter but what's going to be more widely available in the near future are 2.5Gb/s and 5Gb/s solutions for greater-than-gigabit throughput needs (or wants).

 

[hat]

Does the latency difference between fiber optic and copper cables really matter when you're talking about network switches? Within a local network latency should already be really low...

 

[qubit]

"Netgear provides a lifetime warranty because the switch is incredibly reliable, and there is its very high MTBF of 59 years to consider. Given 59 years is very a long time, the network administrator will probably fail before the switch does."
lol, that has to be the best line in a TPU review ever.

More seriously though, I'd like to see any cooling fan last 59 years, in practice reducing that MTBF by several orders of magnitude.

Nice review.

 

[crmaris]

Sorry for the late response but I am at CES now running like crazy. The 10G cards that I used are the Intel X540 T2.

 

[qubit]

Sorry for the late response but I am at CES now running like crazy.

Sorry, when I read that I couldn't help picturing you as a cat madly chasing after the red dot!

 

[Frick]

but what's going to be more widely available in the near future are 2.5Gb/s and 5Gb/s solutions for greater-than-gigabit throughput needs (or wants).

What would these be?

 

[Disparia]

http://www.storagereview.com/ethernet_alliance_unveils_2015_ethernet_roadmap

http://blog.fosketts.net/2015/06/19/faster-ethernet-gets-weird/

Seems to be based on 10GBASE-T but runs at a reduced frequency which will allow existing cables to be used as long they're CAT5e or better.

It's not too far off as products such as the Broadcom BCM56228 are around the corner. Has 12 Gbe ports, with 4 of them able to operate at 2.5Gb.

Also, http://www.businesswire.com/news/ho...Industry’s-NBASE-TTM-Adapter-Reference-Design

Tehuti Networks, a fabless semiconductor company focused on enabling mass adoption of multi-Gigabit Ethernet (GbE), today announced the industry’s first NBASE-T adapter reference design capable of reaching 2.5 and 5 Gigabits per second over 100m of legacy Cat 5e cabling.

 

[Aquinus]

Does the latency difference between fiber optic and copper cables really matter when you're talking about network switches? Within a local network latency should already be really low...

Optical is sometimes preferred because it won't cross-talk with copper and it can be run longer distances without being repeated like copper as well in many situations, depending on the optical signal used (single mode vs multi-mode, plus frequenc(y/ies) as well.) The reason to choose optical for connecting switches locally usually isn't because you want lower latency but to ensure stability between different network segments in a larger building. Latency is added when you have to repeat any signal as well.

 

[hat]

Hmm... makes sense. Copper ethernet can go pretty long distances, but I guess pretty long can quickly become long enough in some bigger applications.

 

[Aquinus]

Hmm... makes sense. Copper ethernet can go pretty long distances, but I guess pretty long can quickly become long enough in some bigger applications.

Consider a university with multiple buildings; classrooms and dorms. You need to be able to connect the buildings efficiently and copper probably won't be an optimal choice for that.

 

[deemon]

Hmm... makes sense. Copper ethernet can go pretty long distances, but I guess pretty long can quickly become long enough in some bigger applications.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10_Gigabit_Ethernet

10Gb copper = up to 100m
10Gb optical = up to 80km

Also copper cables are in danger of being hit by lightning or EMP or solar storms or whatever when in air or when on/in ground being in danger to be stolen by scrap-metal-thieves around here where I live.
Whereas nobody wants to steal fiber and it's EMP immune.

 

[Ferrum Master]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10_Gigabit_Ethernet

10Gb copper = up to 100m
10Gb optical = up to 80km

Also copper cables are in danger of being hit by lightning or EMP or solar storms or whatever when in air or when on/in ground being in danger to be stolen by scrap-metal-thieves around here where I live.
Whereas nobody wants to steal fiber and it's EMP immune.

Except sharks and random anchors

 

[hat]

Who would steal Ethernet cable? Doesn't seem very lucrative...

 

[remixedcat]

Except sharks and random anchors

with frickin lazzzoorss