How to check compatibility 10gbe card

ESXi compatibility
Regarding the following article, are any of these cards compatible with ESXi? except the synology one I guess.
As you understand, I want to hook one Synology and one or more ESXi servers on a 10GBe network. ESXi which I use usually 6.5 or 6.7 and I use only stock images (Dell, HP, Cisco etc).
Searching on the VMware forums, didn’t bring me any luck. I am looking forward to buy some NICs.

The cheapest cards supporting ESXi are Aquantia 107 based cards like Aquantia AQtion AQC 107. You can find them listed here: https://nascompares.com/2017/12/14/cheapest-10gb-1-port-pci-express-network-cards-rj45/

More expansion and better quality cards will be Intel and Mellanox chipset based cards. Here is full Synology tested card list:

	E10G15-F1
Synology	E10G17-F2		2 x 10GbE	SFP+	PCIe 3.0 x8
Synology	E10G18-T1		1 x 10GbE	RJ45	PCIe 3.0 x4
Synology	E10G18-T2		2 x 10GbE	RJ45	PCIe 3.0 x8
Emulex	OneConnect OCe11102-FM		2 x 10GbE	LC Connector	PCIe 2.0 x8
Emulex	OneConnect OCe11102-NX		2 x 10GbE	SFP+	PCIe 2.0 x8
Intel	Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X520-DA2	E10G42BTDA	2 x 10GbE	SFP+	PCIe 2.0 x8
Intel	Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X520-SR2	E10G42BFSR	2 x 10GbE	LC Connector	PCIe 2.0 x8
Intel	Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X540-T2	X540T2	2 x 10GbE	RJ45	PCIe 2.1 x8
Intel	Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X550-T2	X550T2	2 x 10GbE	RJ45	PCIe 3.0 x4
Intel	Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710-DA2	X710DA2	2 x 10GbE	SFP+	PCIe 3.0 x8
Intel	Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710-DA4	X710DA4G2P5	4 x 10GbE	SFP+	PCIe 3.0 x8
Intel	Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710-T4	X710-T4	4 x 10GbE	RJ45	PCIe 3.0 x8
Intel	Ethernet Network Adapter XXV710-DA2	XXV710DA2	2 x 25GbE	SFP28	PCIe 3.0 x8
Marvell	FastLinQ QL41134HLCU	QL41134HLCU	4 x 10GbE	SFP+	PCIe 3.0 x8
Marvell	FastLinQ QL41212HLCU		2 x 25GbE	SFP28	PCIe 3.0 x8
Mellanox	ConnectX-3 Pro EN MCX312B-XCCT		2 x 10GbE	SFP+	PCIe 3.0 x8
Mellanox	ConnectX-3 Pro EN MCX314A-BCCT		2 x 40GbE	QSFP+	PCIe 3.0 x8
Mellanox	ConnectX-4 Lx EN MCX4121A-ACAT		2 x 25GbE	SFP28	PCIe 3.0 x8
Mellanox	ConnectX-4 Lx EN MCX4121A-XCAT		2 x 10GbE	SFP28	PCIe 3.0 x8
Mellanox	ConnectX-4 Lx EN MCX4131A-BCAT		1 x 40GbE	QSFP28	PCIe 3.0 x8

Cheapest 10gb 1 Port PCI Express network cards (NIC) RJ45 inc. Low profile

Cheapest 10gbe switches

You may find few cards also on ebay cheaper:

Link1

Link2

link3

link4

link5

Here is How to set up Synology NAS as VMware server datastore:

https://www.synology.com/en-global/knowledgebase/DSM/tutorial/Virtualization/How_to_set_up_Synology_NAS_as_VMware_server_datastore

Applied Models:

10GBASE-T Interface

Brand	Model	Specification	Remark
Emulex	Oce11102-NT	Dual port 10 Gigabit network adapter, 10GBASE-T, cat6 cable	Note 1
QNAP	LAN-10G2T-D	Dual-port 10 GbE network expansion card for tower models, desktop bracket, cat6A cable
QNAP	LAN-10G2T-U	Dual-port 10 GbE network expansion card for rack mount models, low-profile bracket, , cat6A cable
Intel	X520-T2 (E10G42BT)	Dual-port 10 Gigabit network adapter, cat6A cable	Note 1, Note 2

SFP+ OPTIC Interface

Brand	Model	Specification	Remark
Emulex	OCe11102-NM	Dual port 10 Gigabit network adapter , short range optical cable	Note 1, Note 3
Emulex	OCe11102-IM	Dual port 10 Gigabit network adapter, short range optical cable	Note 1, Note 3
Intel	X520-SR2 (E10G42BFSR)	Dual-port 10 Gigabit network adapter, short range optical cable	Note 1, Note 4

SFP+ DAC (Direct Attach Copper) Interface

Brand	Model	Specification	Remark
Emulex	OCe11102-NX	Dual port 10 Gigabit network adapter, SFP+ direct attach copper cable	Note 1, Note 3
Emulex	OCe11102-IX	Dual port 10 Gigabit network adapter, SFP+ direct attach copper cable	Note 1, Note 3
Intel	X520-DA2 (E10G42BTDA)	Dual-port 10 Gigabit network adapter, SFP+ direct attach copper cable	Note 1, Note 4

Applied Models:

10GBASE-T Interface

Brand	Model	Specification	Remark
Emulex	Oce11102-NT	Dual port 10 Gigabit network adapter, 10GBASE-T, cat6 cable	Note 1
QNAP	LAN-10G2T-D	Dual-port 10 GbE network expansion card for tower models, desktop bracket, cat6A cable
QNAP	LAN-10G2T-U	Dual-port 10 GbE network expansion card for rack mount models, low-profile bracket, , cat6A cable

SFP+ OPTIC Interface

Brand	Model	Specification	Remark
Emulex	OCe11102-NM	Dual port 10 Gigabit network adapter , short range optical cable	Note 1, Note 3
Emulex	OCe11102-IM	Dual port 10 Gigabit network adapter, short range optical cable	Note 1, Note 3

SFP+ DAC (Direct Attach Copper) Interface

Brand	Model	Specification	Remark
Emulex	OCe11102-NX	Dual port 10 Gigabit network adapter, SFP+ direct attach copper cable	Note 1, Note 3
Emulex	OCe11102-IX	Dual port 10 Gigabit network adapter, SFP+ direct attach copper cable	Note 1, Note 3

Note 1: A specific bracket is required on the TS-470, TS-670, TS-870, TS-470 Pro, TS-670 Pro, TS-870 Pro, TS-879 Pro, TS-1079 Pro models. For the information of network card installation, please refer the Turbo NAS Hardware Manual.

Note 2: An optional purchase bracket is required for TS-879 Pro and TS-1079 Pro models.

Note 3: If you encounter unstable network transmission with the Emulex 10 GbE adapters, please upgrade the 10 GbE adapter firmware. Read the firmware upgrade instruction before initiating a firmware update.

Note 4: Support with limitations. Please DO read the compatibility notification before your purchase.

Third Party Generic Cable Suppliers

Note: please double check 10GbE cable compatibility with 10GbE NIC and Switch