{"id":106,"date":"2019-04-04T06:20:50","date_gmt":"2019-04-04T12:20:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ganon.club\/?p=44"},"modified":"2019-04-04T06:20:50","modified_gmt":"2019-04-04T12:20:50","slug":"getting-10gbps-on-a-skull-canyon-nuc-without-thunderbolt-3-ngff-to-pcie-x4-riser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/index.php\/2019\/04\/04\/getting-10gbps-on-a-skull-canyon-nuc-without-thunderbolt-3-ngff-to-pcie-x4-riser\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting 10GbE on a Skull Canyon NUC without Thunderbolt 3 (NGFF to PCIE x4 Riser)"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote>\n<p>Summarized version:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Purchase the following:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Mellanox ConnectX-3 10Gbe SFP card from eBay (~$24-$29 at time of writing). <strong>Make sure the length is x4; x8 is too long.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>M.2 NGFF to PCI-E x4 Adapter (~$10 for 2pack; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B074Z5YKXJ\/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1\">Get the white one<\/a>; The green ones are generic poop).<\/li>\n<li><del><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/itm\/New-PCI-E-Express-4X-4X-Riser-Card-Flexible-Extender-Extension-Ribbon-Cable\/123554722619?epid=1948375568&amp;hash=item1cc46f733b:g:KKgAAOSwgGZcG0UW\">PCI-E x4 extension ribbon cable from eBay<\/a> ($5.68)<\/del> I have since modified my setup to NOT use this ribbon cable. It proved unreliable at best. The one above is gone, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newegg.com\/p\/2S7-01M6-01724?item=9SIAEB49FU0833&amp;source=region&amp;nm_mc=knc-googlemkp-pc&amp;cm_mmc=knc-googlemkp-pc-_-pla-heat+seas+tech-_-gadgets-_-9SIAEB49FU0833&amp;gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8ZaIjJCE6QIVBMZkCh37vA_8EAQYASABEgLliPD_BwE&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds\">Newegg<\/a> still has one for sale.<\/li>\n<li>Wall power adapter (<strong>12v<\/strong>) to molex adapter.\n<ul>\n<li>There are several ways to accomplish this purchase; I needed 3, so I opted for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00FEOB4EI\/ref=crt_ewc_title_huc_2?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;smid=A150FHYOYRP0T5\">5 pack of barrel connectors<\/a> (~$13), and a couple <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07FK5XDY6\/ref=crt_ewc_title_huc_1?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;smid=AQ8OIL3FGVKZE\">barrel to molex adapters<\/a> (~$6). This cuts down on space used (no mid-bricks on the floor).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Download and print &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thingiverse.com\/thing:3539599\">Thicc Skull<\/a>&#8221; from thingiverse on 3D printer.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Total spent on single skull canyon setup (including the Mellanox card): <strong>$43.68<\/strong><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #dbdbdb;\"><em>The 3D printed case is??technically optional if you want to get tricky about it.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Test. Enjoy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This is nuts &#8212; but it works; Our micro homelabs are about to change forever.<\/p>\n<p>We have an Intel Skull Canyon NUC ESXI cluster running 6.7u1. Each is filled to the gills with 32GB of ddr4 sodimm ram (and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.virtuallyghetto.com\/2019\/03\/64gb-memory-on-the-intel-nucs.html\">recently was discovered to run with 64GB<\/a>!). VMware runs like a champion, fully supporting the 1G nic, plugged into our 1G switch. All VMs live on an all-flash storage being served up via iSCSI datastores&#8230; via that same 1G nic.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-53 size-large aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/3xskulls-1024x811.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"475\" \/><\/p>\n<p>BAH with 1G I say!??Homelab is all about experimentation, and I want??<em>faster<\/em>, but not??<em>hungrier<\/em> (read: low TDP).<\/p>\n<p>Enter the Skull Canyon PCIE x4 Expansion Ring, or *drumroll* &#8212; <span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"><strong>Thicc Skull<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-55 size-large aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/2019-04-03_23-04-51-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Thicc Skull allows for any low-profile sub-4&#8243; length PCI-E x4\/x1 card to be added to the Skull Canyon via a custom, hand-crafted-in-blender, 3D printable expansion ring. *gasps for air*<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-59 size-large aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/2019-04-03_23-05-35-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>83 hours of modeling and test printing. over 400grams of filament blown on making sure measurements were as even as possible, while still having enough flex to fit multiple situations<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-56 size-large aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/2019-04-03_22-59-39-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Prior to installing the NUC itself, you&#8217;ll install the card, (which in our case was the delightful Mellanox ConnectX-3 10Gbe card) which gets inserted from the??<em>outside<\/em>. Finagle your way in, being careful not to knock the &#8220;stabilizer&#8221; fin off.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-57 size-large aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/2019-04-03_23-00-06-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s a nice little shelf at the back that the card can rest on. If you have a particularly tall heatsink, a landing-spacer is also available for you to print, included in the .STL download available on thingiverse; This allows the card to sit a hair higher so the heatsinks don&#8217;t touch the PLA.??<em>Please don&#8217;t let your card&#8217;s heatsinks rest on the bottom of the 3D print &#8211; it will melt<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-74 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/2019-04-05_20-05-26-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/p>\n<p>On the inside, fully hooked up, you&#8217;ll see something like the following above. I&#8217;ve opted to install ESXI 6.7u1 onto an Adata M.2 SSD in the first M.2 slot. The second slot contains the all-magical M.2 riser card, plugged into the 10Gbe NIC card via x4 extension cable. (<strong>NOTE<\/strong>: As a precaution (not pictured), I wrapped the x4 extension cable in electrical tape near the DDR4 Sodimm RAM, as it <em>does<\/em> make direct contact with those chips).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-76 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/2019-04-05_21-28-41-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This is more cosmetic \/ ease of use than anything, but I ended up getting the Molex attached to some barrel-style power adapters (the ultra common 5.5mm x 2.1mm size) and some wall-wart power adapters (12v \/ 1A); The Mellanox ConnectX-3 sips power at around 500-600 milliamps, so 1A is plenty.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-58 size-large aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/2019-04-03_23-03-48-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The front is basically unchanged. Maybe I&#8217;ll embed some letters on the front that say Thicc Skull or something.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve printed the final version in a few colors:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-78 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/2019-04-14_22-44-08-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/p>\n<p>??<\/p>\n<p>Please feel free to comment and show off your own creations!<\/p>\n<p>??<\/p>\n<p>Screw you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Akitio-T3TGAA0008Y000-T3-10G-Thunderbolt3-Electronics\/dp\/B07GQV83Y2\/ref=sr_1_39?keywords=thunderbolt+3+to+10gbe&amp;qid=1554358062&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-39\">expensive Thunderbolt 3 adapters<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Enjoy the speed.<\/p>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summarized version: Purchase the following: Mellanox ConnectX-3 10Gbe SFP card from eBay (~$24-$29 at time of writing). Make sure the length is x4; x8 is too long. M.2 NGFF to PCI-E x4 Adapter (~$10 for 2pack; Get the white one; The green ones are generic poop). PCI-E x4 extension ribbon cable from eBay ($5.68) I&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/index.php\/2019\/04\/04\/getting-10gbps-on-a-skull-canyon-nuc-without-thunderbolt-3-ngff-to-pcie-x4-riser\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Getting 10GbE on a Skull Canyon NUC without Thunderbolt 3 (NGFF to PCIE x4 Riser)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[15,16,17,19,20,21,22],"class_list":["post-106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-intel-nuc","tag-10gbe","tag-esxi","tag-intel","tag-nuc","tag-pcie","tag-skull-canyon","tag-thunderbolt"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackharvest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}