Overview

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.VirtualizationVirtualization 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 VirtualizationNetwork 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.