10GbE iSCSI Switch recommendation for FAS2650 or A200

[infonet]

Hi guys,

since we can't put direct attach servers to FAS, we have to move to iSCSI 10GbE. What would be best recommendation for 2 x 24-port 10Base-T or SFP+ switches for medimu workload on Vmware with 3-4  hosts? I have at my disposal:

- HP line of product like HPE 5700 or Aruba 3810 or 2930M

- Cisco Nexus 3524

but also other suggestions are welcomed. 

FAS will be with SSD drives or possible A200. 

Thanks. 

D

[andris · Accepted solution]

You can't really go wrong with any of those choices.. the things you'd need for handling iSCSI traffic are:

• Jumbo frames (9000+)
• Various forms of flow control capabilities (link, 802.1p, IP-QoS, etc.)
• High-performance, non-blocking switching (ideally, line-rate)
• Low latency (cut-through switching modes get you the lowest numbers, with some sacrifice in isolating CRC errors)
• LACP support for ifgrps/trunking
• Bonus "storm control" features for broadcast/multicast, or even excessive unicast traffic