Using USB ethernets in this project

I know every system and network purist is going to say "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!".  Even I was asking myself that question.   It started as just an easy simple way to attach the storage server to the management network.  Then the coronavirus shows up and most retail and not a few online suppliers close.  So I'm faced with an architecture that requires 2 NICs per node and 3 machines with 1 builtin NIC each.  I consider trying to move everything to a single connection use VLAN tags, but it complicates the configuration a good bit and doesn't really mimic how it would be done in the real world.    I dig through my parts bin and come up with a handful of USB/ethernet NICs.   So, I think, why not give it a try, you don't have anything else to use.  As it turns out, so far they have held up to the demand just fine.    I ran a number of tests on them and they have performed flawlessly.  Now the fact that they will never be asked to go beyond 100Mb/s may have a lot to do with that.  However, this is just a simple test lab for learning and isn't going to be running an enterprise client VM load, it appears I have found a way to keep plugging forward with building this demo.  As a note, all of the USB ethernet adapters I have coincidentally wound up being ASIX chipsets.

updates on this project

Unfortunately, the COVID shelter in place order has kind of thrown a few wrenches into this project.  The group that I was buying my used gear from had to close their doors for an undetermined period.  The group that I was working with is https://www.freeitathens.org/.  They are a great group of people doing a good job providing technology to those who can't afford it.   Once this COVID stuff is over, please check them out.  Also, if you happen to have any used gear you are looking to get rid of and are anywhere near Athens GA, please consider donating it to this group.

However, I have plugged on with this project.  I was able to borrow a pair of machines from a friend.  They are equipped with phenom chips.  Given the command set on the chips, they should work fine as virtualization engines.  However, my first stab at building a private cloud was via Ovirt and it turns out that it doesn't recognize the Phenom chips as supported.  I tried several ways to work around this, but couldn't find a simple way around it.   So my next stab for building a private cloud will be OpenNebula