The difference between fiber optic network cards is first reflected in the main control chip. The common Intel series on the market are divided into four generations, with different speed limits, offloading capabilities and virtualization features. Understanding the generational differences is half the process of selection.

Each of the four chips represents a generation

  • 82599 is the first generation 10G controller, which only runs 10G. It has a mature solution and low price. It represents such asPCI-EX8 10 Gigabit single electrical port network card (Intel 82599 chip), suitable for affordable replacement of existing networks.
  • X550 is still the 10G generation, but the electrical port form is more power-saving and supports port partitioning, making it suitable for computer rooms with mainly copper cable access.
  • XXV710 increases the single channel rate to 25G, such asPCI-EX8 25G dual optical port fiber optic network card (Intel XXV710 chip), supports SR-IOV and is the main force of 10 Gigabit 25G.
  • E810 covers 10G to 100G, and most of its ports are 25G/100G adaptive. It supports VXLAN/NVGRE encapsulation and decapsulation and other data path offloading, and is oriented to new data centers and virtualization platforms.

Functional differences determine usage boundaries

SR-IOV is supported from 82599 onwards, and virtualization pass-through is not exclusive to new chips; NPAR port partitioning is a feature of the X550 generation, and one physical card can be divided into multiple functions for virtual machines and management ports; E810's increment is high-speed and hardware tunnel offloading, and the CPU usage is lower when running distributed storage and large-scale virtual machines. If the old platform only has 10G requirements, it is not cost-effective to budget for unused functions.

Common combinations for three scenarios

  1. 10G old network replacement and backup link: 82599 or X550 to control costs.
  2. Create a new 25G access layer: 25G card of XXV710 or E810, and leave margin in one step.
  3. Storage, AI and core aggregation: E810's 100G card, equipped with QSFP28 module or DAC.

If you are not sure whether the chip matches the switch port, you can send the model list to EB-LINK technical support for verification, call 0755-83179002.