AOC-M25G-M4SM Supermicro 4-Ports 25Gb SIOM Ethernet Controller Card

Supermicro AOC-M25G-M4SM Quad-Port 25GbE SFP28 Network Interface Card

The Supermicro AOC-M25G-M4SM is an advanced quad-port network adapter delivering exceptional 25 Gigabit Ethernet performance. Engineered with Mellanox ConnectX-4 controller technology, this high-efficiency NIC ensures seamless data transfer and superior bandwidth management for enterprise and datacenter infrastructures.

Detailed Specifications

General Information

• Brand: Supermicro
• Part Number: AOC-M25G-M4SM
• Product Category: Network Interface Card (NIC)
• Interface: PCIe 3.0 x8
• Port Configuration: 4 x 25 Gigabit Ethernet SFP28
• Chipset: Mellanox ConnectX-4

Product Highlights

• Equipped with four high-speed 25GbE SFP28 ports for versatile, high-bandwidth connectivity
• Powered by the reliable Mellanox ConnectX-4 chipset for consistent network performance
• Optimized for demanding virtualized environments, cloud services, and hyperscale datacenters
• Low-latency data transmission ideal for high-performance computing (HPC) clusters and storage applications
• PCI Express 3.0 x8 interface for robust, stable system integration

Advanced Mellanox ConnectX-4 Capabilities

At the heart of this adapter lies the Mellanox ConnectX-4 controller, a proven solution for accelerating server connectivity and maximizing network throughput. With support for RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE), VXLAN, and NVGRE offloads, it effectively reduces CPU overhead and boosts overall system efficiency.

Key Features Include:

• Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) support for minimized latency and enhanced application responsiveness
• Comprehensive hardware offloads including TCP/IP, UDP, and stateless offloads
• Enhanced virtualization support with SR-IOV and network partitioning

Superior Data Center Performance

The Supermicro AOC-M25G-M4SM is engineered for scalability and resilience, making it an ideal solution for next-generation data center networks and enterprise storage arrays. Its quad-port design ensures ample flexibility for multi-link configurations, link aggregation, and network redundancy.

Benefits for Enterprise Applications:

• High-density 25GbE connections reduce cabling complexity while boosting aggregate network speed
• Improved workload distribution and traffic isolation with multiple independent network paths
• Optimized for hyper-converged and virtualized computing infrastructures

Flexible Compatibility and Deployment

Supporting an extensive range of operating systems and virtualization platforms, the AOC-M25G-M4SM ensures smooth integration within existing IT ecosystems. It is fully compatible with Linux, VMware ESXi, and Windows Server environments, making it a go-to option for enterprises upgrading to 25GbE infrastructure.

Ideal Use Cases

• High-performance cloud computing environments
• Enterprise storage systems requiring ultra-fast data access
• Virtualized data centers with intensive east-west traffic
• HPC clusters with latency-sensitive workloads

Supermicro AOC-M25G-M4SM 4-Port SIOM 25Gb Ethernet Controller Card Overview

The Supermicro AOC-M25G-M4SM is a high-performance 4-port SIOM (Supermicro I/O Module) 25 Gigabit Ethernet controller card, designed to deliver exceptional network throughput, low latency, and advanced networking capabilities for modern enterprise data centers, high-performance computing (HPC) clusters, and cloud infrastructure environments. Featuring the powerful Mellanox ConnectX-4 Lx EN controller, this network adapter provides an efficient, scalable, and reliable networking solution that enhances overall server and network performance.

Key Features of the Supermicro AOC-M25G-M4SM Ethernet Controller

• 4 x 25GbE SFP28 ports for ultra-fast data transmission.
• Utilizes Mellanox ConnectX-4 Lx EN network controller for advanced performance.
• Supports Supermicro SIOM form factor, optimizing server deployment flexibility.
• PCIe 3.0 x8 host interface ensures high-speed data communication.
• Comprehensive protocol support including RoCE, VXLAN, NVGRE, and more.
• Robust security features and offload capabilities for improved network efficiency.

Benefits of 25Gb Ethernet Network Solutions

The transition to 25 Gigabit Ethernet (25GbE) provides significant advantages over legacy 10GbE solutions in terms of bandwidth, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness per gigabit. As data centers evolve to support higher-density workloads and latency-sensitive applications, upgrading to 25GbE infrastructure is an effective way to future-proof enterprise networks without extensive overhauls.

Enhanced Bandwidth and Performance

With four 25GbE ports, the AOC-M25G-M4SM significantly boosts data throughput, allowing for faster file transfers, lower latency, and improved application performance. It meets the increasing demands of data-intensive applications such as virtualization, big data analytics, distributed storage, and AI/ML workloads.

Optimized Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

25GbE offers a better cost-per-gigabit ratio compared to 10GbE, reducing network infrastructure costs while delivering enhanced network performance. The Supermicro AOC-M25G-M4SM leverages this advantage, helping organizations achieve operational savings without compromising on speed or reliability.

Mellanox ConnectX-4 Lx EN Controller Capabilities

The Mellanox ConnectX-4 Lx EN network controller is at the heart of the Supermicro AOC-M25G-M4SM, providing a highly efficient, low-latency, and feature-rich Ethernet connectivity solution. Known for its superior performance in enterprise and cloud data center environments, ConnectX-4 Lx EN offers a comprehensive set of features tailored for scalable network architectures.

Advanced Offload Technologies

The controller supports a variety of network offload features such as TCP/UDP/IP checksum offload, Large Send Offload (LSO), and Receive Side Scaling (RSS). These capabilities offload processing from the server CPU, freeing up system resources for application workloads and reducing overall system latency.

Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) Support

With RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE), the AOC-M25G-M4SM minimizes latency by enabling direct memory access between servers without involving the CPU. This is especially beneficial in latency-sensitive applications like real-time data analytics, financial trading platforms, and cloud services.

NVGRE and VXLAN Offloads

The card also provides advanced virtualization offload features including Network Virtualization using Generic Routing Encapsulation (NVGRE) and Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN), enabling the deployment of large-scale virtualized networks while maintaining optimal network performance.

Supermicro SIOM Form Factor Advantages

The Supermicro SIOM (Supermicro I/O Module) form factor allows server platforms to maintain flexibility in network interface card (NIC) deployment. This modular design enables enterprises to select and scale their networking options without replacing entire server motherboards or chassis, reducing both capital and operational expenses.

Scalable Deployment Options

SIOM slots support various Ethernet configurations including 1GbE, 10GbE, 25GbE, and 100GbE, offering an easy upgrade path as bandwidth requirements increase. The AOC-M25G-M4SM takes full advantage of this modular infrastructure, offering high-speed networking in compact server environments.

Hot-Swappable Design

The hot-swappable capability of SIOM modules minimizes downtime and simplifies hardware upgrades or maintenance. This ensures maximum availability for mission-critical applications and enterprise services.

Use Cases for the Supermicro AOC-M25G-M4SM Network Adapter

This high-performance 4-port 25GbE SIOM Ethernet controller card is ideal for a variety of data center and enterprise applications that demand superior network throughput and low latency.

High-Performance Computing (HPC)

Scientific research, computational fluid dynamics, and large-scale simulations benefit from the AOC-M25G-M4SM’s high-bandwidth, low-latency networking capabilities. RDMA support further enhances data exchange efficiency between compute nodes.

Cloud Data Centers

As cloud providers scale infrastructure to accommodate more users and services, the demand for faster, more efficient networking grows. The AOC-M25G-M4SM facilitates scalable cloud environments by supporting multi-tenant architectures and network virtualization technologies like VXLAN and NVGRE.

Enterprise Storage Networks

In modern storage networks, high-speed connectivity is crucial for maintaining fast data access and transfer rates. The AOC-M25G-M4SM is well-suited for SAN/NAS environments, distributed storage systems, and software-defined storage platforms that require robust Ethernet networking.

AI/ML Workloads

Artificial intelligence and machine learning applications involve massive data exchanges between GPUs, CPUs, and storage systems. The adapter’s support for RoCE and high throughput capabilities ensures rapid data delivery with minimal latency, accelerating training and inference operations.

Security and Management Features

Security is a fundamental concern in enterprise networking, and the Supermicro AOC-M25G-M4SM addresses this with multiple hardware and software-based security features.

Secure Boot and Firmware Protection

Firmware security mechanisms protect against unauthorized firmware modifications, ensuring the integrity and trustworthiness of the network adapter’s software stack.

Advanced Traffic Management

The controller supports hardware-based Quality of Service (QoS) features, enabling traffic prioritization and bandwidth management for different types of network traffic. This ensures latency-sensitive and critical applications receive the resources they need.

Compatibility and Ecosystem Integration

The AOC-M25G-M4SM integrates seamlessly with a wide range of Supermicro server platforms and chassis configurations, making it an ideal choice for organizations seeking consistent, reliable networking solutions across their data centers.

Driver and OS Support

The network adapter supports popular enterprise operating systems including Microsoft Windows Server, various Linux distributions, VMware ESXi, and Hyper-V, ensuring broad compatibility for diverse deployment scenarios.

Networking Standards Compliance

The card adheres to IEEE networking standards such as IEEE 802.3by (25G Ethernet), IEEE 802.1Q (VLAN tagging), and IEEE 802.3az (Energy Efficient Ethernet), guaranteeing interoperability within multi-vendor network environments.