R7N78A HPE SN1700E 64GB Gen4 2 Ports Fibre Channel HBA.

HPE R7N78A SN1700E 64GB Gen4 — Dual-Port Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter

Optimize your enterprise storage connectivity with the HPE R7N78A SN1700E 64GB Gen4 2-Ports Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter. Designed for high-throughput, low-latency data centers, this dual-port HBA delivers modern Gen4 PCIe performance and broad compatibility across HPE platforms and popular operating systems.

Key Attributes & Product Identity

• Manufacturer: HPE
• Part Number / SKU: R7N78A
• Product Category: Fibre Channel Adapter
• Subtype: Host Bus Adapter (HBA)

Technical Specifications

• Form factor: 2U-compatible add-in card
• Data transfer rate: 64 GB Fibre Channel (per port)
• Number of ports: Dual
• Bus interface: PCI-E Gen4
• Connector type: SFP+
• Supported fibre: OM3 and OM4 multimode cables
• Maximum power draw: 11 W (with SFP installed)
• Weight: 4.404 ounces / 0.125 kg
• Dimensions (H x W x D): 6.6 × 0.49 × 2.73 in / 167.64 × 12.44 × 69.34 mm

Platform & Storage Array Compatibility

This HBA is engineered to interoperate with a wide range of HPE systems and storage solutions, making it a flexible choice for enterprise environments.

• Server platforms supported: HPE Apollo, HPE ProLiant (rack, tower, blade, Synergy). Refer to server QuickSpecs for exact model compatibility.
• Compatible storage arrays: HPE MSA family, HPE XP series, HPE Alletra portfolio.

Operating System Interoperability

Native and validated drivers ensure reliable operation with common enterprise operating systems:

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
• VMware vSphere / ESXi
• Microsoft Windows Server

HPE R7N78A SN1700E 64GB Gen4 2-Ports Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter — Category Overview

The HPE R7N78A SN1700E 64GB Gen4 2-Ports Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter category represents high-performance, enterprise-grade storage connectivity solutions designed for modern data centers, virtualization environments, and mission-critical applications. This collection centers on low-latency, high-throughput Fibre Channel (FC) adapters built to integrate seamlessly into HPE servers and converged infrastructure, delivering predictable performance for SAN storage, backup, and data replication workflows. The SN1700E series is engineered around PCIe Gen4 architectures and provides dual 64Gb/s FC ports to maximize bandwidth while maintaining enterprise levels of reliability and compatibility with prevailing storage protocols.

Key Functionality and Use Cases

Adapters in this category are purpose-built for connecting host servers to Fibre Channel storage area networks. Typical deployments include high-density virtualization clusters using VMware vSphere or Microsoft Hyper-V, database servers requiring sustained I/O throughput, high-performance computing nodes that need deterministic latency, and enterprise backup or replication targets that demand consistent data transfer rates. The SN1700E 64GB Gen4 2-Ports HBA delivers the port density and fabric compatibility expected in modern SAN fabrics and fits naturally into mixed-vendor storage topologies where reliability and standards compliance are paramount.

Performance Characteristics

Performance in this category is characterized by multi-Gb/s port speeds (64Gb/s per port), hardware offloads, and optimizations designed to reduce CPU overhead. The Gen4 PCIe interface increases available host bandwidth compared with prior generations, enabling the HBA to move large volumes of data without saturating the server bus. Offloading tasks such as protocol handling, CRC checks, and frame processing reduces host CPU cycles consumed by I/O, which translates into better application performance and higher consolidation ratios in virtualized environments. Consistent throughput, low latency and predictable jitter are essential attributes when choosing an HBA for SAN-attached applications, and this category emphasizes those qualities.

Compatibility and Standards

Products like the HPE R7N78A are designed to comply with industry Fibre Channel standards, ensuring interoperability with major SAN switch vendors and storage arrays. Compliance with standards such as FC-SATA, FC-AL, and Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP) allows administrators to integrate adapters into existing fabrics without costly rearchitectures. Driver and firmware support across enterprise operating systems—enterprise Linux distributions, Windows Server editions, VMware ESXi, and select UNIX systems—further increases the practical utility of these HBAs. Forward and backward compatibility with switch firmware revisions and zoning standards is a critical consideration when evaluating adapters in this category.

Form Factor and Connectivity

The SN1700E model typically comes in a low-profile PCIe form factor suitable for rack and tower servers that accept standard add-in cards. The presence of two Fibre Channel ports allows multipath I/O configurations and redundant fabric attachments, which are essential for high availability. The physical ports on such adapters accept standard SFP28 or QSFP transceivers (depending on the vendor implementation), enabling a flexible choice of fiber optic cabling and transceiver modules to match distance and budget requirements. Administrators should consider port mapping, lane allocation, and server slot placement to maintain airflow and meet physical space constraints within server chassis.

Enterprise Features and Advanced Capabilities

Enterprise HBAs in this category incorporate advanced features to support data center resilience and manageability. Persistent binding of WWNs (World Wide Names), support for NPIV (N_Port ID Virtualization), and jumbo frame handling improve flexibility for multi-tenant environments and increase efficiency for large block transfers. Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities at the adapter level help prioritize storage traffic under contention, and diagnostic tools built into firmware provide visibility into link health and error statistics. Many models offer offload engines for performance-sensitive workloads and support for RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) or other remote direct memory technologies when bridging capabilities are present in the infrastructure.

Software Ecosystem and Driver Support

The software stack that accompanies adapters in this category typically includes vendor-certified drivers for popular server operating systems and utilities for monitoring, firmware updates, and configuration. Integration with server management frameworks—such as HPE OneView or similar—permits centralized view and management of adapter inventories, alerts, and firmware status. Vendor-provided diagnostic suites help quickly determine link faults, speed mismatches, or incorrect transceiver usage, and integration with storage management tools assists in automating zoning and provisioning in storage fabrics that support automation APIs.

Virtualization and Cloud Integration

In virtualized environments, enterprise Fibre Channel HBAs enable VM-level I/O performance via NPIV support and direct assignment strategies. The SN1700E 64GB Gen4 2-Ports HBA category is well suited for environments that require direct attachment of virtual machines to SAN LUNs or for virtualized database clusters where storage performance directly impacts application latency. When combined with software-defined storage solutions or cloud-connected storage gateways, these adapters provide the physical underlay necessary for predictable persistent storage performance across hybrid cloud architectures.

High Availability and Redundancy

High availability is a core design goal for SAN infrastructure, and dual-port HBAs play a central role in achieving redundant paths between hosts and storage arrays. Multipathing software allows simultaneous use of multiple storage paths, automatic failover, and path load balancing to reduce the risk of application disruption due to a single component failure. The category emphasizes design practices such as dual fabric connectivity, separate physical cabling for primary and secondary fabrics, and coordination with storage array replication topologies to ensure continuous availability during maintenance or unexpected outages.

Scalability and Future-Proofing

Choosing a Gen4 PCIe, 64Gb/s per port HBA is a forward-looking decision for organizations preparing for sustained growth in data volumes and transaction rates. The additional headroom provided by Gen4 lanes and 64Gb/s Fibre Channel links reduces the need for immediate upgrades as storage arrays and workloads scale. Scalability considerations include the number of HBAs supported per server, fabric port capacity on SAN switches, and available optics for longer distances. Planning should account for how many hosts will require backup or replication throughput simultaneously and whether current SAN fabrics can support concurrent high-bandwidth transfers without congestion.

Deployment Best Practices

Effective deployment of adapters in this category begins with compatibility checks against server hardware, chassis slot mapping, and power/thermal budgets. Administrators should verify firmware and driver matrix compatibility with their server models and operating system versions. For each adapter, validated transceivers and cabling should be used to avoid speed negotiation issues. Zoning should be planned to minimize the blast radius of misconfigurations while providing necessary host access to storage LUNs. Regular testing of redundancy and failover procedures, including simulated path failures and storage array maintenance operations, should be part of an ongoing operational readiness program.