Is it worth upgrading a 2-3Mbit/sec avg server from a 10Mbit to 100Mbit ethernet?
 

One of my hosts charges $10/mo extra for an upgrade from a 10Mbit/sec port to a 100Mbit/sec port (in reality it's probably just a software config change). The server only does about 3Mbit/sec max, is it worth it?

nope

no

:1orglaugh

You ever spike to 10? There's your answer.

depends

Too hard to tell with a 5 minute average on the MRTG graphs.

Anyway, it wasn't so much about additional headroom, it was more about other potential benefits (if any)...

There wouldn't be any technical advantage unless you spike over 10 MBps. I would say that if in any 5-minute sample window you're not spiking over 10, then you're not doing it on a regular basis.

Then again, we're only talking about $10 here.

It depends -- is it on a dedicated, full duplex 10mbps port? If it's on a shared network of any sort, the upgrade is worth it. If it's on a half duplex switched port, it's worth it (at 3mbps, you will be seeing collisions on a half duplex 10mbps network, even if it is switched).

If it's a full duplex, 10mbps port, and you don't need to plan to go over 5-6mbps, there probably wouldn't be any benefit. Then again, for $10/month, it's probably cost you more in time thinking about it than the actual expense at this point.

Cheers
-b

Dude, for 10$... do it.
Your probably not on full duplex.
The collisions are bad if its not full duplex.
Dont even think twice about it.

:thumbsup