Question TP-Link TX-401 10GbE-T PCI-E 3.0 x4 card (also NBase-T)

[VirtualLarry]

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-TX401-Ethernet-Supports-Including/dp/B08D71PVXG/

Just saw this, I think that it's a new product. Was interesting to me, that it's PCI-E 3.0 x4, which means that it's a really new chipset. (Wasn't able to determine which one via the Amazon page/reviews.)

Was thinking of maybe picking a few up. Right after I already bought some some 2.5GbE-T switches.

 

[sdifox]

You should just go 40gbps fiber instead of constantly replacing your network. Look at what is available on ebay

Mellanox ConnectX 40Gb/s PCI-e InfiniBand Adapter Card MHGS18-XTC | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Mellanox ConnectX 40Gb/s PCI-e InfiniBand Adapter Card MHGS18-XTC at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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Dell F464M M1000e Mellanox M3601Q 40Gb 32 Port Infiniband Switch | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell F464M M1000e Mellanox M3601Q 40Gb 32 Port Infiniband Switch at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[mxnerd]

Probably be like all other 10GBaseT ethernet cards available on the market, chipset is Aquantia (now marvell) AQC107.

download the driver https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/tx401/
look for file aqnic650.inf

 

[VirtualLarry]

I discovered that the Comfast brand AQC107-based 10GbE/nbase-T card is ~$75 direct from Comfast (username "comfast" on ebay), overseas shipping.

Full-cover heatsink, though, card looks really nice.

I've had good luck with my various Comfast AC Wifi USB adapters.

 

[fkoehler]

I LOL'd, but agree.

Larry, bite the bullet and sell your 2.5's and get:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/383888711506?hash=item59618cdf52:g:s-0AAOSwif9f85do&LH_BIN=1

4x10Gb SFP's, or you could toss in some copper ones.
Actually, just looked and you can get 10Gb Twinax on Amazon for $10-20 depending upon length.

You should just go 40gbps fiber instead of constantly replacing your network. Look at what is available on ebay

 

[Shmee]

Funny, I was just doing a search on 10Gb NICs and came across that. I also found the Asus XG-C100C. Both use the AQC107. I am tempted to pick some up. My concern is I would need to buy transceivers for my switch, (a Zyxel XGS1210-12) to utilize the 10Gb speeds. Also, I am not sure how well it would work with my freenas, I would probably have to redo the drivers, or at least upgrade to TrueNas core, which I just learned was a thing.

Any thoughts here from networking experts?

 

[ch33zw1z]

Funny, I was just doing a search on 10Gb NICs and came across that. I also found the Asus XG-C100C. Both use the AQC107. I am tempted to pick some up. My concern is I would need to buy transceivers for my switch, (a Zyxel XGS1210-12) to utilize the 10Gb speeds. Also, I am not sure how well it would work with my freenas, I would probably have to redo the drivers, or at least upgrade to TrueNas core, which I just learned was a thing.

Any thoughts here from networking experts?

WRT True as, just like freenas, check the hardware compatibility list. Last time I looked, you could find 10gbe adapters supported by truenas for $100 or less on ebay.

IIRC, the Intel x520 cards should work ok

 

[mxnerd]

Looks like Aquantia uploads its FreeBSD (which FreeNAS based on) driver 2 years ago and never updates it.

GitHub - Aquantia/aqtion-freebsd: Aquantia AQC multigigabit NIC FreeBSD driver - development preview

Aquantia AQC multigigabit NIC FreeBSD driver - development preview - Aquantia/aqtion-freebsd

github.com

As ch33 has suggested, why not just buy Intel X520-DA1 / X520-DA2 adapter + 10G DAC cable?

10Gb Ethernet NIC PCIe recommendation

I'm looking for a hardware recommendation … I’ve got two machines (located close to each other) that are directly connected with their onboard 1Gb ethernet NICs. However, now that I’ve upgraded both of these machines to NVMe SSD, that 1 Gbps connection becomes a serious bottleneck. Therefore I...

forums.freebsd.org

 

[Shmee]

So I did do a bit more research, and apparently Realtek and Aquantia controllers are supported in Truenas Core with the system tuneables. On my Freenas in current version, I did get the Realtek NIC rosewill card working with the driver and updating the loader.conf file. Obviously using these would not be hassle free, but I don't mind tinkering and learning, which can be part of the fun.

That said, I would love to get a good Intel 10GbE-T based NIC for a similar price if possible. The concern though might be warranty. Due to the systems they would go in, they should probably be PCIe gen 3 x4 interface. Though the NAS is using a board limited to PCIe gen 2, this shouldn't be an issue. Also, I would prefer if the NICs also support 5GbE-T and 2.5GbE-T.

For reference, the NAS is using a Gigabyte GA-X58-UD5 motherboard with 18GB of RAM and a Xeon X5660. The data drives are 5 WD Red Pro 4TB drives in Z1. They are connected to the SATA II based ICH10R south bridge on the board.

I would prefer to use existing copper CAT6 cables, and use the 10Gb ports on my existing switch, with compatible transceivers, which I could use recommendations on. Of course, this is assuming I actually upgrade to 10Gb. Is it possible that 5Gb network connections would not bottleneck transfers to/from the NAS, given the drives and system specs? This might be a way to save money, though if going for any upgrade, it seems best to right to 10Gb.

All that said, any links for a good deal on said equipment? Thanks again for advice.

 

[Shmee]

Hmm, so here is an idea. After additional research, it looks like the Intel X550-T1 or X540-T1 is what I would want. I found an X540-T1 for about $75, that could go in the NAS, and I found an X550-T1 for about $180, which could go in the main desktop.

Alternatively, since the desktop runs Windows 10 and not FreeBSD, I could go with a cheaper Aquantia based NIC to save money on that side. The reason the desktop should have an x4 interface card, is due to the slot it would go into is only x4 from the PCH. The desktop is in my sig, obviously using an X570 Meg Ace motherboard. The NAS would do fine with an x8 card I figure due to having plenty of lanes available. I suppose I could try an X540-T1 in my desktop and just not use 4 of the lanes? I would just be slightly hesitant in this, concerned about weird potential compatibility issues putting a PCIe gen 2 x8 card in a PCIe gen 4 x4 slot.

EDIT: I was considering ordering these items:

Intel Ethernet X540-T1 Single Converged Network Adapter X540-T1 | eBay

· All products being sold are used, unless otherwise stated.

www.ebay.com

Amazon.com: 10G SFP+ RJ45 Copper Transceiver, 2 Pack 10GBase-T RJ-45 SFP+ Module for Cisco SFP-10G-T-S, Ubiquiti UF-RJ45-10G, D- Link, Supermicro, Netgear, Mikrotik, TP-Link, Broadcom (CAT6a/CAT7, 30m): Electronics

Buy 10G SFP+ RJ45 Copper Transceiver, 2 Pack 10GBase-T RJ-45 SFP+ Module for Cisco SFP-10G-T-S, Ubiquiti UF-RJ45-10G, D- Link, Supermicro, Netgear, Mikrotik, TP-Link, Broadcom (CAT6a/CAT7, 30m): Network Transceivers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: TP-Link 10GB PCIe Network Card (TX401)-PCIe to 10 Gigabit Ethernet Network Adapter,Supports Windows 10/8.1/8/7, Windows Servers 2019/2016/2012 R2, and Linux, Including a CAT6A Ethernet Cable: Computers & Accessories

Buy TP-Link 10GB PCIe Network Card (TX401)-PCIe to 10 Gigabit Ethernet Network Adapter, Supports Windows 10/8.1/8/7, Windows Servers 2019/2016/2012 R2, and Linux, Including a CAT6A Ethernet Cable: Network Cards - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[mxnerd]

All info googled.

Intel x540

Intel® Ethernet Technology

See how you can move data faster and accelerate delivery of new services and capabilities with Intel® Ethernet Technology.

www.intel.com

They only operate in ether 1G or 10G, no newer 2.5G or 5G support.

According to

PCIe X8 vs. X4 slot speeds for 10Gb fiber

I'm just playing around while gathering up the hardware to add 10Gb connections for two desktops and my FreeNAS machine. So far I have two Chelsio S310E-CR cards, two Chelsio SM10G-SR transceivers and a 2M length of OM3 cable. I installed one card in my desktop rig and one card in my FreeNAS...

www.truenas.com

not the same card, but a x8 PCIe adapter should work in a x4 open-ended slot (Your MSI Meg Ace motherboard has a x16 slot (PCI_E5) but only x4 signal).

Your RAID Z1 setup performance.

https://calomel.org/zfs_raid_speed_capacity.html

5x 4TB, raidz1 (raid5), 15.0 TB, w=469MB/s , rw=79MB/s , r=598MB/s

it will not saturate 10G link.

Aquantia chipset apparently has better Windows support then Linux, so that wouldn't be problem for your workstation.

Whether the transceiver will work with your switch, better consult Zyxel or seller.

 

[Shmee]

Thanks, I think all seems pretty solid then, the only question is possible transceiver compatibility with switch. Just for clarity, I plan on putting the TP Link card in the Windows 10 computer with the X570 Meg Ace, and the Intel X540-T1 in the NAS with X58 motherboard.

I can do without 5Gb and 2.5Gb support on the NAS, especially if I can save money on a solid Intel 10Gb card. Though 10Gb link will not be saturated, this seems like the right upgrade to make if any, and it will still improve transfer performance.

I may pull the trigger soon, and if so I will see what happens

 

[mxnerd]

Just for clarity, I plan on putting the TP Link card in the Windows 10 computer with the X570 Meg Ace, and the Intel X540-T1 in the NAS with X58 motherboard.

Yep, that's correct.

 

[Shmee]

Well I went ahead and ordered, but ended up getting slightly different transceivers that were reported to work with my switch by other buyers. Now to wait.