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Dell VxRail Performance Analysis
Introduction vSAN Express Storage Architecture overview Test environment and configuration Methods Results Price-performance analysis
Costs of 100 GbE networking compared to 25 GbE
Savings potential of 100 GbE compared to 25 GbE
Conclusion

Costs of 100 GbE networking compared to 25 GbE

Costs of 100 GbE networking compared to 25 GbE

  • The testing results shown in previous sections demonstrate that 25 GbE networking bottlenecks the performance of VxRail with vSAN Express Storage Architecture. Using 100 GbE networking within the rack unlocks the full performance potential of ESA.

    When new technology is introduced, the initial cost of adoption is high, and this high cost often remains a customer concern long after the early adoption premium has passed. Today, however, there is no significant cost delta between 10 GbE and 25 GbE networking. Environments that do not require the bandwidth of 25 GbE are often built with 25 GbE in favor of 10 GbE. Several aspects drive this strategy, including standardizing a single network infrastructure or positioning for future growth in workload demands.

    While there remains a price delta between 25 GbE and 100 GbE networking, it has narrowed significantly and may not have as high a premium as initially expected. When comparing costs, include all necessary components for a full end-to-end view and consider the increased bandwidth available. Less tangible benefits, such as easier cable management and improved cooling due to reduced cable clutter, are harder to quantify. While these benefits are not detailed here, they provide benefit to daily data center operations.

    The table below compares the following networking configurations:

    • Dual 25 GbE – the typical rack default in many data centers 
    • Dual 100 GbE – the growth engine for future rack deployments

    Note: Pricing provided is based on Dell US list pricing at time of initial release. This pricing excludes any applicable taxes, shipping, discounting, or incentives. Switch pricing includes OS10 Enterprise and 3 years ProSupport next business day for hardware. Pricing also varies by region. Contact a Dell Technologies account team for details on the pricing available to you.

    Table 2.      Networking component pricing

    Component

    Dell PN

    List price

    Per port

    25 GbE

    100 GbE

    Broadcom 57414 dual 25 Gb

    540-BBUJ

    $769

    $385

    $385

     

    S5248F-ON 48 port 25 GbE

    210-APEX

    $59,216

    $1,234

    $1,234

     

    25 GbE Passive Copper DAC

    470-BBCX

    $125

    $125

    $125

     

    Broadcom 57508 dual 100 Gb

    540-BDEF

    $2,484

    $1,242

     

    $1,242

    S5232F-ON 32 port 100 GbE

    210-APHK

    $62,475

    $1,952

     

    $1,952

    100 GbE Passive Copper DAC

    470-ABOX

    $360

    $360

     

    $360

    Total per port cost

     

     

     

    $1,743

    $3,554

    Table 2 shows the costs for delivering the various networking configurations. The 100 GbE solution is slightly more than twice as expensive as the 25 GbE solution; however, the following information details the benefits of this doubling in networking infrastructure investment:

    • OLTP 32 K
      • Peak IOPS increase of 78 percent with a substantial 49 percent drop in latency
      • At 70 percent of maximum, IOPS increased 88 percent with a 20 percent drop in latency
    • RDBMS 22 K
      • Peak IOPS increase of 49 percent with a 20 percent drop in latency
      • At 70 percent of maximum, IOPS increased 60 percent with a 19 percent drop in latency
    • 512 K throughput
      • Provides roughly 2x the performance for dedicated workloads of Random Writes, Random Reads, Sequential Writes, and Sequential Reads
        • Random writes: 106.2 percent increase
        • Random reads: 138.6 percent increase
        • Sequential writes: 92.3 percent increase
        • Sequential reads: 126.4 percent increase