@Hank21 thank you for your reply. 

I have the SM5310-T 10G BASE-T RJ45 SFP+ modules

There is only one LAN subnet 192.168.10.0/24 all set to VLAN1

So far, I've found that a small 6 port 1GE unmanaged cisco switch will only work when I set the connected port to 1000 Mbps - If I set the port to 10G the devices connected to the cisco switch do not get DHCP even though the NIC lights are green and yellow to indicate 1 Gbps.

I have a minipc with 2.5Gbps NIC and the only way I can get this connection to work is to go into the SX3008F to set the port speed to 1000 Mbps, then disable the port, enable the port then change the port speed to 10G and finally the minipc will get DHCP and work at 2.5 Gbps

I disabled the four ports that are not being used in the switch.

I was hoping that TP-LINK would be reasonable products, but I'm amazed at how badly this is going.

so what is the current status when I boot switch.

Port 0 10Gbps - upstream ok

Port 1 10Gbps - HP Z6 G5 with 10 GE NIC ok

Port 2 1 Gbps - Cisco 6 port unmanaged 1GE switch with printer, etc connected ok

Port 3 10 Gbps - GMKTec minipc with 2.5 GE NIC fail

I have a second SX300F and 8 SFP+ 10G modules still in boxes - I'm worried that if I deploy them my home network will really screw up. I've ordered an OC220, but from what I read this won't fix the hardware failures / firmware problems.

Any guidance appreciated.

  @Hank21 thank you for your comments. I've worked around this matter quite a bit. The problem is with the negotiation that occurs when the switch is started or when computers are added. I've discovered the switch is not what I was hoping for, so I'm moving to another solution. Yes, I thought I could put 8 SFP+ 10 GE devices into the switch and it would work. But it does not. The excuse that TP-Link spins is that the device gets hot. Well it is not hot and it fails until you take out 6 or 7 of the SFP+. Also the speed negotiation is a mess, particularly with 2.5 GE devices. I found that connecting legacy 1 GE devices required setting the ports to 1 gbps mode. I can't spend more time on this, I don't have hours to go through all of the trouble shooting that TP-Link has asked for. So the root cause may not be identified. I'm currently using a 5 port TL-SX105 and a QNAP QSW-2104-2T to overcome my lack of a working switch.

People might ask why did I buy two of these switches and 16 SFP+ 10GE modules from TP-Link? I had already purchased two TL-SX1008 and the fan noise is horrendous. I was looking for a fanless alternative. Then I saw people talking about swapping out the noisy fans for quiet fans. So many problems with TP-Link. TP-Link are now stating that if you change the fans you void warranty. Not in Australia TP-Link! And yes, I also purchased an omada gateway and OC220. It all goes into the bin.

I'm waiting for new supplies of fanless switches to become available from another vendor. I've read positive reports on their fanless switches that have 8 10GE RJ45 and 8 SFP+ ports. And don't have heat problems -> hint hint TP-Link.

  @GRL I found that the only way to get 1GE devices to work with this switch was to change the port to 1Gbps. You might think that the SFP+ RJ45 10GE module negotiates in the correct order but it does not from my research. And it totally craps out when you try to connect QNAP boxes with 2.5 GE even though the SFP+ RJ45 10Ge modules state that they handle 1GE, 2.5GE, 5GE, 10GE. And yes the ports are set to 10GE for the 2.5 GE QNAP devices. I've tried so many devices and switch combinations that I've run out of time and patience with TP-Link. There is a problem with the SX3008F, it is not syncing as it should with the TP-Link SFP+ RJ45 10GE modules (the modules get a good rating from people using the modules with other vendor switches) when 2.5GE boxes are connected, and yes, I tried boxes other than QNAP to check.

TP-Link state that the switches should have only one SFP+ RJ45 10GE module - this is a copout and written in a location that the average person looking for a fanless switch is not going to notice -> I didn't. I can't fathom the thinking at TP-Link. I have so many SFP+ switches of different sizes, right up to 48 port, and never run into this problem before.

I'm changing vendors, and if you look at the previous post you'll see that I've wasted more than $8K on TP-Link that I'll never get back. All TP-Link support did was put the problem onto me and ask me to diagnose the problem for them with an ever increasing list of questions. I don't have time nor the energy for this. Switches are not meant to be this hard.

And I cannot stress how loud the fans are in the TL-SX1008. I'm amazed at how loud and noisy the TP-Link products are. So never again.

  @Vincent-TP yes, I missed the fine print. I've used other vendor products for many years, and never run into this 'limit' on SFP+ RJ45 modules before, so did not go looking. How hard is it to make a switch that works without the problems I've found with this switch. I've now found a product from another vendor that does not have the TP-Link problems, so I'm moving in that direction. thx for responding, it is appreciated.

  @GRL I'm looking for 8 port 10GE switches to simplify my network. I have a lot of devices, they move around, I don't want to have to move switches as well. I don't want to think about switches. I want to purchase, plug in and use without all of the mucking around that I've experienced in the past month.

As I mentioned in another post, I purchased two of the 8 port 10GE RJ45 TL-SX1008 and found they were so noisy that I could not think. I can hear the one in the hall closet when I walk past. The one in my office lasted an hour, I could not put up with it.

I should have moved to another vendor then, but doubled down -> my mistake. I purchased two of the fanless TL-SX3008F, 16 SFP+ RJ45 10GE modules, an omada gateway and OC220. All of the TP-Link is going into the bin. I could not give it away with the problems I've found. $8K+ down the drain.

And yes, I've subsequently read about people changing the fans in the TL-SX1008 and how TP-Link has responded by saying this will void warranty. In the USA maybe, not here.

I don't have the time nor energy to waste on this. Switches are not rocket science, they should work out of the box without all of this nonsense and noise.

TPLink support gave me a very long list of things to do and to report to them. I don't have the time nor the energy. They must know there are problems, now that I've googled, I've found a lot of complaints about noise, etc.

I do wish that my TP-Link experience was better. Hopefully they will improve their products over time. But for now, another vendor beckons.

thank you for responding, it is appreciated.

  @MarkAGregory 

SFP+ ports dont support auto negotiation, and this is the same with any vendor.  If you use DAC cables, you must specify the port speed manually, if you use modules, you leave the ports at 10g and let the module do the conversion.

TPlink arent designing and making their own switch chips - they use the same ones all the other vendors do and the limitations are across the board, not limited to one vendor.

If you want better auto negotiation you will have to use RJ45 port based switches (with SFP+ uplink if you need that), SFP isnt for you - its designed for infrastructure as its primary purpose

  @GRL I don't agree with your statement. There are two negotiations that occur. The first is the port and the module, then the module negotiates with the device. I was able to get the 2.5GE devices connected to the SX3008F so any suggestion that this will not work is not correct. There is, in my view, a change needed in the SX3008F firmware to ensure that when the device is started or when a new device is connected the negotiation process proceeds correctly, without hanging. It is not the chips, it is the firmware that is the issue from what I can see, and the problem should be able to be fixed.

I have worked with many hundreds of switches from many vendors in my career, and never seen anything like this before.

I do agree that I need to look for another vendor, one that provides a solution that works, and I've found one thank you.