UCSX-ML-V5Q50G-D Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card 15420 Network Adapter.

Cisco UCSX-ML-V5Q50G-D Network Adapter Overview

The Cisco UCSX-ML-V5Q50G-D is a high-performance virtual interface card designed to enhance the connectivity and efficiency of your UCS compute nodes. Engineered by Cisco, this network adapter delivers robust 25 Gigabit Ethernet speeds across multiple ports.

Key Specifications

• Manufacturer: Cisco
• Part Number: UCSX-ML-V5Q50G-D
• Device Type: Network Adapter
• Data Link Protocol: 25 Gigabit Ethernet (25GbE)
• Designed For: UCSX-210C-M7-U, UCSX-9508-D-U

Networking Features

• 4 dedicated 25 Gigabit Ethernet ports for ultra-fast data transfer
• Supports secure boot for enhanced system integrity
• Optimized for UCS compute nodes to ensure seamless integration

Expansion & Connectivity Options

• Multiple high-speed interfaces: 4 × 25Gb Ethernet
• Reliable and scalable connectivity for enterprise-grade applications

Performance Highlights

• High throughput with low latency for demanding workloads
• Supports virtualization environments efficiently
• Engineered for data center environments requiring stable network performance

Compatibility & Applications

• Perfect for UCSX compute nodes such as UCSX-210C-M7-U and UCSX-9508-D-U
• Ideal for cloud, virtualization, and high-speed networking setups
• Ensures smooth integration with existing Cisco infrastructure

Cisco UCSX-ML-V5Q50G-D UCS Virtual Interface Card 15420 Network Adapter

The Cisco UCSX-ML-V5Q50G-D UCS Virtual Interface Card 15420 is a high-performance network adapter designed specifically for modern data center environments that demand exceptional throughput, low latency, and advanced virtualization features. Built for Cisco UCS X Compute nodes, this 25 Gigabit Ethernet x4 adapter delivers a balanced combination of raw bandwidth and intelligent offload capabilities. It integrates tightly with Cisco's Unified Computing System (UCS) architecture to provide a seamless network fabric that simplifies deployment, management, and scaling of compute resources. The card is optimized for workloads such as virtualization, database applications, software-defined storage, high-performance computing, and AI/ML inference where predictable network performance and efficient CPU utilization are paramount.

Target Use Cases and Workload Optimizations

The UCSX-ML-V5Q50G-D is engineered to accelerate a wide range of enterprise and cloud workloads. Virtualized server environments benefit from the card's robust SR-IOV and multi-function virtualization support, enabling multiple virtual machines to receive near-native I/O performance. High-frequency trading, data analytics, and HPC applications exploit the adapter's low-latency characteristics, while modern storage protocols like NVMe over Fabrics and RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) see tangible gains from hardware offloads that reduce CPU cycles spent on networking. In addition, containerized microservices and distributed applications are supported through consistent throughput and predictable Quality of Service (QoS), allowing teams to consolidate more services on the same UCS infrastructure without sacrificing network reliability or application responsiveness.

Architecture and Integration with Cisco UCS

Designed to complement Cisco UCS X Compute nodes, the 15420 network adapter integrates with the UCS management plane for unified configuration, telemetry, and lifecycle operations. The card leverages Cisco's software-defined capabilities to align network policies with compute profiles, enabling administrators to provision network resources as part of a single workflow. This tight integration reduces configuration drift, simplifies firmware management, and accelerates onboarding of new servers into existing UCS domains. Network administrators gain visibility into link utilization, error statistics, and offload status through the UCS Manager or Cisco Intersight, making it straightforward to correlate network performance with application behavior.

Hardware Design and Form Factor

The physical design of the UCSX-ML-V5Q50G-D adheres to enterprise-grade reliability and thermal considerations typical of Cisco server adapters. The card is engineered to fit within Cisco's supported slot configurations for X Compute nodes, providing a compact footprint while delivering four 25 Gigabit Ethernet lanes. The form factor and connector choices reflect a balance between density and serviceability, enabling data center operators to deploy multiple adapters within blade and rack server families where high port counts and redundancy are required. Robust thermal management ensures consistent throughput even under sustained, heavy load, and the card's components are selected to meet stringent lifecycle and durability expectations in large-scale deployments.

Connectivity and Physical Interfaces

Connectivity for the 15420 adapter centers on 25 Gigabit Ethernet links, typically realized through SFP28-compatible interfaces or direct-cabled solutions depending on the server and network fabric design. These 25 GbE links are ideal for leaf-spine architectures where east-west traffic dominates and scalable aggregation is essential. Multiple lanes on a single adapter provide flexibility in network segmentation, failover, and bandwidth aggregation. Operators can design resilient topologies with link redundancy and path diversity while maintaining deterministic performance for critical application flows.

Advanced Offloads and Protocol Acceleration

One of the defining strengths of the Cisco UCSX-ML-V5Q50G-D is its suite of offload capabilities that reduce CPU overhead and increase application throughput. By offloading TCP/IP processing, checksum calculations, large segment offload, and receive-side scaling to the adapter hardware, servers free up CPU cycles for application processing. RDMA offloads, including RoCE, enable direct memory access between hosts and storage targets with minimal latency and CPU intervention, which is particularly valuable for NVMe over Fabrics implementations and distributed memory systems. These accelerations are essential for database systems, real-time analytics, and any latency-sensitive workloads.

Virtualization Features and Multi-Tenancy

The 15420 supports industry-standard virtualization enhancements such as Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) and multi-function partitioning, allowing the adapter to present multiple virtual functions to the host operating system or hypervisor. This capability enables strong isolation for multi-tenant environments and allows cloud operators to allocate predictable network resources to individual tenants or workloads. In virtualized datacenters where network isolation, throughput guarantees, and tenant density are critical, the card's virtualization features provide the fine-grained control necessary for secure, efficient multi-tenant operations.

Driver Support and Software Ecosystem

Comprehensive driver support for mainstream server operating systems ensures that the UCSX-ML-V5Q50G-D can be deployed across heterogeneous environments. Cisco provides validated driver packages and firmware updates that align with UCS software releases, reducing integration complexity. The adapter is compatible with Linux distributions commonly used in cloud and HPC clusters, as well as with enterprise Windows Server releases. Integration with container orchestration platforms and virtualization stacks is facilitated through the adapter's compatibility with standard APIs and offload frameworks, enabling DevOps teams to include network tunings as part of infrastructure-as-code workflows.

Performance Characteristics and Benchmark Expectations

Performance for the UCSX-ML-V5Q50G-D is expressed through its ability to deliver consistent 25 GbE lanes across four paths, offering substantial aggregate bandwidth for demanding workloads. Measured in terms of throughput, latency, and CPU utilization under load, the adapter typically demonstrates low microsecond latencies and sustained high throughput when properly configured within a UCS fabric. Real-world performance will depend on switch architecture, cabling, server CPU capabilities, and software stack tunings. However, when paired with Cisco's leaf-spine topologies and optimized switch configurations, enterprises can expect predictable scaling as more compute nodes are added to the cluster.

Scalability and Network Design Considerations

Architecting a scalable environment with the 15420 involves planning for aggregation, oversubscription ratios, and QoS policies. Because each adapter offers multiple 25 GbE ports, architects can design aggregation fabrics that avoid bottlenecks while providing headroom for bursty traffic patterns. Consideration of oversubscription at the rack and pod levels ensures balanced performance across the infrastructure. Additionally, QoS policies configured at the switch and UCS policy levels allow prioritization of latency-sensitive flows such as storage replication or high-priority business transactions, ensuring that network contention does not degrade critical services.

Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability

Enterprise-class reliability is a cornerstone of the UCSX-ML-V5Q50G-D. The adapter incorporates failover mechanisms and error reporting that help maintain network continuity. When combined with UCS health monitoring and telemetry, administrators can proactively detect and remediate issues before they escalate. Serviceability is enhanced by the adapter's predictable behavior under firmware upgrades and its compatibility with Cisco's standardized maintenance processes. In large deployments, the ability to perform non-disruptive firmware updates and to roll back when necessary is essential to meeting stringent SLAs and minimizing maintenance windows.

Security and Traffic Isolation

Security controls on the adapter and in the UCS fabric are designed to support segmentation, microsegmentation, and policy-driven access controls. Network virtualization features paired with Cisco policy frameworks enable the isolation of sensitive workloads and the enforcement of network ACLs and security groups. Offloads also help preserve security by accelerating encrypted traffic handling without imposing significant performance penalties on the host CPUs. The adapter's telemetry can be integrated with security monitoring systems to detect abnormal traffic patterns and support incident response activities.

Compatibility with Network Fabrics and Storage Protocols

The 15420 is compatible with common data center network fabrics and supports storage protocols that are fundamental to modern architectures. Whether environments depend on IP-based storage protocols like iSCSI and NFS, or they leverage NVMe over Fabrics with RDMA acceleration, the adapter can be tuned to match those needs. Its ability to handle converged traffic, combining storage, management, and tenant data on the same physical fabric, allows for simplified cabling and efficient resource utilization. Proper planning and QoS allocation ensure coexistence of multiple traffic classes without sacrifice to performance or reliability.

Best Practices for Deployment in Cisco UCS Environments

Deploying the UCSX-ML-V5Q50G-D in a Cisco UCS environment benefits from adherence to best practices around cabling, firmware alignment, and policy-driven configuration. Start with validated reference architectures when possible, and use UCS domain templates to provision consistent server profiles that include network adapter settings. Ensure that switch firmware and adapter firmware versions are compatible and tested within lab environments prior to large-scale rollouts. Monitor link utilization and error rates after deployment to catch early signs of misconfiguration or hardware anomalies. Automating routine checks reduces manual effort and increases repeatability across the data center.