PWH3C Dell Intel E810 Dual Ports 25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 Adapter

PWH3C Dell Intel E810 Dual Ports 25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 Adapter Overview

The PWH3C Dell Intel E810 Dual Ports 25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 Adapter represents a next-generation advancement in high-performance networking for data center, enterprise, and cloud-scale infrastructures. Designed to maximize throughput and efficiency, this adapter delivers dual-port 25 Gigabit Ethernet speeds using the SFP28 form factor and conforms to the Open Compute Project (OCP) 3.0 specifications for streamlined integration in modern server platforms.

Built on the robust Intel E810 Ethernet controller, the PWH3C network interface card (NIC) offers reliable and consistent performance, improved packet processing, hardware offloading capabilities, and extensive virtualization support. Whether for high-density cloud applications, network function virtualization (NFV), or software-defined networking (SDN), this adapter enables superior connectivity and data handling in demanding IT environments.

Key Features of the Dell Intel E810 PWH3C 25GbE Adapter

• Dual-port 25GbE connectivity via SFP28 interfaces
• Intel E810 Ethernet controller with advanced data plane features
• Compliance with OCP 3.0 Form Factor (PCIe Gen4)
• Support for Virtualization, SR-IOV, VMDq, and DPDK
• Low-latency and high-throughput packet delivery
• RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE v2) and iWARP support
• Enhanced network security with trusted boot and secure firmware updates

Understanding 25GbE SFP28 Technology

25 Gigabit Ethernet (25GbE) offers a significant bandwidth upgrade over traditional 10GbE networking while maintaining backward compatibility. The SFP28 interface used by the PWH3C Dell adapter allows data centers to increase density and performance with minimal increase in cost or power consumption.

SFP28 vs SFP+ for Enterprise Environments

The SFP28 (Small Form-factor Pluggable 28) module delivers 25Gbps data rates per lane, unlike the older SFP+ which is limited to 10Gbps. SFP28 provides three times the bandwidth without significant changes in form factor or cabling requirements. This makes it ideal for high-speed top-of-rack (ToR) switch connections or storage networks.

Deployment Scenarios for 25GbE Networking

Many modern workloads such as machine learning, AI inference, high-frequency trading, and content delivery networks (CDNs) demand ultra-low latency and high bandwidth. 25GbE connections enabled by the PWH3C Dell adapter meet these requirements without the cost overhead of 40GbE or 100GbE solutions. Typical deployment scenarios include:

• High-performance computing (HPC) clusters
• Private and hybrid cloud platforms
• Edge computing nodes and telecom infrastructure
• Hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) deployments

Benefits of Intel E810 Ethernet Controller

The heart of the PWH3C Dell adapter is the Intel E810 controller, which introduces a host of improvements over previous generations. It is designed to handle the most complex data center workloads by offloading networking tasks from the host CPU and improving overall system efficiency.

Packet Processing and Traffic Steering

With features like Flow Director, Dynamic Device Personalization (DDP), and support for programmable pipelines, the E810 ensures optimal traffic steering and flow segmentation. This is especially beneficial in multi-tenant cloud environments or scenarios involving large-scale microservices architectures.

Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK) Support

The E810 series includes full support for Intel’s DPDK, enabling high-speed packet processing in user space for latency-sensitive applications. This allows the PWH3C adapter to be deployed in environments where deterministic low-latency performance is essential, such as VoIP gateways, financial services, or IoT backends.

Virtualization and Cloud Optimization

Through features like Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) and VMDq, the Intel E810 enables efficient network resource allocation among virtual machines. For enterprises using VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, or KVM-based hypervisors, the PWH3C adapter improves VM-to-VM communication and minimizes bottlenecks.

OCP 3.0 Form Factor and Its Role in Modern Data Centers

The Open Compute Project (OCP) 3.0 specification is a leading-edge design principle that promotes modularity, serviceability, and thermal efficiency. The PWH3C adapter leverages the OCP 3.0 form factor to offer hot-swappable, front-accessible networking capabilities that integrate easily with OCP-compliant server trays and nodes.

Thermal and Power Efficiency

Designed for modern data center efficiency, the PWH3C's OCP 3.0 design ensures minimal airflow obstruction and optimal thermal dissipation. Lower power consumption per gigabit transferred reduces operating costs while enabling denser server installations.

Tool-less Hot Swap and Serviceability

One of the key advantages of OCP 3.0 is its modular tool-less design. The PWH3C card can be swapped or upgraded without downtime or removing the server from the rack—minimizing mean time to repair (MTTR) and improving serviceability.

Compatibility and Integration with Dell PowerEdge Servers

The PWH3C adapter is fully validated for Dell PowerEdge servers, including models like the R750, R650, MX750c, and others that support OCP 3.0 slots. Firmware updates, BIOS-level integration, and Dell Lifecycle Controller compatibility ensure seamless deployment and maintenance in Dell environments.

IDRAC and OpenManage Integration

The Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) and OpenManage suite provide robust out-of-band and in-band monitoring and management of the PWH3C NIC. Administrators can monitor thermal metrics, firmware versions, and traffic statistics directly from their server management dashboards.

Firmware and Driver Support

Intel’s E810 chipset has wide driver support across major operating systems including:

• Windows Server 2016/2019/2022
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
• Ubuntu LTS releases
• VMware ESXi 7.x and 8.x
• FreeBSD and other UNIX-like systems

Security and Reliability Enhancements

The Dell Intel E810 adapter offers enterprise-grade network security features to protect data in motion and prevent unauthorized access to the network interface firmware.

Secure Boot and Firmware Signing

With secure boot processes and signed firmware images, the adapter ensures that only authorized firmware can be executed, protecting against malicious firmware attacks and system compromise.

Support for MACSec and Flow Filtering

For added data confidentiality, the PWH3C supports MAC Security (MACSec), allowing encryption at Layer 2 with minimal performance penalty. Advanced flow filtering helps enforce network segmentation and traffic isolation policies.

Use Cases for Dell Intel E810 25GbE OCP Adapters

Whether in enterprise core networks or edge computing sites, the PWH3C NIC serves a variety of use cases:

Data Center Core and Aggregation Layer

Aggregating traffic from ToR switches and enabling fast inter-server communication makes the PWH3C an ideal fit for core data center operations. The dual 25GbE ports can be aggregated using LACP or operate independently for redundancy.

NFV and SDN Implementations

For service providers deploying NFV architectures, the ability to offload packet processing to hardware while managing virtualized network functions is crucial. The PWH3C offers support for DPDK, VXLAN offloading, and tunnel encapsulations, aligning with SDN strategies.

High-Speed Storage Networks

With support for RDMA (RoCE v2 and iWARP), the PWH3C adapter is ideal for latency-sensitive storage networks including NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF). It ensures efficient block-level data transfer with minimal CPU overhead.

Performance Benchmarks and Throughput Capabilities

Real-world testing of the PWH3C Dell Intel E810 adapter shows line-rate throughput across both 25GbE ports simultaneously. In multi-VM and containerized environments, this results in significant reduction in packet loss and increased throughput per watt.

Latency Optimization Metrics

With cut-through switching, support for priority-based flow control, and adaptive interrupt moderation, the adapter minimizes latency spikes during peak load periods. Round-trip latency is consistently under 2 microseconds in tuned configurations.

Ordering, Part Numbers, and Related Components

The PWH3C Dell part number specifically refers to the OCP 3.0 form factor Intel E810 dual-port SFP28 25GbE adapter. It may also be cross-referenced with Intel product SKUs or listed under Dell’s enterprise networking accessory catalog.

Recommended Transceivers and DACs

To achieve optimal performance, Dell recommends using qualified SFP28 optical transceivers or direct attach cables (DACs). Supported models include:

• 25GbE SFP28 SR Transceivers (up to 100m over MMF)
• 25GbE SFP28 LR Transceivers (up to 10km over SMF)
• SFP28 Passive DACs (0.5m, 1m, 3m)