Hi,

I'm planning a 3 node Lenovo 2320-E node. The most it will ever grow, is to a 4 node.



Each node has a 4 x 1/10Gb BaseT network card (IMM/IPMI) connection is separate.



The max number of VM's will probably never exceed 16 (Windows 2008R2/Windows 2016 )



The priority of importance in this case is:

1. Reliability
   
2. Lowest Cost
   
3. Performance
   

Network Config Option 1 (1 switch 1 GB ports only):

1. Purchase 1 switch with dual hot-swap power supplies. (Not to jinx myself, but switches have a low fail rate)
   
2. Setup each node as balance-slb, with 4 x 1Gb BaseT
   

Network Config Option 2 (2 switches 1GB ports only)

1. Purchase 2 switches, each with a single power supply
   
2. Setup each node as balance-slb, with 4 x 1Gb BaseT
   

Network Config Option 3 (1 switch with both 1 & 10Gb BaseT)

1. Purchase a switch that supports mixed 1 & 10Gb BaseT ports
   
2. Setup each node as balance-slb and use 2 x 10Gb (of the 4 ports)
   

My understanding of balance-slb is I will have 4Gb of throughput (4 x 1GB) as opposed to 20Gb (2 x 10GB).



I'm thinking that based on the fact this cluster will never exceed 4 nodes, the client would be better served if I got 2 @ 1 Gb BaseT switches (each with a single power supply) - Network Config Option 2



Thoughts?



Genito