Dell PE 2950 with 4x4x1Gbs Intel Card

JSChasle

I was wondering if that would work, I have an extra 2950 (Dual Xeon with 32Gb of Ram and 6x143Gb SAS Drives)

I want to fill the 4 Riser card with 4 Ports Intel Card (Giving me a total of 16 NICS)

This would serve as a router with PFSense and as my Switch (reason why I want to do this is to have redundant power). So I would have in this 2U setup my WAN (using the 2x1Gbps Onboard from the Dell 2950). Second Nic would be for 2nd internet failover.

The 16 other NICs would act for my switch (and I will need to bridge those I know)

What do you guys think of that setup?

Thanks

Guest

I was wondering if that would work, I have an extra 2950 (Dual Xeon with 32Gb of Ram and 6x143Gb SAS Drives)

Install the pfSense fresh and full on one SAS HDD and don´t use the RAID Controller or a RAID.

I want to fill the 4 Riser card with 4 Ports Intel Card (Giving me a total of 16 NICS)

I don´t know how much traffic must be passing that pfSense box but if this is much, you should be
aware of a dual core pending on the many ports.

This would serve as a router with PFSense and as my Switch

Could be nice in some situations but not in every common case and for many tasks this would be the
last what I am want to realize. pfSense is a x86 software firewall and not a Switch.
A Switch is comming together with many things that will be better then many PCIe NICs, likes a real
CPU and switch or chips that will handle the traffic more stable and fast.

(reason why I want to do this is to have redundant power).

A switch plus a APC UPS is also running well or not?

So I would have in this 2U setup my WAN (using the 2x1Gbps Onboard from the Dell 2950). Second Nic would be for 2nd internet failover.

Ok.

The 16 other NICs would act for my switch (and I will need to bridge those I know)

You can surely do this, but I personally would be aware of using that construct.

What do you guys think of that setup?

Nonsense. Install pfSense and use it as it is, as a firewall till a fully featured UTM appliance.

divsys

Short answer:

You can do what you like with the hardware you have, but:

pfSense is not a switch, nor does it want to be.

You're proposing to use reasonably good hardware in a poorly performing configuration.

You can purchase a 24 port gigabit switch (new or used) for very little money, that will run rings around your proposed config.

heper

don't, just don't

JSChasle

OK Guys thanks for your input.

I will keep my previous setup and won't convert my PE 2550 for this.

Thanks a lot for your inputs.