I can’t say I’ve ever had second hand electronic devices (devices like a switch…not components like RAM, HDDs, GPU) shipped wrapped in anti-static bags. Completely unnecessary imo. The card, as it’s a component, may have been nice to have in a bag, but if it was cheap-ish, I wouldn’t really care.

Anecdotally, I’ve been working with electronics for decades, never using any of those grounding bracelets, or anti static mats. And never once had a problem. Could static cause damage…yeah, probably, but there is a far far greater risk of physical damage than from static.

You need some beef.

https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/brocade-icx-series-cheap-powerful-10gbe-40gbe-switching.21107/

I mean, part of homelab-ing is getting to do the research and figure out how best to set things up for your specific needs.

Where’s the fun in just giving you a blueprint to follow.

I think your first step is to define your goal. Pick 1 or 2 use cases you actually want to execute (not a laundry list of things you could do) and start there.

Can you zoom in any closer. I can’t quite see…