Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Intel 2.5G Ethernet Controller Support Continues Being Prepped For The Next Linux Kernel

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #21
    I don't bother with these gigabit wifi router all-in-one devices. They're most low budget consumer devices that aren't really that great. Get a wired router, a gigabit switch, and add one or more wifi access points. Easy. Personally I use an pcEngines APU1D2 running pfSense, a $20 d-link gige switch, and a Ubiquiti UAP AC Pro wifi access point. Works brilliantly.

    The advantage to discrete components like this, is you don't have to throw everything out to upgrade a single function. For example, I can replace my gig-e switch with a 10g switch in the future, while keeping the same router and same wifi access point. Or I can upgrade to some future wifi technology while retaining my wired switch and router. This makes for a more flexible solution, with a far less disruptive upgrade path.
    Last edited by torsionbar28; 17 September 2018, 04:16 PM.

    Comment


    • #22
      Originally posted by torsionbar28 View Post
      I don't bother with these gigabit wifi router all-in-one devices. They're most low budget consumer devices that aren't really that great. Get a wired router, a gigabit switch, and add one or more wifi access points. Easy. Personally I use an pcEngines APU1D2 running pfSense, a $20 d-link gige switch, and a Ubiquiti UAP AC Pro wifi access point. Works brilliantly.

      The advantage to discrete components like this, is you don't have to throw everything out to upgrade a single function. For example, I can replace my gig-e switch with a 10g switch in the future, while keeping the same router and same wifi access point. Or I can upgrade to some future wifi technology while retaining my wired switch and router. This makes for a more flexible solution, with a far less disruptive upgrade path.
      He is right, you know. (morgran freeman image with finger pointing up)

      Embedded device cost/performance ratio is best when they are doing one or two tasks at most.

      Also the ability to place the wifi access points in the best places for actual wifi coverage of the area you want to cover makes a world of difference.
      Last edited by starshipeleven; 17 September 2018, 04:40 PM.

      Comment


      • #23
        Originally posted by wswartzendruber View Post
        We have a chicken and egg problem here. I cannot help but notice that Cat-5E is the norm for new construction. I believe this is done because Cat-6 and Cat-6A cost more and do not provide any present return on investment. So if this is the case, why should vendors put out products that go beyond 1 Gbps given there is little market for them?
        Not true. I haven't heard of a single cat5e installation during the last 15 years. The price is almost the same. Maybe this isn't the case in some developing countries where labor cost is < $1 per hour.
        In realizing this, Intel putting out a 2.5 Gbps adapter makes the most sense, as that is the part of NBASE-T that targets everyone's existing Cat-5E installations (for the full 100 meters). For those who do not know, this 2.5x speed increase over 1000BASE-T was achieved by applying 10GBASE-T's modulation at the lower frequencies Cat-5E can handle. This modulation also allows for 5 Gbps over Cat-6 (also at the full 100 meters).
        Yep, it's a nice piece of technology but the real advantage here is that its faster than 1000 Gbps, it's cheap overall, even some motherboards support it out of the box. There, now you only need new routers to support it. Direct links between machines are pretty rare. There hasn't really been much new development in the openwrt box market. I got gigabit lan via a motherboard upgrade in 2005 and gigabit router in 2010 (TL-WR1043ND). Now it's 2018 and my motherboard and router still offer just gigabit.

        Comment


        • #24
          Originally posted by torsionbar28 View Post
          I don't bother with these gigabit wifi router all-in-one devices. They're most low budget consumer devices that aren't really that great. Get a wired router, a gigabit switch, and add one or more wifi access points. Easy. Personally I use an pcEngines APU1D2 running pfSense, a $20 d-link gige switch, and a Ubiquiti UAP AC Pro wifi access point. Works brilliantly.

          The advantage to discrete components like this, is you don't have to throw everything out to upgrade a single function. For example, I can replace my gig-e switch with a 10g switch in the future, while keeping the same router and same wifi access point. Or I can upgrade to some future wifi technology while retaining my wired switch and router. This makes for a more flexible solution, with a far less disruptive upgrade path.
          Couldn't agree more. Super happy with my Unifi APs. Slightly heavier duty options for the switch are Ubiquiti (more $), or second hand Cisco (cheaper) and slow the fan down. If you want something closer to consumer grade, Mikrotik's switches seem to be decent.

          Comment


          • #25
            We recently bought the ASUS XG-C100C PCI-E card for 10 GbE networking and it turns out to be the cheapest 2.5+ GbE adapter on the market just short of €100 (works well enough with recent Linux kernels). The market for ethernet switches tells the same story: You can get 2x 10 GbE + X 1 GbE for €150 (Netgear) or a full 8x 10GbE for €380 (Buffalo).

            I really don't see any cheap hardware that supports 2.5 GbE but not 10 GbE at the same time.

            So while I understand the sentiment that 2.5 GbE might be more power-efficient or needs less expensive cables, I still don't understand the reason for pushing a 2.5GbE-only chip when cheap 10 GbE chips are already on the market. You can also find the Aquantia AQtion chip (found on the ASUS card) on some higher-end gaming mainboards and Intel's X550T (with excellent Linux support) on several server mainboards.

            Comment


            • #26
              The term 'embedded' signifies a minor hardware component of a larger hardware that is designed to meet a specific purpose within the larger hardware device.
              Sierra Software Ltd was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Nottingham, UK. It is an owner-managed company that specializes in embedded linux systems that are most commonly used in various industrial markets.

              Comment

              Working...
              X