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I'm in the process of selecting a dedicated host for a big data project deployment. I need my servers to be well connected with each other. One of the provider I'm investigating is serverloft. Here is a statement I've found on the website about their server networking : "The dedicated 1 Gbit/s port provides you with the maximum, exclusive bandwidth of 1000 Mbit/s."

I need help for decrypting the real meaning of this statement. Does it means my server will be connected to a switch capable of 1Gb/s uplink, so the badwidth will be 1Gb/NUMBER_OF_SERVER_BEHIND_THIS_SWITCH; or does it mean that my server will effectively be able to push 1Gb/s to another server in another rack in the same datacenter at all time?

This might be a dump question, but I'm a bit lost; so if you have an informed opinion about this, or even better, a direct knowledge of the serverloft network, I'll be very grateful if you can help.

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You mix up your link and the backbone - if I were you I would NOT use that link for anything but internet uplink and provide your own switch in the rack to connect the servers. That simple. Especially when you do big data - youshould likely go to 10g for some data servers that do the backups.

Then use the 1g link provded by your hoster for exactly and only the internet traffic.

Hoster ports are expensive and not really needed for in rack traffic. This is how I did it and how I do it now - in fact, right now (although my racks are in my own data room now):

  • I use 10g for file and backup servers using Netgears nice 52 port switch that has 48 1g ports and 4 SFP+ ports for 10g.
  • One of those 1g port goes to to our router which is a Mkrotik and from there we go to our internet provider uplink.

THis gives my all my local traffic local. It also allows me to use my own IP address scheme for servers that are not public.

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  • Sounds like a great setup. But I dont't have the option to do my own setup. I have to choose a dedicated server provider. The server only have 1 NIC, the intra-datacenter traffic and internet both goest though the "1Gb dedicated port switch"; the whole question being; would I really got 1Gb/s bandwidth between two servers hosted in the same datacenter of my provider.
    – arnaud briche
    Oct 14, 2013 at 10:14
  • I am sure the server provider is not as idiotic as you make him sound like. The rest ican not be answered - it depends on how the data center is set up, which may vary between providers. BUt really, choose one that does not suck that badly. I have one server rented right now at a provider and I know that if I ramp up, I can ship them a switch or have them install one that I rent.
    – TomTom
    Oct 14, 2013 at 11:27
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The "Dedicated 1 Gbit/s switch port" means pretty much exactly what it says. You get your own 1Gb/s port on the switch that links servers to their backbone. This port will carry both your server-to-server traffic and your Internet traffic. Presumably their backbone is well-designed and not overloaded and so you will be able to actually use this bandwidth for any combination of server-to-server and Internet traffic that you want.

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This means that you will have a single 1Gbps uplink to the internet. What you do with this is your choice. Most people will install a firewall, switch and expand from there. If this is a single host, this does not necessarily mean you'll have 1Gbps performance to another dedicated server in the same facility.

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  • So, you mean I might have a 1Gb/s link to the internet, but server-to-server bandwidth in the same datacenter could be less thn that ?
    – arnaud briche
    Oct 14, 2013 at 10:04
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    Ask the datacenter or hosting provider. We can't answer this for you.
    – ewwhite
    Oct 14, 2013 at 10:54

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