540-BBDC Dell Broadcom 57810s Dual Port 10GB Network Adapter

540-BBDC Dell Dual Port Network Adapter Overview

The 540-BBDC Dell Broadcom 57810S Dual Port 10GB Direct Attach/SFP+ Network Adapter with Full Height Bracket is engineered to provide high-performance, low-latency network connectivity for enterprise data centers and server deployments. Specifically designed to fit into full-height PCIe slots, this dual-port 10GbE adapter supports direct attach cables (DAC) and SFP+ optical modules, making it a versatile and future-ready network interface card (NIC) for modern IT infrastructure.

High-Performance 10 Gigabit Ethernet Connectivity

With dual 10GbE ports, the Dell Broadcom 57810S NIC delivers fast, reliable network access critical for bandwidth-intensive applications. From high-speed data transfers to virtualization, storage networking, and big data workloads, this card ensures minimal latency and robust throughput.

Dual SFP+ Ports for Flexible Networking

The 540-BBDC adapter utilizes two SFP+ ports, enabling compatibility with both passive DAC cables and active optical cables. This flexibility allows IT administrators to choose between short-range copper connections or long-range fiber optics depending on data center layout and performance requirements.

Support for Full Duplex Operation

Full duplex capability means that each port can transmit and receive data simultaneously at full line rate. This results in an effective data throughput of up to 20Gbps per adapter, reducing the risk of bottlenecks and ensuring optimal performance during peak workloads.

Broadcom 57810S Controller: Engineered for Enterprise Performance

At the core of the 540-BBDC adapter lies the Broadcom 57810S Ethernet controller, widely recognized for its proven reliability and enterprise-grade performance. This chipset supports offloading features, virtualization technologies, and advanced packet processing to enhance server efficiency.

Advanced Offload Capabilities

Offloading features such as TCP/UDP/IP checksum offload, Large Send Offload (LSO), and Receive Side Scaling (RSS) reduce CPU usage by transferring networking tasks from the processor to the NIC hardware. This translates into improved overall system performance, especially in high-throughput environments.

Jumbo Frame Support

The 57810S controller supports jumbo frames, which allow the transmission of larger packets up to 9,000 bytes. Jumbo frames improve data efficiency by reducing overhead, making them ideal for storage networks, virtual environments, and large file transfers.

Interrupt Moderation

Interrupt moderation consolidates and controls the frequency of interrupt signals sent to the CPU, optimizing processing load and improving system stability in busy environments with high packet rates.

Designed for Compatibility and Easy Integration

The 540-BBDC network adapter is compatible with a wide range of Dell PowerEdge servers, ensuring seamless integration within Dell enterprise infrastructures. Its full-height bracket enables it to fit into standard server chassis slots with ease.

Support for PCIe 3.0 Interface

Leveraging a PCI Express 3.0 x8 interface, the adapter ensures rapid data throughput and reliable connectivity. The high bandwidth provided by PCIe 3.0 supports the dual 10GbE data streams without saturation.

OS and Driver Compatibility

Dell and Broadcom provide comprehensive driver support for major operating systems including Windows Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, and VMware ESXi. This ensures that the adapter integrates seamlessly into various virtualized and bare-metal server environments.

Virtualization and Cloud Infrastructure Support

Virtual environments benefit immensely from the Broadcom 57810S's virtualization features. Whether you're running VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, or Linux KVM, this network adapter provides advanced support to ensure VM density and network segmentation.

SR-IOV and VLAN Tagging

The 540-BBDC supports Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV), allowing virtual machines to access the physical NIC directly, thereby reducing I/O overhead and improving latency. VLAN tagging further enhances network segmentation and security within multi-tenant environments.

VMware vSphere and Hyper-V Optimization

With official support and certifications for VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V, the adapter ensures smooth operation, management, and performance within software-defined data centers. Offload features further accelerate networking tasks in virtual environments.

Energy Efficiency and Thermal Management

The 540-BBDC adapter is built with energy-efficient Ethernet (EEE) technology, which intelligently reduces power consumption during periods of low activity without compromising performance. Its thermal profile is optimized for dense server configurations.

Thermal Design with Full Height Bracket

The included full-height bracket ensures proper airflow and compatibility with standard server enclosures. Its heat dissipation mechanism is designed to minimize thermal hotspots and maintain consistent operating temperatures in high-density environments.

Intelligent Power Management

The adapter supports power management features compliant with IEEE 802.3az, enabling it to enter low-power states when network activity is idle. This leads to reduced energy consumption and better TCO for large-scale deployments.

Use Cases in Enterprise Networking

The Dell Broadcom 57810S dual-port 10GbE adapter is suited for a wide range of enterprise scenarios. Whether you're managing virtual infrastructure, deploying hyper-converged systems, or upgrading network backbones, this adapter provides reliable, high-speed connectivity.

Data Center Network Upgrades

As enterprises migrate to 10GbE networks, the 540-BBDC provides a cost-effective and performance-optimized upgrade path from legacy 1GbE adapters. Its compatibility with existing SFP+ infrastructure simplifies the transition to higher-speed networks.

Storage Area Networks (SAN)

The low-latency and high-throughput capabilities of the 57810S make it ideal for SAN connectivity, particularly in iSCSI deployments where consistent and rapid data transfer is paramount for storage performance.

High-Frequency Trading and Financial Systems

Financial institutions benefit from the NIC’s ultra-low latency and deterministic performance, which are essential for trading platforms and real-time data analytics applications.

Networking Infrastructure Scalability

The scalability of the 540-BBDC makes it a future-proof component for evolving data centers. With dual ports and support for link aggregation, organizations can increase bandwidth and introduce redundancy at the hardware level.

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)

Using LACP, administrators can bond both 10GbE ports to form a single logical link with doubled bandwidth and failover protection. This enhances both performance and network resilience.

Seamless Transition to 25GbE and Beyond

While designed for 10GbE, the SFP+ interface allows future upgrades to higher-speed modules or adapters without needing to rewire the network infrastructure—reducing CapEx in the long term.

Security and Compliance Features

The 57810S adapter includes a range of security enhancements to support secure enterprise networking. Features like PXE boot filtering, secure firmware updates, and management frame protection ensure safe network operations.

Firmware Authentication and Isolation

Dell-certified firmware includes digital signature verification, ensuring the NIC operates only with authorized firmware. Isolation mechanisms safeguard against malicious code execution at the hardware level.

Remote Management Integration

The 540-BBDC works seamlessly with Dell’s remote server management tools like iDRAC, allowing IT teams to monitor and manage the NIC status and firmware remotely, improving control and visibility.