Struggling to keep your servers up and running?
You’re not alone.
A lot of businesses struggle with server crashes, especially during the busiest times of the day.
But don’t worry – we have the solution for you.
You’re about to find out about the best ethernet cables specifically designed for ESXi hosts.
Introduction to Ethernet Cables
Network cables are the unsung hero of network communication.
They’re the little things that make sure your data is transferred and received in its entirety, with no interference or disruption.
Ethernet cables have been around for years, and ESXi hosts have specific needs that may require a different type of cable.
Let’s explore what you need to know about the best ethernet network cables for ESXi hosts.
Years ago, I experience the problem with servers crashing during the busiest time of the day.
Guess what was causing it? After literally days of troubleshooting, the network team figured it out.
Basically, during the peak hours, our ESXi host network was maxing out the bandwidth of the cheap copper CAT6 cables we were using.
On the Cisco switches, the network team found 1000s of CRC errors on the ports.
These errors were crashing our servers because we were using iSCSI for our storage.
BTW, we were having similar problems with databases also using iSCSI storage.
Video Training – Panduit Ethernet Cable
Best Ethernet Cables for ESXi Hosts
In general, you’ll want to choose an Ethernet cable made of quality materials and designed for high-speed data transfer.
Cat6a or Cat7 cables are typically good for ESXi hosts on a 10G network.
These cables are made of thicker copper wire than standard Cat5 or Cat6 cables, which helps to reduce interference and crosstalk.
They also have a higher bandwidth capacity, which is important for data-intensive applications.
VMware ESXi Network Cable Best Practices
When choosing an Ethernet cable for your ESXi host, it’s also important to consider best practices for cable length.
The maximum length for a Cat6a cable is 100 meters (328 feet), while the maximum length for a Cat7 cable is 150 meters (492 feet).
If you need a longer cable, you can use multiple cables to create a daisy chain.
And don’t forget to be sure to use RJ45 couplers/jacks that are also rated for the high speed and bandwidth of your network.
Once you’ve chosen the right Ethernet cables and jack, your ESXi host network should be able to handle the load.
Here are the best practices you should consider:
- The type of cable (Cat6e or Cat7)
- The length of the cable
- The maximum bandwidth capacity
For more information on ESXi server hardware, check out our server guide.
Best Network Cable Options:
After my painful experience, I now prefer to use Panduit cables for everything.
Panduit is a well-known manufacturer of networking cables, and their CAT6A cables are some of the best on the market.
They’re designed to provide high performance and reliability in demanding network environments, and they’re perfect for use with ESXi hosts.
If you’re looking for a reliable and high-performing ethernet cable for your ESXi host, then you should definitely consider Panduit CAT6A or CAT7 cables.
They’re built to last and can handle even the most demanding network environments.
Plus, they’re backed by Panduit’s excellent warranty and support services, so you can be sure you’re getting the best possible quality.
Panduit CAT6a Cables
- TX6 10GIG Shielded Cat6A Cable
- RJ-45 Plug-To-Plug Patch Cord
- Green
- Length: 5-Feet (1.52M)
- Each jack is 100 percent tested to ensure NEXT and RL performance and is individually serialized for traceability
- Contacts plated with 50 micro Inch of gold for superior performance
- Can be re-terminated a minimum of twenty times
- Universal termination cap is color-coded for T568A and T568B wiring schemes
- Accepts 6 and 8-position modular plugs without damage
- Each jack is 100 percent tested to ensure NEXT and RL performance and is individually serialized for traceability
- Contacts plated with 50 micro Inch of gold for superior performance
- Can be re-terminated a minimum of twenty times
- Universal termination cap is color-coded for T568A and T568B wiring schemes
- Accepts 6 and 8-position modular plugs without damage
- High Performance Cat6a, 26 AWG, RJ45, Shielded Ethernet Cable provides universal connectivity for LAN network components such as PCs, computer servers, printers, routers, switch boxes, network media players, NAS, VoIP phones, PoE devices, and more
- Cat6a performance at a Cat 5e price but with higher bandwidth; SSTP/SFTP (Screened Foiled Twisted Pair) shielding can prevent electromagnetic interference (EMI) and reduce crosstalk noise over the Cat 6a Ethernet cable
- A Category 6a Ethernet patch cable is also referred to as a Cat6a network cable, Cat6a cable, Cat6a Ethernet cable, or Cat 6a data/LAN cable. Future-proof your network for 10-Gigabit Ethernet (backwards compatible with any existing Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet); Meets or exceeds Category 6a performance in compliance with the TIA/EIA 568-C.2 standard
- The shielded connectors with gold-plated contacts and strain-relief boots provide durability, and ensure a secure connection; Bare copper conductors enhance cable performance and comply with specifications for communications cables
- Flexible and durable Cat6a cable with high bandwidth of up to 550 MHz guarantees high-speed data transfer for server applications, cloud computing, video surveillance, and online high-definition video streaming
Panduit RJ45 Jacks
- Mounting: Snap-In
- Color: Blue
- Type: CAT 6
- Category 6
- Color: Blue
- Manufactured by Panduit
- Package Dimensions: 4.9 L x 23.2H x11.3W x(centimeters)
- Each jack is 100 percent tested to ensure NEXT and RL performance and is individually serialized for traceability
- Contacts plated with 50 micro Inch of gold for superior performance
- Can be re-terminated a minimum of twenty times
- Universal termination cap is color-coded for T568A and T568B wiring schemes
- Accepts 6 and 8-position modular plugs without damage
- Mounting: Snap-In
- Color: Black
- Type: CAT 6
NIC Alternatives for ESXi
- Dual- and quad-port 10 GbE adapters
- PCI Express (PCIe) 3.0, x8
- Exceptional low power adapters
- Network Virtualization offloads including Geneve, VXLAN and NVGRE
- Intel Ethernet Flow Director for hardware based application traffic steering
- Equipped with original Intel X540 controller chip which supports Intelligent Offloads and make the servers more stable.
- Compatible with Windows Server 2003/ 2008/ 2012, Windows7/8/10*/Visa, Linux, ESX/ESXi*. Storage over Ethernet: iSCSI, FCoE, NFS. (Note that this card can be used with Windows 11, but it needs to be manually set up. If you buy it for Windows 11, please contact us for installation guide before using.)
- Dual copper RJ45 ports let you connect to Category-6A and up to 100m((Category-6 up to 55 m) for meeting the demands of data center environments. PCI Express* 2.1. 5.0 G T/s X8 Lane is suitable for both PCI-E X8 and PCI-E X16 slots.
- With profile bracket and additional low profile bracket that makes it easy to install the card in a small form factor/low profile computer case/server.NOT support hot swaping.
- What You Get: 10Gtek 10GbE PCI-E X8 Network Card X540-10G-2T (compare to Intel X540-T2) x1, Low-profile Bracket x1. Backed by 10Gtek 30 Days Free-returned, 3 Year Free Warranty and Lifetime Technology Support.
- Equipped with original Intel 82576 controller chip which supports Intelligent Offloads and make the servers more stable. Compare to Intel E1G42ET.
- Compatible with Windows Server 2003/ 2008/ 2012, Windows7/8/10/Visa/XP, Linux, VMware ESX. (Does not support VMware ESXi 7.0 or above.)
- Dual copper RJ45 ports let you connect to Category-5 and up to 100m for meeting the demands of data center environments. PCI Express* 2.0. 2.5 GT/s X1 Lane.
- You also can download it from Intel website. With profile bracket and additional low profile bracket that makes it easy to install the card in a small form factor/low profile computer case/server.NOT support hot swaping.
- What You Get: 10Gtek 82576-2T-X1 1.25GbE PCI-E X1 Network Card (compare to Intel E1G42ET) x1, Low-profile Bracket x1. Backed by 10Gtek 30 Days Free-returned, 3 Year Free Warranty and Lifetime Technology Support.
Related reading:
Other frequently asked questions:
What is ESXi Networking?
ESXi networking is a key part of the virtualization platform.
It provides the foundation for creating and managing virtual networks within your environment.
ESXi networking allows you to create custom virtual networks, configure network settings for your VMs, and more.
What port does ESXi use?
ESXi uses the following ports:
– Port 443: This port is used for management traffic.
– Port 902: This port is used for vSphere Replication traffic.
– Port 22: This port is used for Secure Shell (SSH) traffic.
– Port 80: This port is used for HTTP traffic.
– Port 3389: This port is used for Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) traffic.
What’s the best NIC for ESXi?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to the best NIC for ESXi hosts.
However, some factors you may want to consider include the amount of traffic your network will be handling, the number of hosts you need to connect, and the budget you have available.
That said, here are three NICs that are often recommended for use with ESXi hosts (shown above):
1. The Intel XL710-QDA2 is an oldie but goodie but still a great ethernet network card for ESXi hosts.
It provides superior performance and reliability for your virtualized infrastructure that is still using copper cabling.
Plus, it’s backed by Intel’s industry-leading warranty and support.
2. The Intel X540-T2 is a 10GBASE-T adapter that supports two 10 Gbps SFP+ ports.
A PCIe 3.0 x8 adapter delivers high performance and low latency for large enterprise virtual infrastructure environments.
It supports virtualization technologies such as VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V.
And the X540-T2 also supports jumbo frames, VLANs, and traffic prioritization.
3. The Intel 82576 is a high-quality Ethernet network cable that is perfect for use with your hosts.
It delivers fast and reliable performance at 1.25GB, making it an ideal choice for your home lab network infrastructure.
The Intel 82576 is also backed by a strong warranty, ensuring that you can depend on it for years to come.
Conclusion:
We think the best Ethernet cables for ESXi hosts are Panduit Cat6a or Cat7 cables.
These cables handle higher bandwidth and will provide you with the connectivity that your business needs to be successful in today’s competitive market.
Like I said at the beginning, ethernet cables are one of the unsung heroes of network communication.
They’re the things that make sure your data is transferred and received in its entirety, with no interference or disruption.
While all ethernet cables will do the job, some are better suited for specific needs – like those found in an extremely busy virtual infrastructure.
Also, if you’re looking for a guide about which server to use for your VMware environment, be sure to check out our related guides above.
Or if you need help selecting the right type of network cable for your company, leave your questions or comments below and we will be happy to help.
You have been reading our guide about – the best ethernet network cables for ESXi hosts.
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