UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 Cisco Dual Port 10GBPS PCI-E VIC Network Adapter

Overview of Cisco UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 Dual Port VIC Adapter

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 Dual Port 10Gbps PCI-E VIC Network Adapter is a high-speed server-class networking solution engineered to deliver reliable, scalable, and efficient data transmission for enterprise environments. Designed by Cisco, this adapter enhances system throughput by providing dual 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity through a robust PCI Express interface.

Product Identification

• Manufacturer: Cisco
• Part Number: UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02
• Product Type: Network Adapter
• Category: PCI Express VIC Network Interface Card

Technical Specifications

• Form Factor: Plug-in module
• Interface Type: PCI Express 2.0 x16
• PCIe Revision: 2.0
• Compatible Slot: 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16

Network Performance Capabilities

• Data Transfer Rate: 10 Gbps per port
• Total Ports: 2 x 10Gb Ethernet
• Network Technology: Wired Ethernet

10GBase-T Connectivity Standard

• Cabling Type: Ethernet 10GBase-T
• Connector Type: RJ-45
• Transmission Medium: Copper Ethernet cabling

Supported Connectivity Features

• Dual-port network redundancy
• High-speed server-to-server communication
• Compatibility with enterprise Ethernet infrastructure
• Support for virtualized networking environments

Cisco UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 Dual Port 10Gbps Network Adapter

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 Dual Port 10Gbps PCIe VIC Network Adapter represents a high-performance server connectivity solution engineered for modern enterprise data centers requiring scalable bandwidth, virtualization efficiency, and low-latency network communication. Designed under the advanced networking architecture, this adapter is part of the Cisco Virtual Interface Card (VIC) family, which is widely deployed in Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) environments to streamline network and storage traffic through a unified fabric approach. The dual-port 10Gbps design ensures high throughput, redundancy, and optimized workload distribution across virtualized server infrastructures.

As data centers evolve toward cloud-native architectures and software-defined networking, the demand for flexible and programmable network adapters continues to increase. This PCI Express-based VIC adapter addresses those requirements by delivering hardware-assisted virtualization, enhanced packet processing capabilities, and efficient I/O consolidation. It is particularly suited for enterprise workloads such as virtualization clusters, high-performance computing environments, database systems, and enterprise application hosting.

Architecture and Design of the Dual Port 10Gbps VIC Adapter

Advanced PCI Express Integration

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 is built on a PCI Express interface that enables high-speed communication between the server motherboard and the network adapter. The PCIe architecture ensures minimal latency while maximizing bandwidth efficiency, making it ideal for environments where data throughput and deterministic performance are critical. The adapter integrates seamlessly into standard PCIe slots, ensuring broad compatibility across enterprise-grade servers.

Dual Port 10GbE Connectivity Structure

The dual-port configuration of this VIC network adapter allows simultaneous 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity across two independent channels. This design enhances redundancy and load balancing, ensuring continuous network availability even in the event of a port failure. It also enables administrators to segment traffic between different workloads, improving performance isolation and reducing network congestion in virtualized environments.

Virtual Interface Card (VIC) Technology

At the core of this adapter is Cisco’s Virtual Interface Card technology, which enables dynamic creation of multiple virtual network interfaces over a single physical adapter. This innovation significantly reduces the number of physical NICs required in a server, simplifying infrastructure design while improving scalability. VIC technology also supports dynamic provisioning, allowing network interfaces to be created or modified without physical intervention.

Virtualization and Cloud Infrastructure Compatibility

Support for Virtual Machine Density

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 is optimized for high-density virtualization environments where multiple virtual machines operate on a single physical server. Through virtual NIC provisioning, each VM can be assigned dedicated network interfaces that behave as independent physical adapters, improving isolation and performance consistency.

Integration with Hypervisors

This VIC adapter is compatible with leading hypervisor platforms used in enterprise environments. Its virtualization-aware design allows seamless integration with virtual switching technologies, enabling efficient communication between virtual workloads and external networks without excessive CPU overhead.

Cloud-Ready Networking Capabilities

In cloud infrastructure deployments, scalability and flexibility are essential. The adapter supports dynamic provisioning and reconfiguration, making it suitable for private cloud, hybrid cloud, and software-defined data center architectures. This adaptability ensures that networking resources can scale alongside compute and storage resources.

Unified Fabric and Data Center Efficiency

Converged Network Infrastructure

The UCS VIC architecture supports unified fabric networking, where multiple traffic types such as LAN and storage traffic can be handled over a single physical infrastructure. This reduces the complexity of cabling and network hardware while improving resource utilization across the data center.

Reduced Hardware Footprint

By consolidating multiple virtual interfaces into a single physical adapter, the UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 reduces the need for multiple discrete network interface cards. This leads to lower power consumption, reduced heat generation, and simplified server design.

Operational Efficiency Improvements

Data center administrators benefit from simplified network management due to fewer physical components and centralized configuration capabilities. The adapter’s design supports streamlined provisioning workflows, reducing deployment time for new servers and virtual machines.

Enterprise Networking Use Cases

Virtualized Server Clusters

In virtualized environments, the adapter supports high-speed communication between clustered nodes, enabling efficient workload distribution and migration. This is essential for maintaining uptime and balancing compute resources across multiple servers.

Database and Storage Intensive Applications

Databases and storage-heavy workloads require consistent throughput and low latency. The dual 10GbE ports ensure fast access to storage arrays and replication systems, improving data availability and redundancy.

High-Performance Computing Environments

HPC workloads depend on fast interconnects for distributed processing tasks. The UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 supports such environments by providing stable and high-speed communication between compute nodes.

Enterprise Application Hosting

Enterprise applications such as ERP, CRM, and analytics platforms benefit from the adapter’s reliable throughput and virtualization capabilities, ensuring consistent application performance under variable workloads.

Security and Network Isolation Features

Hardware-Level Traffic Segmentation

The VIC architecture allows for hardware-assisted segmentation of network traffic, ensuring that different workloads remain isolated from one another. This enhances security in multi-tenant environments.

Secure Virtual Interface Provisioning

Virtual interfaces created through the adapter are securely managed, reducing risks associated with unauthorized access or misconfiguration. This is especially important in cloud and enterprise data center environments.

Traffic Control and Policy Enforcement

The adapter supports advanced traffic control mechanisms that allow administrators to enforce network policies at the hardware level, improving compliance and security posture.

Deployment and Integration in UCS Environments

Compatibility with UCS Servers

The UCSC-PCIE-C10T-02 is designed specifically for integration into Cisco UCS server environments, ensuring full compatibility with UCS management tools and orchestration systems.

Streamlined Provisioning

Administrators can deploy and configure network interfaces dynamically through UCS management software, reducing manual configuration overhead and improving deployment speed.

Scalability in Enterprise Infrastructure

As enterprise environments expand, additional virtual interfaces can be created without requiring physical hardware upgrades, enabling seamless scalability.

Performance Tuning and Optimization Capabilities

Bandwidth Allocation Efficiency

Administrators can allocate bandwidth across virtual interfaces to optimize application performance. This ensures that critical workloads receive priority access to network resources.

CPU Offloading Capabilities

By offloading network processing tasks to hardware, the adapter reduces CPU utilization, freeing server resources for application processing and improving overall system efficiency.

Packet Processing Acceleration

Hardware acceleration features improve packet processing speed, reducing bottlenecks in high-throughput environments and ensuring consistent performance under load.