Networking is the backbone of server rooms everywhere. Nascent compute-heavy HPC workloads coincide with the rise of super-fast storage, and this combination puts renewed pressure on high-performance switches to mediate dataflow between multiple servers. Addressing this need is the all-new £1,200 QNAP QSW-M7308R-4x 100Gbit switch.
Featuring four 100GbE QSFP28 and eight 25GbE SFP28 fibre ports, the Layer 2 managed M7308R switch appeals to SMBs requiring heaps of throughput without breaking the bank. Positioned below more complex Layer 3 100GbE models but a step up from 10GbE/25GbE, QNAP finds an interesting niche for clustered servers dealing with emerging data-intensive workloads.
It makes sense in the high-end consumer and SMB world, too, as many premium NAS boxes are capable of housing 100GbE cards, and you may need a means of tying a few together without losing precious bandwidth.
The choice of ports is intriguing. Competitors in this space tend to use either four 100GbE or, say, two 100GbE alongside 16 25GbE. That said, the exact port arrangement is less important because you can forego fibre and use breakout DACs to pick and mix slower speeds.
Purposely built to be small, the half-width rackmount unit measures 207mm wide, 249mm deep, and 43mm high. It’s entirely feasible to add another, side by side, in a standard 1U rack.
QNAP’s huge bandwidth
The backplane bandwidth, or switching capacity, of 1,200Gbps is impressive for such a svelte unit. Nevertheless, this is not the most important number as the internal architecture enables precisely half of this speed in what is known as non-blocking bandwidth. In the real world, however, this isn’t an issue as there’s plenty of bandwidth to go around for each port.
Aside from the 12 ports, the front is home to simple status and locator LEDs. Though it looks black, there’s a semi-mirror finish that picks up reflections with aplomb. The robust build quality befits its high-end aspirations.
Sneaking around the back, the integrated 100W PSU gives rise to two 40mm fans whose exhaust holes sandwich the regular IEC cable. Next door reside a GbE management port alongside a console port. QNAP provides four rubber feet and two side-mounted handles for racking purposes. Other than that, you’re good to go.
The significant throughput is serviced by a passively cooled platform from Marvell. In particular, the embedded ARM-based dual-core Marvell Armada 88F6821 CPU works alongside a Marvell Prestera 98DX7324 Ethernet switch that arbitrates traffic across myriad ports. If you think 100GbE is fast, the hardware is actually capable of scaling all the way up to 400GbE.
Backed by 8GB of DDR3 memory, similar base setups are also used in premium scale-out NAS appliances and switches. It’s no coincidence to find a nigh-on identical setup on the reviewed QNAP QSW-M5216-1T 25GbE network offering.
You can see the neat interior lends itself to a half-width rack solution. Those two fans are always on. Do appreciate the heatsink is a necessary addition as temperature escalates to 75.7°C when the switch is idling. Remaining fairly cool on all sides, little of that heat transmits to the chassis. Perhaps a bottom-exhausting fan would be a good idea on this model; the raised feet provide enough opportunity for air to escape from this direction.
There’s plenty to power under the hood so the idling 26W power consumption is in line with expectations. It doesn’t rise much further when stressed, suggesting it’s in an always-ready state.
Conclusion
The rise in server bandwidth provides impetus for switch manufacturers to raise their game. Typically suited to datacentres and high-performance computing environments, 100GbE switches remove many of the potential bandwidth bottlenecks caused by heavy-duty traffic propagating between racks.
QNAP’s decision to include four 100GbE QSFP28 ports alongside eight SFP28 25GbE means the QSW-M7308R-4x is squarely aimed at the server crowd and, to a lesser extent, prosumers dabbling with at-scale data storage, video editing, and AI applications.
Niche by nature, QNAP succeeds in launching an attractively priced switch for the target market. When your infrastructure bypasses 10GbE and jumps straight to 25GbE or 100GbE, the QSW-M7308R-4x is an ideal space-restrained companion.
QNAP QSW-M7308R-4x
Verdict: A high-quality switch primed for the datacentre and throughput-intensive environments.
Pros
Petite size
Sensible ports
Attractive price
Quality construction
Cons
CPU runs warm
Buy
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