Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2019 14:57:34 -0600 From: Louis Kowolowski <louisk@cryptomonkeys.org> To: Simon Connah <scopensource@gmail.com> Cc: questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Building a FreeBSD switch with commodity hardware Message-ID: <82D113C6-EC50-40D6-B341-21B9D91205D2@cryptomonkeys.org> In-Reply-To: <fd749c6c-2562-757b-aacc-492785a7c971@gmail.com> References: <fd749c6c-2562-757b-aacc-492785a7c971@gmail.com>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
I think you'll see better performance if you go with an actual network = device. If you don't need something that is under contract, something = like a juniper ex4200 can be had on ebay for ~$100. 24/48 1g ports. = supports vlans, ipv6 just fine. also has firewall capabilities, but = they're not stateful.=20 If you want to hook 2 layer 2 networks together, you'll need a router. = If you just want to make the layer 2 network bigger, you can get another = switch. If you cascade too many switches, you'll find performance goes = down, not to mention single points of failure and/or bottlenecks in = performance. > On Jan 24, 2019, at 2:39 PM, Simon Connah <scopensource@gmail.com> = wrote: >=20 > Hi everyone, >=20 > First of all I am not a networking wizard so would appreciate a little = help to see if my plan is achievable. >=20 > I need a 1U switch to put in a datacentre and due to my familiarity = with FreeBSD I thought building a switch based on FreeBSD would be the = perfect solution but I'm not sure what the hardware requirements would = be. I have 10 to 20 1gbps Ethernet devices to connect to the switch and = a single 1gbps uplink to the rest of the internet. >=20 > I'd like to be able to configure VLANs, allocate IPv4 and IPv6 = addresses to individual machines and use FreeBSD as a firewall for the = whole process. I also want to be able to expand my system at a later = date if I need to be able to handle more devices on the local network so = I'd need to be able to hook the two networks together somehow. >=20 > What I'm not sure about is what hardware specs I'll need for this. = What kind of CPU and RAM will I require and which Ethernet cards should = I get? This is not a project that requires 100% up time but realiability = is important during certain hours of the day. >=20 > I'd appreciate some advice. If you need any more information then let = me know and I'll try and provide it. >=20 > _______________________________________________ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > https://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to = "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org" -- Louis Kowolowski louisk@cryptomonkeys.org = <mailto:louisk@cryptomonkeys.org> Cryptomonkeys: = http://www.cryptomonkeys.com/ <http://www.cryptomonkeys.com/>; Making life more interesting for people since 1977
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?82D113C6-EC50-40D6-B341-21B9D91205D2>