Are you fixing that switch? Or setting it up as a Minecraft server?
- Reference: 1587457634
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/21/minecraft_server_cisco_switch/
- Source link:
Borg developer advocate Florian Pachinger sensibly [1]justified the feat by asking: "Why not host your computer game servers directly on the switch instead of connecting to any dedicated server far away – it's closer locally."
It's actually not much of a trick: several current Cisco boxen can run Docker containers and a Minecraft server is [2]already available on DockerHub . DNA Centre, Cisco's cloudy management plane, can install Docker packages on managed devices. A little networking configuration later and Pachinger was doing whatever it is people do in Minecraft.
He spoiled the trick a little by using a VPN to play from home with Minecraft presumably on an at-work Catalyst 9300 switch.
Left unsaid is that this might not be the best use of VPN resources at this time, especially seeing as Cisco itself was [3]caught without enough capacity to serve its own staff when they all went home in a hurry.
Your humble hack imagines that in normal times it would be rather easier to sell this arrangement by pointing out that we all need some relaxation in the office and Minecraft fits the bill – but not at the expense of WAN capacity! By keeping all the action on the LAN, where bandwidth is free and plentiful and QoS controls are fine-grained, workers can get their low-fi fun without slamming the external network in search of an external server.
Cisco has been baking the ability to run workloads into its networking devices for a while now, and a few can host either VMs or containers. Cisco suggests this as a way to augment those devices with networking-centric workloads, or as a way to deploy apps closer to users. ®
Sponsored: [4]Choosing A Low-Code Vendor
[1] https://blogs.cisco.com/developer/minecraft-on-catalyst-switch
[2] https://hub.docker.com/r/itzg/minecraft-server
[3] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/02/cisco_rations_staff_vpn/
[4] https://go.theregister.co.uk/tl/1936/-8579/choosing-a-low-code-vendor?td=wptl1936
Re: Good idea
However not so sure when IF the Infrastructure and Ops team manager finds out .
There, FTFY.
OK, so can run a game server on a switch
I have just one question : why the hell does a switch have that much computing power ?
Seems like a waste to me for something that is supposed to just route packets. Obviously, so much functionality has been added that what was once a simple packet router has become a full-fledged PC in its own right.
Sounds like overkill to me.
Re: OK, so can run a game server on a switch
Processing power if relatively cheap today, and for a long time some switched did more than just routing packets - not running whole containers, true.
Re: OK, so can run a game server on a switch
They've got the functionality to run containers plus the CPU horsepower to do it because customers requested it.
Throw one of those into a branch office and a lot of what you might need for that office - routing, wireless controller, DHCP, DNS etc - can run directly on the switch with no extra hardware required.
Re: OK, so can run a game server on a switch
> Throw one of those into a branch office and a lot of what you might need for that office - routing, wireless controller, DHCP, DNS etc - can run directly on the switch with no extra hardware required.
Surely at that point, said device is no longer a switch?
Re: OK, so can run a game server on a switch
In a home environment we'd call it a 'router', even though they usually do a lot more than route packets (eg DNS, DHCP, wifi etc.)
Re: OK, so can run a game server on a switch
I guess the some answer is 'this isn't bought to be just a switch'.
They can host containers and run third-party applications and scripts natively within the switch.
Having other, more capable, devices to do what could be done natively within the switch could be considered overkill.
(Disclaimer: I've no idea what I'm talking about - came here for the creative headlines, stayed for the quality journalism)
Re: OK, so can run a game server on a switch
Yes, switching & routing packets has a fairly low cpu hit especially with the dedicated ASICs onboard.
It's when you start all the AAA, security monitoring, packet scanning & crypto that the CPU/mem load goes skyward. The 9300 is at the top end of stackables, there can be a lot of 10 or 40Gb/s ports to service as well as hundreds of gig ports.
Many corporate have a standard infrastructure model, Docker is just another use for spare capacity where there would otherwise be a need for a small server (Branch office)
edit: just as schplazingo above mentions
But.... But!
Can it run Crysis?
I would get coat but I'm already home and they sya I shouldn't leave it.
*shouts onto the street* but doesn't this mean naughty types can deploy naughty Docker servers on these switches then? How updated does it keep the host docker instance? What about the.... *sound of annoyed better half dragging a body further into the house*
Re: But.... But!
"Can it run Crysis?"
More importantly, can it run [1]Crysis Remastered?
[1] https://www.crysis.com/
Putting the ability to run containers and VMs on switches? What could possibly go wrong with that?
A hackers delight.
Good idea
I still remember the older days of running Doom and Quake 2 over the LAN.
Having a container with an actual Minecraft server on the switch seems like a good idea. However not so sure when the Infrastructure and Ops team manager finds out.