FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., October 5, 2026 RackStar Networks is affirming its commitment to continuous education in network technology by supporting students and young professionals who want to learn, experiment and innovate. A recent equipment donation to New Zealand Year 10 student Riley shows how access to enterprise hardware can turn classroom concepts into practical experience.
Riley contacted RackStar while building a home networking lab using retired enterprise equipment. His goal was to develop a 10Gb network where he could explore switching, routing, storage connectivity and data center network designs beyond the limits of his existing equipment.
RackStar provided an Arista DCS-7050TX-72Q switch and two Intel X540-T2 dual-port 10GbE network adapters. In a recent LinkedIn post, Riley shared how he put the equipment to work testing Link Aggregation Control Protocol, or LACP, which allows multiple network connections to operate together.
After configuring two 10Gb links, Riley used multiple simultaneous iPerf3 testing sessions to examine how traffic distributed across the connections. He reported achieving approximately 14-plus Gbit/s of aggregate throughput, exceeding the capacity of a single 10Gb link.
For Riley, the experience connected his networking studies with the practical work of configuring equipment, troubleshooting connections and measuring performance.
“I really appreciate Scott and RackStar Networks giving me the opportunity to learn with real enterprise networking equipment that I otherwise wouldn’t have access to,” — Riley, Year 10 Student, New Zealand
He explained that the project is helping him apply knowledge gained through Cisco courses and independent study, building practical skills as he continues exploring network engineering.
RackStar’s support reflects the company’s belief that continuous learning is essential at every stage of a technology career. Students need opportunities to explore, young professionals need room to develop their skills, and experienced engineers benefit from continued experimentation as technology evolves.
“The next generation of network engineers needs opportunities to build, test and discover,” said Scott Hobin, CEO of RackStar Networks. “Riley brought the curiosity and initiative. We helped provide the tools. Seeing him put that equipment to work is exactly why we believe in supporting hands-on education.”
The project also highlights the educational value of reusing enterprise technology. Functioning equipment that has been replaced in a business environment can still provide a valuable foundation for learning, giving aspiring engineers access to capabilities that may otherwise be beyond their budgets.
Through equipment support, practical guidance and knowledge sharing, RackStar aims to encourage the people whose curiosity and ideas will help advance the networking field.
About RackStar Networks
RackStar Networks provides new and refurbished network infrastructure, servers and compute equipment, data center services, and asset recovery solutions. The company supports customers’ technology needs while recognizing the continuing value of enterprise equipment for education, experimentation and innovation.