Maybe consider MikroTik switches running RouterOS (ROS) / SwitchOS (SwOS)? The learning curve is steeper than other switches, but the functionality is quite powerful. At first I was not a fan of WinBox, but it grew on me after I learned they had a beta version for Linux/macOS and that it could connect to a router by using just a L2 MAC address. It can also be virtualized / dockerized, so you can experiment with it before buying hardware.
- If you want Linux without actually needing to poke at the underlying OS, then you might also be interested in Palo Alto NGFW products running PAN-OS. Terraform is also an option: https://github.com/PaloAltoNetworks/terraform-provider-panos
- The one area I found RouterOS majorly lacking was IPv6 support, which is provided as a separate plugin/package. My ISP doesn't support IPv6, so this did not make any difference for me.
- The best IPv6 support in a network product advertizing a unix-like OS is OPNsense / PFSense, but those are routers and not switch hardware. Terraform providers are also available for these.
Nice catch. So it is possible to run both on most switches in that product family. The one I have for example is running RouterOS and performing various L3 functions. Here's a product table explaining which ones can support RouterOS: https://help.mikrotik.com/docs/spaces/SWOS/pages/76415036/CR...
The newer hardware is even better, but I have the compact desktop version of this 24-port MikroTik switch: https://www.servethehome.com/mikrotik-css326-24g-2srm-review...
As well as this Wifi 6 AP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICrDw8_PZ3o
They recently released a small 10G ethernet switch that looks seriously good: https://www.servethehome.com/mikrotik-crs304-4xg-in-review-t...
If I had to do my network all over again, I'd probably get either the MikroTik L009UiGS-2HaxD or RB5009UG+S+IN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIxkkNxsEhs
Side Notes
- The Terraform provider for RouterOS is actively developed: https://github.com/terraform-routeros/terraform-provider-rou...
- If you want Linux without actually needing to poke at the underlying OS, then you might also be interested in Palo Alto NGFW products running PAN-OS. Terraform is also an option: https://github.com/PaloAltoNetworks/terraform-provider-panos
- The one area I found RouterOS majorly lacking was IPv6 support, which is provided as a separate plugin/package. My ISP doesn't support IPv6, so this did not make any difference for me.
- The best IPv6 support in a network product advertizing a unix-like OS is OPNsense / PFSense, but those are routers and not switch hardware. Terraform providers are also available for these.