Networking10Gbps+ LAN Party Tips & Ideas for Setting Up a Sense Router or Server
Networking10Gbps+ LAN Party Tips & Ideas for Setting Up a Sense Router or Server
I’d eliminate the four-port gigabit cards since they’re unnecessary. With stacking switches, the goal is to deliver about 10GB directly to the router. The router’s role should be limited to enabling internet access—no extra routing between clients and local servers. A flat network works best; extend it to /16 if needed. If you need separate networks, ensure your switches are L3-capable and handle routing at the switch level. Reduce pressure on the router/firewall unless you require advanced filtering or IPS/IDS features. The 10GB bottleneck exists because the server will host game servers; using VyOS or iptables on Linux distros should suffice.
Are you experiencing a high-speed internet connection? I’d consider managing traffic flow, as even 200 users wouldn’t require 10GB. In fact, 5,000 users on a 1GB link is common. Generally, streaming at 1080p needs about 20Mbit/s, which is minimal. With 200 users that’s roughly 2Gbit—far beyond typical home usage. Planning for such speeds and limiting bandwidth would be practical.
The illustration you shared supports dual 2x DHCP pools. I mentioned a simple flat network with a layer2 bridge would stop DHCP from assigning gateways. That would represent a completely different setup and diagram. I only included one to save time. Regarding pfSense handling LAN<>LAN traffic between subnets, the data suggests it will generate minimal traffic since devices at the bottom of the chain operate at 1G speeds, limited by their switch ports further down. Using the diagram I gave you, VLAN #1 would contain a DHCP pool within 172.16.1.0/24 while VLAN #2 holds one inside 172.16.2.0/24. Machines in VLAN#1 can communicate with those in VLAN#2 through pfSense routing and open ACLs. There are no simple solutions for heavy LAN<>LAN processing on pfSense; doing it effectively would require advanced techniques. If you aim for true 10G connectivity to the firewall using free software, you’ll need to rely on routing or a 10G switch with layer3 routing—though this offers little protection and no one-to-many NAT. Recent multi-socket setups don’t introduce latency or major issues. I’m not sure of your experience, but I regularly use dual and quad socket configurations. Multi-CPU doesn’t cause lag on a LAGG interface; PCI-E architecture is fixed to the CPU layout, and PLX chips won’t help here. A LAGG spanning multiple PCI slots won’t function properly if those slots are on different CPU nodes. You should avoid 1G cards for LAGG in this case. This isn’t a CPU-related issue—it’s about resource allocation misunderstanding. It’s well documented. Here’s what I’d do with your current gear and minimal effort: reuse the X99 configuration, ensure your motherboard supports above 4G decoding (X99 should), swap out your network cards to Intel X710 (DA4) in an x16 slot, turning off all other interfaces, and test throughput on a custom network using 10G ports. Determine the maximum speed you can achieve; if it meets your needs, a single system may suffice. Avoid using Steam Caching on the same device—it’s pointless and could cause problems. Separate hardware is essential since firewalling and packet filtering at 10G are costly.