61X09 Dell E810 2 Port 25GbE SFP28 OCP NIC 3.0

Overview of the 25GbE Network Adapter

The 61X09 Dell E810 2 Port 25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 Network Adapter represents a high-performance networking solution engineered for next-generation enterprise data centers, cloud computing environments, and hyperscale infrastructures. Built around Intel’s advanced Ethernet 800 Series controller architecture (E810 family), this adapter delivers ultra-low latency, high bandwidth efficiency, and robust scalability designed to support demanding workloads such as virtualization, software-defined networking (SDN), storage acceleration, artificial intelligence (AI) pipelines, and high-performance computing (HPC) clusters.

Main Specifications

• Device Type: Network Adapter
• Form Factor: Low Profile Plug-in Card
• Interface (Bus) Type: Open Compute Project Mezzanine (OCP) 3.0
• PCI Specification Revision: PCIe 3.0, PCIe 4.0
• 25 Gigabit SFP28 Ports (x2)

Data Link Protocols

• Gigabit Ethernet
• 10 Gigabit Ethernet
• 25 Gigabit Ethernet

Network and Transport Protocols

• iSCSI
• iWARP
• NFS

Connectivity Technology

• Wired

Advanced Features

• RDMA Support
• Virtual Machine Device Queues (VMDQ)
• Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV)
• Data Direct I/O Technology (DDIO)
• RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) v2
• Flexible Port Partitioning (FPP)
• Intelligent Offloads
• On-Chip QoS and Traffic Management

Dell E810 2 Port 25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 Network Adapter 

As organizations transition from legacy 1GbE and 10GbE infrastructures toward 25GbE and beyond, this category of OCP 3.0 network adapters plays a critical role in enabling scalable, cost-efficient, and future-ready network modernization. The Dell E810 25GbE adapter integrates advanced packet processing capabilities, enhanced offloading engines, and optimized power efficiency to ensure maximum throughput with minimal CPU utilization.

Architecture of the Dell E810 25GbE SFP28 OCP Adapter

At the core of the 61X09 Dell E810 2 Port 25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 Network Adapter lies a sophisticated network interface controller (NIC) architecture built for parallel processing and high-volume packet handling. The Intel E810 controller introduces an improved data path pipeline that significantly reduces packet processing overhead while increasing throughput consistency under heavy traffic loads. The architecture is designed to handle modern cloud-native workloads where microservices communication, container orchestration, and distributed databases require predictable and scalable network performance. By leveraging hardware-based acceleration for critical networking functions, the adapter minimizes CPU dependency and improves system efficiency.

Advanced Packet Processing Engine

The packet processing engine integrated into the E810 architecture is optimized for multi-queue processing, enabling efficient load distribution across CPU cores. This ensures that high-volume traffic flows do not create bottlenecks, even in dense virtualized environments. The adapter supports deep packet inspection acceleration, checksum offloading, and segmentation offload technologies that reduce system overhead and improve application responsiveness.

Hardware Offload Acceleration

The adapter includes multiple hardware offload engines designed to accelerate networking tasks traditionally handled by the CPU. These include TCP/UDP checksum offloading, Large Send Offload (LSO), Large Receive Offload (LRO), and segmentation offload. These capabilities allow servers to handle more concurrent workloads while maintaining stable performance metrics across varying traffic conditions.

OCP 3.0 Form Factor and Design Advantages

The Open Compute Project (OCP) 3.0 specification introduces a modular, scalable, and energy-efficient design framework for server networking components. The 61X09 Dell E810 2 Port 25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 Network Adapter leverages this standard to deliver a compact yet powerful networking solution optimized for modern rack-scale infrastructure.

Modular Server Integration

OCP 3.0 adapters are designed for seamless integration into supported Dell servers, allowing for tool-less installation and simplified maintenance. This modular approach reduces downtime during upgrades or replacements and supports rapid scaling of network infrastructure. The adapter’s standardized footprint ensures compatibility across a wide range of Dell PowerEdge systems equipped with OCP 3.0 slots.

Improved Airflow and Thermal Efficiency

The OCP 3.0 design improves thermal efficiency by optimizing airflow within server chassis. This is especially important in high-density data center environments where heat dissipation directly impacts system reliability. The Dell E810 adapter is engineered to maintain optimal operating temperatures even under sustained high-throughput workloads.

25GbE SFP28 Connectivity and Bandwidth Optimization

The SFP28 interface is a key feature of the Dell E810 adapter, enabling 25 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity over fiber or DAC (Direct Attach Copper) cables. This standard provides a significant performance improvement over 10GbE while maintaining cost efficiency and backward compatibility with existing infrastructure.

High-Speed Data Transmission

With 25Gbps per port capacity, the adapter supports extremely high data throughput suitable for cloud-scale applications, real-time analytics, and distributed storage systems. The dual-port configuration effectively doubles available bandwidth, enabling aggregate throughput of up to 50Gbps per adapter under optimal conditions.

Scalability in Modern Networks

25GbE technology provides a natural scaling path for data centers transitioning from 10GbE networks. Instead of requiring a complete overhaul of infrastructure, organizations can incrementally upgrade to 25GbE, improving performance without significantly increasing operational costs.

Dual-Port Design for Redundancy and Load Balancing

The dual-port configuration of the Dell E810 25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 adapter enhances network resilience and flexibility. By providing two independent high-speed ports, the adapter supports redundancy, link aggregation, and advanced traffic distribution strategies.

Link Aggregation and Teaming

Network administrators can configure link aggregation (LACP) to combine both ports into a single logical channel, increasing bandwidth and ensuring failover protection. This is particularly beneficial in enterprise environments where uninterrupted connectivity is essential for mission-critical applications.

Fault Tolerance and Failover Capabilities

In the event of a port failure or cable disconnection, traffic can be automatically rerouted through the secondary port without service interruption. This redundancy ensures continuous availability of applications and services in high-availability environments.

Performance for Virtualization and Cloud Environments

The Dell E810 adapter category is specifically designed to support virtualization-heavy workloads and cloud-native infrastructures. Its advanced offloading and virtualization support features enable efficient handling of virtual machines (VMs), containers, and microservices architectures.

SR-IOV Virtualization Support

Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) allows the adapter to present multiple virtual functions (VFs) to hypervisors. This enables near-native network performance for virtual machines by bypassing traditional software-based networking stacks.

Optimized Container Networking

In Kubernetes and Docker environments, the adapter provides consistent low-latency networking for containerized workloads. This ensures reliable service communication and efficient load distribution across nodes in a cluster.

Advanced Offload and Acceleration Technologies

The 61X09 Dell E810 2 Port 25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 Network Adapter incorporates multiple acceleration technologies designed to optimize data flow and reduce CPU utilization in enterprise systems.

RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE)

Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) support allows direct memory-to-memory data transfers between servers, bypassing the CPU and reducing latency. This is critical for workloads such as high-frequency trading, real-time analytics, and distributed storage systems.

VXLAN and NVGRE Offloading

The adapter supports overlay network protocols such as VXLAN and NVGRE, which are essential for modern SDN architectures. Offloading these functions to hardware reduces encapsulation overhead and improves network efficiency in large-scale virtual environments.

TCP/IP Offload Engine

The integrated TCP/IP offload engine reduces CPU workload by handling segmentation, reassembly, and checksum calculations directly on the NIC. This improves system throughput and reduces latency for high-volume network traffic.

Driver and Operating System Compatibility

The Dell E810 25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 adapter supports a wide range of operating systems, ensuring seamless integration into heterogeneous IT environments. It is optimized for both Linux-based cloud platforms and Windows Server infrastructures.

Linux Kernel Support

The adapter is fully compatible with modern Linux distributions used in enterprise environments, including Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES), and Ubuntu Server. Native driver support ensures stable performance and simplified deployment.

Windows Server Integration

In Windows Server environments, the adapter integrates with Microsoft’s networking stack to support virtualization, clustering, and storage networking features. This makes it suitable for Hyper-V deployments and enterprise application hosting.

Security Enhancements in Network Traffic Handling

Security is a core consideration in modern data center networking. The Dell E810 adapter incorporates hardware-based security features that help protect data integrity and prevent unauthorized access.

Secure Boot

The adapter supports secure firmware boot mechanisms that ensure only trusted firmware is executed. This reduces the risk of malicious code injection at the hardware level.

Network Isolation Features

Through VLAN segmentation and virtual function isolation, the adapter enables secure multi-tenant environments where workloads remain logically separated even on shared physical infrastructure.

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is a critical factor in large-scale deployments. The Dell E810 25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 Network Adapter is designed to minimize power consumption while maintaining peak performance levels. Dynamic power scaling allows the adapter to adjust energy usage based on workload demand. During periods of low network traffic, the adapter reduces power draw, contributing to lower operational costs and improved data center sustainability.

Enterprise Deployment Scenarios

This category of network adapters is widely deployed across various enterprise and cloud environments. Its flexibility and performance make it suitable for diverse use cases.

Cloud Data Centers

In cloud environments, the adapter supports massive east-west traffic flows between distributed services, enabling scalable microservices architectures and multi-tenant hosting platforms.

High-Performance Computing Clusters

HPC environments rely on low-latency, high-bandwidth networking to process complex computational workloads. The Dell E810 adapter ensures rapid inter-node communication and efficient parallel processing.

Storage Networking

The adapter is ideal for storage-intensive workloads such as NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF), distributed storage systems, and backup infrastructures requiring consistent high throughput.

Comparison with Legacy Networking Technologies

Compared to 10GbE and 40GbE solutions, the 25GbE standard offers a balanced approach to performance and scalability. It delivers higher throughput than 10GbE while being more cost-efficient and power-efficient than 40GbE alternatives.

The Dell E810 25GbE SFP28 adapter bridges this gap by providing enterprise-grade performance without requiring extensive infrastructure redesigns. Its dual-port configuration further enhances scalability and redundancy options.

Network Optimization and Configuration Best Practices

To achieve maximum performance, administrators should configure jumbo frames, enable RSS (Receive Side Scaling), and optimize queue depth settings. These adjustments ensure balanced CPU utilization and improved packet processing efficiency across multiple cores. Additionally, enabling advanced features such as SR-IOV and RDMA can significantly enhance performance in virtualized and distributed computing environments.

Market Positioning and Industry Relevance

The Dell E810 25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 adapter category is positioned as a cornerstone technology for modern enterprise networking. Its combination of high bandwidth, low latency, and advanced offload capabilities makes it a preferred choice for organizations transitioning toward software-defined infrastructure and cloud-native architectures. As data volumes continue to grow exponentially, the demand for scalable and efficient networking solutions continues to increase. This adapter category addresses these demands by delivering a future-ready networking foundation capable of supporting evolving enterprise requirements.