Data Center Architecture with Panduit, Intel, and Cisco

AN-02

Intel Ethernet Server Adapter X520-T2

The Intel Ethernet Server Adapter X520-T2 delivers easy-to-deploy, high-volume 10 GbE connectivity over existing copper

infrastructure. This card includes Intel Virtual Machine Device Queues for optimized I/O virtualization, supports unified data

and storage networking, and provides reliable, consistent performance across a broad range of virtualized and non-virtualized

operating systems. The Intel Ethernet Server Adapter X520-T2 delivers advantages in cost, power, and server slot savings

compared to the use of multiple GbE adapters. Support for unified networking further increases consolidation savings by

eliminating the need for dedicated storage adapters. Backward compatibility with 1000BASE-T infrastructures helps ensure

easy deployment and upgrading.

The Intel Ethernet Server Adapter X520-T2 is Intel’s third-generation 10GBASE-T adapter and includes new features to

support high-volume 10GbE.

• Dual-port design for redundancy and greater throughput

• Ability to send and receive off-loads to accelerate iSCSI traffic, and optimizations for multi-core

processors to improve efficiency

• Intel Virtualization Technology for Connectivity; virtual machine device queues and single-root I/O virtualization (SR-IOV)

support boost throughput and reduce latency to improve overall system performance

• PCI Express Generation 2–compliance for dual-port, line-rate 10 GbE throughput

10GBASE-T Network Architecture

The new 10GBASE-T enabled Cisco Nexus 2232TM fabric extenders bring architectural flexibility allowing for support of all

topologies commonly used in Data Centers including ToR, EoR, and the more traditional MoR. Each architecture has its own

benefits and constraints, so the choice is dependent on the preferences of the data center manager, the existing facilities,

equipment layout, and the applications being run. In the following sections we will review the advantages of each

architecture and how 10GBASE-T can be efficiently implemented.

Intel Ethernet Server Adapter X520-T2