Brochure
Intel’s family of Intel® Ethernet X520 Server Adapters with SFP+
connectivity are the most flexible and scalable Ethernet adapt-
ers for today’s demanding data center environments. Data center
networks are being pushed to their limits. The escalating deploy-
ments of servers with multi-core processors and demanding ap-
plications such as High Performance Computing (HPC), database
clusters, and video-on-demand are driving the need for 10 Gigabit
connections. Customers require flexible and scalable I/O solutions
to meet the rigorous requirements of running mission-critical
applications in virtualized and unified storage environments.
Powered by Intel’s third-generation 10 GbE network controller,
the Intel® Ethernet 82599 10 Gigabit Ethernet Controller, the
X520 server adapter family addresses the demanding needs
of the next-generation data center by providing unmatched
features for virtualization, flexibility for LAN and SAN
networking, and proven, reliable performance.
Best Choice for Virtualization
The explosive growth in virtualization is leading to an increasing
demand for network performance. With more Virtual Machines
(VMs) running on each multi-core server, networking traffic is
dramatically increased with each VM competing for available
I/O bandwidth. Intel’s family of Intel Ethernet X520 Server Adapt-
ers addresses networking bottlenecks in virtualized environments.
These adapters enable network-intensive applications to achieve
the performance expected in a virtualized environment.
The Intel Ethernet X520 family of server adapters provides the
best networking performance available in the industry, whether
the physical port is configured in an emulation mode using the
virtual switch in the Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM), or is directly
assigned to a virtual machine. In the emulation mode, Intel’s I/O
technology, Virtual Machine Device queues
1
(VMDq) optimizes
network performance by offloading data sorting and copy-
ing from the software Virtual Switch in the VMM to the Intel
Ethernet 82599 10 Gigabit Controller. This configuration is
best suited for a large number of VMs running standard applica-
tions that have limited bandwidth and latency requirements.
For mission-critical applications, where dedicated I/O is required
for maximum network performance, users can assign a dedicated
virtual adapter port to a VM. Using the PCI-SIG SR-IOV capability
on an Intel Ethernet X520 server adapter provides direct VM
connectivity and data protection across VMs. SR-IOV technology
allows the data to bypass the software virtual switch and provides
near-native performance. It assigns either physical or virtual I/O
ports to individual VMs directly. This technology is best suited for
applications that demand the highest I/O throughput and lowest
latency performance such as database, storage, financial and other
applications.
PCI-SIG SR-IOV is a mechanism for devices to advertise their
ability to be directly assigned to multiple virtual machines. SR-IOV
allows for the partitioning of a PCI function into many virtual
interfaces for the purpose of sharing the resources of a PCI
Express* (PCIe) device in a virtual environment. These virtual
interfaces are called Virtual Functions. Each virtual function
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 may be
allocated to specific VMs, or guests, via a standard interface.
The Intel Ethernet X520 family of server adapters delivers the
same functionality and throughput as ten dual-port, one gigabit
Product Brief
Intel® Ethernet X520 Server Adapters
with Support for SFP+ Connections
Network Connectivity
Intel
®
Ethernet X520 Server Adapters
Dual- and Single-Port 10 Gigabit SFP+ Ethernet Server Adapters Provide Ultimate
Flexibility and Scalability in Virtual and Unied Storage Environments