540-BCSC Dell Intel X710-t2l Dual Port 10GBE Network Adapter

Dell 540-BCSC Dual-Port 10GBASE-T PCIe Network Adapter

The Dell 540-BCSC Network Adapter is a high-efficiency plug-in solution designed to support the evolving demands of enterprise networking. With dual multi-speed ports and advanced traffic offload technologies, this low-profile adapter ensures dependable and scalable wired Ethernet connectivity across data center environments. Equipped with a PCI Express 3.0 x8 interface and supporting up to 10Gbps bandwidth per port, it enhances network responsiveness and reduces latency for mission-critical applications.

Core Technical Details and Hardware Features

General Specifications

• Manufacturer: Dell
• Model Number: 540-BCSC
• Category: Wired Network Interface Card (NIC)
• Form Factor: Low-profile plug-in module
• Interface Slot: PCIe 3.0 x8 (backward compatible with earlier PCIe versions)
• PCI Revision Compliance: PCI Express 3.0

Port Configuration and Speed Capabilities

This adapter supports dual 1/2.5/5/10GBase-T RJ-45 ports, offering a wide range of backward-compatible Ethernet speeds. Whether connecting to legacy Gigabit Ethernet infrastructure or newer 10G networks, the Dell 540-BCSC enables seamless integration.

Multi-Gigabit Ethernet Support:

• 10Gb Ethernet for high-throughput data environments
• 5GbE and 2.5GbE for flexible bandwidth scaling
• Gigabit and Fast Ethernet compatibility for legacy systems
• RJ-45 copper connections for cost-effective cabling

Connection Type:

Built with wired connectivity in mind, this network card delivers consistent performance with reduced interference compared to wireless alternatives. It supports full-duplex operation for efficient bidirectional communication.

Enhanced Data Processing and Offload Technologies

Integrated Virtualization Features

The 540-BCSC adapter is optimized for virtualized server environments through several built-in hardware enhancements that reduce CPU overhead and boost throughput. These include:

• Virtual Machine Device Queues (VMDq) for better traffic separation between virtual machines
• Virtualization Technology for Connectivity (VT-c) allowing deeper integration with hypervisors
• Flexible Port Partitioning (FPP) to subdivide physical ports into multiple logical connections
• Data Direct I/O (DDIO) for faster memory access and lower latency
• Intelligent Offloads that enhance packet processing efficiency without taxing the server’s CPU

Networking Protocols and Transfer Standards

Designed with modern enterprise workloads in mind, the adapter supports multiple communication protocols that ensure optimal compatibility with various storage and data transport frameworks.

Supported Protocols:

• iSCSI: Ideal for SAN connectivity over Ethernet networks
• NFS: Facilitates smooth file sharing in distributed environments

Data Link Layer Technologies:

• Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps)
• Gigabit Ethernet (1 Gbps)
• 2.5GBASE-T (2.5 Gbps)
• 5GBASE-T (5 Gbps)
• 10GBASE-T (10 Gbps)

Deployment Benefits and Enterprise Applications

Ideal Scenarios for Implementation

The Dell 540-BCSC is highly effective in scenarios requiring fast, reliable wired connections such as:

• Virtualized infrastructure with high VM density
• High-bandwidth data analysis platforms
• Hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) environments
• iSCSI storage networks and software-defined storage
• General-purpose data center deployments

Operational Advantages:

• Reduces CPU load through intelligent offload features
• Increases uptime with dual redundant ports
• Enhances server efficiency in both rack and blade formats
• Accelerates VM-to-VM and VM-to-storage communication

Flexible Networking with RJ-45 Interface

Unlike fiber-based adapters that require costly SFP+ transceivers, the 540-BCSC uses standard RJ-45 ports, providing plug-and-play functionality over Cat6a cabling for 10Gbps and over Cat5e/Cat6 for lower speeds. This allows enterprises to reduce infrastructure expenses while maintaining high-performance standards.

Performance Optimization and Efficiency

Reduced Latency and Increased Throughput

Leveraging DDIO and intelligent traffic segmentation, the Dell 540-BCSC minimizes latency while maximizing throughput, making it suitable for latency-sensitive workloads such as financial transactions, AI modeling, and video streaming.

Hardware Accelerated Functions:

• Checksum offloads for TCP, UDP, and IP packets
• Large Send Offload (LSO) and Large Receive Offload (LRO)
• Interrupt moderation for smoother performance under load
• Auto-negotiation for seamless port speed adjustments

Power Efficiency in Network Operations

Built with energy efficiency in mind, the 540-BCSC adapter includes power-saving mechanisms like IEEE 802.3az Energy-Efficient Ethernet (EEE), ensuring minimal energy usage during periods of low traffic without compromising performance.

Design and Installation Considerations

Compact Low-Profile Form Factor

The network adapter comes with a low-profile bracket, making it suitable for a variety of rackmount and tower server enclosures. An optional full-height bracket ensures broader compatibility with different chassis formats.

Ease of Installation:

• Hot-pluggable PCIe interface for quick installation
• Plug-and-play compatibility with leading operating systems
• Firmware and driver updates available via Dell support portal

System Compatibility:

This adapter integrates seamlessly with Dell’s PowerEdge servers and other PCIe-compatible systems. It’s supported across multiple OS platforms, including Windows Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, VMware ESXi, and SUSE Linux.

Networking Intelligence for the Future

Enterprise-Grade Versatility

Built to meet future network growth, the Dell 540-BCSC is a smart investment for companies looking to scale their IT infrastructure. Its multi-speed support and offload capabilities make it a long-term solution for growing bandwidth demands and modern workloads.

Broad Compatibility with Infrastructure

• Compatible with CAT5e, CAT6, and CAT6a cabling
• Works in mixed-speed network environments
• Supports core and edge data center network architectures

Future-Proof Architecture:

The 540-BCSC adapter accommodates evolving application requirements and hybrid networking setups. Whether transitioning to software-defined networking (SDN) or building a high-availability cluster, this card supports the flexibility and intelligence necessary for next-gen IT landscapes.

540-BCSC Dell Intel X710-T2L Dual Port 10GbE Base-T Adapter Overview

The 540-BCSC Dell Intel X710-T2L Dual Port 10GbE Base-T Adapter is an advanced high-performance network adapter engineered to deliver scalable, reliable, and secure Ethernet connectivity for enterprise-level workloads. Designed for data-intensive applications and virtualized environments, this full-height PCIe network adapter utilizes dual RJ45 ports for 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) connectivity over standard twisted-pair copper cabling (Cat6a or higher), simplifying infrastructure while enhancing bandwidth capacity and reducing latency.

Integrated with Intel’s X710 Ethernet controller technology, the 540-BCSC enables Dell servers to achieve enhanced network performance, support for virtualization technologies, and superior packet processing capabilities. This makes it an ideal solution for growing enterprise environments requiring agile, high-throughput network solutions compatible with modern data center infrastructure.

Performance Capabilities and Technical Specifications

High-Speed Throughput with 10GbE Base-T

One of the key highlights of the 540-BCSC adapter is its ability to support 10 Gigabit Ethernet over copper cabling. Unlike optical transceivers requiring fiber infrastructure, the Base-T standard offers a cost-effective, backward-compatible solution using existing Cat6a/7 cabling. This allows IT departments to boost network performance without significant overhauls of their physical layer.

Intel X710 Controller Technology

At the core of the 540-BCSC is the Intel X710 Ethernet controller, which provides a range of enterprise-grade features. This controller supports a variety of offloads and virtualization enhancements such as VXLAN, NVGRE, SR-IOV (Single Root I/O Virtualization), and DPDK (Data Plane Development Kit), making it suitable for use in cloud and software-defined networking (SDN) environments.

• Intel X710 Ethernet controller for intelligent offloads
• Support for advanced packet filtering and load balancing
• Hardware acceleration of TCP/IP stack for reduced CPU overhead
• Data Center Bridging (DCB) and priority flow control (PFC)
• Support for IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP)

Dual Port Full-Height Form Factor

The full-height form factor makes the 540-BCSC ideal for rack-mounted Dell PowerEdge servers and other enterprise-grade platforms. With two independent 10GbE RJ45 ports, the adapter supports link redundancy, load balancing, and high availability configurations essential for fault-tolerant deployments.

Compatibility with Dell Servers and Ecosystem

Seamless Integration with Dell PowerEdge Infrastructure

This adapter is fully qualified and validated for use with Dell PowerEdge servers, ensuring optimal performance and compatibility. Dell's systems management tools, such as iDRAC and OpenManage, can fully monitor and manage the 540-BCSC network adapter, providing administrators with granular visibility into port utilization, link speed, and error statistics.

Popular Compatible Dell Server Models

• Dell PowerEdge R740 and R740xd
• Dell PowerEdge R640
• Dell PowerEdge R750 and R750xs
• Dell PowerEdge R6525 and R7515 (AMD EPYC)
• Dell PowerEdge T640

Standard PCIe 3.0 Interface

The 540-BCSC adapter utilizes a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, ensuring high-speed data transfers between the system and the network interface. This interface provides ample bandwidth to fully support the dual 10GbE connections, minimizing potential bottlenecks and ensuring consistent throughput.

Use Cases and Deployment Scenarios

Virtualized Environments and Hypervisors

In virtualization-heavy environments where network performance is crucial, the 540-BCSC delivers advanced features like SR-IOV, which enables direct I/O access for virtual machines, reducing latency and overhead. Hypervisors such as VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Red Hat KVM benefit from the adapter’s compatibility and performance tuning features.

Cloud and Software-Defined Networking (SDN)

The support for VXLAN and NVGRE tunneling protocols makes the 540-BCSC a solid choice for SDN and cloud environments. These capabilities enable the encapsulation of Layer 2 frames within Layer 3 packets, facilitating flexible network segmentation and workload mobility across distributed systems.

High Availability and Redundancy Configurations

Dual-port design facilitates active-active or active-passive failover, enhancing uptime and resilience. When paired with redundant network paths and teaming/bonding configurations, this adapter ensures continuous operation even during hardware or path failures.

Example Redundancy Use Case

In a data center with two top-of-rack (ToR) switches, each port of the 540-BCSC can be connected to separate switches to maintain continuous connectivity even if one path or switch fails, maintaining mission-critical application availability.

Security Features and Network Management

Built-In Network Security Capabilities

The 540-BCSC includes multiple security technologies to help protect enterprise networks from malicious traffic. These include Secure Boot, firmware attestation, and traffic filtering. The adapter also supports network isolation techniques crucial in multi-tenant and segmented networks.

Support for Secure Firmware Updates

Firmware updates can be securely applied using Dell's lifecycle controller or remote management interfaces, reducing administrative burden while ensuring consistent policy enforcement.

Advanced Network Traffic Management

With support for advanced traffic shaping and quality of service (QoS), the adapter ensures that latency-sensitive traffic such as VoIP or streaming data receives prioritized access to bandwidth. Additionally, administrators can configure VLAN tagging, port mirroring, and link aggregation to optimize traffic flow.

Energy Efficiency and Thermal Design

Optimized Power Consumption

Despite delivering high throughput, the 540-BCSC maintains energy efficiency through Intel’s Dynamic Device Personalization (DDP) and other power-saving technologies. These features adjust processing resources based on workload, helping to reduce total power draw and operational costs.

Effective Cooling and Thermal Monitoring

Designed to operate within the thermal limits of high-density rack environments, the 540-BCSC includes passive cooling features and supports thermal monitoring via Dell server firmware. This ensures that the adapter does not contribute to thermal hot spots or fan overutilization.

Management and Monitoring Capabilities

Remote Management Support

Dell's OpenManage suite and iDRAC allow system administrators to remotely monitor the adapter’s status, performance metrics, and error logs. Integration with SNMP and other standard protocols provides flexibility across heterogeneous environments.

Driver and OS Compatibility

The adapter offers broad operating system compatibility, including Windows Server, various Linux distributions (RHEL, Ubuntu, SUSE), and VMware ESXi. Intel provides consistent driver support, allowing for stable operation and simplified deployment across different workloads.

Physical Design and Installation Considerations

Full-Height Bracket for Server Chassis

The 540-BCSC ships with a full-height bracket, making it well-suited for standard enterprise rack servers. Its robust construction ensures secure seating in PCIe slots, and the RJ45 connectors support latching cables to prevent accidental disconnections.

Ease of Deployment and Maintenance

With hot-plug support and standardized installation procedures, administrators can deploy or replace the adapter without system downtime in many configurations. Clear labeling and Dell system compatibility reduce setup errors and deployment times.

Market Position and Competitive Edge

Comparative Advantage Over Fiber-Based Adapters

Compared to SFP+ adapters requiring fiber optics, the Base-T design offers lower initial cost and easier cabling management. For enterprises seeking high-speed networking over short distances within racks or rows, this makes the 540-BCSC an attractive alternative.

Future-Proofing Enterprise Networks

With support for advanced networking protocols, scalable throughput, and next-generation virtualization offloads, the 540-BCSC positions organizations to adapt to evolving IT requirements without needing near-term hardware upgrades.