The Intel Ethernet
Server Adapter I350-F4 builds on Intel's extended
history of excellence in Ethernet products. Intel
continues its market leadership with this generation
of PCIe GbE network adapters. Built with the
bridgeless Intel I350 Ethernet Controller, these
adapters represent the next step in the GbE
networking evolution for the enterprise and data
center by introducing new levels of performance
through industry-leading enhancements for both
virtualized and iSCSI Unified Networking
environments. This family of adapters also includes
power management technologies such as Energy
Efficient Ethernet (EEE) and DMA Coalescing (DMAC).
Key Features
- Halogen-free dual- or quad-port Gigabit Ethernet adapters
- Power management features including Energy Efficient
- Ethernet (EEE) and DMA Coalescing for increased efficiency and reduced power consumption
- Flexible I/O virtualization for port partitioning and quality of service (QoS)
- Scalable iSCSI performance delivering cost-effective SAN connectivity
- High-performing bridgeless design supporting PCI Express
- Reliable and proven Gigabit Ethernet technology
- Industry-leading smallest non-bridged PCIe Gen2 quad-port 1 GbE controller
- Enables customers to take full advantage of 1 GbE by providing maximum bi-directional throughput per port on a single quad-port adapter
- Enables higher bandwidth and throughput from standard and low-profile PCIe slots and servers. * For more information refer to the product brief
- Compatible with all major server brands
- Limited Lifetime
Flexible I/O Virtualization
The Intel Ethernet I350 adapter includes
Intel Virtualization technology for
connectivity 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 the 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.
Scalable iSCSI performance
Intel Ethernet I350 Server Adapter with
native iSCSI initiators provides a
simple, dependable, cost-effective way
to connect to LANs and iSCSI SANs. These
native 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.
Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE)
The Intel Ethernet I350 Server Adapter
family supports the IEEE802.3az Energy
Efficient Ethernet (EEE) standard so
that, during periods of low network
activity, EEE reduces the power
consumption of an Ethernet connection by
negotiating with a compliant EEE switch
port to transition to a low power idle
(LPI) state. This reduces the controller
power to approximately 50% of its normal
operating power, saving power on the
network port and the switch port. As
soon as increased network traffic is
intelligently detected, the controller
on the platform and the switch quickly
come back to full power to handle the
increased network traffic.
DMA coalescing
Another power management technology that
can reduce power on the server platform
is DMA Coalescing (DMAC). Typically,
when a packet arrives at a server, DMA
calls are made to transfer the packet
within the server. These calls wake up
the processor, memory and other system
components from a lower power state in
order to perform the tasks required to
handle the incoming packet. Based on the
configurable DMAC settings, incoming
packets are buffered momentarily before
any DMA calls are made. This enables the
controller to intelligently identify
opportunities to batch multiple packets
together so that when components are
wakened from lower power states they can
efficiently handle the batched packets
at the same time. This enables platform
components to remain in lower power
states longer, which can dramatically
reduce platform energy consumption.