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I am setting up a very small Beowulf cluster with one master node (my Lenovo laptop) and two server nodes (Dell Optiplex 760s), all currently with Ubuntu 14.04. Can I get away with using an unmanaged consumer-grade switch? Or do I need a managed one?

Note: There will also be one other user on the network (on his own laptop) that will not be taking part in the cluster but will still need to use the internet connection.

adamconkey
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I think you do not need the extra features from the managed Switch if you intend to stay with just two server nodes. Managed switch is useful when you need e.g. customized each port or you need network segments to see each other. I think you can have an unmanaged switch and you may use only what Linux provides for your network setup.

allan
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Unmanaged Switch, is not configurable, and it doesn’t have any configuration interface and options. You just plug, and go.

Managed Switch, support many methods to change the setting, by connecting it using a console cable to to configure the operation of switch, you can use telnet, SNMP, SSH, SSL to manage the switch also.

Managed switches are the way to go. But, a managed switch cost a lot more than a non-managed one. If you have no use for the extra features that a managed switch offers, my advice is to take the unmanaged switch.

Mitch
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To expand on @allan's answer: you don't need a managed switch. You could likely run a dozen nodes or more on a consumer grade switch.

Reasons to upgrade would include the higher throughput (packet per second) typical of managed switches, and the ability to run redundant switches. Some managed switches allow ports to be bundled into a group to increase bandwidth and/or redundancy. (see LACP and Linux ethernet bonding.)

Managed switches often include the ability to monitor usage which can be useful to help manage a cluster. This is nice to have, but not required. You can do the same by monitoring the network usage on each node.

Managed switches are typically about to isolate traffic into virtual LANs (VLANs). This would be useful to segregate the compute traffic from storage traffic. You can do the same with two dedicated unmanaged switches.

Stephen
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