X520-T2 Datasheet, PDF (1/4 Pages) Intel Corporation – 10 Gigabit BASE-T Ethernet Server Adapter Designed for Multi-Core Processors and Optimized for Virtualization

Product Brief
Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter X520-T2
Network Connectivity
Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter X520-T2
10 Gigabit BASE-T Ethernet Server Adapter Designed for
Multi-Core Processors and Optimized for Virtualization
10 Gb Performance at the Low Cost of Copper
This 10 Gigabit X520-T2 Ethernet Server Adapter showcases
Intel’s third-generation standards-based 10GBASE-T adapter
in a low-profile PCI Express* form factor. This new dual port
adapter provides bandwidth-intensive applications highly
affordable 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) network performance
with cost-effective RJ-45 connections for distances up to 100
meters.
10GBASE-T is the most cost-effective deployment of 10GbE
for connectivity and will be the primary media of choice for
volume 10GbE deployments as datacenters continue to drive
to reduce costs through network consolidation, convergence,
storage over Ethernet and virtualization while still providing
increased application performance and availability.
Next-Generation 10 Gigabit Performance
The drive to 10 Gigabit Ethernet comes from the latest informa-
tion technologies including virtualization, advances in storage
architectures, network convergence, server clustering, new forms
of information delivery using the Internet, and the next wave of
digital and social media content.
At the heart of today’s network infrastructure, 10 Gigabit
Ethernet is the core of any virtualized data center. Data centers
are demanding flexible and scalable I/O solutions to meet the
rigorous requirements of running mission-critical applications
in virtualized and unified storage environments. With the latest
server platform from Intel, customers can now realize the full
potential of 10 Gigabit Ethernet networking and realize up to 2.5
times the bandwidth supported by earlier generation platforms.
The new Intel platforms drive an unprecedented need for ad-
ditional I/O support. With the Intel® Xeon® 7500 quad-socket
system there is up to a 15:1 server consolidation rate, a 20x
performance leap, and support for over 100 Gb/s of Ethernet
bandwidth . What does all this mean? Customers will host more
applications on a single, high-performing, virtualized server, driv-
ing more demand for network I/O. Simply put, GbE cannot scale
up to meet the demands of these new servers. 10GbE is a must.
Performance-Enhancing Features for Multi-
Core Environments
When implemented within multi-core processor environments,
the Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter X520-T2 offers advanced
networking features, Intel® I/O Acceleration Technology (Intel® I/
OAT), for efficient distribution of Ethernet workloads across CPU
cores. Load balancing of interrupts using MSI-X enables more
efficient response times and application performance. CPU uti-
lization can be lowered further through stateless offloads such
as TCP segmentation offload, header replications/splitting, and
Direct Cache Access (DCA).
Best Choice for Virtualization
The Intel X520-T2 server adapter includes Intel® Virtualization
Technology for Connectivity (Intel VT-c) to deliver outstand-
ing performance in virtualized server environments. Intel VT-c
includes hardware optimizations that help reduce I/O bottlenecks
and improve the overall server performance. These technologies
are Virtual Machine Device Queues (VMDq) and Single Root I/O