49Y7960 IBM Network Adapter for System X-10GBPS 2 Ports SFP+

Overview of IBM 49Y7960 Dual-Port SFP+ Interface Card

The IBM 49Y7960 Dual-Port SFP+ Network Interface Adapter is a high-speed, enterprise-grade connectivity solution designed for System x servers. Built with Intel architecture support, this converged network adapter delivers reliable 10 Gigabit Ethernet performance through a PCI Express 2.0 x8 interface, making it ideal for demanding data center workloads and virtualization environments.

General Information

• Manufacturer: IBM
• Part Number: 49Y7960
• Product Type: Network Interface Card (NIC)

 Technical Specifications 

• Form Factor: Internal adapter
• Interface: PCI Express 2.0 x8
• Data Link Protocol: 10 Gigabit Ethernet
• Data Transfer Rate: Up to 10 Gbps per port
• Number of Ports: 2
• Port Type: SFP+
• Network Technology: 10GBase-X

The IBM 49Y7960 10Gbps 2-Port SFP+ Network Adapter

The IBM 49Y7960 Network Adapter is engineered as a high-performance dual-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet solution designed specifically for IBM System x server environments and enterprise-grade data center infrastructures. Built around SFP+ (Small Form-factor Pluggable Plus) connectivity, this network adapter enables scalable, low-latency, and high-throughput networking for workloads that demand consistent data flow, such as virtualization clusters, cloud computing nodes, storage area networks, and high-performance computing environments. This adapter integrates seamlessly into System x architectures, providing a robust foundation for converged networking strategies. By utilizing two independent 10Gbps ports, it allows administrators to distribute traffic loads, enhance redundancy, and optimize throughput efficiency across critical network segments. Its design aligns with modern enterprise requirements where virtualization density and east-west traffic dominate network behavior inside data centers.

10Gbps High-Speed Data Transmission

At the core of the IBM 49Y7960 adapter lies its dual 10Gbps throughput capability, enabling an aggregate potential bandwidth of up to 20Gbps under full utilization. This level of performance is particularly beneficial in environments where multiple virtual machines or containerized applications share the same physical infrastructure. The adapter ensures that bandwidth-intensive tasks such as database replication, live migration of virtual machines, and large-scale backup operations are handled efficiently without bottlenecks.

Dual-Port Redundancy and Load Distribution

The presence of two SFP+ ports introduces redundancy and flexibility in network configuration. In enterprise deployments, redundancy is critical for maintaining service continuity. If one port or link experiences degradation or failure, traffic can automatically reroute through the secondary interface, minimizing downtime. Additionally, load balancing across both ports helps distribute traffic evenly, preventing congestion and improving overall network responsiveness.

Active-Active and Active-Standby Configurations

Network administrators can configure the adapter in active-active mode for maximum throughput or active-standby mode for enhanced failover protection. Active-active configurations are often used in high-performance computing clusters, while active-standby is typically preferred in mission-critical applications where uptime is prioritized over raw bandwidth utilization.

10GbE SFP+ Modules

The SFP+ interface used in this adapter is designed for high-speed serial communication over fiber optic or direct-attach copper cables. It supports extremely low latency transmission, which is essential for latency-sensitive applications such as financial trading platforms, real-time analytics systems, and distributed storage synchronization.

Compatibility with Multi-Mode Fiber

The adapter supports a wide range of SFP+ transceiver modules, enabling compatibility with multi-mode fiber optic cabling commonly used in data centers. Multi-mode fiber provides a cost-effective solution for short-to-medium distance transmission while maintaining high bandwidth capacity and signal reliability.

Optical Performance and Data Center Efficiency

In fiber-based deployments, signal integrity and attenuation levels are critical considerations. The IBM 49Y7960 network adapter maintains stable optical performance, ensuring consistent data transfer rates even under sustained high traffic conditions. This makes it particularly suitable for dense rack environments where multiple switches and servers operate in close proximity.

Designed for IBM System x Server Platforms

This adapter is optimized for IBM System x servers, ensuring full hardware and firmware compatibility. It integrates directly into PCI Express slots, allowing seamless communication with system buses and CPU resources. The tight integration ensures minimal overhead and maximized throughput efficiency.

Driver Support and Operating System Compatibility

The adapter supports a wide range of enterprise operating systems, including major Linux distributions and Windows Server environments. This broad compatibility ensures that organizations can deploy the adapter across heterogeneous infrastructure environments without compatibility concerns.

Support for Hypervisor Network

The adapter supports network offloading features that reduce CPU overhead by handling tasks such as checksum calculations, segmentation offloading, and packet filtering at the hardware level. This allows hypervisors to allocate more processing power to compute-intensive workloads instead of network management tasks.

High-Density Rack Optimization

In high-density rack environments, space and thermal efficiency are important considerations. This adapter’s compact PCIe form factor allows it to be deployed in multi-node server clusters without increasing physical footprint or compromising airflow efficiency.

Storage Networking and SAN Connectivity Performance

The IBM 49Y7960 adapter is well-suited for storage networking environments where high throughput and low latency are essential. It supports data transfer between servers and storage arrays, ensuring efficient handling of large-scale data operations.

Acceleration of Backup

Enterprise backup systems rely on consistent data throughput to ensure timely completion of backup windows. This adapter improves replication speed between primary and secondary storage systems, reducing recovery time objectives and enhancing data protection strategies.

Network Security and Data Integrity Features

By leveraging hardware-based packet processing, the adapter reduces the risk of software-induced latency and improves data integrity across transmission channels. This ensures more predictable network performance under heavy load conditions.

Advanced Network Configuration Options

Administrators can fine-tune adapter performance using advanced configuration tools that control buffer sizes, interrupt moderation rates, and queue management systems. These optimizations allow precise control over how the adapter handles varying network loads

Compatibility with Evolving Network Standards

The adapter’s SFP+ based design ensures compatibility with evolving optical networking standards, allowing organizations to extend the lifecycle of their infrastructure investments while maintaining performance scalability.