40G LAN

In preparation for our gene analysis project, a high speed network was needed.
Since the analysis servers need to retrieve and analyze GBs of data from a central storage server at the same time, traditional 1G/10G LAN cannot satisfy our needs.
As a compromise for cost and existing structures, a 40G Ethernet LAN was deployed for now, but I am planning to swtich to infiniband for higher performance(56G) and lower latency.

Hardware

Arista 7050-QX-32 Datacenter Switch
12-core MPO patch cords
Mellanox MCX354A-FCBT Adapters
Finisar FTL410QE2C-G1 Transceivers
MPO flange

Due to limited budget on network equipment (consider the price of 40G equipment), I choose a second-handed Arista 7050-QX-32 switch. I have to manually reverse the airflow direction of the switch for it to fit into our rack.
Also the original Arista transceivers were too expensive, so I choose one from Finisar. I bought one pair of the transceiver and test it before purchasing all equipment needed.
Network adapters were also second-handed. All the equipment were designed for 56G infiniband, and I have to lower the speed to 40G to run on the Ethernet mode as a compromise for existing structure. But infiniband will be deployed at next summer.

Structure

All physical servers (including hypervisors) were equipped with 40G NIC. I use MPO flange to connect fibers between the two racks as there is only one 40G switch.