looking for gigabit network appliances

[Maxim Khitrov]

On Sun, Mar 27, 2011 at 9:16 AM, Paul Schenkeveld <freebsd at psconsult.nl> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I've been happily using many Soekris network appliances for almost 10
> years now but Soekris is not in a big hurry to come with a gigabit
> platform :(
>
> So I am looking for for a decent network appliance platform to start
> replacing Soekris boxes.  On my wish list are:
>
>  - Can run FreeBSD >= 8.2 (i386 or amd64).
>  - Models with 4 to 8 (or more) network interfaces, at least 4 gigabit
>    but all gigabit is better.  Preferrably Intel em or igb chips.
>  - Preferrably a choice of low power CPUs (Intel Atom D510/D525?) and
>    more powerful CPUs (Core 2/Xeon)
>  - Bootable from flash or (SATA 2,5") SSD
>  - 1U rackmount models available but preferrably also small passively
>    cooled desktop boxes.
>  - Serial console preferrable over VGA console.
>  - IPMI would be a plus but not absolutely required.
>  - Distribution channel in Europe.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Paul Schenkeveld

I spent the past few months looking for the same thing in US.
Unfortunately, I haven't found any existing devices that meet those
criteria. The Soekris net6501 [1] should be out some time this year,
as you may already know, but there has been very little information
about the time frame.

In the end, I decided to build my own system, which would meet most of
your requirements. The components are listed below:

Motherboard:  Supermicro X7SPA-HF-D525 (Atom D525)
Memory:       Crucial CT2KIT25664BC1067 (2x2GB DDR3 1066)
Network Card: Intel E1G44HT (4-port gigabit)
SSD:          OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTXE60G
Enclosure:    Thermaltake Element Q VL52021N2U

The final price for all components was ~$680.

I've had no problems setting up FreeBSD 8.2 amd64 on this box. The
system has 6 gigabit ports total (2 em, 4 igb). There is IPMI with
KVM-over-IP on em0. No issues with my choice of SSD, though I've now
added a hot-swap 3.5" enclosure in the 5.25" bay, which will have a
mechanical drive for backup purposes.

You'll have to look around for a 1U enclosure. My case has a single
fan in the power supply, which I don't mind. It's impossible to hear
and creates a tiny bit of airflow right over the CPU heat sink. If you
don't want any moving parts at all, take a look at picoPSU from
mini-box.com.

- Max

[1] http://www.soekris.com/net6501.htm