PCI-SIG SR-IOV is a mechanism for devices

to advertise their ability to be directly

assigned to multiple virtual machines.

SR-IOV enables the partitioning of a

PCI Express* (PCIe) function into many

virtual interfaces for the purpose of

sharing the resources of a PCIe device

in a virtual environment. These virtual

interfaces are called Virtual Functions.

Each virtual function can support a unique

and separate data path for I/O-related

functions within the PCIe hierarchy. Use

of SR-IOV with a networking device, for

example, enables the bandwidth of a

single port (function) to be partitioned

into smaller slices that can be allocated

to specific VMs, or guests, via a standard

interface.

The Intel Ethernet X520 family of

adapters delivers the same functionality

and throughput as ten dual-port, one

gigabit adapters, saving cost, power, and

complexity. For more information on

virtualization please go to:

Unified Networking and Storage

The family of Intel Ethernet X520

adapters lowers your data center total

cost of ownership (TCO) by providing the

ability to route LAN and SAN traffic over a

single fabric.

Support for Fiber Channel over

Ethernet (FCoE)

FCoE encapsulates Fiber Channel frames

over standard Ethernet networks,

enabling Fiber Channel to take advantage

of 10 GbE networks while preserving its

native protocol. The X520 adapters offer

FCoE hardware acceleration to provide

performance comparable to FC HBAs. The

adapters support Data Center Bridging,

also known as Converged Enhanced

Ethernet (CEE), which enables customers

to configure traffic classes and priorities

to deliver a lossless Ethernet fabric.

An Intel Ethernet Converged Network

Adapter X520 reduces TCO by eliminating

redundant fabrics and saves the cost of

expensive FC HBAs and FC switch ports.

Support for iSCSI

The adapters provide complete support

for proven native OS and VMM iSCSI

initiators as well as iSCSI boot. Historically,

CRC32C computation has degraded

system performance, but now with the

CRC instruction set included in the latest

Intel® Xeon® processors, CRC validation is

possible with minimal impact to network

throughput while delivering superior data

integrity.

The Intel Ethernet family of X520

adapters do it all: 10 Gigabit LAN, FCoE,

and iSCSI; truly delivering on the promise

of unified networking.

Reliable Performance

The family of X520 adapters includes a

number of advanced features that enable

it to provide industry-leading performance

and reliability.

Security Optimizations

The adapters support IPsec offload for

Microsoft’s* Network Access Protection

(NAP), Active Directory,* and future

security capabilities in Windows 7*. An

X520 adapter enables customers to run

a secure network environment without

sacrificing performance.

PCIe v2.0 (5 GT/s)

PCIe v2.0 (5 GT/s) support enables

customers to take full advantage of 10

GbE by providing a maximum of 20 Gbps

bi-directional throughput per port on a

single dual port card.

Designed For Multi-core Processors

Support for technologies such as

multiple queues, receive-side scaling,

multiple MSI-X vectors, and Low Latency

Interrupts enable the X520 adapters to

provide high-performance, 10 Gigabit

connectivity in multi-core server blades.

These technologies distribute network

processing across multiple CPU cores,

improving overall performance.

For today’s demanding virtualized data

center environments, the new family of

X520 adapters deliver ultimate flexibility

and scalability.

Features

Benefits

General

Intel® 82599 10 Gigabit Ethernet Controller

• Industry-leading, energy-efficient design for next-generation 10 Gigabit performance

and multi-core processors

SFP+ Connectivity

• X520 Adapters with SFP+ connections support 10GBASE-SR, 10GBASE-LR and SFP+ Copper Direct

Attach physical media.

Low-profile

• Enables higher bandwidth and throughput from standard and low-profile PCIe slots and servers

Load balancing on multiple CPUs

• Increases performance on multi-processor systems by efficiently balancing network loads across

CPU cores when used with Receive-Side Scaling (RSS) from Microsoft or Scalable I/O on Linux*

iSCSI remote boot support

• Provides centralized storage area network (SAN) management at a lower cost than other iSCSI

solutions

Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) Support

• Includes FCoE Boot and Data Center Bridging

Support for most network operating systems (NOS)

• Enables widespread deployment

• Complies with the European Union directive 2002/95/EC to reduce the use of hazardous materials

Intel® PROSet Utility for Windows* Device Manager

• Provides point-and-click management of individual adapters, advanced adapter features, connection

teaming, and virtual local area network (VLAN) configuration

Time Sync (IEEE 1588*, 802.1as)

• Enables networked Ethernet equipment to synchronize internal clocks according to a network mas-

ter clock; endpoint can then acquire an accurate estimate of the master time by compensating for link

latency

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