Network Interface Cards

Designed with the bridgeless Intel® Ethernet Controller I350, this 1GbE adapter delivers performance through industry leading enhancements for both virtualized and iSCSI networking environments.

A suite of hardware assists improves overall system performance by lowering the I/O overhead in virtualized environments. iSCSI simplifies SAN connectivity by eliminating the need for SAN- specific adapters or switches.

This adapter also includes power management technologies such as Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) and DMA Coalescing (DMAC). With advanced Power Management Technologies, customers can configure power options on the adapter and more effectively manage their power consumption.

The Intel® Ethernet I350 Server Adapters includes these featured technologies:

Flexible I/O Virtualization

The Intel® Ethernet I350 adapters include Intel® Virtualization Technology for connectivity (Intel VT-c) to deliver I/O virtualization and Quality of Service (QoS) features designed directly into the I350 controller on the adapter. I/O virtualization advances network connectivity models used in today's servers to more efficient models by providing Flexible Port Partitioning (FPP), multiple Rx/Tx queues, and on-controller QoS functionality that can be used in both virtual and non-virtual server deployments.

By taking advantage of the PCI-SIG SR-IOV specification, Intel® Ethernet products enable Flexible Port Partitioning (FPP). With FPP, virtual controllers can be used by the Linux host directly and/or assigned to virtual machines. With this port partitioning, administrators can create up to eight dedicated networks on a single Ethernet port for use in baremetal and virtualized server deployments.

In a bare-metal Linux server, host processes can be assigned to dedicated network resources to provide traffic isolation and balanced bandwidth allocation.

In a virtualized environment, a VM can be assigned to a virtual controller to reduce the CPU overhead seen when using a software-based network bridge, by offloading network traffic management to the Ethernet controller silicon.

Scalable iSCSI Performance

iSCSI uses Ethernet to carry storage traffic, extending the familiarity and simplicity of Ethernet to storage networking, without the need for SAN-specific adapters or switches. Intel® Ethernet adapters, with built-in iSCSI initiators for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and VMware ESXi platforms, provide a simple, dependable, cost-effective way to connect to LANs and iSCSI SANs.

Intel® Ethernet adapters include hardware-based iSCSI acceleration features that do not require offloading to a proprietary TCP/IP stack. iSCSI acceleration uses large send offload, Receive Side Coalescing and transmit send offloads to help reduce latency and lower CPU utilization. To improve efficiency, MSI-X, Receive-side Scaling and Intel® Ethernet Flow Director, scale I/O processing across multiple CPU cores. Direct memory access (DMA), direct cache access (DCA) and header splitting improve network data processing efficiency, and data center bridging (DCB) supports multiple traffic classes that can be prioritized for iSCSI traffic.

These built-in initiators are broadly tested using multiple generations of operating systems, storage systems, and OS tools to help ensure reliability and ease of use. Standardizing on Intel Ethernet for iSCSI allows administrators to use a single initiator, TCP/IP stack, and a common set of management tools and IT policies.

Learn More

Intel Ethernet Controller I210-AT, Tape - PCI Express 2.1 - 1 Gbit/s Data Transfer Rate - Intel I210AT - 1 Port(s) - 1 - Twisted Pair - Low profile and full-height Bracket Height - 1000Base-T - Plug-in Card Learn More

Autonegotiation between 1GbE, 2.5GbE, 5GbE, and 10GbE provides the necessary backwards compatibility required for a smooth transition and easy migration to 10GbE.

The X550 is a low-cost option for deploying 10GbE in your data center because it uses CAT6 and CAT6A cabling - standard cabling for many data centers. Copper cabling's flexible reach from 1 meter to 100 meters also supports Top of Rack (ToR), Middle of Row (MoR), and End of Row (EoR) network architectures.

This adapter also reduces cost and power through its single-chip solution. The adapter uses the Intel® Ethernet Controller X550, with integrated MAC and PHY. Integration translates to lower power and means no more active heatsink reducing the per-port power consumption.

Integration also equals lower cost per port. When cabling is accounted for, cost efficiencies realized from a single 10GBASE-T adapter means that this is possibly the lowest-cost media to deploy. When time and budget allow, 10GBASE-T switches can be added to experience the full benefits of 10GbE.

Virtualization

Virtualization changes the way server resources are deployed and managed by running multiple applications and operating systems independently on a single server. The X550 includes Intel® Virtualization Technology for connectivity (Intel® VT-c) to deliver I/O virtualization and Quality of Service (QoS) features.

I/O virtualization advances network connectivity used in today's servers to more efficient models by providing FPP, multiple Tx/Rx queues, Tx queue rate-limiting, and on-controller QoS functionality, useful for both virtual and non-virtual server deployments.

The X550 reduces I/O bottlenecks by providing intelligent offload of networking traffic per VM, enabling near-native performance and VM scalability. The host-based virtualization technologies include:

• VMDq for emulated path: Adapter-based VM queue sorting enabling efficient hypervisor-based switching.
• SR-IOV for direct assignment: Adapter-based isolation and switching for various virtual station instances enabling optimal CPU usage in virtualized environment.

Additionally, this adapter family provides virtual bridging support that delivers both host-side and switch-side control and management of virtualized I/O as well as the following modes of virtualized operation:

• VEPA: IEEE 802.1Qbg support for Virtual Ethernet Port Aggregator.
• VEB: Virtual Ethernet Bridge support with Intel VT.

Networking Virtualization

Network virtualization is the next big trend in creating an agile data center.

• VxLAN and NVGRE offloads: These stateless offloads preserve application performance for overlay networks. With these offloads, it is possible to distribute network traffic across a CPU core.
• Preserves application performance in network virtualized environment.

Learn More

The Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710 addresses the demanding needs of an agile data center by providing unmatched features for both server and network virtualization, flexibility for LAN and SAN networks, and proven, reliable performance.

The Intel® Ethernet 700 Series Network Adapters. These adapters are the foundation for server connectivity, providing broad interoperability, critical performance optimizations, and increased agility for Communications, Cloud, and Enterprise IT network solutions.

• Interoperability - Multiple speeds and media types for broad compatibility backed by extensive testing and validation.
• Optimization - Intelligent offloads and accelerators to unlock network performance in servers with Intel® Xeon® processors.
• Agility - Both Kernel and Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK) drivers for scalable packet processing.

Intel® Ethernet 700 Series delivers networking performance across a wide range of network port speeds through intelligent offloads, sophisticated packet processing, and quality open source drivers.

All Intel® Ethernet 700 Series Network Adapters include these feature-rich technologies:

Flexible and Scalable I/O for Virtualized Infrastructures

Intel® Virtualization Technology (Intel® VT), delivers outstanding I/O performance in virtualized server environments.

I/O bottlenecks are reduced through intelligent offloads, enabling near-native performance and VM scalability. These offloads include Virtual Machine Device Queues (VMDq) and Flexible Port Partitioning using SR-IOV with a common Virtual Function driver for networking traffic per Virtual Machine (VM). Host-based features supported include:

VMDQ for Emulated Path: VMDQ, enables a hypervisor to represent a single network port as multiple network ports that can be assigned to the individual VMs. Traffic handling is offloaded to the network controller, delivering the benefits of port partitioning with little to no administrative overhead by the IT staff.

SR-IOV for Direct Assignment: Adapter-based isolation and switching for various virtual station instances enables optimal CPU usage in virtualized environments.

• Up to 128 virtual functions (VFs), each VF can support a unique and separate data path for I/O related functions within the PCI Express hierarchy.
• Use of SR-IOV with a networking device, for example, allows the bandwidth of a single port (function) to be partitioned into smaller slices that can be allocated to specific VMs or guests, via a standard interface.

Intel® Ethernet Adaptive Virtual Function (Intel® Ethernet AVF): Customers deploying mass-scale VMs or containers for their network infrastructure now have a common VF driver. This driver eases SR-IOV hardware upgrades or changes, preserves base-mode functionality in hardware and software, and supports an advanced set of features in the Intel® Ethernet 700 Series.

Enhanced Network Virtualization Overlays (NVO)

Network virtualization has changed the way networking is done in the data center, delivering accelerations across a wide range of tunneling methods.

Learn More

The Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710 addresses the demanding needs of an agile data center by providing unmatched features for both server and network virtualization, flexibility for LAN and SAN networks, and proven, reliable performance.

The Intel® Ethernet 700 Series Network Adapters. These adapters are the foundation for server connectivity, providing broad interoperability, critical performance optimizations, and increased agility for Communications, Cloud, and Enterprise IT network solutions.

• Interoperability - Multiple speeds and media types for broad compatibility backed by extensive testing and validation.
• Optimization - Intelligent offloads and accelerators to unlock network performance in servers with Intel® Xeon® processors.
• Agility - Both Kernel and Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK) drivers for scalable packet processing.

Intel® Ethernet 700 Series delivers networking performance across a wide range of network port speeds through intelligent offloads, sophisticated packet processing, and quality open source drivers.

All Intel® Ethernet 700 Series Network Adapters include these feature-rich technologies:

Flexible and Scalable I/O for Virtualized Infrastructures

Intel® Virtualization Technology (Intel® VT), delivers outstanding I/O performance in virtualized server environments.

I/O bottlenecks are reduced through intelligent offloads, enabling near-native performance and VM scalability. These offloads include Virtual Machine Device Queues (VMDq) and Flexible Port Partitioning using SR-IOV with a common Virtual Function driver for networking traffic per Virtual Machine (VM). Host-based features supported include:

VMDQ for Emulated Path: VMDQ, enables a hypervisor to represent a single network port as multiple network ports that can be assigned to the individual VMs. Traffic handling is offloaded to the network controller, delivering the benefits of port partitioning with little to no administrative overhead by the IT staff.

SR-IOV for Direct Assignment: Adapter-based isolation and switching for various virtual station instances enables optimal CPU usage in virtualized environments.

• Up to 128 virtual functions (VFs), each VF can support a unique and separate data path for I/O related functions within the PCI Express hierarchy.
• Use of SR-IOV with a networking device, for example, allows the bandwidth of a single port (function) to be partitioned into smaller slices that can be allocated to specific VMs or guests, via a standard interface.

Intel® Ethernet Adaptive Virtual Function (Intel® Ethernet AVF): Customers deploying mass-scale VMs or containers for their network infrastructure now have a common VF driver. This driver eases SR-IOV hardware upgrades or changes, preserves base-mode functionality in hardware and software, and supports an advanced set of features in the Intel® Ethernet 700 Series.

Enhanced Network Virtualization Overlays (NVO)

Network virtualization has changed the way networking is done in the data center, delivering accelerations across a wide range of tunneling methods.

Learn More