P27682-001 HPE 10/25GB 2Ports SFP28 Network Adapter.

HPE Pensando Distributed Services Card Technical Details

Key Technical Specifications

Key Features of the DSC-25 Adapter

• High-performance dual-port SFP28 network interface
• Enterprise-grade 10/25GbE connectivity solution
• Pensando-accelerated distributed services architecture
• Optimized for modern data center requirements

Performance Advantages

• Enhanced throughput for demanding workloads
• Reduced latency through hardware acceleration
• Improved resource utilization with smart offloading

Compatibility Information

• Designed for HPE ProLiant and Apollo systems
• Works with industry-standard SFP28 transceivers
• Supported by modern server operating systems

Technical Architecture

Pensando Distributed Services Platform

• Innovative processing architecture for network functions
• Hardware-accelerated service delivery
• Software-defined infrastructure capabilities

Deployment Scenarios

• Cloud-native application environments
• Virtualized infrastructure implementations
• High-performance computing clusters

P27682-001 HPE Pensando Distributed Services Platform DSC-25 Network Adapter Overview

The P27682-001 HPE Pensando Distributed Services Platform DSC-25 10/25GB 2Ports SFP28 Card Network Adapter represents the next generation of intelligent network infrastructure, designed to deliver high-performance, secure, and scalable connectivity. Engineered for enterprise and data center environments, this adapter harnesses the power of distributed services and offloads key networking functions directly to the card, enabling optimized compute resource utilization while enhancing security and performance.

Advanced Distributed Services Platform Integration

The HPE Pensando DSC-25 card is part of the Distributed Services Platform (DSP), which integrates advanced services directly into the network adapter. This enables rapid packet processing, minimizes latency, and significantly reduces the workload on host CPUs. With programmable features and real-time telemetry, this network adapter transforms how enterprises implement infrastructure security and operational monitoring.

Built-in Firewall Capabilities

The adapter incorporates a hardware-based firewall engine, offering policy enforcement and stateful inspection at wire speed. This reduces reliance on host-based firewalls and ensures security policies are implemented closer to the data source, minimizing attack surfaces and enhancing compliance with enterprise security frameworks.

Inline Telemetry and Monitoring

With built-in telemetry capabilities, the card supports continuous monitoring of network traffic, latency, jitter, and throughput. This inline approach to telemetry offers unmatched visibility without incurring CPU overhead or introducing delays. Network administrators benefit from real-time insights into operational performance, security anomalies, and traffic trends.

Benefits of Real-Time Network Analytics

• Instant anomaly detection
• Granular application and user behavior tracking
• Improved capacity planning
• Enhanced security forensics and auditing

Security and Encryption Features

Security is at the core of the P27682-001 HPE Pensando DSC-25 card. It provides hardware-accelerated encryption and decryption using industry-standard protocols such as IPsec and TLS. These capabilities ensure that data in transit remains protected, complying with regulatory standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS.

Zero Trust Architecture Enablement

The adapter supports Zero Trust security models by enforcing identity-based policies across all workloads and traffic types. Every packet is inspected and verified, enabling least-privilege access policies and microsegmentation at the network interface level.

DDoS Mitigation and Attack Prevention

By offloading DDoS protection to the NIC itself, the DSC-25 card enables continuous threat detection and mitigation without affecting application performance. The card can analyze and filter malicious traffic patterns, such as SYN floods and volumetric attacks, before they reach the CPU or network stack.

Layered Threat Protection Mechanisms

• Rate limiting and connection tracking
• Behavioral-based anomaly detection
• Signature-based packet inspection
• Custom rule sets and policy tuning

Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN)

VXLAN support allows the card to encapsulate Layer 2 frames within Layer 3 packets, facilitating secure, high-speed traffic routing across large-scale cloud architectures. The hardware-based VXLAN processing reduces latency and optimizes CPU utilization compared to software-based methods.

Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) Ready

The HPE DSC-25 card supports NFV by offloading common network functions such as firewalls, routers, and load balancers from virtual machines to the hardware level. This boosts throughput while minimizing VM overhead.

Performance and Scalability

Equipped with dual SFP28 ports, each capable of supporting speeds of 10Gbps or 25Gbps, the adapter offers scalable performance to meet growing network demands. It’s suitable for applications ranging from high-performance computing to enterprise virtualization and real-time analytics.

High Bandwidth and Low Latency

The use of SFP28 connectors ensures compatibility with a variety of 10G and 25G optics and DAC cables. Combined with direct hardware packet processing, the adapter achieves minimal latency and jitter, critical for applications such as financial trading, AI, and real-time video processing.

PCIe Interface and Throughput Optimization

The adapter uses a high-speed PCI Express interface to ensure seamless integration into modern server architectures. The architecture is optimized to reduce bottlenecks and improve throughput consistency under load.

Compatibility and Deployment

Designed for seamless deployment across HPE server platforms, the P27682-001 card is compatible with various models within the HPE ProLiant and Apollo series. Its standard and low-profile bracket options enable flexible installation in rackmount or blade server environments.

Certified Interoperability with HPE Systems

This card has undergone rigorous testing and validation to ensure complete interoperability with HPE infrastructure. It integrates tightly with HPE Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) for diagnostics and HPE InfoSight for predictive analytics.

Ease of Deployment Features

• Auto-discovery and provisioning via HPE management tools
• Driver support for major operating systems
• Hot-plug compatibility
• LED indicators for quick diagnostics

Management and Monitoring Capabilities

The P27682-001 adapter includes advanced management tools that offer visibility into network operations. IT teams can configure, monitor, and update firmware via RESTful APIs, SNMP, or integration with orchestration tools.

Remote Configuration and Policy Enforcement

With programmable service chains, administrators can define granular policies that dictate how traffic flows are handled, routed, and secured. This flexibility helps ensure that the infrastructure adapts quickly to changing application demands or threat landscapes.

Integration with HPE InfoSight and iLO

Integration with HPE InfoSight provides AI-driven recommendations, predictive analytics, and actionable insights to enhance the performance and reliability of your network infrastructure. Through iLO integration, hardware health and diagnostics can be monitored in real time.

Use Cases and Application Scenarios

The HPE Pensando DSC-25 network adapter serves a wide array of use cases across enterprise, cloud, and service provider networks. It is engineered for performance-critical environments where security, scalability, and low latency are paramount.

Data Center Virtualization

The adapter supports large-scale virtual environments by offloading networking functions and simplifying the infrastructure stack. It is ideal for environments running VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, and KVM-based hypervisors.

Edge Computing and AI Workloads

In edge deployments, where compute resources are limited, the DSC-25 card offloads tasks from CPUs to deliver improved performance for AI inference, real-time data processing, and secure edge analytics.

Financial Services and High-Frequency Trading

Ultra-low latency, deterministic performance, and built-in security make the adapter an excellent choice for high-frequency trading and financial analytics platforms that demand consistent, high-throughput networking. The P27682-001 adapter is backed by HPE’s renowned support infrastructure. Designed for 24/7 enterprise operations, it includes comprehensive diagnostic features, firmware validation, and lifecycle management support.

Firmware and Driver Updates

HPE provides regular firmware updates and certified drivers to ensure the card remains compatible with evolving workloads and platforms. Updates can be automated through HPE management tools to reduce administrative overhead.

Environmental and Power Efficiency

The card has been engineered to operate efficiently with minimal power consumption, making it suitable for high-density data centers where energy costs and cooling are significant concerns.

Thermal Management and Efficiency

Integrated heat sinks and low-power silicon ensure that the adapter can perform optimally in challenging thermal conditions. This reduces dependency on external cooling mechanisms and supports eco-friendly infrastructure goals.

Energy Star and Green IT Compliance

The P27682-001 adapter meets green IT compliance standards, including RoHS and Energy Star certifications, helping enterprises meet sustainability objectives without compromising performance.