Windows 10 supports 10-Gigabit and 1-Gigabit networks seamlessly.
Windows 10 supports 10-Gigabit and 1-Gigabit networks seamlessly.
I need a high-speed file server with consistent read/write speeds for both random and sustained tasks, linked quickly to one workstation and fast to several others. The other machines run as render nodes and require gigabit links. The workstation needs quick access for video editing/compositing, but a single gigabit connection isn’t enough. It also should reach individual render nodes without issues. I’m avoiding using the workstation as the server because frequent restarts disrupt the render nodes. Currently, I use an HP Slimline 290-p0043w with a 2TB 970 Evo+ drive shared among machines. The setup is mostly gigabit, but the connection between the workstation and HP is slow at times. I bought two Mellanox 10Gb SFP+ cards to improve that link. I’m trying Configuration 2, but it fails to connect at full 10G; I’m unsure if Windows can force the 10G path. I attempted Configuration 3 by bridging Ethernet and MXN connections on the HP server, which hurt performance—latency spiked and remote access became slow. I’m considering a simpler setup (Configuration 4) to reduce hardware needs, hoping to fix the bridge issue or adjust Windows settings. Any suggestions would help me move forward.
I would begin by setting various private IP ranges on the gigabit and 10G cards. You can select IPs from three different categories for private/local addresses: For instance, stick to 192.168.x.x for gigabit connections, and use 10.0.0.1 and 10.0.0.2 (with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0) on both computers for the 10G cards, and connect them via a direct dac cable.
I configured fixed IP addresses for both network cards, but Windows continued favoring the 1 gigabit link to the server because it also requires a static IP there. This caused slower transfer speeds when moving files from the workstation to the server.