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    Choosing hardware based on throughput performance

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    • N
      nikkon
      last edited by

      Ideally 2 more for a nas lagg  :P

      pfsense 2.3.4 on Supermicro A1SRi-2758F + 8GB ECC + SSD

      Happy PfSense user :)

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • ?
        Guest
        last edited by

        A1SAi-2758F + sc101i case must be the choice.

        I personally was also thinking exactly at first likes you!
        You have 4 common, mainly or mostly used case free to choose from for that board.
        1U Rackmount

        • 1U SC505-203 with Front I/O (Ports)
        • 1U SC504-203 with Rear I/O Ports
          Mini-ITX
        • Mini-ITX SC101i with Front Ports
        • SC721TQ-250B Mini-ITX Tower (But with 1 PCIe Slot outbreak)
        • The M350 Mini-ITX also without an PCIe Slot outbreak

        The only concern is now if i can add an extra network adaptor on pci-e.

        This might be not really able with the mini ITX form factor for the case.
        But if you perhaps swap over to a 1U chassis or case, there are more way to help you out.
        I don´t know from where you are nikkon and what are the price for this hardware will be
        that you have to pay for it but Supermicro offers also other boards in other form factors.
        So let us imagine you would tend to a 1U form factor then you could go with this one.
        A1SRM-LN7F-2758
        C2758
        8 Cores

        • 1 Intel IPMI LAN Port
        • 7 Intel GB LAN Ports
          AES-NI & QuickAssist
          8 GB LAN Ports direct on the mainboard no other cards are needed
          mSATA Slot (half high) direct on the mainboard no expensive SSD is needed
          Normal DDR3 RAM modules can be used and not the more expensive SO-DIMMs

        If you need more GB LAN ports or perhaps different Ports for your appliance you
        might be happy with this appliances from Axiomtek, they will be not cheap but comes
        with some interesting features on top and also more Ports as usual.
        Axiomtek NA361 C2358 Dual Core
        Axiomtek NA361R C2558 Quad Core or C2758 8 Core
        In the middle of the NA361R are a module bay to insert modules for the NA361R.
        - VPN Modul
        - 4 SFP+
        - 4 RJ45 PoE
        - 8 RJ45
        - 8 SFP

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        • N
          nikkon
          last edited by

          i deviced to get supermicro case SC101i and another ethernet adaptor for wan only:  INTEL Gigabit CT or http://www.supermicro.nl/products/accessories/addon/AOC-CGP-i2.cfm
          hope to be enought space in the case for it.
          any other ideas? pci-express 8x ?

          pfsense 2.3.4 on Supermicro A1SRi-2758F + 8GB ECC + SSD

          Happy PfSense user :)

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • ?
            Guest
            last edited by

            or http://www.supermicro.nl/products/accessories/addon/AOC-CGP-i2.cfm

            Is this then for the PCIe Slot on the A1SRi-2758F? Is this compatible together?

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • N
              nikkon
              last edited by

              I belive they are. Still need to confirm with super micro dealer.

              pfsense 2.3.4 on Supermicro A1SRi-2758F + 8GB ECC + SSD

              Happy PfSense user :)

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • K
                Keljian
                last edited by

                Why don't you get a secondhand pair of Chelsio 310s or Mellanox connectx-2 cards and whack one in the pfsense box?

                Or just get a Chelsio t420 for pfsense ($75-80USD on eBay) and Mellanox (Connectx-2 - $19USD) for your server.

                10gig is much easier than lagg.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • N
                  nikkon
                  last edited by

                  I have 2 concerns here :
                  -how's gonna sell this in romania

                  • if will feat in the case

                  pfsense 2.3.4 on Supermicro A1SRi-2758F + 8GB ECC + SSD

                  Happy PfSense user :)

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • K
                    Keljian
                    last edited by

                    @nikkon:

                    I have 2 concerns here :
                    -how's gonna sell this in romania

                    • if will feat in the case
                    • EBay sellers will ship to Romania.
                    • With a low profile bracket, and some dremelling, you'll get a chelsio t420 in that case, it's a very small card. (100mm. x 69mm), you won't find much smaller that isn't specific (like the card mentioned above). The 4xPci-e slot will be able to keep up with the two 10gbe ports.
                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • N
                      NegativeEntropy
                      last edited by

                      @nikkon:

                      …
                      Got this task to choose a box for a fast wan connection (1000 Mbps fiber).
                      ...
                      Forgot to tell you : wan will be over PPPoE
                      ...

                      Careful with Rangely and this set of conditions. According to here: https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=100900.0

                      PPOE connections are currently limited to a single core for some of the related CPU load. On the Rangely SoC, this then limits throughput to less than 1 Gigabit. According to the link and the linke thread(s), you'd need a faster CPU (i.e. more single core performance) to be able to use the full Gigabit.

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • ?
                        Guest
                        last edited by

                        @NegativeEntropy:

                        @nikkon:

                        …
                        Got this task to choose a box for a fast wan connection (1000 Mbps fiber).
                        ...
                        Forgot to tell you : wan will be over PPPoE
                        ...

                        Careful with Rangely and this set of conditions. According to here: https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=100900.0

                        PPOE connections are currently limited to a single core for some of the related CPU load. On the Rangely SoC, this then limits throughput to less than 1 Gigabit. According to the link and the linke thread(s), you'd need a faster CPU (i.e. more single core performance) to be able to use the full Gigabit.

                        If he gets a real or pure fiber modem (not a router) he could set up the data inside if the modem and then he
                        gets a better or a faster throughput. So this problem can be pushed away or solved out, for sure not in all cases
                        but many where the ISP is using for that pure modems or the router is able to be setup in the so called "bridged mode".

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • JailerJ
                          Jailer
                          last edited by

                          @nikkon:

                          Ideally 2 more for a nas lagg  :P

                          http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Atom/X10/A1SRM-LN7F-2758.cfm

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • N
                            nikkon
                            last edited by

                            anyone has any clue how many pps can handle this kinda of setup? the one i asked for (c2758 based)
                            I was just reading some reviews for Vyos and miktorik and they look impresive.

                            pfsense 2.3.4 on Supermicro A1SRi-2758F + 8GB ECC + SSD

                            Happy PfSense user :)

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • ?
                              Guest
                              last edited by

                              I was just reading some reviews for Vyos and miktorik

                              Ok for sure this might be a total other thing to go with different OS!
                              If this both named OS are doing the usage of multicore instead of the single Core usage
                              by going  to use pppoe, this would be really able to see  an impressive goal or number of pps.

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • N
                                nikkon
                                last edited by

                                I know Pfsense uses only 1 core for PPPoE…. For now I hope.
                                Waiting for a testfix in the near future.

                                pfsense 2.3.4 on Supermicro A1SRi-2758F + 8GB ECC + SSD

                                Happy PfSense user :)

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • Z
                                  zax123
                                  last edited by

                                  I'm in the same boat.

                                  I need a rig that can run 1gigabit fiber without choking.  I currently have an AMD G-T40E and it tops out at about 350mbps.

                                  Pricing out the Supermicro with memory and a case and an SSD comes to something like $500 US.  Am I the only one who thinks that's a lot of money for a router?

                                  Is there no cheaper way to do it and still take advantage of 1gigabit WAN?

                                  I also run 3 IPSEC VPN tunnels…

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • ?
                                    Guest
                                    last edited by

                                    I'm in the same boat.

                                    Likes many peoples

                                    I need a rig that can run 1gigabit fiber without choking.

                                    There are so many out of them that we can´t really count and name them here all, but for sure a
                                    bunch of should be placed for you here.

                                    I currently have an AMD G-T40E and it tops out at about 350mbps.

                                    Hmm, just curious we got something around till ~550 MBit/s and ~650 MBit/s - ~750 MBit/s
                                    with enabled PowerD (Hi adaptive. Sometimes and surely pending on the configuration it might
                                    be good to set up a higher mbuf size. (measured with iPerf from PC (on the WAN Port) to PC (on the LAN Port)

                                    Pricing out the Supermicro with memory and a case and an SSD comes to something
                                    like $500 US.  Am I the only one who thinks that's a lot of money for a router?

                                    Not really alone, but if you need only a capable routing device you might be better going
                                    with a dedicated router software likes OpenWRT or DD-WRT, pfSense is a fully featured
                                    software firewall that can be turned with ease to a full UTM device!!! It depends on what
                                    services you might be offering to your network and how many packets you will be installing
                                    and on top how many functions and options given by pfSense will be turned on.

                                    I also run 3 IPSEC VPN tunnels…

                                    This is to less input I think.
                                    Offered services, activated functions, turned on options, used features, installed packets, number of
                                    rules, DMZ & LAN devices and switches, users, CP, Proxy, DPI, IDS/IPS and other things on top likes
                                    needed throughput on WAN, VPN and LAN or DMZ would be fine to know.

                                    Is there no cheaper way to do it and still take advantage of 1gigabit WAN?

                                    For sure it is and there is a really great amount of devices that could match your wish for sure!
                                    At first I want to tell you that the pfSense store is combining the best out of from both "worlds"
                                    the PC Engines APU boards 3 miniPCIe slots + 1 SIM slot and the Intel Atom C2x58 SoC mostly
                                    to find on the well known Supermicro boards. So the SG-2220 for $299 would be matching also
                                    fine to the small told case of usage.

                                    Budget suggestion 1:
                                    pfSense SG-2220 & miniPCIe WIFi card & M.2 mSATA drive
                                    pfSense shop ready to go and with pre-installed pfSense
                                    ~$299 + add on cards if needed

                                    Budget suggestion 2:
                                    Intel Celeron G3260 @3,2GHz Mini-ITX Board
                                    Is capable to route 1 GBit/s at the WAN port and running snort for sure.

                                    • self made box ~$200 - $300

                                    Most common suggestion:
                                    Intel Celeron J1900 Quad Core CPU based boards often are able to turn the pfSense
                                    both into a real UTM with ease for ~$299 to ~$320 fully assembled and ready to go.

                                    • Jetway board based
                                    • Axiomtek
                                      $299 - $599

                                    alternatively

                                    Intel Bay Trail Dual Core CPU @2,16 GHz with AES-NI
                                    Will be right sorted for a home appliance but very powerful

                                    • Axiomtek
                                    • Jetway boards based
                                      $299 - $599
                                      alternatively

                                    Intel Atom C2358, C2558 or C2758 from Dual Core @1,7GHz to Octa Core @2,4GHz
                                    with AES-NI and Intel QuickAssist
                                    pfSense shop as SG units ~$300 - $600
                                    Supermicro Boards from resellers or amazon ~$500
                                    Axiomtek appliances from resellers or directly from Axiomtek ~$600

                                    Really powerful appliances:
                                    Intel Atom C2758, Intel Xeon D-1540, Intel Xeon E3 or E5 based with AES-NI
                                    partial with Intel QuickAssist support.

                                    • Lanner appliances ~$400 - open end
                                    • Lannic appliances ~$400 - open end
                                    • Axiomtek appliances  ~$800 open end

                                    Axiomtek NA342 (J1900)
                                    Axiomtek NA342R (J1900)
                                    Axiomtek NA361 (C2558 or C2758)
                                    Axiomtek NA361R (C2558 or C2758)

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • N
                                      nikkon
                                      last edited by

                                      I have great expectations from the version 2.2.5 in terms of performance improvement and bigger from 3.x :)
                                      C2758 + 8Gb RAM + SSD + PCI-X 4x intel Gigabit for WAN must be capable to route 1 GBit/s .

                                      pfsense 2.3.4 on Supermicro A1SRi-2758F + 8GB ECC + SSD

                                      Happy PfSense user :)

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • Z
                                        zax123
                                        last edited by

                                        Wow, that was an EXTREMELY comprehensive reply.

                                        Thank you!

                                        I do make use of a lot of pfSense's features, so I don't want to lose pfSense.  I do IGMP proxy, VPN, lots of port mapping, I like debugging tools, etc…

                                        From your list of suggestions, it looks like $500 is the sweet spot for a decent pfSense machine, so I guess I have to go with that.

                                        Which SG unit from pfSense shop would be equivalent to the C2758 SuperMicro board which I will likely go with at the end of all this. :)

                                        Thanks so much for the reply!

                                        Rob

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                                        • Z
                                          zax123
                                          last edited by

                                          @BlueKobold:

                                          I currently have an AMD G-T40E and it tops out at about 350mbps.

                                          Hmm, just curious we got something around till ~550 MBit/s and ~650 MBit/s - ~750 MBit/s
                                          with enabled PowerD (Hi adaptive. Sometimes and surely pending on the configuration it might
                                          be good to set up a higher mbuf size. (measured with iPerf from PC (on the WAN Port) to PC (on the LAN Port)

                                          Out of curiosity, how does one enable PowerD/Hi Adaptive in pfSense?

                                          Thanks!

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • A
                                            Aluminum
                                            last edited by

                                            Unless you are infatuated with having a tiny router, if you really want to leverage the most out of a lucky home with gigabit internet, grab one of the SMB "starter server" deals.

                                            You can often find a couple models with cheap E3 xeons, I often see Lenovo TS140 and Dell T220 in the low $300s or less. Last week there was a killer one day deal for $280: 1225v3 @3.2ghz, 4GB ECC, 1TB HDD, free shipping.
                                            Add a dual port intel 82571 nic for $20 off fleabay, quads not much more. (1000 pro pt, expi9402pt, x3939, nc360t are common variants of the duals)

                                            Those two models for sure are actually quiet (seen a few in person) and relatively efficient for the performance they provide (can't cheat physics) there may be others models and vendor types that are similar.

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