UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 Cisco Dual Port 10GBPS PCI-E VIC Network Adapter

Overview of Cisco UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 2-Port PCI-E Adapter

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 Dual Port 10Gbps PCI-E VIC Network Adapter represents a high-performance class of server networking hardware designed to support modern enterprise data center environments, virtualization infrastructures, and high-throughput computing workloads. This category of network interface cards (NICs) is built to deliver reliable dual-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity through a PCI Express interface, enabling scalable and efficient data transmission across enterprise servers and storage systems. Developed under the advanced networking portfolio of this adapter class is engineered for integration into Cisco UCS environments as well as compatible third-party server platforms requiring high-bandwidth network communication.

As part of Cisco’s Virtual Interface Card (VIC) ecosystem, the UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 is designed to optimize server virtualization, reduce hardware overhead, and consolidate multiple physical interfaces into flexible logical connections. This category plays a crucial role in supporting cloud computing, virtualization clusters, and enterprise applications that depend on low-latency, high-bandwidth networking capabilities.

Core Architecture and Engineering Design

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 adapter category is built around a dual-port 10Gbps Ethernet architecture that leverages PCI Express lanes for maximum throughput and minimal latency. The hardware architecture is optimized for data center scalability, enabling multiple virtual network interfaces to be created from a single physical adapter. This design reduces complexity within server environments while improving overall efficiency and performance.

PCI Express Integration and Bandwidth Optimization

At the core of this network adapter category lies its PCI Express connectivity, which ensures a direct, high-speed communication path between the server motherboard and the network interface. The PCIe interface allows for efficient data handling across multiple lanes, reducing bottlenecks and ensuring that 10Gbps per port performance is consistently maintained even under heavy workloads. This is particularly beneficial in environments where virtual machines, containerized applications, and distributed services are running simultaneously.

Dual-Port 10Gbps Ethernet Capabilities

The dual-port configuration of the UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 category enables redundancy, load balancing, and increased aggregate bandwidth. Each port operates independently, providing 10Gbps throughput per channel, which can be aggregated or segmented depending on the network architecture requirements. This flexibility supports mission-critical applications such as database replication, storage area network access, and real-time analytics processing.

Virtualization and Cisco VIC Technology Integration

A defining characteristic of this category is its integration with Cisco Virtual Interface Card (VIC) technology. VIC enables the creation of multiple virtual network interfaces over a single physical adapter, reducing the need for multiple physical NICs within a server chassis. This improves resource utilization and simplifies network management in large-scale deployments.

Virtual NIC (vNIC) and Virtual HBA (vHBA) Support

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 category supports the creation of virtual NICs (vNICs) and virtual host bus adapters (vHBAs), allowing administrators to allocate bandwidth dynamically across different workloads. This capability is essential in cloud environments where workloads fluctuate and demand adaptive resource allocation. By abstracting physical network interfaces into virtual constructs, system administrators can fine-tune performance and improve operational efficiency.

Unified Fabric Architecture Compatibility

This adapter category is fully aligned with Cisco’s Unified Fabric architecture, which consolidates LAN, SAN, and management traffic into a single network infrastructure. This reduces cabling complexity, lowers operational costs, and enhances scalability. The UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 is therefore a key component in building modern converged data center environments.

Enterprise Networking Use Cases and Applications

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 Dual Port 10Gbps PCI-E VIC Network Adapter category is widely used in enterprise IT infrastructures that require reliable, high-speed network communication. Its applications span across multiple industries, including finance, telecommunications, cloud service providers, and high-performance computing clusters.

Data Center Virtualization Environments

In virtualized data centers, this adapter category provides the necessary bandwidth to support multiple virtual machines operating on a single physical server. By distributing network traffic efficiently, it ensures consistent performance across workloads such as application hosting, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), and enterprise resource planning systems.

Cloud Infrastructure and Hybrid Cloud Deployments

Cloud service providers rely on high-performance network adapters like the UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 category to maintain seamless communication between distributed computing nodes. Its dual-port architecture allows for redundancy and failover capabilities, ensuring uninterrupted service delivery in hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

High-Performance Computing and Big Data Analytics

High-performance computing (HPC) environments and big data analytics platforms require rapid data transfer between compute nodes. This adapter category supports such requirements by delivering consistent 10Gbps throughput per port, enabling faster data ingestion, processing, and output generation.

Performance Optimization and Network Efficiency

The UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 category is engineered to maximize network efficiency while minimizing latency. Through advanced traffic management features and hardware acceleration capabilities, it ensures optimal performance in demanding enterprise environments.

Scalability and Data Center Expansion

Scalability is a key design principle in the Cisco UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 category. As enterprise networks grow, the need for scalable networking infrastructure becomes essential. This adapter supports scalable deployment models that allow organizations to expand their network capacity without significant hardware redesign.

Modular Server Integration

This category is designed for integration into modular server architectures, particularly Cisco UCS blade and rack servers. Its compatibility with unified computing systems enables seamless scaling across multiple server nodes while maintaining consistent network performance.

Multi-Tenant Infrastructure Support

In multi-tenant environments such as cloud data centers, the adapter provides isolated virtual interfaces for different tenants. This ensures secure and efficient traffic segmentation while maintaining high performance across shared infrastructure.

Reliability, Redundancy, and Fault Tolerance

Enterprise environments require high levels of reliability and uptime. The UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 category is designed with redundancy and fault tolerance mechanisms to ensure continuous network availability.

Dual-Port Failover Capabilities

The dual-port configuration enables automatic failover in the event of a port failure. This ensures uninterrupted connectivity and minimizes downtime in mission-critical environments.

Security and Network Isolation Features

Security is a fundamental requirement in modern networking environments, and the UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 category incorporates multiple layers of security features to protect data integrity and network operations.

Traffic Segmentation and Virtual Isolation

Through virtualization capabilities, the adapter enables secure traffic segmentation between different virtual machines and network domains. This prevents unauthorized access and ensures data isolation across workloads.

Compatibility with Cisco UCS Ecosystem

The UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 category is optimized for seamless integration with Cisco UCS infrastructure, including blade servers, rack servers, and fabric interconnect systems. This compatibility ensures streamlined deployment and centralized management.

Enterprise Value and Operational Efficiency

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 Dual Port 10Gbps PCI-E VIC Network Adapter category delivers significant operational value by reducing hardware complexity, improving performance efficiency, and enabling scalable infrastructure design. Its integration with virtualization platforms and cloud architectures makes it a critical component in modern IT environments.

By leveraging advanced networking technologies developed organizations can achieve higher levels of agility, improved resource utilization, and enhanced network reliability across distributed computing environments.

Cost Efficiency in Data Center Deployment

The consolidation of multiple network interfaces into a single VIC-based adapter reduces hardware costs, power consumption, and rack space requirements. This contributes to lower total cost of ownership in enterprise deployments.

Performance per Watt Optimization

Energy efficiency is a critical factor in data center operations. This category is engineered to deliver high throughput while maintaining low power consumption, optimizing performance per watt metrics in large-scale environments.