The home lab requires completely silent network switches. While silent operation is common among 1 Gbps units, it is rare among 10 Gbps switches, particularly those designed for 19-inch racks.
The core switch needs to provide 10 Gbps connectivity through SFP+ ports. The desk area also uses a 10 Gbps SFP+ interface for a full-speed connection to the main computer. Additionally, two 24-port 1 Gbps switches provide connections for a large number of devices, including both high-speed clients and lower-speed embedded devices.
The switches are narrower than standard 19-inch rack equipment, so I designed a supporting structure in Blender to mount them together. Individual Cat 6A pass-through Ethernet adapters were installed on both sides, forming integrated patch-panel sections that fill the remaining space.
Overall, this completely silent setup works well. The compact switches also make it more cost-effective, while providing enough ports for future expansion.
