UCSC-P-M5D100GF Cisco 2-Ports 100G QSFP28 PCIe 4.0 x16 NIC

Cisco UCSC-P-M5D100GF 100Gbps QSFP28 PCIe Interface Card

The Cisco UCSC-P-M5D100GF is a high-performance dual-port 100Gbps network interface card designed for next-generation data center environments, high-throughput enterprise computing, virtualization platforms, and hyperscale cloud infrastructure. Built on a PCI Express 4.0 x16 interface, this advanced network adapter delivers exceptional bandwidth density, ultra-low latency communication, and robust scalability for demanding workloads.

As part of the evolving 100 Gigabit Ethernet ecosystem, this QSFP28-based NIC enables organizations to modernize their network fabric, improve data flow efficiency, and support bandwidth-intensive applications such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data analytics, and software-defined networking (SDN).

Enterprise-Class 100GbE Network Architecture

High-Speed Dual-Port QSFP28 Design

The dual-port QSFP28 configuration of the Cisco UCSC-P-M5D100GF allows simultaneous 100Gbps data transmission per port, significantly increasing aggregate throughput for multi-node computing environments. Each port is engineered to handle heavy parallel workloads with optimized packet processing capabilities.

The QSFP28 interface ensures compatibility with a wide range of optical transceivers and direct attach copper (DAC) cables, offering flexibility for data center topology design and interconnect deployment strategies.

PCI Express 4.0 x16 Bandwidth Optimization

Built on PCIe Gen4 x16 architecture, this network interface card maximizes upstream and downstream data flow between server CPU and network fabric. The PCIe 4.0 standard effectively doubles the bandwidth of PCIe Gen3, allowing the adapter to fully utilize its 100Gbps dual-port capability without bottlenecks.

This architecture is particularly beneficial in environments requiring high packet-per-second (PPS) performance, such as virtualization clusters, storage networking, and distributed computing systems.

Data Center Acceleration and Workload Optimization

Virtualization and Cloud Computing Efficiency

Modern cloud infrastructure relies heavily on high-speed networking to maintain scalability and performance consistency. The Cisco UCSC-P-M5D100GF enables seamless virtual machine migration, efficient workload balancing, and reduced latency across hypervisor environments such as VMware, KVM, and Hyper-V.

Its advanced offload capabilities reduce CPU overhead by handling network processing tasks directly on the NIC, freeing server resources for compute-intensive operations.

High-Performance Storage Networking

In storage-heavy environments, this 100GbE NIC enhances connectivity for NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF), iSCSI, and distributed storage systems. The high throughput ensures fast data replication, backup operations, and real-time synchronization across storage clusters.

Enterprises implementing software-defined storage architectures benefit from improved input/output operations per second (IOPS) and reduced latency across storage nodes.

Advanced Hardware Engineering and Design

Thermal Efficiency and Power Management

The Cisco UCSC-P-M5D100GF is engineered with advanced thermal dissipation mechanisms to maintain stable performance under continuous high-load conditions. Efficient power regulation ensures reduced energy consumption while maintaining peak 100Gbps throughput per port.

Intelligent power management features dynamically adjust performance states based on workload demand, helping data centers reduce operational costs and improve energy efficiency metrics.

Reliability in Mission-Critical Environments

Designed for enterprise-grade reliability, this NIC supports redundant data paths and error correction mechanisms to ensure uninterrupted connectivity. It is ideal for mission-critical workloads where downtime or packet loss can significantly impact business operations.

The hardware architecture is optimized for continuous 24/7 operation in high-density rack environments, including cloud service providers, telecom operators, and financial trading systems.

Network Performance and Throughput Capabilities

Ultra-Low Latency Packet Processing

Latency-sensitive applications such as high-frequency trading, real-time analytics, and AI model inference require deterministic network behavior. The Cisco UCSC-P-M5D100GF delivers ultra-low latency packet handling through optimized ASIC-based processing.

This ensures minimal jitter and consistent packet delivery, even under peak traffic loads across both 100GbE ports.

High Packet Per Second (PPS) Performance

Beyond raw bandwidth, this network adapter is optimized for high packet-per-second throughput, enabling efficient handling of small packet workloads common in virtualized environments and microservices architectures.

The result is improved responsiveness and reduced CPU overhead, allowing servers to scale more effectively in dense multi-tenant infrastructures.

Compatibility with Cisco Unified Computing Systems

Integration with Cisco UCS Servers

The Cisco UCSC-P-M5D100GF is designed for seamless integration within Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) environments. This ensures optimal compatibility with UCS management tools, firmware ecosystems, and server chassis configurations.

UCS architecture benefits from this NIC’s deep hardware-software integration, allowing administrators to centrally manage networking policies, performance tuning, and firmware updates.

Scalability in Modular Data Center Deployments

In modular data center designs, scalability is essential. This NIC supports flexible deployment across blade servers, rack-mounted servers, and hybrid cloud infrastructures. Its dual-port configuration enables redundant or aggregated network paths for enhanced resilience.

Virtualization Offloads and Smart Networking Features

Hardware Offload Capabilities

The adapter includes advanced offload engines that handle checksum calculations, segmentation, and encryption tasks. This reduces CPU load and improves overall system efficiency.

These offloads are particularly useful in virtualized environments where multiple virtual machines share a single physical network interface.

SR-IOV and Virtual Machine Optimization

Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) support enables the Cisco UCSC-P-M5D100GF to present multiple virtual functions directly to virtual machines. This improves network isolation and reduces hypervisor overhead.

As a result, workloads experience near-native network performance, making it suitable for high-density cloud hosting environments.

Security and Data Integrity Enhancements

Security is a critical aspect of modern networking hardware. This NIC supports secure data handling mechanisms that ensure packet integrity during transmission across high-speed links.

Hardware-level validation reduces vulnerabilities associated with software-only network stacks.

Encryption Acceleration Support

Encryption offload capabilities help accelerate secure communication protocols such as IPsec and TLS. This ensures encrypted traffic does not become a performance bottleneck in high-throughput environments.

Enterprise Deployment Scenarios

High-Density Compute Clusters

For compute-intensive environments, this NIC provides the required bandwidth to interconnect nodes within high-performance clusters. It supports parallel computing workloads and distributed processing frameworks efficiently.

Telecommunications and Edge Computing

Telecom operators and edge computing infrastructures benefit from low latency and high throughput capabilities. The Cisco UCSC-P-M5D100GF ensures fast data transfer between edge nodes and core data centers.