Realtek 8168C

[racielrod]

Hello,

I got a Dell Optiplex 780 USFF (like https://www.amazon.com/Dell-OptiPlex-780-Desktop-32-Bit/dp/B00OI78CWO)  and I was planning to play around with it and put OpnSense on it.
It has an onboard Intel 82567LM nic and I was considering adding another one like this on the pcie mini card port it has on the board.
Something like: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B524102/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
The chipset on this is a Realtek 8168C.
Has anyone experienced with this pc before and/or with this nic?
I cannot find a similar nic with an Intel chipset...

Thoughts?
Thanks,
R. Rod

[wfx3]

funny i am doing something similar at this very moment .. https://forum.netgate.com/topic/134122/dell-optiplex-780-usff-mini-pcie-network-interface

i have read that folks had some success putting samsung ssd (mini pcie) in place of the WLAN card in older model dell latitude laptops.  and the older optiplex have the same mini pcie slot.  it should be a standard pcie slot, but with dell customization you never know. 

i am going to try jetway ADMPEIDLB (https://www.jetwaycomputer.com/Expansion.html), because it is intel (better freebsd support?) and the second card may fit in the front bezel of the optiplex if you remove the io card.

[racielrod]

Great to read somebody else is on a similar boat.
I got this pc from my company today, I have been planning on buying a Qotom for my long-term router plans, but wanted to play around with this box in the meantime.
It is a bummer that the CPU doesn't support AES-NI, but I guess it will be fine for some time...

I think I'm going to take my chances with the cheap Realtek NIC, this would be an experimental build anyways.

I need to find the time to put this together, but I will try to keep this post updated with my findings.

Thanks and good luck with your project. Please share your results!

R. Rod.

[wfx3]

thanks, likewise i will let you know how it works out. 

dell makes some good machines but they definitely have unique proprietary features.  i give it even odds that our mini pcie network card solution works.  you're probably wiser to get the cheaper card. 

even if the optiplex usff is too old to be your primary router, and the second nic doesn't work out, it'll be useful for some side application.  first thing i will try will be vlans on a single network interface as suggested in the other forum.

[racielrod]

Yeah, all I will be investing is ~$15 and I will have some fun for sure.
I def have plenty of projects for this little box if it turns out to be a pain to make a good OpnSense box out of it.

If either the Realtek I'm trying or your card works, I think spending a few $ on a 790 or 7010 might be something to consider (the CPUs on those do support AES-NI).

Thanks!
R. Rod

[wfx3]

yes i would look at the newer optiplex models for better cpu performance (and security since intel is actually interested in supporting those), but the newer dells and even dell refurbished are not cheap .. i think at some point you cross a threshold at which you are better off with an industrial fanless pc like the qotom. 

also keep in mind that the newer dell ultra small and micro factor models have abandoned mini pcie and they use an m.2 interface for the wlan card.  whether that is better or worse than mini pcie for the purposes of adding a second network interface, i don't know.

[racielrod]

Yes, makes sense.

[wfx3]

dell removed the 780 usff service manual in html.  they left the pdf version with no images.  the manual for the 7010 is similar. even better i just ran across this teardown in youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkA0JFANBTY

[racielrod]

Reporting progress as promised:

I just finished installing OpnSense on the Dell Optiplex 780 USFF.
The pcie minicard NIC worked smoothly. The only inconvenience I found is that the cables the manufacturer included were not long enough. Also, the connectors are vertical and pose a challenge for the reduced space on the USFF box. It takes a little bit of work to make all fit nicely.

I used female-male jumpers and extended the cables.
The network interface is not yet secured to the back of the chassis but I was more interested in making sure that it everything was going to work fine.

Things I want to do:

• Upgrade the memory on the box
• Include an SSD to reduce noise and heat
• Learn more about OpnSense and understand my needs
• Measure power consumption

The little box is incredibly quiet (I haven't modified it at all).
For now, I went back to my trusty Edge R-Lite but I'm sure I'm going to have a blast learning about OpnSense and setting it up properly. I'm impressed so far with the number of features included by default.

Thanks,
R. Rod

[wfx3]

excellent news.  i am glad you got the realtek working.  i am still waiting on delivery of the jetway/intel.

let us know if you come up with an elegant solution for mounting the network interface.  the jetway has two interfaces, so i was thinking to mount them in the front by removing the usb and audio card.

power and noise should be the advantage of the ultra small form factor.  i am not sure about performance though.  can you test with iperf and see what kind of NAT throughput are you getting?  i am hoping it is appropriate for gigabit applications .. better than 800Mbps at least.

[racielrod]

I couldn't get as far as replicating my existing configuration on OpnSense. I don't have anything fancy at the moment, other than a ton of static ip assignments on my DHCP and a VPN configuration.
Once I do that I would be able to test drive OpnSense and do these performance tests you are talking about.

I have 200Mbps at the moment, I'm planning to upgrade to 1Gbps in a couple of months.
My goals with this build were a) Proof one could make a decent router with these little boxes, I didn't find much about this (probably for a good reason, we will see b) Learn on the cheap before I make any investment on a Qotom box (I got this pc from my company, the card and jumpers were ~$25 total, not bad at all).

I will probably upload some pictures after/when I clean it up a little bit.
My idea is to use the space on top of the existing NIC to secure the new one (image attached).
I have the new NIC all the way there, just need to cut the plate that came with it to fit on that spot.
Yesterday I ran the cable through that hole and connected it that way (I can honestly live with it, worst case scenario).

Thanks,
R. Rod

[wfx3]

that's a good idea.  now i see why you wanted longer cables.  to reach the mini pcie slot in the front. 

less than 500 Mbps is good for some VPN applications, but i was hoping to get above 800 with opnsense.  i see other threads where people are struggling with that.  should be achievable.

if you have a second machine to run a server (iperf -s) on the WAN port, i am curious to see what throughput you get across the integrated intel to the realtek.

[wfx3]

the jetway card is too small for the dell mini pcie slot .. designed for a smaller wifi card to snap in.  will require a mini pcie extension cable.

[wfx3]

empty slot view

[wfx3]

i am going to try this adt-link mini-pcie extension (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Mini-PCI-e-mPCIe-wireless-network-card-extension-cord-adapter-extender-cable-Riser-mini-pci-e/32862035267.html).  variety of cable lengths from 5cm to 100cm so should be easy to escape the enclosure.  curious if that 'german patent wire' can really do 8GBps.