product brief

Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X520

with Support for SFP+ Connections
Network Connectivity

Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X520

Dual- and Single-Port 10 Gigabit SFP+ Ethernet Converged Network Adapters Provide Ultimate
Flexibility and Scalability in Virtual and Unified Storage Environments

Overview bottlenecks in virtualized environments.

Intel’s family of adapters, the Intel® These adapters enable network-intensive
Ethernet Converged Network Adapter applications to achieve the performance
X520 with SFP+ connectivity, are the expected in a virtualized environment.
most flexible and scalable Ethernet The Intel Ethernet X520 family of
adapters for today’s demanding data adapters provides the best networking
center environments. Data center performance available in the industry,
networks are being pushed to their limits. whether the physical port is configured
The escalating deployments of servers in an emulation mode using the virtual
with multi-core processors and demanding switch in the Virtual Machine Monitor
applications such as High Performance (VMM), or is directly assigned to a
Computing (HPC), database clusters, and virtual machine. In the emulation mode,
video-on-demand are driving the need for Intel’s I/O technology, Virtual Machine
10 Gbps connections. Customers require Device queues1 (VMDq) optimizes
flexible and scalable I/O solutions to meet network performance by offloading data
the rigorous requirements of running sorting and copying from the software
mission-critical applications in virtualized Virtual Switch in the VMM to the Intel
and unified storage environments. Ethernet 82599 10 Gigabit Controller.
Powered by Intel’s third-generation 10 This configuration is best suited for a
GbE network controller, the Intel® Ethernet large number of VMs running standard
82599 10 Gigabit Ethernet Controller, applications that have limited bandwidth
the X520 adapter family addresses the and latency requirements.
demanding needs of the next-generation For mission-critical applications, where
data center by providing unmatched dedicated I/O is required for maximum
features for virtualization, flexibility for network performance, users can assign
LAN and SAN networking, and proven, a dedicated virtual adapter port to a VM.
reliable performance. Using the PCI-SIG SR-IOV capability on
an Intel Ethernet X520 adapter provides
Best Choice for Virtualization direct VM connectivity and data protection
The explosive growth in virtualization across VMs. SR-IOV technology enables the
is leading to an increasing demand for data to bypass the software virtual switch
network performance. With more Virtual and provides near-native performance. It
Machines (VMs) running on each multi-core assigns either physical or virtual I/O ports
server, networking traffic is dramatically to individual VMs directly. This technology
increased, with each VM competing for is best suited for applications that demand
available I/O bandwidth. Intel’s family the highest I/O throughput and lowest
of Intel Ethernet Converged Network latency performance such as database,
Adapter X520 addresses networking storage, financial and other applications.
PCI-SIG SR-IOV is a mechanism for devices Support for Fiber Channel over Reliable Performance
to advertise their ability to be directly Ethernet (FCoE) The family of X520 adapters includes a
assigned to multiple virtual machines. FCoE encapsulates Fiber Channel frames number of advanced features that enable
SR-IOV enables the partitioning of a over standard Ethernet networks, it to provide industry-leading performance
PCI Express* (PCIe) function into many enabling Fiber Channel to take advantage and reliability.
virtual interfaces for the purpose of of 10 GbE networks while preserving its
sharing the resources of a PCIe device native protocol. The X520 adapters offer Security Optimizations
in a virtual environment. These virtual FCoE hardware acceleration to provide The adapters support IPsec offload for
interfaces are called Virtual Functions. performance comparable to FC HBAs. The Microsoft’s* Network Access Protection
Each virtual function can support a unique adapters support Data Center Bridging, (NAP), Active Directory,* and future
and separate data path for I/O-related also known as Converged Enhanced security capabilities in Windows 7*. An
functions within the PCIe hierarchy. Use Ethernet (CEE), which enables customers X520 adapter enables customers to run
of SR-IOV with a networking device, for to configure traffic classes and priorities a secure network environment without
example, enables the bandwidth of a to deliver a lossless Ethernet fabric. sacrificing performance.
single port (function) to be partitioned An Intel Ethernet Converged Network
into smaller slices that can be allocated Adapter X520 reduces TCO by eliminating PCIe v2.0 (5 GT/s)
to specific VMs, or guests, via a standard redundant fabrics and saves the cost of PCIe v2.0 (5 GT/s) support enables
interface. expensive FC HBAs and FC switch ports. customers to take full advantage of 10
GbE by providing a maximum of 20 Gbps
The Intel Ethernet X520 family of Support for iSCSI bi-directional throughput per port on a
adapters delivers the same functionality
The adapters provide complete support single dual port card.
and throughput as ten dual-port, one
for proven native OS and VMM iSCSI
gigabit adapters, saving cost, power, and Designed For Multi-core Processors
initiators as well as iSCSI boot. Historically,
complexity. For more information on
CRC32C computation has degraded Support for technologies such as
virtualization please go to:
system performance, but now with the multiple queues, receive-side scaling,
www.intel.com/go/vtc.
CRC instruction set included in the latest multiple MSI-X vectors, and Low Latency
Intel® Xeon® processors, CRC validation is Interrupts enable the X520 adapters to
Unified Networking and Storage
possible with minimal impact to network provide high-performance, 10 Gigabit
The family of Intel Ethernet X520 throughput while delivering superior data connectivity in multi-core server blades.
adapters lowers your data center total integrity. These technologies distribute network
cost of ownership (TCO) by providing the processing across multiple CPU cores,
ability to route LAN and SAN traffic over a The Intel Ethernet family of X520
improving overall performance.
single fabric. adapters do it all: 10 Gigabit LAN, FCoE,
and iSCSI; truly delivering on the promise For today’s demanding virtualized data
of unified networking. center environments, the new family of
X520 adapters deliver ultimate flexibility
and scalability.

Features Benefits

General
• Industry-leading, energy-efficient design for next-generation 10 Gigabit performance
Intel® 82599 10 Gigabit Ethernet Controller
and multi-core processors
• X520 Adapters with SFP+ connections support 10GBASE-SR, 10GBASE-LR and SFP+ Copper Direct
SFP+ Connectivity
Attach physical media.
Low-profile • Enables higher bandwidth and throughput from standard and low-profile PCIe slots and servers
• Increases performance on multi-processor systems by efficiently balancing network loads across
Load balancing on multiple CPUs
CPU cores when used with Receive-Side Scaling (RSS) from Microsoft or Scalable I/O on Linux*
• Provides centralized storage area network (SAN) management at a lower cost than other iSCSI
iSCSI remote boot support
solutions
Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) Support • Includes FCoE Boot and Data Center Bridging
Support for most network operating systems (NOS) • Enables widespread deployment
RoHS-compliant2 • Complies with the European Union directive 2002/95/EC to reduce the use of hazardous materials
• Provides point-and-click management of individual adapters, advanced adapter features, connection
Intel® PROSet Utility for Windows* Device Manager
teaming, and virtual local area network (VLAN) configuration
• Enables networked Ethernet equipment to synchronize internal clocks according to a network mas-
Time Sync (IEEE 1588*, 802.1as) ter clock; endpoint can then acquire an accurate estimate of the master time by compensating for link
latency

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 Features Benefits

I/O Features for Multi-core Processor Servers

• E
 nables the adapter to pre-fetch the data from memory, avoiding cache misses and improving
Intel® Direct Cache Access (DCA):
application response time
• Minimizes the overhead of interrupts
MSI-X support
• load-balancing of interrupt handling between multiple cores/CPUs
• Based on the sensitivity of the incoming data, the adapter can bypass the automatic moderation of
Low Latency Interrupts
time intervals between the interrupts
Header Splits and Replication in Receive • Helps the driver focus on the relevant part of the packet without the need to parse it
Multiple Queues: 128 Tx and Rx queues per port • Network packet handling without waiting or buffer overflow providing efficient packet prioritization
Tx/Rx IP, SCTP, TCP, and UDP checksum offloading • Lower processor usage
(IPv4, IPv6) capabilities • Checksum and segmentation capability extended to new standard packet type
Tx TCP segmentation offload (IPv4, IPv6) • Increased throughput and lower processor usage
• Compatible with large-send offload feature (in Microsoft Windows* Server operating systems)
Receive and Transmit Side Scaling for Windows en- • This technology enables the direction of the interrupts to the processor cores in order to improve the
vironment and Scalable I/O for Linux* environments CPU usage rate
(IPv4, IPv6, TCP/UDP)
IPsec Offload • Offloads IPsec capability onto the adapter instead of the software to significantly improve I/O
throughput and CPU usage (for Windows* 2008 Server, Vista*, Windows* 2008 Server R2, and
Windows* 7)
MacSec • IEEE spec: 802.1ae
• Layer 2 data protection that provides encryption and authentication ability between two individual de-
vices (routers, switches, etc.)
• MacSec is designed into the network adapter hardware. These adapters are prepared to provide
MacSec functionality when the ecosystem is ready to support this new technology
Virtualization Features
VMDq • Offloads the data-sorting functionality from the Hypervisor to the network silicon, improving data
throughput and CPU usage
• Provides QoS feature on the Tx data by providing round-robin servicing and preventing head-of-line
blocking
• Sorting based on MAC addresses and VLAN tags
Next-Generation VMDq (64 queues per port)
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• Enhanced QoS feature by providing weighted round-robin servicing for the Tx data
• Provides loopback functionality, where data transfer between the virtual machines within the same
physical server need not go out to the wire and come back in, improving throughput and CPU usage
• Supports replication of multicast and broadcast data
PC-SIG SR-IOV Implementation (64 virtual functions • Provides an implementation of the PCI-SIG standard for I/O Virtualization. The physical configuration of
per port) each port is divided into multiple virtual ports. Each virtual port is assigned to an individual virtual ma-
chine directly by bypassing the virtual switch in the Hypervisor, resulting in near-native performance.
• Integrated with Intel® VTI for Directed I/O (VT-d) to provide data protection between virtual machines
by assigning separate physical addresses in the memory to each virtual machine
Virtual Machine Load Balancing (VLMB) • Virtual Machines Load Balancing (VMLB) provides traffic load balancing (Tx and Rx) across Virtual
Machines bound to the team interface, as well as fault tolerance in the event of switch, port, cable, or
adapter failure.
Advanced Packet Filtering • 24 exact-matched packets (unicast or multicast)
• 4096-bit hash filter for unicast and multicast frames
• Lower processor usage
• Promiscuous (unicast and multicast) transfer mode support
• Optional filtering of invalid frames
VLAN support with VLAN tag insertion, stripping • Ability to create multiple VLAN segments
and packet filtering for up to 4096 VLAN tags
Manageability Features
Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) Support • Enables system boot up via the LAN (32-bit and 64-bit)
• Flash interface for PXE image
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and • Easy system monitoring with industry-standard consoles
Remote Network Monitoring (RMON) Statistic Counters
iSCSI Boot • Enables system boot up via iSCSI
• Provides additional network management capability
Watchdog Timer • Gives an indication to the manageability firmware or external devices that the chip or the driver is not
functioning
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 Specifications

General Technical Features

Connectors One or two LC fiber-optic connectors Data rate supported per port: • Optical: 1 GbE/10 GbE
SFP+ Direct Attach cables (E10G42BTDA) • Direct Attach: 10 GbE
Network Standards IEEE 802.3: Bus type PCI Express 2.0 (5 GT/s)
Physical Layer Interface 10GBASE-SR (E10G41BFSR, E10G42BFSR)
10GBASE-LR (E10G41BFLR) Bus width 4-lane PCI Express and 8-lane PCI Express
SFF-8431: Interrupt levels INTA, MSI, MSI-X
10GSFP+Cu (a.k.a. Direct Attach) Hardware certifications FCC B, UL, CE, VCCI, BSMI, CTICK, KCC
(E10G42BTDA)
Controller-processor Intel® 82599 Ethernet Controller

Adapter Product Features Power Consumption

SKU Maximum Power Typical Power
Intel® PROSet Utility For easy configuration and management Dual-port 10GBASE-SR/1000BASE-SX 6.8 W 6.5 W
Plug and play specification Standard Dual-port 10GBASE-LR/1000BASE-LX 7.0 W 6.6 W
support Dual-port direct attached twinax 6.2 W 5.8 W
Single-port 10GBASE-SR/1000BASE-SX 4.8 W 4.5 W
Receive Side Scaling Multiple Rx queues enable the efficient Single-port 10GBASE-LR/1000BASE-LX 4.8 W 4.5 W
distribution of network receive processing Single-port direct attached twinax 4.6 W 4.3 W
across multiple CPUs in multiprocessor
systems Operating temperature 0 °C to 55 °C (32 °F to 131 °F)
Direct Cache Access (DCA) The I/O device activates a pre-fetch en- Air Flow Minimum of 100 LFM required
gine in the CPU that loads the data into Storage temperature -40 °C to 70 °C (-40 °F to 158 °F)
the CPU cache ahead of time, before use,
eliminating cache misses and reducing Storage humidity Maximum: 90% non-condensing relative hu-
CPU load midity at 35 °C
LED Indicators LINK (solid) and ACTIVITY (blinking)
Advanced Software Features LINK SPEED (green=10 Gbps; yellow=1 Gbps)
Adapter fault tolerance (AFT) Physical Dimensions
Switch fault tolerance (SFT) Low-profile PCIe 5.73 in. long, measured without PCIe bracket

Adaptive load balancing (ALB)

Teaming support Network Operating Systems (NOS) Software Support
IEEE 802.3ad (link aggregation control protocol) Operating System IA32 X64 IPF
PCIe Hot Plug*/Active peripheral component interconnect (PCI) Windows 7 • • N/A
IEEE 802.1Q* VLANs Windows Server 2008 R2 N/A • •
IEEE 802.3 2005* flow control support Windows Server 2008 R2 Core N/A • •
Tx/Rx IP, TCP, & UDP checksum offloading (IPv4, IPv6) capabilities Linux SLES 11 SP1 • • •
(Transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP),
Internet protocol (IP) Windows Vista* SP2 • • N/A

IEEE 802.1p* Windows Server* 2003 SP2 • • •

TCP segmentation/large send offload Windows Server 2008 SP2 • • •

MSI-X supports Multiple Independent Queues Windows Server 2008 SP2 Core • • N/A

Interrupt moderation Linux* Stable Kernel version 2.6 • • •

IPv6 offloading — Checksum and segmentation capability extended to Linux RHEL 4.8 • • N/A
new standard packet type Linux RHEL 5.5 • • •
Linux SLES 10 SP3 • • •
Linux SLES 11 • • •
FreeBSD* 8.0 • • •
EFI* 1.1 N/A N/A •
UEFI* 2.1 N/A • •

Intel® Backing Information

Backed by an Intel limited lifetime warranty, 90-day money-back
guarantee (U.S. and Canada), and worldwide support.

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 Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Intel® Ethernet SFP+ Twinaxial Cable Intel® Ethernet SFP+ Optic Product
Adapter X520 Product Codes Product Codes Codes
Configuration Product Code Cable Length (m) Product Code Configuration Product Code

X520-SR1 † E10G41BFSR 1 XDACBL1M SR Optic E10GSFPSR

X520-SR2† E10G42BFSR 3 XDACBL3M LR Optic E10GSFPLR

E10G41BFLR 5 XDACBL5M
X520-LR1†
X520-DA2 E10G42BTDA
† Ships with pluggable optic installed.

For Product Information Customer Support

To speak to a customer service represen- Intel® Customer Support Services offers
tative, please call 1-800-538-3373 (U.S. a broad selection of programs including
and Canada) or visit phone support and warranty service. For
support.intel.com/support/go/network/ more information, contact us at
contact.htm support.intel.com/support/go/network/
for the telephone number in your area. adapter/home.htm.
For additional product information on Intel
Networking Connectivity products, visit (Service and availability may vary by
www.intel.com/go/ethernet. country.)

For more information, visit www.intel.com/go/ethernet

1 Requires a system that supports VMDq.

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