Starting and Sharing your Homelab Projects (Include 10G Network Upgrade)

[TanKianW]

**SHARING: 3D-Print Design of Air Duct Attachment for 40mm Fan (Noctua's) on Nvidia Tesla P4**

For fellow home-labers, an Nvidia Tesla P4 with 8GB VRAM is a pretty good professional-class GPU that could operate from the PCIE slot without the need for an external power connector with pretty good power TDP at 75W. It could be used for video transcoding on your media servers like PLEX, EMBY or jellyfin when hosted on your DIY NAS system (Eg. TrueNAS Scale) or a Type 1 hypervisor system (Eg. xcp-ng, Promox) with GPU passthrough. In theory, the Nvidia Tesla P4 can transcode and infer up to 35 HD video streams in real-time, powered by a dedicated hardware-accelerated decode engine that works in parallel with the GPU doing inference (Detailed spec HERE). Most should be able to get it on the cheap from de-racked servers. The GPU also comes with CUDA cores, based on the past Pascal architecture (GTX 10XX series) for basic/lightweight AI/ML applications. However, this GPU could be pretty hot to the touch if you do not run it in a high airflow server rack configuration. Therefore, I decided to share a custom design Air Duct Attachment for the GPU which attaches a 40mm fan at one end of the GPU to push sufficient airflow through the silicon which could greatly reduce its operating temperature. I have designed this with the use of a 4x10 Noctua's PVM fan but should fit other 4cm fans too. Recommend printing in ASA or ABS for better heat tolerance. I will upload the file onto printables for sharing once finalised.

Download the .stl file from here. Feel free to edit, slice and make adjustments to suit your use case.​

https://www.printables.com/model/916936-air-duct-attachment-for-40mm-fan-on-nvidia-tesla-p

 

[xiaofan]

Posting this here again to poison
@xiaofan

MS-01 with X710 NIC 4x SFP+, 2x RJ45 2.5Gbps
3x M.2 2280
1x M.2 2230 wifi (replace with Google Coral)

Indeed this is one good option.

I was looking at a few options, mainly N305 based (eg: R86S-N) or U300E based.

One offering is from CWWK畅网微控 which uses U300E (or other 12th/13th gen Intel CPU). U300E performance is said to be roughly the same as N305. But the reviewer may not be using it correctly so the performance testing results may not be correct.

 

[xiaofan]

1U format firewall appliances. Other than GoWin, there are also other offerings from China, for example, from 倍控. But I do not see real reviews, so probably not a good idea to buy.

The second option is the high end offerings which supports up to Intel i9-13900H, with quad Intel X710 10G NICs or quad Intel E810 15G NICs, but quite expensive.

1. One example of Intel Atom C3758 based firewall appliances, from Taobao 倍控 Flagship store, with quad Intel X553 based 10G NIC (SFP+ ports), in 1U format.

【淘宝】https://m.tb.cn/h.g4zZhf3vzvzXd6Y?tk=JIO7WyUtde6 MF7997 「倍控软路由万兆光口C3758爱快ROS工控机pfsense 防火墙6网卡服务器八核linux乌班图centos C3338 C3558 C3958」
点击链接直接打开 或者 淘宝搜索直接打开

2. They have other models with more powerful CPU. For example, the following model is with 13th gen Intel CPU, with quad Intel X710 10G NIC or quad Intel E810 25G NIC, pretty expensive though.

【淘宝】https://m.tb.cn/h.gfh77k5cmSa9GQ9?tk=xzHnWyUDU9w CZ3458 「倍控13代1U机架式工控机电脑软路由25G万兆100G网卡POE供电I9-13900爱快多播服务器Centos乌班图5G物联网」
点击链接直接打开 或者 淘宝搜索直接打开

 

[xiaofan]

Posting this here again to poison @xiaofan

MS-01 with X710 NIC 4x SFP+, 2x RJ45 2.5Gbps
3x M.2 2280
1x M.2 2230 wifi (replace with Google Coral)

I am comparing this with a bigger desktop which may have better expansion capability.

For 10G capable PCs, my original plan is to go with Mac Mini + Mini PC.

1) Higher end -- Mac Mini, currently using Mac Mini M1 (8G/256GB version) 2020 model. I have a plan to buy a new one (WiFi 7 + 10G NIC option) in year 2025 or 2026.

2) Low end -- currently I have a few Intel N100 based Mini PCs. Originally the next step for 10G is to get one based on Intel N305 or U300E. But now I am openning to the idea of buying a higher-spec mini PC with Intel Gen12/13/14th or similar AMD laptop grade CPUs.

3) Still looking at the price of MS-01, I started to wonder whether it would be a better idea to buy a desktop instead where I can buy my own 10G NICs.

 

[xiaofan]

R86S-N305C with 25G NIC (Mellanox CX4421A) iperf3 testing.



Interesting info about R86S series.

R86S采用的光口网卡型号
● G、U系列的万兆网卡采用的是Mellanox CX341A 10G光口网卡（拆机）
● N系列中的N100A、N100B、N305A、N305B采用的是全新的intel 82599 10G光口网卡
● N系列中的N305C采用的是拆机的Mellanox CX4421A 25G网卡（拆机），我们今天来谈的就是这款网卡，当然后期也可以选配给G、U或者其他的N系列主机上。

 

[xiaofan]

Cheaper N305 mini PC with dual SFP+ 10G ports, MiniRoute R1 N305


Official Taobao shop
【淘宝】https://m.tb.cn/h.ggcKGgiYjXMW2H3?tk=SNYdWznWHIQ MF3543 「超迷R1万兆10G软路由原生板载双光双电四网迷你主机工控机82599ES」
点击链接直接打开 或者 淘宝搜索直接打开

 

[quantumhz]

If one were to upgrade one's network with Energy Efficiency, Silence (Noise) and Performance in that order, what would the options look like?

The MS-01 doesn't look too quiet. Perhaps something like this...
https://www.servethehome.com/the-ev...ter-and-nas-appliance-qotom-qnap-teamgroup/5/

 

[xiaofan]

If one were to upgrade one's network with Energy Efficiency, Silence (Noise) and Performance in that order, what would the options look like?
The MS-01 doesn't look too quiet. Perhaps something like this...
https://www.servethehome.com/the-ev...ter-and-nas-appliance-qotom-qnap-teamgroup/5/

I tend to think the Atom C3758 CPU is just too weak even though the networking performance may be okay. Maybe it is good to run as baremetal for pfSense but not really a good home server. I may be wrong though.

Qotom 深圳千度 may be a bit famous for the international market but I do not see good reviews inside mainland China.

Taobao link.
【淘宝】https://m.tb.cn/h.ggcCYRPfDrv7pzt?tk=UgDoWzn83qV ZH4920 「凌动C3758多网口机器视觉 光口 万兆网口SFP+家庭服务器 Q20332G9」
点击链接直接打开 或者 淘宝搜索直接打开

 

[xiaofan]

This guy is really preparing for future Homelab with shielded CAT6A + 12 cores Fibre cable.
[But his advice is to avoid CAT6A]. He also shows how to use expensive Fluke network test equipment to test CAT6A cable.
BTW, I think he is using Ubiquiti Unifi gateways+ APs for home network

His home also has many Smart Home devices.

 

[TanKianW]

This guy is really preparing for future Homelab with shielded CAT6A + 12 cores Fibre cable.
[But his advice is to avoid CAT6A]. He also shows how to use expensive Fluke network test equipment to test CAT6A cable.
BTW, I think he is using Ubiquiti Unifi gateways+ APs for home network

His home also has many Smart Home devices.

If you want a full-suite sustainable smart home with resiliency (or high availability), this should be the way to go with the overall infra in mind during planning.

Consideration and knowledge (skill set) should preferably span over server hosting, networking, storage and IoT devices. All must work seamlessly together with lots of advanced planning + reading up. Normally it will require you to build some form of homelab for experimenting (prior). Unless your requirements are “能用就好“。Then simply just buy OTS and use it, then trash.

I can say.....this initial planning and implementation phase is not for the faint of hearts. If anything screws up along the way or down the line, you need to troubleshoot and tackle it on your own. Even for homeowners with strong networking knowledge, it may not be an easy feat. Some owners are good DIY IoTs (hands-on) builders but do not possess advanced networking/security knowledge. Some are good in networking but not in advanced storage solutions or DIY IoTs.​

 

[morimorimori]

File under stupid things we buy at 3 in the morning. I don't even have any wifi7/ 6ghz equipment... guess thats next on the shopping list.

Pole and plywood is for temporary location testing.

 

[Henry Ng]

File under stupid things we buy at 3 in the morning. I don't even have any wifi7/ 6ghz equipment... guess thats next on the shopping list.

Pole and plywood is for temporary location testing.

In near future will sure have wifi 7 devices la.

 

[Mach3.2]

In near future will sure have wifi 7 devices la.

in the future wifi 7 APs will also become cheaper as tech matures

 

[hwzlite]

File under stupid things we buy at 3 in the morning. I don't even have any wifi7/ 6ghz equipment... guess thats next on the shopping list.

Pole and plywood is for temporary location testing.

: Aesthetically, maybe can beg bro @TanKianW help 3Dprint bracket color-matching your pole

 

[Henry Ng]

: Aesthetically, maybe can beg bro @TanKianW help 3Dprint bracket color-matching your pole

This is temporary to test whether the location is suitable and after the location is confirmed, it will be fixed to the ceiling.

 

[Henry Ng]

SH network team keep ignoring our complain and ready do not care at all. Very angry la.

 

[xiaofan]

Some 10G NICs that worth considering:
From left to right: Intel X540-T2 with NVMe combo card (requires PCIe bifurcation), 10Gtek Intel X550-T2, 10Gtek Intel X520-DA1 (SFP+), (OEM) Intel X520-DA2, Chelsio T520-LL-CR (low latency).

Hardwarezone article also links to this picture.
https://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/fea...d-system-networking-wi-fi-router-requirements

Question: some of the cards may not be well supported by Intel for Windows 11.
https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-adapter-driver-for-microsoft-windows-11.html

Intel Windows 10 driver packages may support more cards (eg: Intel 82599EN/Intel82599ES and Intel X520)
https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-adapter-driver-for-microsoft-windows-11.html

But it is said that you can use Windows 10 driver for Windows 11 for un-supported NICs (eg: Intel 82599EN/Intel82599ES and Intel X520) but I guess it is better to use official supported NICs if you use Windows 11 (Intel X550 and X710).

 

[enig.ma]

Wah this is such a cool thread - following it closely. Something I would've loved to build when I was young (and had the time, but no funds...!).

 

[TanKianW]

Hardwarezone article also links to this picture.
https://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/fea...d-system-networking-wi-fi-router-requirements

Question: some of the cards may not be well supported by Intel for Windows 11.
https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-adapter-driver-for-microsoft-windows-11.html

Intel Windows 10 driver packages may support more cards (eg: Intel 82599EN/Intel82599ES and Intel X520)
https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-adapter-driver-for-microsoft-windows-11.html

But it is said that you can use Windows 10 driver for Windows 11 for un-supported NICs (eg: Intel 82599EN/Intel82599ES and Intel X520) but I guess it is better to use official supported NICs if you use Windows 11 (Intel X550 and X710).

Been running my Intel X520 since launch of Win11 to date (maybe also since Win7). No probs. A proven 10G NIC for me. My day to day admin desktop (Win11) driver using X520 too.

X520 also has great compatibility for Linux and FreeBSD too, not just Windows (least of my concern and use case). Build quite a few servers and workstation using it too.​

 

[morimorimori]

Got refurb x520 2port from 10gtek shopee. Still working well. Only downside is its a x8 lane card.