Dell Dual Port 10Gb Broadcom 57810s BASE-T Server Adapter F2TFK

Overview of the EXPI9404PTG1P20 Intel Pro/1000 PT Quad Port PCI-E Server Adapter

The EXPI9404PTG1P20 Intel Pro/1000 PT Quad Port PCI-E Server Adapter is a highly reliable and high-performance network interface card (NIC) designed to meet the needs of modern data centers, enterprise servers, and other network-intensive applications. This adapter is designed for systems requiring robust network connectivity with multiple ports, offering a stable, fast, and efficient solution to handle heavy network traffic. With four Gigabit Ethernet ports, this server adapter ensures smooth and uninterrupted data flow, essential for large-scale networking environments.

Key Features and Benefits

• Quad-Port Configuration: With four ports, this server adapter provides multiple network connections, making it ideal for applications that require high throughput or failover configurations. Each port can be independently configured to deliver flexible network management options.
• PCI Express 2.1 Interface: The EXPI9404PTG1P20 is designed to fit into standard PCI-E slots, ensuring high-speed data transfer and low-latency performance for enterprise-level networking needs.
• Intel Network Technology: Built with Intel’s reliable networking technology, the adapter is designed for stable, long-lasting performance even in demanding environments.
• Energy-Efficient Design: The card is engineered to meet power efficiency standards while maintaining high throughput, helping to lower the operational costs associated with large-scale deployments.
• Advanced Virtualization Support: The adapter offers enhanced virtualization features, enabling the creation of virtual machines (VMs) that can share the NIC’s ports for optimized data communication and resource allocation.
• Robust Driver Support: The EXPI9404PTG1P20 comes with a comprehensive driver package for compatibility with various operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and VMware ESXi, ensuring seamless integration into any server environment.

Technical Specifications

Networking Standards and Protocols

The EXPI9404PTG1P20 supports a wide range of networking standards, making it versatile for different network configurations. Some of the protocols it supports include:

• Ethernet: IEEE 802.3, 802.3u, 802.3ab, 802.3z, 802.3ae, 802.3ad, 802.3x.
• TCP/IP: Internet Protocol Suite for managing network communication and data transfer.
• Jumbo Frames: Support for larger Ethernet frames that increase network efficiency by reducing CPU overhead.
• IPv4 and IPv6: Dual-stack support for both IPv4 and IPv6 networking protocols, offering flexibility in IP address assignment.

Physical Specifications

Designed for enterprise-class servers, the EXPI9404PTG1P20 fits into a standard PCI Express x4 or x8 slot, offering compatibility with a wide range of server motherboards. Its dimensions and low-profile design ensure it can fit in a variety of server configurations, both rack-mounted and tower setups.

Performance

The EXPI9404PTG1P20 provides a maximum throughput of 1 Gbps per port, making it suitable for high-traffic networks that require stable and consistent speeds. It utilizes advanced Intel technologies such as the Intel Advanced Network Services (ANS), which boosts the efficiency of traffic management, offloading tasks, and load balancing to deliver superior performance under heavy data load conditions.

Installation and Setup

Easy Installation Process

Installing the EXPI9404PTG1P20 in a server environment is a straightforward process. It is a plug-and-play device, meaning that once inserted into an available PCI-E slot, it can be quickly recognized by the server's operating system. The provided drivers are compatible with the majority of modern server platforms, ensuring quick installation and minimal downtime during setup.

Driver and Software Support

Intel provides a comprehensive set of drivers for the EXPI9404PTG1P20. These drivers support multiple operating systems, including:

• Microsoft Windows Server editions (2008, 2012, 2016, 2019, and later versions)
• Linux distributions (RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu, and more)
• VMware ESXi for virtualized environments

Intel's driver support ensures seamless integration into various IT infrastructures and provides users with essential network monitoring tools. Additionally, the NIC supports advanced features such as Remote Management and Quality of Service (QoS) for managing network traffic priorities effectively.

Applications and Use Cases

Data Centers and Server Farms

The EXPI9404PTG1P20 is ideal for deployment in data centers and server farms, where high availability and consistent performance are essential. The quad-port configuration allows for increased redundancy and failover capabilities, ensuring minimal disruption in case of network failures. Moreover, the four ports allow administrators to separate traffic types, enhancing overall network security and performance.

Virtualization Environments

As more organizations move toward virtualization, having the right networking hardware becomes crucial. The EXPI9404PTG1P20 is optimized for virtualized environments, offering support for multiple virtual machines (VMs). The adapter’s advanced features like Intel Virtualization Technology and Virtual Machine Device Queues (VMDq) help in reducing network bottlenecks and improving VM-to-VM communication. This makes it perfect for cloud infrastructure, virtual desktop environments (VDI), and large-scale server virtualization.

High-Volume Data Transfers and Processing

With its support for high-throughput connections and jumbo frames, the EXPI9404PTG1P20 is ideal for applications that require the rapid transfer of large data sets, such as big data processing, video editing, and other media production workflows. The adapter's four Gigabit Ethernet ports ensure that data-intensive tasks can be handled efficiently across multiple network channels.

Advantages of Multiple Network Ports

Network Segmentation

Having multiple network ports on a single NIC allows for better network segmentation. Administrators can allocate each port to different network segments, improving the overall management and performance of the network. For example, one port can be dedicated to storage traffic, another to web traffic, and a third to backup or redundancy, optimizing bandwidth and reducing congestion on any single port.

Redundancy and Failover Support

Redundancy is a critical feature in business-critical networking applications, and the EXPI9404PTG1P20’s quad-port design ensures that there is no single point of failure. If one port goes down, the remaining ports can take over, ensuring continued network availability. Link aggregation and failover protocols like IEEE 802.3ad are supported, enhancing overall network reliability and reducing the risk of downtime.

Load Balancing

The ability to distribute traffic load across multiple ports ensures optimal performance. With support for load balancing, network traffic is automatically distributed among the four ports, reducing the risk of network congestion and maximizing throughput. This is especially beneficial in environments with high traffic demands, such as large enterprises or hosting services.

Security Features

Enhanced Network Security

The EXPI9404PTG1P20 comes equipped with advanced security features designed to safeguard data transmission across the network. These features include:

• IEEE 802.1Q VLAN Tagging: VLAN support allows for the segmentation of network traffic into different virtual networks, improving security and reducing the risk of network breaches.
• MAC Address Filtering: Helps in controlling access to the network by limiting communication to predefined devices based on their MAC addresses.
• Checksum Offloading: Offloading checksum computations to the NIC reduces CPU overhead and improves network security by ensuring data integrity during transmission.

Network Management

Efficient management of network resources is a critical consideration for enterprise networks. The EXPI9404PTG1P20 supports various network management protocols like Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and Remote Monitoring (RMON), allowing IT administrators to monitor network health, troubleshoot issues, and optimize performance remotely.