9VHH9 Dell Mellanox ConnectX-5 2 Ports 10/25GbE SFP28 PCI-E Low Profile Adapter

Overview of Dell 9VHH9 ConnectX-5 Network Adapter 

The Dell 9VHH9 Mellanox ConnectX-5 adapter is engineered to deliver fast, reliable, and scalable connectivity for enterprise servers. Designed for demanding workloads, it supports next-generation Ethernet speeds while maintaining excellent compatibility with PCIe-based systems.

General Attributes

• Brand: Dell
• Part Number: 9VHH9
• Device Type: Low Profile Adapter

Key Network Features

• Dual SFP28 ports supporting both 10GbE and 25GbE connections
• Optimized for low latency and high throughput networking
• Stable performance for enterprise and data center operations
• Supports seamless integration with existing Ethernet infrastructures

Form Factor Highlights

• Low-profile PCI Express card for compact server builds
• Ideal for rack-mounted and high-density systems
• Durable construction for continuous operation

PCI Express Interface for Maximum Bandwidth

• High-speed PCIe connectivity
• Reduced bottlenecks during heavy network traffic
• Enhanced system responsiveness

Supported Data Link Protocols

• 10 Gigabit Ethernet for backward compatibility
• 25 Gigabit LAN for next-level network speed
• Efficient packet handling for smoother data flow

Typical Use Cases

• Data center networking and server virtualization
• High-performance computing environments
• Cloud platforms and enterprise storage systems

Outline of Dell 9VHH9 Dual Port 25GBPS SFP28 Adapter  

The Dell 9VHH9 Mellanox ConnectX-5 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 Adapter PCIe Low Profile represents a high-performance networking category designed for enterprise data centers, cloud infrastructure, virtualization platforms, and high-throughput computing environments. This category focuses on advanced Ethernet adapters engineered to deliver low latency, high bandwidth, and intelligent offload capabilities while maintaining compatibility with modern server architectures. Built on Mellanox ConnectX-5 technology, this adapter category supports demanding workloads that require consistent throughput, efficient CPU utilization, and scalable connectivity across distributed systems.

High-Speed Ethernet Architecture and Data Throughput

This category emphasizes next-generation Ethernet performance by supporting dual-port 10GbE and 25GbE connectivity through SFP28 interfaces. The underlying architecture is optimized to handle large volumes of data traffic without congestion, making it suitable for environments where rapid data movement is critical. By leveraging PCI Express interfaces, these adapters ensure fast communication between the network and server components, reducing bottlenecks and enhancing overall system responsiveness.

Dual-Port Design for Redundancy and Scalability

The dual-port configuration within this category enables network redundancy, load balancing, and scalable deployment options. Organizations benefit from increased fault tolerance, as traffic can be rerouted between ports in the event of link failure. This design also allows administrators to segment workloads, assign dedicated network paths for specific applications, or aggregate bandwidth to meet growing performance requirements.

10GbE and 25GbE Flexibility

Adapters in this category support both 10 Gigabit Ethernet and 25 Gigabit Ethernet speeds, providing flexibility for mixed-network environments. This backward and forward compatibility allows enterprises to transition gradually from legacy 10GbE infrastructure to higher-speed 25GbE networks without replacing existing hardware. Such adaptability ensures long-term value and simplified network upgrades.

PCIe Low Profile Form Factor Compatibility

The PCIe low profile design is a defining characteristic of this adapter category, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of server chassis, including space-constrained and high-density systems. Low profile adapters are essential in modern data centers where rack space optimization and airflow management are priorities. This form factor allows seamless integration into 1U and 2U servers commonly used in enterprise and cloud environments.

Optimized for Dense Server Deployments

By adopting a low profile bracket, this category supports dense server deployments where vertical space is limited. Data centers can maximize hardware utilization without compromising networking performance. The compact design also contributes to improved airflow, reducing thermal stress and supporting consistent performance under sustained workloads.

Mellanox ConnectX-5 Technology Foundation

The Dell 9VHH9 adapter category is built upon Mellanox ConnectX-5 technology, which is widely recognized for its reliability, performance, and advanced networking features. This technology integrates intelligent acceleration engines that offload processing tasks from the CPU, enabling servers to allocate more resources to applications and services.

Advanced Offload Capabilities

ConnectX-5 based adapters offer hardware offloads for networking tasks such as checksum calculation, segmentation, and encapsulation. These capabilities reduce CPU overhead and improve overall system efficiency. Offloading is particularly valuable in virtualized and containerized environments where multiple workloads share server resources.

Low Latency Performance Characteristics

Low latency is a critical requirement in many enterprise and high-performance computing scenarios. This category is engineered to minimize packet processing delays, ensuring rapid data transmission and response times. Such performance characteristics are essential for real-time analytics, financial trading platforms, and latency-sensitive applications.

Support for Virtualization and Cloud Environments

Adapters within this category are designed to integrate seamlessly with virtualization platforms and cloud infrastructures. They support technologies that enhance virtual machine networking performance while maintaining isolation and security between tenants. This makes them suitable for private clouds, hybrid environments, and service provider data centers.

Single Root I/O Virtualization Integration

Single Root I/O Virtualization support allows a single physical adapter to present multiple virtual network interfaces to virtual machines. This capability improves network performance for virtual workloads by reducing hypervisor overhead and enabling near-native throughput. It also simplifies network management in large-scale virtualized environments.

Compatibility with Major Hypervisors

This category maintains compatibility with leading hypervisors and operating systems commonly used in enterprise environments. Broad driver support ensures stable operation across different platforms, allowing organizations to standardize on a single adapter category for diverse deployments.

Data Center Efficiency and Resource Optimization

Efficiency is a central theme within this category, as modern data centers seek to reduce operational costs while increasing performance. By offloading networking tasks and optimizing data flow, these adapters contribute to lower CPU utilization and reduced power consumption per workload.

CPU Utilization Reduction

Through intelligent offloading and efficient packet processing, this adapter category helps free up CPU cycles that would otherwise be consumed by networking tasks. This allows servers to handle more applications or virtual machines without requiring additional hardware.

Energy-Efficient Networking Design

Energy efficiency is enhanced through optimized silicon design and adaptive power management features. These characteristics align with sustainability initiatives and help organizations manage power usage in large-scale deployments.

Security and Data Integrity Features

Security is a critical consideration in enterprise networking, and this category incorporates features designed to protect data in transit. Hardware-based security mechanisms help ensure data integrity and reduce the risk of network-based attacks.

Hardware-Level Isolation

By supporting hardware-level isolation between network functions, this adapter category helps prevent unauthorized access and cross-tenant interference. This is especially important in multi-tenant cloud and virtualized environments.

Reliable Data Transmission

Error detection and correction mechanisms are integrated to maintain data integrity across high-speed links. Reliable transmission reduces retransmissions and improves overall network efficiency.

Enterprise and High-Performance Use Cases

The Dell 9VHH9 Mellanox ConnectX-5 adapter category is suitable for a wide range of enterprise and high-performance computing use cases. These include database clusters, virtualization farms, cloud service infrastructure, and big data analytics platforms.

High-Performance Computing Workloads

In high-performance computing environments, low latency and high throughput are essential. This category supports parallel data processing and fast inter-node communication, enabling efficient execution of compute-intensive tasks.

Enterprise Application Networking

Enterprise applications such as ERP systems, CRM platforms, and large-scale web services benefit from the consistent performance and reliability offered by this adapter category. Stable networking ensures uninterrupted access to critical services.

Scalability and Future-Proof Networking

Scalability is a defining attribute of this category, allowing organizations to expand their network capacity as demands increase. Support for 25GbE connectivity provides a clear upgrade path beyond traditional 10GbE networks.

Seamless Network Expansion

By integrating adapters from this category, organizations can incrementally scale bandwidth and connectivity without disruptive infrastructure changes. This flexibility supports long-term growth and evolving application requirements.

Alignment with Modern Network Standards

Compliance with contemporary Ethernet standards ensures interoperability with a wide range of switches, transceivers, and network management tools. This alignment simplifies deployment and reduces compatibility concerns.

Reliability and Enterprise-Grade Build Quality

This category is characterized by enterprise-grade build quality designed to withstand continuous operation in demanding environments. Components are selected and tested to ensure long-term reliability under sustained workloads.

Designed for Continuous Operation

Adapters in this category are engineered for round-the-clock operation in data centers. Robust thermal management and quality manufacturing processes contribute to stable performance over extended periods.

Vendor Ecosystem and Support Compatibility

As part of the Dell ecosystem leveraging Mellanox technology, this category benefits from extensive validation, firmware updates, and driver support. This ecosystem integration ensures dependable operation and easier lifecycle management.

Network Management and Monitoring Capabilities

Effective network management is essential for maintaining performance and reliability. This category supports advanced monitoring and management features that provide visibility into network performance and adapter health.

Performance Metrics and Diagnostics

Administrators can access detailed performance metrics to monitor throughput, error rates, and latency. Diagnostic capabilities assist in identifying and resolving network issues quickly.

Integration with Data Center Management Tools

Compatibility with common data center management and orchestration tools simplifies administration and enhances operational efficiency. Centralized management reduces complexity in large-scale deployments.

Role in Modern Data Center Networking Strategies

The Dell 9VHH9 Mellanox ConnectX-5 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 Adapter PCIe Low Profile category plays a strategic role in modern data center networking strategies. It bridges the gap between high-performance requirements and practical deployment considerations.

Supporting Software-Defined Networking Architectures

This category aligns well with software-defined networking approaches by providing flexible, programmable networking capabilities. Such alignment enables dynamic traffic management and improved network agility.

Enabling Cloud-Native and Containerized Workloads

Cloud-native and containerized applications rely on efficient, scalable networking. The performance characteristics of this adapter category support rapid container communication and microservices architectures.

Long-Term Value and Investment Protection

Organizations investing in this category benefit from long-term value through scalability, compatibility, and robust performance. The ability to support evolving network speeds and workloads ensures that infrastructure investments remain relevant.

Adaptability to Changing Workload Demands

As application requirements evolve, this adapter category provides the flexibility needed to adapt without significant hardware changes. This adaptability reduces total cost of ownership over time.

Consistent Performance Across Generations

Built on a proven technology foundation, this category delivers consistent performance across different server generations. Such consistency simplifies planning and deployment in heterogeneous environments.