SFP+ 10GBE support for AMD workstation devices
SFP+ 10GBE support for AMD workstation devices
Hello. My role is at a gaming center where we operate an AMD workstation that streams games and the operating system via CCBoot to 65 PCs (upcoming expansion to 200). Currently, we use 4Gbps teaming, aiming to increase it to 20Gbps with SFP+. Each PC needs about 40GB for OS installation. I’m wondering if SFP+ NICs are compatible with our AMD configuration. The only information available suggests Intel SFP+ NICs work only with Intel systems. Please note we’re not a rack server, our firewall supports up to 40Gbps, and our switches can’t handle 10Gbps, but we’re considering replacing them if possible.
I’ve got a good supply of 10GbE SFP+ NICs and they all function properly on both Intel and AMD boards. Intel NICs work well on AMD motherboards—no problems there. What are you considering switching to? What changes are you looking for? You don’t need to go through the firewall setup; just ensure it’s enabled at L2. That way, the firewall won’t interfere with the traffic, and bandwidth won’t be an issue.
It's great to hear. Essentially, none of our PCs have a local storage drive; we're operating a diskless environment where the Windows Server 2016 workstations run a Windows 10 VHD image. Through a specific software solution, we transfer all necessary files—including the 35GB Windows 10 OS and game data—to every PC via PXE Boot ROM at the central location. The goal is to minimize boot-up time, as having 200 devices would require an enormous 7TB of data just for initialization, making the setup quite resource-intensive.
Your AMD workstations can handle any NIC you choose, as long as it uses a compatible internal connection like PCI or PCIe and the OS has the necessary drivers. The issue here is about PXE boot functionality. Typically, the boot ROM is stored inside the NIC for PXE setups, but I haven’t seen this implemented with AMD systems. It’s possible it works, though I’m not sure.
We rely on Intel setup for our client machines, so I’m uncertain if my response will be accurate. Currently, all systems are operating well across 65 Intel configurations and one AMD workstation concerning PXE boot.