PRODUCT BRIEF
Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I210
Network Connectivity
Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I210
Single-Port Gigabit Ethernet server adapter designed for entry-level servers and Audio-Video applications.
KEY FEATURES
•Low-halogen1 single-port PCI-Express* 10/100/1000 Ethernet adapter
•Innovative power management features including Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE),
DMA Coalescing, ultra-compact design, and a unique ventilated bracket for increased efficiency and reduced power consumption
•IEEE 802.1Qav Audio-Video-Bridging (AVB) for tightly controlled media stream synchronization, buffering, and reservation
•High-performing design supporting PCI Express* Gen 2.1 2.5GT/s
•Reliable and proven Gigabit Ethernet technology from Intel Corporation
Overview
The new Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I210 builds on Intel’s history of excellence in Ethernet products. Intel continues its market leadership with this newest generation PCIe* GbE network adapter. Based on the Intel® Ethernet Controller I210, this adapter represents the next step in the Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) networking evolution for the enterprise and data center offering Audio-Video-Bridging (AVB) support, along with power management technologies such as Energy Efficient Ethernet
(EEE) and DMA Coalescing (DMAC).
Audio-Video Bridging (AVB)
The Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I210 supports IEEE 802.1Qav Audio-Video Bridging (AVB) for customers requiring tightly controlled media stream synchronization, buffering, and reservation. The
802.1Qav is part of the AVB specification that provides a way to guarantee bounded latency and latency variation for time sensitive traffic and includes:
•Timing and Synchronization for timespecific applications (802.1AS) Stream
Reservation (SR) protocol to guarantee the resources needed for Audio/Video (AV) streams (802.1Qat)
•Forwarding and queueing enhancements for time sensitive streams (802.1Qav).
Performance Optimization
The Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I210 contains four transmit and four receive queues. These queues offer Error Correcting Memory (ECC) protection for improved data reliability. The adapter efficiently manages packets with minimum latency by combining parallel and pipelined logic architectures optimized for these independent transmit and receive queues. These queues, combined with Receive Side Scaling (RSS) and Message Signal Interrupt Extension (MSI-X) support, optimize the performance on servers with multi-core processors.
Power Savings w/EEE
0.9 |
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0.8 |
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0.7 |
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0.6 |
0.81 Watts |
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0.5 |
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0.4 |
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0.3 |
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0.45 Watts |
0.2 |
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0.1 |
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0 |
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Normal Power |
EEE Enabled |
Energy Efficient Ethernet Power Savings.
No Coalescing. As shown by the red line, components have less time between DMA calls to reach and stay in lower power.
With Coalescing. With more time between DMA calls, components can reach lower power states and remain in them longer
Power Management Technologies
Today, companies everywhere are looking for ways to decrease energy consumption across the enterprise to reduce costs and environmental impact, while at the same time solving increasingly important power density challenges. That’s why Intel has introduced new, advanced Power Management Technologies (PMTs that enable enterprises to configure power options on the adapter and more effectively manage power consumption.
Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE)
The Intel Ethernet Server Adapter I210 family supports the IEEE802.3az Energy
Efficient Ethernet (EEE) standard so that, during periods of low network activity, EEE reduces the power consumption of an Ethernet connection by negotiating with a compliant EEE switch port to transition to a low power idle (LPI) state.
This reduces the controller power to approximately 50% of its normal operating power, saving power on the network port and the switch port. When increased network traffic is detected, the controller and the switch quickly come back to full power to handle the increased network traffic.
EEE is supported for both 1000BASE-T and 100BASE-TX.
DMA Coalescing
Another power management technology that can reduce power on the server platform is DMA Coalescing (DMAC). Typically, when a packet arrives at the adapter, a DMA request is initiated in order to place the packet into host (or server) memory. This transaction wakes up the processor, memory, and other system components from a lower power state in order to perform the tasks required to handle the incoming packet.
Based on the configurable DMAC settings, incoming packets are buffered momentarily before any DMA calls are made. This enables the controller to intelligently identify opportunities to batch multiple packets together so that when components are wakened from lower power states they can efficiently handle the batched packets at the same time. This enables platform components to remain in lower power states longer, which can dramatically reduce platform energy consumption. DMAC synchronizes DMA calls across all controller ports to ensure maximum power savings.
Environmentally Friendly Design
The Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I210
Family is low halogen1 and completely lead-free to reduce the potential for environmental impact. This, in combination with power management technologies,
a unique ventilated bracket, and spacesaving design make this adapter an ideal solution for compact workstations and entry-level servers.
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General Features
Features |
Benefits |
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Intel® Ethernet Controller I210 |
• Industry-leading integrated MAC/PHY PCIe Gen2 GbE controller |
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With |
• 2.5 GT/s support for x1 width (Lane) |
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PCI Express* v2.1 Support |
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Low Halogen1 |
• Leadership in an environmentally friendly ecosystem |
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Low profile single-port copper adapter |
• Compact design for high-density servers |
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Ships with full-height bracket installed; low-profile |
• Streamlines installation |
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bracket included in package. Single-screw mount. |
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Ventilated bracket |
• Maximize airflow and cooling |
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Ethernet Features |
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Features |
Benefits |
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Audio-Video Bridging (AVB) Support (802.1Qav) |
• Dedicated Tx and Rx Queues for AVB traffic |
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• Supports Forwarding and Queuing Enhancements for Time-Sensitive Streams |
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• Supports Time-based transmission |
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IEEE* 802.3* auto-negotiaton |
• Automatic link configuration for speed duplex and flow control |
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1 Gb/s Ethernet IEEE 802.3, 802.3u, 802.3ab PHY |
• Robust operation over installed base of Cat 5 twisted-pair cabling |
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specifications compliant |
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Integrated PHY for 10/100/1000 Mb/s for multi- |
• Smaller footprint and lower power dissipation compared to multiple discrete MAC and PHYs |
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speed, full, and half-duplex |
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IEEE 802.3x and IEEE 802.3z compliant flow control |
• Local control of network congestion levels |
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support with software-controllable Rx thresholds |
• Frame loss reduced from receive overruns |
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and Tx pause frames |
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Automatic cross-over detection function (MDI/ |
• The PHY automatically detects which application is being used and configures itself accordingly |
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MDI-X) |
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IEEE 1588 protocol and 802.1AS implementation |
• Time-stamping and synchronization of time sensitive applications |
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• Distribute common time to media devices |
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