540-BCNJ Dell Connectx-5 EN 25GBE Dual-Port SFP28 PCIE Network Adapter

Product Overview of the Dell 25GbE Dual-Port Network Adapter

The Dell 540-BCNJ ConnectX-5 EN is a high-performance 25Gb Ethernet network adapter designed for modern data centers, enterprise servers, and high-speed networking environments. Built to deliver ultra-fast connectivity, low latency, and reliable data transmission, this PCIe network card is ideal for virtualization, cloud computing, and storage-intensive workloads.

General Information

Manufacturer Information

• Brand: Dell
• Manufacturer Part Number: 540-BCNJ
• Device Category: Network Interface Card (NIC)

Technical Specifications

Bus Interface and PCIe Support

• PCI Express 3.0 x16 interface
• Fully compliant with PCIe 3.0 specifications
• High bandwidth support for faster data throughput

Available Ports

• Two 25 Gigabit Ethernet SFP28 ports
• Supports optical and direct attach copper (DAC) cables
• Ideal for redundant and load-balanced network setups

Performance

Designed for speed and efficiency, the Dell 540-BCNJ ensures stable and fast network performance across various workloads.

Data Link Protocols

• Gigabit Ethernet
• 10 Gigabit Ethernet
• 25 Gigabit LAN

Data Transfer Speed

• Maximum transfer rate up to 25 Gbps per port
• Low latency for real-time data processing
• Enhanced throughput for high-traffic environments

Network and Transport

• TCP/IP for reliable data communication
• UDP/IP for fast packet transmission
• iSCSI support for storage networking

Compatibility

IEEE Standards Supported

• IEEE 802.1Q and 802.1P for VLAN tagging and prioritization
• IEEE 802.3ad and 802.1AX for link aggregation (LACP)
• IEEE 802.3AE, 802.3BY for high-speed Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3AP and 802.3AZ for energy-efficient Ethernet

Advanced Networking Features

• IEEE 802.1QBB for priority-based flow control
• IEEE 802.1QAZ for enhanced transmission selection
• IEEE 802.1QAU and 802.1QBG for congestion management
• IEEE 1588v2 support for precise time protocol (PTP)

The High-Performance 25GbE Networking for Data Centers

The Dell 540-BCNJ ConnectX-5 EN 25GbE Dual-Port SFP28 PCIe 3.0 x16 Network Adapter represents a powerful category of enterprise-grade Ethernet adapters designed for high-throughput, low-latency networking environments. This category focuses on advanced 25 Gigabit Ethernet (25GbE) solutions that are purpose-built for data centers, cloud infrastructure, virtualization platforms, and high-performance computing workloads. These adapters bridge the gap between traditional 10GbE networking and emerging 40GbE/100GbE infrastructures, offering an optimal balance of performance, scalability, and cost efficiency.

Network adapters in this category are engineered to handle massive data flows with minimal latency, enabling faster application response times, improved server utilization, and reduced network congestion. The Dell 540-BCNJ, powered by the NVIDIA (formerly Mellanox) ConnectX-5 EN controller, exemplifies the technological advancements that define this category, making it a preferred choice for enterprises seeking reliable and future-ready networking hardware.

25GbE Dual-Port Network Interface Cards

The 25GbE dual-port network adapter category encompasses PCI Express-based Ethernet cards that provide two independent 25 Gigabit Ethernet ports using SFP28 transceivers. These adapters are designed to deliver a combined bandwidth of up to 50Gbps, making them suitable for bandwidth-intensive applications such as virtualized environments, distributed storage systems, big data analytics, and AI-driven workloads.

Dual-port configurations offer enhanced flexibility and redundancy, allowing organizations to implement link aggregation, network failover, or traffic segmentation. This category is especially relevant in modern data centers where network resilience and performance consistency are critical operational requirements.

10GbE to 25GbE Networking

As data center traffic continues to grow exponentially, traditional 10GbE networking solutions are increasingly becoming a bottleneck. The transition to 25GbE represents a significant leap in performance while maintaining compatibility with existing cabling and infrastructure. Network adapters in this category support seamless upgrades by leveraging SFP28 technology, which offers higher bandwidth without the complexity and cost of moving to higher-speed optics prematurely.

The Dell 540-BCNJ ConnectX-5 EN fits squarely within this evolutionary path, enabling organizations to modernize their networks incrementally while achieving substantial performance gains.

Core Architecture and PCIe 3.0 x16

A defining characteristic of this category is the use of the PCI Express 3.0 x16 interface, which provides ample bandwidth to support dual 25GbE ports without performance degradation. PCIe 3.0 x16 delivers up to 128Gbps of bidirectional throughput, ensuring that the network adapter can operate at full capacity even under sustained high-load conditions.

This architecture is essential for enterprise servers running multiple virtual machines or containerized applications, where network traffic can be highly dynamic and unpredictable. By eliminating bus-level bottlenecks, adapters in this category ensure consistent and predictable network performance.

Optimized for Server-Class Systems

The Dell 540-BCNJ and similar adapters are designed specifically for server-class platforms, including rack servers, blade servers, and high-density compute nodes. Their form factor, power efficiency, and thermal characteristics are optimized to operate reliably in data center environments with continuous uptime requirements.

Support for advanced PCIe features such as SR-IOV and optimized interrupt handling further enhances performance in virtualized and multi-tenant deployments.

Dual-Port SFP28

SFP28 connectivity is a cornerstone of this category, enabling 25GbE data transmission over both fiber optic and direct attach copper (DAC) cables. Dual-port SFP28 adapters provide flexibility in network design, allowing administrators to choose the most suitable cabling based on distance, cost, and performance requirements.

Each port operates independently at 25Gbps, supporting full-duplex communication and advanced flow control mechanisms. This dual-port design supports a wide range of deployment scenarios, from high-availability clusters to segmented network architectures.

Advanced Offload and Acceleration

Network adapters in the ConnectX-5 EN category are equipped with a rich set of hardware offload and acceleration features that significantly reduce CPU overhead. These capabilities are critical for maintaining high application performance in environments where compute resources are heavily utilized.

RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE)

Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) support is a key feature of this category, enabling ultra-low-latency data transfers directly between server memory spaces. RoCE allows applications to bypass the CPU and operating system kernel, resulting in faster data movement and reduced processing overhead.

This makes the Dell 540-BCNJ particularly suitable for high-performance computing, distributed storage systems, and real-time analytics platforms.

TCP/UDP and Storage

Adapters in this category support a wide range of protocol offloads, including TCP segmentation offload (TSO), large receive offload (LRO), and checksum offloading. These features offload repetitive network processing tasks from the CPU, freeing up compute resources for application workloads.

Support for storage protocols such as iSCSI and NVMe over Fabrics further enhances the versatility of this category, making it ideal for software-defined storage and hyper-converged infrastructure.

Operating System and Platform

The Dell 540-BCNJ ConnectX-5 EN 25GbE Dual-Port Network Adapter category is designed for broad compatibility across major server operating systems and platforms. This ensures seamless integration into existing IT environments without extensive customization.

Enterprise Operating Systems

Adapters in this category support popular enterprise operating systems, including multiple distributions of Linux, Microsoft Windows Server, and virtualization platforms such as VMware ESXi. This wide compatibility simplifies deployment and reduces operational complexity.

Use Cases

The versatility of the Dell 540-BCNJ ConnectX-5 EN category makes it suitable for a wide range of use cases across different industries. From enterprise IT to cloud service providers, these network adapters deliver consistent performance and reliability.

Software-Defined Storage and HCI

Software-defined storage solutions rely heavily on network performance for data replication and synchronization. The high throughput and RDMA capabilities of this category make it ideal for hyper-converged infrastructure deployments.

Scalability and Future-Proof

Investing in a 25GbE network adapter category like the Dell 540-BCNJ ConnectX-5 EN provides a scalable foundation for future growth. As application demands increase and network traffic continues to expand, these adapters offer the flexibility to scale without requiring frequent hardware replacements.

Enterprise-Grade Performance

The Dell 540-BCNJ ConnectX-5 EN 25GbE Dual-Port SFP28 PCIe 3.0 x16 Network Adapter category represents a strategic investment in high-performance networking. With advanced features, broad compatibility, and proven reliability, this category delivers long-term value for organizations seeking to build resilient, high-speed, and scalable network infrastructures.