Anyone have experience mixing Cisco and HP 10GbE?

[XavierMace]

Disclaimer: This is for a home lab, don't care about warranties, etc and buying new isn't happening.

A bit of a long shot here, but I'm hoping somebody may have run into this.

I've got a ProCurve 5406ZL (latest firmware) with two of the J8707A 4 port 10GbE X2 switch modules. I've got one HP J8436A transceiver (SR-SC) and it works great. My desktop is happily being fed by 10GbE.

But hoping to do this on the cheap (yeah, I know 10GbE and cheap are mutually exclusive) and I've got three servers that "need" to be hooked up too. The HP modules are $100 on eBay but I can get Cisco branded X2 SR-SC modules for $30. That's far more appealing, IF they work. The powers of Google aren't giving me much info here.

Help me AT, you're my only hope.

 

[drebo]

HP vendor locks their optics and does not provide a software override like Cisco does.

I would not expect it to work.

 

[CubanlB]

Edit: Beat to the punch.

No personal experience with HP Procurve stuff but this thread seems to indicate that it would be a no go.

http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/cisco/nsp/127186

 

[azazel1024]

It is a no go as mentioned. HP cockblocks, I mean vendor locks their stuff.

One of the reasons why I steer clear of HP, it isn't necessarily cheaper in the end, even when getting used.

Do the servers each have a pair of 10GbE ports? If so and they have 24/7 uptime, you could bridge the connections and make a super fast, poor man's 10Gbps token ring. Server A to Server B, Server B to Server C, Server C to Server D, Server D to network switch.

 

[XavierMace]

*sigh*

That's what I was afraid of. I was holding out some sort due to the usage of "HP has started locking down", I was hoping this equipment might be old enough to squeak by.

Regarding the token ring, yes they are all dual port, but one of the boxes is all of the way across the house, don't really want to run a second cable. Plus ESXI complains about only having one NIC.

Thanks guys.