OpenWRT - Intel X540-T2 10GbE RJ45 Network Adapter (Made by Inspur)
In this video, we will take a look at a cheap 10GbE RJ45 Network Adapter from Inspur. The card uses the Intel® Ethernet Controller X540 and comes with PCIe x8 + x1 connector (the x1 connector had been cut out to use with PCIe x8 slot). Because of this specifical design, the card may not work with all mainboards. I have tested that it works with the Gigabyte Z77-D3H, but it doesn't work with the HP t620 Plus.
The driver/ kernel module for Intel X540 network controller had been pre-installed on OpenWRT and we don't need to install the package manually. This was tested on OpenWrt 23.03 rc6. If you are using an older release, can you search and install the kmod-ixgbe package manually.
On the test, I connect the X540-T2 network adapter to the 1/2.5/5G/10GbE port of the ZYXEL XGS1250-12. So far the everything is working fine, except for the fact that the power consumption is high and the temperature of the network adapter is very hot.
Video timeframe:
00:00 - Intro
02:14 - Power on the Zimaboard with no network adapter (3.7W)
02:50 - Install the X540-T2 network adapter on the Zimaboard
03:42 - Power on the Zimaboard with X540-T2 network adapter (12W)
04:04 - Connect the X540-T2 to the ZYXEL XGS1250-12 Switch
05:27 - Configure the X540-T2 on OpenWRT
08:05 - iperf3 test & Power consumption (no offloading)
09:31 - iperf3 test & Power consumption (software offloading)
10:54 - The X540-T2 on other mainboard (Gigabyte Z77-D3H, HP t620 Plus)
12:07 - Should you buy this?
For me, 10GbE SFP+ network adapter is still a better choice compare to the 10GbE RJ45 network adapter. Not only the power consumption, but also the budget spent. However, if have no choice and need to buy this X540-T2 network adapter, I recommend getting the one from HPE or Dell. Here is a recommendation https://amzn.to/3AWsPpf (it works, but expensive)
ZYXEL XGS1250-12 switch - https://www.zyxel.com/global/en/produ...
Get ZimaBoard from Cytron - https://bit.ly/3yIP80X
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Thanks for watching and see you in the next video!
