Question: Quietest 10G Ethernet Switch for Office

[AguinaldoSilvaJr]

Hello everyone,

I have a passive Rack with some servers in our office.

Currently we have 1GB links for our servers, however we are migrating all the servers from Copper to Fibre.

We mainly use Cisco in our environment, so I was wondering if I can get some piece of advice from you about the most quiet Cisco 10 Gbps Switch.

Thank you!

[balaji.bandi]

Its all depends on your budget, how resilience you looking for to setup this migration.

Model 3850 / 9300 / 9500  - Enterprise Lan Core 

DC environment  - Nexus 3K and 5K to start with.

[AguinaldoSilvaJr]

We have some Nexus but these are low priority server, but I still want to keep some BW and use Fibre instead of 1GbE copper.

I actually plan to use 10 GbE (preferably Fibre) for them.

I also know that Nexus are very loud and I am using them only in our DC, but I am not familiar with the Catalyst 9300. How is it comparable to the Catalyst 2900 ?

Does anyone have experience with both and could tell me how loud the 9300 is compared to the 2900 ?

[Reza Sharifi]

Hi,

There is always going to be some noise especially for the people who sit close to the switch. If you don't have a lot of servers, you may want to look at a 1U, 9300 series. If you need a chassis-based switch, the noise level is always more. The other option is to get a small cabinet with fan, put the switch inside it and close the door.

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/nexus-9000-series-switches/datasheet-c78-736651.html

HTH

[AguinaldoSilvaJr]

The specifications for the Nexus switches do not give me any info about the noise level, however I can get it for the Catalyst 9300.

The specifications says:

Noise Level
LpA: 45dB typical, 48 dB max
LwA: 5.6B typical, 5.9B max

I do not think that 48 dB would be a problem, however I do not think this is the loudest this switch can be.

[Leo Laohoo]

Can we all take a few steps back?
The reason why I'm saying is because I think we're getting way ahead of ourselves. The requirement is to find something quiet, 10/40 Gbps uplinks, 1 Gbps (fibre) link downstream.
The requirement is not remotely possible.
Cisco equipment (other than the 8-port fanless models) are not designed to be sitting on someones desk. Their fans, designed to keep the components cool, was never meant to be "whisper quiet". It was designed to pull (or push) air around the chassis. And because of this, it's friggin' loud (Hoover vacuum loud).
Take a step back and tell us (yes, do tell!) how the switch is meant to be installed. Will it be installed in a place where there is no audio "shielding" (like a wall)? Will the switch be sitting on someone's desk?

[AguinaldoSilvaJr]

Hello Leo,

Well.

There is a rack with some relatively quiet servers behind someones desk.

The front of the rack is just behind this person's desk and the back is facing a window.

The rack is almost filled up with these quiet servers and UPSes + Console + Monitoring devices.

The rack is open in all four sides and has a lid on top.

[Leo Laohoo]

Is this rack in room with no people nearby?
I've never heard of a server that is touted to be a "quiet server" before.

[Leo Laohoo]

These things are not meant to be operating in "quiet" environment. The fans are very noisy. If the environment is very dusty, the fans will get noisier over time.