BCM95720A2003AC Broadcom Dual Ports NetXtreme BCM5720-2P PCI-E 2.0 Ethernet Network Adapter.

Broadcom BCM5720 Dual-Port PCIe Network Adapter

This dual-port Gigabit Ethernet adapter from Broadcom is engineered to deliver exceptional network performance and enhanced efficiency for modern server infrastructures. It is designed to seamlessly integrate into systems requiring reliable, high-throughput connectivity.

Advanced Performance and Capabilities

The Broadcom BCM5720-2P adapter is built to handle demanding data workloads. It incorporates sophisticated offload technologies that significantly reduce the processing burden on the host CPU, thereby improving overall system responsiveness and throughput.

Key Performance Technologies

• Checksum Offloading: Manages TCP, UDP, and IP checksum calculations directly on the adapter.
• TCP Segmentation Offload (TSO): Also known as Large Send Offload (LSO), this feature enhances outbound traffic efficiency.
• Receive-Side Scaling (RSS): Efficiently distributes network processing across multiple CPU cores.

Key Features and What Makes the BCM5720-2P Stand Out

The BCM5720-2P is prized for a set of features aimed at enterprise and advanced SMB networking:

• Dual Gigabit Ethernet ports: Two independent RJ-45 interfaces for link aggregation, redundancy, or segregated networks.
• PCI Express 2.0 x4 interface: Sufficient bandwidth for dual gigabit throughput while maintaining compatibility with many server and workstation motherboards.
• Hardware offload capabilities: TCP/IP checksum offload, large send/receive offload (LSO/LRO), VLAN tagging offload, and RSS (Receive Side Scaling) support to reduce CPU utilization for heavy network workloads.
• Low power design: Broadcom’s power-management features reduce energy draw during idle or low-activity states—important for rack-scale deployments and green data centers.
• Robust driver support: Mature Broadcom/Broadcom-supplied drivers for Windows Server, multiple Linux kernels and distributions, VMware, and BSD variants make integration straightforward in heterogeneous environments.
• Enterprise-class reliability: Thermal and signal design optimized for continuous operation in server chassis; Broadcom’s reputation for firmware stability helps with predictable behavior under load.

Technical Specifications and Features

This network interface card is compliant with a comprehensive set of industry standards, ensuring broad compatibility and interoperability within diverse IT environments.

Connectivity and Form Factor

• Interface: PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot, maintaining backward compatibility with PCIe 1.x.
• Port Configuration: Two independent RJ-45 ports supporting 10/100/1000 Mb/s speeds.
• Cable Support: Operates over standard Category 5 twisted-pair cabling.
• Design: Low-profile bracket included, making it suitable for both compact and standard chassis.

Advanced Feature Set

• Virtualization Support: Includes VMware NetQueue and Microsoft VMQ for enhanced performance in virtualized settings.
• Interrupt Handling: Supports MSI and MSI-X with up to 17 vectors for reduced latency.
• Energy Efficiency: Compliant with IEEE 802.3az (Energy Efficient Ethernet) to reduce power consumption.
• Traffic Management: Features IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tagging and jumbo frames support up to 9KB.

Reliability and Management

• Function Level Reset (FLR) for robust error recovery.
• ECC (Error Correction Code) on internal SRAM for improved data integrity.
• Comprehensive statistics for SNMP MIB II monitoring.
• ACPI 1.1a power management and Wake-on-LAN (WoL) support.

Primary Deployment Applications

The Broadcom BCM95720A2003AC is ideally suited for deployment in x86 and x64-based server platforms that utilize the PCI Express interface. Its feature set makes it a robust solution for enterprises seeking to optimize network performance and reliability.

Technical Specifications (Typical for BCM95720A2003AC / BCM5720-2P)

The following specifications represent the common technical profile for this adapter family. Specific SKUs or third-party-branded cards that use the BCM5720 silicon may vary slightly in dimensions, heatsink style, or included accessories.

• Chipset: Broadcom NetXtreme BCM5720
• Model / SKU: BCM95720A2003AC (example server card part number)
• Network ports: 2 × RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000 Mbps)
• Bus: PCI Express 2.0 x4 (backwards compatible with x8/x16 slots)
• Supported features: VLAN, Jumbo Frames, Wake-on-LAN (WoL), Link Aggregation (LACP), SR-IOV variants on certain firmware builds, RSS, and advanced checksum offloads
• LED indicators: Link/activity lights per port
• Form factor: Low-profile and full-height brackets often available
• Power consumption: Low to moderate under load; includes advanced power-saving modes

Performance Characteristics and Real-World Throughput

In real deployments, the BCM5720-2P delivers line-rate Gigabit performance on each port when installed in an appropriate PCIe slot (preferably x4 or higher) and paired with modern server CPUs. The hardware offloads—particularly TCP segmentation offload (TSO), Large Receive Offload (LRO), and checksum offload—are significant for freeing CPU cycles. For multithreaded server applications, Receive Side Scaling (RSS) spreads interrupt handling across multiple CPU cores, improving throughput and lowering latency. When aggregated with LACP (802.3ad) and using optimized drivers, the two physical ports can form a logical bonded interface for either increased bandwidth or high availability.

Typical throughput considerations:

• Single-port saturations: With optimized drivers and server hardware, each port can sustain near 940–950 Mbps of TCP payload throughput under typical conditions.
• Dual-port scenarios: Aggregation with LACP can approach 1.8–1.9 Gbps aggregated throughput, subject to switch capability and traffic distribution.
• Latency: Hardware offloads generally reduce latency for bulk transfers but can increase latency for certain small-packet patterns unless features like LRO are tuned.

Application Suitability and Use Cases

The BCM5720-2P is well-suited for a broad range of use cases:

Virtualization Hosts

On hypervisor hosts (VMware ESXi, KVM, Hyper-V), the dual ports can be mapped to separate virtual switches or aggregated for vMotion, storage traffic (NFS/iSCSI—though iSCSI best practices often call for dedicated HBAs or 10GbE), or tenant networks in multi-tenant setups. Broadcom’s driver stack and single-root I/O virtualization (SR-IOV) capabilities on select firmware allow direct device assignment in advanced hypervisor configurations (verify SR-IOV support per driver/firmware version).

Storage and Backup Streams

For backup windows and SAN access patterns where multiple gigabit streams are common, the BCM5720-2P helps reduce bottlenecks when aggregated. However, for high-performance block storage, consider 10GbE or dedicated storage adapters—dual-gigabit remains cost-efficient and supported in many existing environments.

Compatibility and Driver Ecosystem

One of the BCM5720-2P’s strongest selling points is the extensive driver and firmware support across platforms. Broadcom provides drivers and firmware updates for many operating systems, but it’s critical to ensure matching driver versions and firmware levels for optimal stability.

Operating Systems and Hypervisors

• Windows: Server 2012, 2016, 2019, 2022, and common workstation editions when Broadcom drivers are applied. Use Broadcom-provided installers or vendor-validated OEM drivers for server platforms.
• Linux: Many kernel versions include Broadcom NIC drivers; distributions like RHEL, CentOS, Debian, Ubuntu, and SUSE often provide vendor-tested packages. Installing the distro-specific broadcom/bnxt driver (or bcm5700 family modules) ensures kernel compatibility.
• VMware ESXi: Broadcom NIC drivers and VIB bundles are typically available; verify VMware Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) and driver version before production deployment.
• BSD and other Unix variants: Driver support exists but may require community or vendor packages.

Firmware and Driver Update Best Practices

Updating NIC firmware and drivers is critical for security, performance, and interoperability. Recommended practices:

• Match driver and firmware releases: Broadcom often releases coordinated updates—apply vendor notes to avoid regressions.
• Test in staging: Before rolling out to production hosts, test performance-sensitive workloads with updates to validate behavior.
• Vendor OEM versions: If the adapter is bundled with a server (OEM-branded Broadcom card with an HPE, Dell, Lenovo part number), consider the OEM driver/firmware packages because they may include vendor-specific fixes and validation.
• Rollback plan: Keep previous driver packages available to quickly revert if a driver introduces issues.

Installation and Physical Compatibility

Installing the Broadcom BCM95720A2003AC (BCM5720-2P) is straightforward but requires attention to physical and platform compatibility to achieve optimal performance.

Slot Requirements and Bandwidth Considerations

The adapter uses a PCIe 2.0 x4 endpoint; installing it in at least an x4 slot is recommended for full performance. While it will operate in x1 and x8/x16 slots, performance constraints exist if placed in a shared or constrained PCIe lane environment (for example, on some server motherboards where CPU lanes are multiplexed among storage and network controllers). For dual-port line-rate traffic, an x4 or wider slot connected to a direct CPU/PCIe root complex path is ideal.

Bracket and Form Factor

Many cards in this family ship with both full-height and low-profile brackets or are available in multiple SKU variations. Verify your chassis’ slot cutouts before ordering. For dense blade or half-height servers, confirm that the specific part number or vendor SKU supports the chassis form factor.

Cable, Switch, and Port Planning

Standard Cat5e / Cat6 cables are commonly used; for reliable Gigabit operation, Cat5e is the minimum recommended cable type—Cat6 or Cat6a for future-proofing or environments with electrical noise concerns. When connecting to managed switches, configure link speed (auto-negotiation typically works well), duplex, and flow control settings according to network policy. For link aggregation, ensure the switch supports LACP (802.3ad) and that both switch and server are configured consistently.

Wake-on-LAN and Power Management

Wake-on-LAN (WoL) lets administrators remotely power on or wake devices using a magic packet—useful for patch windows and scheduled tasks. Power management features reduce energy use when traffic is low; however, administrators should test WoL behavior after enabling aggressive power-saving settings, since vendor power profiles can change NIC responsiveness.

VLAN Tagging and Network Segmentation

Hardware VLAN tagging offload supports 802.1Q VLANs, enabling segregation of traffic without CPU overhead. This is useful in multi-tenant setups, virtualization networks, and where security zoning is enforced at the host NIC level.

Quality of Service (QoS) and Traffic Prioritization

While QoS is typically enforced at switches and routers, the adapter’s support for priority-tagged frames and TOS/DSCP handling complements end-to-end QoS strategies. Offload features ensure prioritized traffic does not suffer from CPU bottlenecks.

Link Drops or Flapping

Symptoms: Link up/down events, network interruptions.

• Causes: Faulty cables, autonegotiation issues with switch ports, power management settings, or driver/firmware bugs.
• Solutions: Replace cables, lock the NIC and switch to 1000 Mbps full duplex if auto-negotiation falters, update drivers/firmware, and verify that the server’s power policy does not aggressively sleep NIC hardware.

High CPU Utilization During Network Transfers

Symptoms: Server CPU climbs while pushing large volumes of traffic.

• Causes: Offloads disabled (by OS or driver), misconfiguration of RSS, or older drivers without performance fixes.
• Solutions: Enable TSO/LRO/Checksum offloads in OS network settings, ensure RSS is configured to spread interrupts across cores, and install the latest stable driver matching your OS kernel or hypervisor version.

Driver or Firmware Mismatch

Symptoms: Unexpected reboots, network interface not showing, or performance regressions after update.

• Causes: Installing generic drivers that don’t match vendor firmware, or applying an incompatible vendor driver on OEM-branded NICs.
• Solutions: Reinstall OEM-recommended drivers, verify firmware revision and consult release notes; if necessary, roll back drivers to the previously known-good version and open a ticket with Broadcom or the server OEM.

Comparisons: Dual Gigabit vs. Single Gigabit and 10GbE Alternatives

Choosing the BCM5720-2P often comes down to cost, existing infrastructure, and required throughput. Here’s how it compares to common options:

Dual Gigabit vs. Single Gigabit

Dual-port NICs like this one offer redundancy and aggregation options not possible with single-port cards. For small servers, dual ports allow separating management traffic from data traffic or providing failover without additional hardware. The marginal cost for adding a second port is usually lower than deploying a second NIC later, making dual-port NICs a pragmatic choice.

Dual Gigabit vs. 10GbE

10GbE provides obvious performance advantages for high-throughput environments (hyperscale, AI workloads, large databases, or storage fabrics). However, dual-gigabit NICs are extremely cost-efficient for many workloads—edge servers, general-purpose VMs, and distributed applications with parallel network flows. When budget and switch infrastructure are constrained, dual gigabit ports remain a sensible choice; for storage-heavy or latency-sensitive systems, plan for 10GbE or higher.

Procurement, Lifecycle, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

When purchasing the BCM95720A2003AC or equivalent, procurement teams should consider more than part price—TCO includes compatibility, warranty, vendor support, power consumption, and maintenance lifecycle. Bulk purchases for data centers often leverage OEM-validated parts to simplify support. Refurbished or third-party cards can reduce CAPEX but may introduce warranty gaps or driver/firmware mismatches.

Monitoring Metrics to Track

• Interface throughput (Tx/Rx bits per second)
• Packet error counts and CRC errors
• Link state changes and flaps
• Interrupt rates and CPU usage correlated with NIC activity
• Driver/firmware version drift across fleet

Packaging, Accessories, and SKU Variations

Retail and OEM SKUs for the BCM5720-2P may include different accessories: some packages include both low-profile and full-height brackets, quick-start guides, and driver CDs (less common today). OEM SKUs usually ship in bulk packaging and rely on server vendor support portals for downloads. When ordering, note the bracket type and whether the SKU is OEM-branded to ensure proper physical fit and supportability.