FPM6F Dell Broadcom 57508 Dual Port Network Adapter

Dell Broadcom 57508 Dual Port Adapter

The FPM6F Dell Broadcom 57508 Dual Port Network Adapter is engineered for high-speed connectivity, delivering exceptional performance for enterprise-grade servers and data centers.

General Specifications

• Brand: Dell
• Part Number: FPM6F
• Category: Network Interface Card

Technical Details

Performance Metrics

• Data Transfer Rate: 100 Gbps per port
• Connectivity Options: Dual QSFP56/QSFP28 ports
• Host Interface: PCI Express 4.0 x16
• Form Factor: Full-Height PCIe plug-in card

Advanced Features

Virtualization Support

• SR-IOV (Single-Root I/O Virtualization) for efficient VM networking
• RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE v2) for low-latency communication

Protocol Offloading

• VXLAN
• NVGRE
• Geneve

Cable Compatibility

Supported Connections

• Passive copper DACs
• Active optical cables (AOCs)
• QSFP transceivers

Dell FPM6F Broadcom 57508 Dual Port Adapter Overview

The Dell FPM6F Broadcom 57508 Dual Port 100GB QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 x16 Network Adapter is engineered to deliver next-generation connectivity for modern enterprise data centers, cloud environments, and high-performance computing infrastructures. Built on advanced Ethernet controller architecture, this dual-port 100GbE network interface card provides exceptional bandwidth, low latency, and robust scalability to meet the demands of virtualization, big data analytics, AI workloads, and mission-critical enterprise applications. As organizations transition to software-defined networking and hyper-converged platforms, the need for high-throughput, low-latency network adapters becomes increasingly critical. This Dell-certified adapter ensures seamless integration with PowerEdge servers and other enterprise-grade systems.

High-Speed 100GbE Connectivity

Dual-Port QSFP56 Architecture

The dual-port QSFP56 configuration enables the Dell FPM6F Broadcom 57508 network adapter to provide up to 200Gb of aggregate bandwidth when both ports operate at full capacity. Each QSFP56 port supports 100GbE throughput, making it ideal for bandwidth-intensive workloads such as virtualization clusters, containerized applications, distributed storage systems, and large-scale database operations. By leveraging high-speed Ethernet technology, organizations can significantly reduce network bottlenecks and improve overall system responsiveness.

PCIe 4.0 x16 Interface Performance

The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface offers doubled bandwidth compared to PCIe 3.0, ensuring that the network adapter can fully utilize its 100GbE capabilities without internal bus limitations. With increased throughput between the network card and the server motherboard, data transfer rates remain consistent even under heavy traffic conditions. This high-speed interface is especially beneficial in environments running AI model training, real-time analytics, and high-frequency trading systems where every microsecond counts.

Optimized for Enterprise Data Centers

Scalability in Virtualized Environments

The Dell FPM6F Broadcom 57508 100Gb network adapter is designed to handle the complexities of modern virtualization platforms such as VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, and KVM. It supports advanced features like SR-IOV, allowing multiple virtual machines to share a single physical adapter while maintaining near-native performance. This capability enhances resource utilization, improves workload isolation, and reduces latency across virtualized networks.

Support for Software-Defined Networking

As data centers evolve toward software-defined architectures, high-performance network interface cards must provide programmability and flexibility. The Broadcom 57508 controller supports advanced offloading technologies and programmable pipelines that integrate seamlessly with SDN frameworks. This ensures that enterprises can deploy dynamic network policies, automation tools, and traffic management solutions without sacrificing throughput.

Enhanced Cloud Infrastructure Performance

Cloud service providers and private cloud operators benefit from the adapter’s ability to handle massive east-west traffic flows. High-density server environments often require consistent 100GbE performance to support container orchestration platforms like Kubernetes and OpenShift. The Dell FPM6F network card ensures reliable data transfer between nodes, storage arrays, and compute clusters, improving service availability and tenant isolation.

Advanced Networking Technologies and Offload Capabilities

RDMA and RoCE Support

Remote Direct Memory Access capabilities, including RoCE support, enable low-latency, high-throughput communication between servers without heavy CPU utilization. By bypassing the traditional TCP/IP stack, RDMA reduces processing overhead and accelerates application performance. This is particularly valuable for distributed databases, NVMe over Fabrics deployments, and high-performance computing clusters that require rapid data exchange.

TCP/IP and UDP Offloading

The Broadcom 57508 controller integrates advanced offload engines that handle TCP segmentation, checksum calculations, and large send offload tasks directly on the adapter. These hardware-based optimizations free up valuable CPU cycles, allowing servers to dedicate more resources to application processing rather than network management. This contributes to improved overall system efficiency and reduced power consumption.

Intelligent Packet Processing

Intelligent packet steering and receive-side scaling ensure balanced traffic distribution across multi-core processors. This prevents single-core bottlenecks and maximizes parallel processing efficiency. In large-scale enterprise deployments, such load balancing capabilities are essential to maintaining consistent network performance under fluctuating traffic conditions.

Reliability, Security, and Compliance

Enterprise-Grade Reliability

The Dell FPM6F Broadcom 57508 100GbE network adapter is built to meet rigorous enterprise reliability standards. It supports link aggregation, failover configurations, and redundancy protocols that enhance network resilience. In mission-critical environments, maintaining uninterrupted connectivity is paramount, and this adapter provides the stability required for continuous operation.

Advanced Security Features

Security is a top priority in modern networking infrastructure. The adapter includes hardware-based security capabilities such as secure boot, firmware authentication, and encrypted management interfaces. These features help protect against unauthorized firmware modifications and malicious network attacks. By integrating robust security mechanisms at the hardware level, enterprises can strengthen their overall cybersecurity posture.

Data Integrity and Error Correction

High-speed networking demands robust error detection and correction mechanisms. The Broadcom 57508 controller implements advanced error handling techniques to ensure data integrity across high-bandwidth transmissions. This is critical in financial services, healthcare systems, and research institutions where data accuracy directly impacts operations.

Compatibility with Dell PowerEdge Servers

Seamless Integration with Enterprise Hardware

The Dell FPM6F adapter is validated for compatibility with a wide range of Dell PowerEdge servers. Its optimized firmware and driver support ensure stable performance across supported operating systems including Windows Server, Linux distributions, and VMware ESXi. By choosing a Dell-certified network adapter, organizations benefit from streamlined deployment, consistent firmware updates, and comprehensive technical support.

Optimized Thermal and Power Efficiency

High-performance network adapters must operate efficiently within server thermal envelopes. The Dell FPM6F is engineered to balance power consumption and heat dissipation, ensuring reliable performance even in densely packed rack environments. Efficient power usage not only reduces operational costs but also contributes to sustainable data center initiatives.

Ideal Use Cases for 100GbE Network Adapters

High-Performance Computing Clusters

Research laboratories and scientific computing facilities rely on ultra-fast interconnects to process massive datasets. The dual-port 100GbE capability of the Broadcom 57508 adapter supports parallel processing and rapid node communication, enabling faster simulation results and more efficient workload distribution.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

AI and ML workloads require extensive data movement between GPUs, storage arrays, and compute nodes. The Dell FPM6F network adapter reduces latency and maximizes throughput, accelerating training cycles and improving inference times. With support for RDMA and advanced offloads, the adapter minimizes CPU overhead while maximizing GPU utilization.

Enterprise Storage and NVMe over Fabrics

Modern storage architectures increasingly adopt NVMe over Fabrics to deliver high-speed access to distributed storage pools. The 100GbE QSFP56 ports provide the bandwidth necessary to support these advanced storage protocols. By enabling low-latency data transfers, the adapter enhances application performance and ensures consistent storage responsiveness.

Future-Ready Networking Infrastructure

Support for Emerging Technologies

The Dell FPM6F Broadcom 57508 Dual Port 100GB network adapter is designed with future scalability in mind. As organizations adopt 5G, edge computing, and hybrid cloud architectures, high-bandwidth connectivity becomes essential. The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface and QSFP56 connectivity ensure compatibility with evolving server platforms and next-generation switching infrastructure.

Investment Protection and Long-Term Value

Investing in a 100GbE PCIe 4.0 network adapter provides long-term value by future-proofing data center infrastructure. Organizations can accommodate increasing network traffic demands without frequent hardware upgrades. This reduces capital expenditure and simplifies infrastructure planning while maintaining competitive performance benchmarks.

Bandwidth and Throughput Capabilities

The adapter supports 100GbE per port, delivering consistent high-speed data transmission across enterprise networks. Its architecture ensures low packet loss and minimal jitter, even during peak traffic periods. With support for jumbo frames and advanced flow control mechanisms, the adapter enhances network efficiency and stability.

Driver and Operating System Support

Comprehensive driver support ensures compatibility with leading enterprise operating systems and hypervisors. This simplifies installation and integration within diverse IT environments. Regular firmware updates provided by Dell enhance security, stability, and performance optimization.

Form Factor and Physical Design

The PCIe 4.0 x16 form factor allows straightforward installation in compatible server slots. Its compact and robust design supports high-density server configurations without compromising airflow or thermal performance. This makes the Dell FPM6F Broadcom 57508 adapter suitable for both traditional rack-mounted servers and advanced modular infrastructure systems.

Optimizing Network Performance

Load Balancing and Traffic Management

Effective traffic distribution is critical in high-throughput networks. The dual-port configuration allows administrators to implement link aggregation and load balancing strategies that optimize bandwidth utilization. This improves application response times and enhances overall user experience.

Reduced Latency for Real-Time Applications

Applications such as video streaming, financial trading platforms, and collaborative cloud services require minimal latency. The Broadcom 57508 controller’s advanced packet processing and RDMA capabilities significantly reduce network delays, ensuring consistent real-time performance.