Server NIC card - change network performance?

Z

Zippy_Dan

n00b
Joined
Apr 6, 2010
Messages
14
For one of my businesses our DHCP Server, DNS Server, and Active Directory controller are all the same machine (running Windows 2008 Standard R2). Below is the motherboard that is in the machine, and shows the NIC that we currently use for all active directory, DHCP, and DNS requests/traffic:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131823

Would either of the below cards improve "performance" in ANY way over using the onboard NIC in the above listed MOBO?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106011&Tpk=N82E16833106011

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106010&Tpk=N82E16833106010

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
So your using a desktop grade board to run server grade business critical components?

Do you have at least 2 DC's for backup and redundancy?

None of the roles use much bandwidth, so no, you wont see any performance gains that you would notice.
 
Yes and no. The motherboard uses the Realtek RTL8111E PHY. It's more functional than people often give them credit, but something based on an Intel chipset would be better and not necessarily all that expensive. Not every transfer type will be better, but they do handle large workloads better than the Realtek's do and have a lot better management tools included with them / downloadable from Intel's website. They also support adapter teaming, fault tolerance, etc. So technically the Intel is better, but it depends on the workloads. Small files transfers can actually sometimes be faster on the Realtek though that performance typically comes at the cost of CPU utilization. If you feel you have performance issues with that setup then I'm going to go out on a limb and say it isn't your network card. It's your disk I/O. I don't know what it is, but if your motherboard is basically an off the shelf, consumer / enthusiast board then I'd wager your disk setup is too.
 
Last edited:
This server is NOT a fileserver we use the Iomega NAS:

http://go.iomega.com/en-us/products...hard-drive-ix4-200d-cloud/#tech_specsItem_tab

for storing ALL information. HOWEVER, I have that configured to use Active Directory Permissions to manage the shares. As such the network route to access each file/folder everytime (I would think) would have to include the Active Directory controller.....

Many files we store on their are graphic files and are large (sometimes files as large as 2 - 3GB's most files though are around 400MB - 500MB's)

We have about 6 active users on the network, that utilize DHCP, DNS, or other assorted services from the Active Directory controller (which is ALSO the Symantec Endpoint Protection MANAGER for the network).
 
6 users?
You could have that server on a 10 meg hub...and it wouldn't matter.

I have many reasons to dislike Realsuk..I mean...realtec NICs....but impact on the performance of a basic infrastructure server for a 6 users network....nope..not at all.
 
Desktop grade motherboard and an iomega NAS, what could possibly go wrong? Lol. What do you mean by performance? Like copying files? Opening files? Logging in?
 
/usr/home said:
Desktop grade motherboard and an iomega NAS, what could possibly go wrong? Lol. What do you mean by performance? Like copying files? Opening files? Logging in?
Click to expand...

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. The only thing going for him is that the network's user base is really small.
 
Can you guys really vouch for that "server grade" is more reliable by looking at the components themselves? You do get better support, faster warranty repairs and lists with certified components if you look at a plain tower server although reliability of the motherboard itself can vary highly in my experience. Additionally you may get ECC memory (doesn't always apply), hotswap bays etc but that doesn't really have anything to do with reliability itself i.e whether it works or not. Same goes for NAS, countless have admitted that they use Hitachi 5K3000 at work and that is for sure not an enterprise model or even nearline SAS and that works out fine in many cases. I'm also sure that both Qnap and Synology uses Marvell SOCs in their entry SBS models which is what they use in their consumer grade models. In short, non business/server grade hardware may work out fine but keep in mind for more lengthy repairs if it brakes.

As for the original question, what is the performance issue to begin with?

//Danne
 
Can be true, how hard do we push our "desktop" boards with overclocking and such....
 
diizzy said:
lengthy repairs if it brakes.
Click to expand...

//cough cough....

"breaks".

But to your point of vouching for server grade versus el cheapo/consumer grade...uhm, yeah...week after week, month after month, year after year....I see examples of server grade coming out ahead, and el cheapo home grade falling short if you ask too much of it...all_the_time. No question of marginal or opinion...but sheer volumes of the answer "yes" all the time.
Across every component of the system.
*Power supplies
*Hard drives..expected life, performance, lack of performance degradation over time
*RAID controllers..here is a HUGE one that always provides a very clear example. Real hardware based RAID controllers versus shit onboard fake-raid controllers
*Motherboards, respective chipsets..and stability of performance
*NICs. Not so apparent in just a DC, but in servers that provide large file access to many users

The decision should me more along the line of "at what point do we need true server grade".....and as expressed earlier in this thread..for a tiny network of just 6 clients...you don't need much for just a DC here. Heck a little ultra small form factor Atom unit with a gig of RAM and 10Base-T NIC would suffice.
 
Your NAS is your limiting factor not the server. Authentication and Authorization takes practically no time or resources at all.

How is the NAS setup? RAID5? Also do you have AV scanning exemptions for the files on the NAS?
 
I don't mean to offend, but those iomega NAS devices are complete shit. I tried one out for work and wow, it was bad. Trying to get iSCSI to work as a pain and it kept randomly disconnecting from the server and it even erased a bunch of data on the array for no reason. The interface was brutal and the write/read speeds were bad too.
 
I'd rather use an Intel nic, but your setup has too many other bottlenecks. The realtec nic card is probably not a limiting factor.
 
/usr/home said:
I don't mean to offend, but those iomega NAS devices are complete shit. I tried one out for work and wow, it was bad. Trying to get iSCSI to work as a pain and it kept randomly disconnecting from the server and it even erased a bunch of data on the array for no reason. The interface was brutal and the write/read speeds were bad too.
Click to expand...

Every consumer level NAS I've ever seen is a complete piece of shit. Some are less shitty than others, but they are almost all fairly bad. Fine for home users sharing family photos to be plastered all over Facebook. For most other uses, not so much.
 
Server-Grade is designed for and verified against common server scenarios- Dense stacking, heat tolerance, fault tolerance, accesibility in a rack- everything from lockable front panels to vents only on the front and rear.
Desktop grade is designed for and verified against... common desktop environments- room for airflow, light workloads, aesthetics, etc.
Just from a standpoint of right tool for the job, the argument is done. CYA? Clear choice. Professionalism? No riddle here.
If none of the above matter to you, you're going to do what you want anyways, so just take pictures and tell us the story when it fails.

Intel NICs are handy for removing all doubts. Dan_D gave a very nice rundown on the Realtek.
 
Not enterprise, but for SMB non-critical stuff I link QNAP boxes. They also integrate permissions into AD nicely.
 
Dan_D said:
Every consumer level NAS I've ever seen is a complete piece of shit. Some are less shitty than others, but they are almost all fairly bad. Fine for home users sharing family photos to be plastered all over Facebook. For most other uses, not so much.
Click to expand...

I love my Synology 712+ to death. It's more business grade, but rock-solid.
 
@ Dan_D
I grabbed a few iConnects by Iomega and while they aren't the fastest things on earth they work very well with OpenWRT so I wouldn't say that all consumer models are crap.
//Danne
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top