PRODUCT BRIEF
Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X540
Network Connectivity
Intel® Ethernet Converged Network
Adapter X540
10GBASE-T converged network adapter simplies migration to 10 GbE, provides iSCSI, FCoE, Virtualization, and Flexible
Port Partitioning.
Key Features
• Low Cost, Low Power, 10 Gigabit
Ethernet (10GbE) Performance for the
Entire Datacenter
• Standard CAT-6a Cabling with RJ45
Connectors
• Backward Compatibility with Existing
1000BASE-T Networks Simplifies the
Transition to 10GbE
• Flexible I/O virtualization for port
partitioning and quality of service (QoS)
of up to 64 virtual ports
• Unified Networking Delivering LAN, iSCSI,
and FCoE in One Low Cost CNA
• Industry First Dual-Port 10GBASE-T
Adapter with Single-Chip Solution with
Integrated MAC + PHY
• Reliable and proven 10 Gigabit Ethernet
technology from Intel Corporation
10 Gigabit for the Broad Market
The Intel® Ethernet Converged Network
Adapter X540 is the latest innovation
in Intel’s leadership to drive 10 Gigabit
Ethernet into the broader server market.
This adapter hosts Intel’s latest Ether-
net silicon, the Intel® Ethernet Controller
X540, which is used by many OEMs as a
single chip solution for LAN on Motherboard (LOM) to deliver 10 Gigabit Ethernet
(10 GbE) on the latest server platforms.
10GBASE-T Simplifies the
Transition to 10 GbE
The Intel X540 family of products works
with existing networks today. It works
with legacy Gigabit Ethernet (GbE)
switches and Cat 6A cabling. Install the
Intel X540 adapter into a server and the
auto-negotiation between 1 GbE and 10
GbE provides the necessary backwards
compatibility that most customers require
for a smooth transition and easy migration
to 10 GbE. When time and budget allows,
10GBASE-T switches can be added any
time to experience the full benets of 10
GbE.
10GBASE-T uses the copper twisted pair
cables that are very familiar to IT professionals today. It is everything you know
and love about 1000BASE-T. The knowledge, training and investment in BASE-T
are preserved. 10GBASE-T is the easiest
and most versatile 10 GbE and you can
deploy it anywhere in your data center. Its
exible reach from 1 meter to 100 meters
supports the latest network architectures
including Top of Rack (ToR), Middle of Row
(MoR), and End of Row (EoR).
10G Performance at Low Cost
and Low Power
The new Intel® Ethernet Converged
Network Adapter X540 is the lowest cost
way to deploy 10 GbE in your data center
today. The Intel X540 uses low cost, Cat
6 and Cat 6A cabling. Chances are this
cabling already exists in the data center.
A way for Intel to reduce cost and power
is to integrate components into a single-
chip solution. Of course, integration is
what Intel does best. With the new Intel
X540 Controller, the MAC and the PHY are
integrated into a single-chip solution.
So, why is integration important? First,
integration translates to lower power.
A single-chip solution simply uses less
power than two separate components.
This means no more active heat sink and
reduces the per-port power consumption.
Second, integration also means lower cost
per port. Manufacturing a single part costs
less than two. When cabling is accounted
for, cost efciencies realized from a single
part mean 10GBASE-T is the lowest cost
media to deploy.
With lower cost and power, 10GBASE-T is
ready for broad deployment. 10GBASE-T is
an option for every rack and tower server
in the data center. The wait for a low cost
10 GbE copper solution to broadly deploy
10 GbE to all corners of the data center
is over. The new Intel X540 adapter
provides bandwidth-intensive applications
with highly affordable 10 GbE network
performance and cost-effective RJ-45 connectivity for distances up to 100 meters.
Exciting New Data Center
Usage Models
More than simply a 10x increase in performance, with 10 GbE there are exciting
new usage models that are now possible,
including Unied Networking (iSCSI, FCoE
and LAN), Virtualization (VMDq and SRIOV), and now, Flexible Port Partitioning
(FPP).
Flexible I/O Virtualization
Virtualization changes the way server
resources are deployed and managed by
running multiple applications and operating systems independently on a single
server.
The Intel Ethernet Converged Network
Adapter X540 includes Intel® Virtualization Technology for connectivity (Intel
VT-c) to deliver I/O virtualization and
Quality of Service (QoS) features designed
directly into the Intel X540 controller
on the adapter. Intel® I/O virtualization
advances network connectivity models
used in today’s servers to more efcient
models by providing FPP, multiple Rx/Tx
queues, and on-controller QoS functionality that can be used in both virtual and
non-virtual server deployments.
Flexible Port Partitioning (FPP)
By taking advantage of the PCI-SIG SR-IOV
specication, Intel Ethernet products enable FPP. With FPP, virtual controllers can
be used by the Linux* host directly and/or
assigned to virtual machines. FPP allows
you to use the functionality of SR-IOV
to assign up to 63 processes per port to
virtual functions in Linux. This enables
an administrator to partition their 10 GbE
bandwidth across multiple processes,
ensuring a QoS by giving each assigned
process equal bandwidth. Network administrators may also rate-limit each of these
services to control how much of the 10
GbE pipe is available to each process.
Unified Networking
Unied Networking solutions on the
new Intel® Ethernet Converged Network
Adapter X540 let you combine the trafc
of multiple data center networks like LAN
and SAN onto a single efcient network
fabric. You now have the choice of NFS,
iSCSI, or Fibre Channel over Ethernet
(FCoE) to carry both network and storage
trafc at speeds of up to 10 Gbps. The
Intel X540 adapter combines support for
all of these trafc types in one adapter at
no additional cost and with no additional
licensing fees for the adapter.
Intel’s Unied Networking solutions
are enabled through a combination of
standard Intel® Ethernet products along
with trusted network protocols integrated
in the operating systems. Thus, Unied
Networking is available on every Server
either through LAN-on-Motherboard
(LOM) implementation or via an add-in
Network Interface Card (NIC).
Intel has delivered high quality Ethernet
products for over 30 years and our
Unied Networking solutions are built
on the original principles that made us
successful in Ethernet:
• Open Architecture integrates network-
ing with the server, enabling IT managers
to reduce complexity and overhead while
enabling a flexible and scalable data cen-
ter network.
• Intelligent Offloads lower cost and
power while delivering the application
performance that customers expect.
• Proven Ethernet Unified Networking
is built on trusted Intel Ethernet technology, enabling customers to deploy FCoE
or iSCSI while maintaining the quality of
their traditional Ethernet networks.
iSCSI Simplifies SAN Connectivity
iSCSI uses Ethernet to carry storage trafc, extending the familiarity and simplicity
of Ethernet to storage networking, without the need for SAN-specic adapters or
switches. Intel® Ethernet X540 is the easi-
est, most reliable, and most cost-effective
way of connecting servers to iSCSI SANs.
Open FCoE Consolidates LANs
and Legacy SANs
Intel’s Open FCoE solution enables Intel®
Ethernet 10 Gigabit Server products
(adapters and controllers) to support Fibre
Channel payload encapsulated in Ethernet
frames. There is no upgrade charge for
Open FCoE on the adapter. Just as with
iSCSI, now customers can easily connect
to an FCoE network with Intel 10 GbE
solutions.
For the rst time, Open-FCoE is now
supported on 10GBASE-T. As 10GBASE-T
switches come to market enabled with
FCoE support, the Intel X540 is ready
when you’re ready. This enables you to
use cost-effective 10GBASE-T for all your
converged networking needs. The OpenFCoE architecture uses a combination
of FCoE initiators in Microsoft Windows*
and Linux* operating systems and in
the VMware* ESXi hypervisor to deliver
high-performance FCoE solutions using
standard 10 GbE Ethernet adapters.
This approach enables IT managers to
simplify the data center and standardize
on a single adapter for LAN and SAN connectivity. The Intel® Ethernet Converged
Network Adapter X540 is designed to
fully ofoad the FCoE data path to deliver
full-featured converged network adapter
(CNA) functionality without compromising
on power efciency and interoperability.
Data Center Bridging (DCB)
Delivers Lossless Ethernet
Conventional Ethernet does not guarantee successful data delivery, which is
not acceptable for SAN trafc. Ethernet
enhancements such as Data Center Bridging (DCB) overcome that limitation with
technologies that guarantee lossless delivery, congestion notication, priority-based
ow control, and priority groups.
The combination of 10 GbE and unied
networking helps organizations overcome
connectivity challenges and simplify the
data center infrastructure. 10 GbE provides a simple, well-understood fabric for
virtualized data centers, one that helps
reduce cost and complexity as the number
of virtual machines continues to grow.
2
Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X540
Features Benefits
Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X540
• Industry’s first integrated MAC+PHY reducing cost and power
Low-profile
Load balancing on multiple CPUs
Remote boot iSCSI and FCoE
Support for most Network Operating Systems (NOS)
RoHS compliant, lead-free technology
I/O Features for Multi-core Processor Servers
MSI-X support
Low latency
Header Splits and Replication in Receive
Multiple Queues
Tx/Rx IP, SCTP, TCP, and UDP checksum offloading (IPv4,
IPv6) capabilities
Tx TCP segmentation offload (IPv4, IPv6)
IPsec Offload
Compatible with x8 and x16 standard and low-profile
PCI Express* slots
Receive/Transmit Side Scaling for Windows* and
Scalable I/O for Linux* (IPv4, IPv6, TCP/ UDP)
RJ45 connections over CAT-6a cabling
Virtualization Features
Virtual Machine Device queues (VMDq)
Next-Generation VMDq (64 queues per port)
PCI-SIG SR-IOV Implementation (64 virtual functions per
port)
IPv6 Offloading
Advanced Packet Filtering
VLAN support with VLAN tag insertion, stripping and
packet filtering for up to 4096 VLAN tags
• Enables higher bandwidth and throughput from standard and low-profile PCIe slots and servers
• Increases performance on multi-processor systems by efficiently balancing network loads across
CPU cores when used with Receive-Side Scaling from Microsoft* or Scalable I/O on Linux*
• Support for remote booting to an iSCSI or FCoE drive.
• Enables widespread deployment
• Compliant with the European Union directive ( July 2006) to reduce hazardous materials
• Minimizes the overhead of interrupts
• Allows load balancing of interrupt handling between different cores/CPUs
• Based on the sensitivity of the incoming data, the adapter can bypass the automatic moderation
of time intervals between the interrupts
• Helps the driver focus on the relevant part of the packet without the need to parse it
• Packet handling without waiting/buffer overflow provides efficient packet prioritization
• Lower processor usage
• Checksum and segmentation capability extended to new standard packet type
• Increased throughput and lower processor usage
• Compatible with large-send offload feature (in Microsoft Windows* Server operating systems)
• Offloads IPsec capability to adapter instead of software to significantly improve throughput and CPU usage (for Windows* 7, Windows* 2008 Server R2, Windows* 2008 Server, and
Windows Vista*)
• Enables each PCI Express* slot port to operate without interfering or competing with other ports
• Enables direction of the interrupts to the processor cores in order to improve the CPU usage rate
• Ensures compatibility with cable lengths up to 100 meters
• Offloads data-sorting from the Hypervisor to silicon, improving data throughput and CPU usage
• QoS feature for Tx data by providing round-robin servicing and preventing head-of-line blocking
• Sorting based on MAC addresses and VLAN tags
• Enhanced QoS feature by providing weighted round-robin servicing for the Tx data
• Provides loopback functionality, data transfer between the virtual machines within the same
physical server don’t go out to the wire and back in, improving throughput and CPU usage
• Supports replication of multicast and broadcast data
• Implementation of I/O Virtualization. The physical configuration of each port is divided into
multiple virtual ports. Each virtual port is assigned to an individual virtual machine directly by bypassing the virtual switch in the Hypervisor, resulting in near-native performance
• I integrated with Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (Intel® VT-d) to provide data pro-
tection between virtual machines by assigning separate physical addresses in the memory to
each virtual machine
• Checksum and segmentation capability extended to the new standard packet type
• 24 exact-matched addresses (unicast or multicast)
• 4096-bit hash filter for unicast and multicast frames
• Lower processor usage
• Promiscuous (unicast and multicast) transfer mode support
• Optional filtering of invalid frames
• Ability to create multiple VLAN segments
3
Specifications
General
Product codes Dual Port: X540T2
Connector RJ45 Copper
Cabling See listing below
Single Port: X540T1
Adapter Product Features
Intel® PROSet Utility for easy configuration and management
Intel® Lead-free technology
Plug and play specification support Standard
Full-height bracket installed; lowprofile bracket included in package
RoHS compliant
Cabling Distances:
10GBASE-T • 100 m on Cat 6A
• 55 m on Cat 6
1000BASE-T 100 m on Cat 5e, Cat 6 or Cat 6A
100BASE-T 100 m on Cat 5e, Cat 6 or Cat 6A
Receive-Side Scaling
Power Usage
Speed/LFM
10 G bps 17. 4 10. 8
1 Gbps 9.5 7.7
100 M bps 6.6 6.4
LFM 200 0
Watts
(typical)
X540T2 X540T1
Companion Products
Consider these Intel® products in your
server and network planning:
• Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter X520
Series
–10 GbE SFP+ PCIe v2.0 (5 GT/s)
performance
–Copper or fiber-optic network connec-
tivity; up to two ports per card
• Intel® Xeon® Processors
• Intel® Server Boards
Intel Backing
Limited lifetime warranty
90-day, money-back guarantee
(U.S. and Canada)
4
Network Management
Wired for Management (WfM) baseline v2.0 enabled for servers
DMI 2.0 support, Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and SNMP
Remote Installation Services (RIS)
PXE 2.0 enabled through boot Read-Only Memory (ROM)
Network Operating Systems (NOS) Software Support
Windows* 7 (IA32 and X64)
Windows Server* 2008 (x64 and IPF )
Windows Server* 2008 Core (x64 and IPF)
Windows Server* 2008 R2 (x64 and IPF)
Windows Server 2008 R2 Core (x64 and IPF)
Linux* SLES 11 SP1
Microsoft Windows Server 2003*
Microsoft Vista*
SUSE* SLES 10* or later, Professional 9.2 or later
Microsoft Windows Virtual Server* 2005*
Red Hat Enterprise* 4* or later
FreeBSD* 5.x or later support
VMware* ESX 4.0/4.1, ESXi 5.0 support
Fedora*
EF I* 1.1
Advanced Software Features
Adapter Fault Tolerance (AFT)
Switch Fault Tolerance (SFT)
Adaptive Load Balancing (ALB)
Virtual Machine Load Balancing (VMLB)
IEEE 802.3ad (link aggregation control
protocol)
PCIe Hot Plug/Active Peripheral
Component Interconnect (PCI)
IEEE 802.1Q VLANs
IEEE 802.3 2005 flow control support
Tx/Rx IP, TCP, & UDP checksum offloading (IPv4, IPv6) capabilities Transmission
control protocol (TCP), User Datagram
Protocol (UDP), Internet Protocol (IP))
IEEE 802.1p
TCP segmentation/large send offload
MSI -X: Multiple Independent Queues
Interrupt moderation
IPv6 offloading
Teaming support
Hardware Features
Data rate(s) supported per port 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps
Bus Type PCI Express 2.1 (5.0 GT/s)
Bus width x8 lane PCI Express, operable in
Bus speed (x8, encoded rate) 20 Gbps uni-directional; 40
Interrupt levels INTA, MSI, MSI-X
Hardware certifications FCC A, UL, CE, VCCI, BSMI, CTICK,
Controller-processor Intel® Ethernet Controller X540
x8 and x16 slots
Gbps bi-directional
KCC
Network-Ready Servers
Top PC and server manufacturers offer Intel® adapters in their
new products. Specify or ask for Intel® Network Connections
with your next PC, server, or mobile PC purchase. For a list of
preferred suppliers, visit us at:
www.intel.com/buy/networking/ adapters.htm
Customer Support
Intel® Customer Support Services offers a broad selection of
programs including phone support and warranty service. For
more information, contact us at
support.intel.com/support/go/network/ adapter/home.htm
(Service and availability may vary by country.)
For Product Information
To speak to a customer service representative regarding Intel
products, please call 1-800-538-3373 (U.S. and Canada) or visit
support.intel.com/support/go/network/contact.htm
for the telephone number in your area. For additional product
information on Intel Networking Connectivity products, visit:
www.intel.com/go/ethernet
To see the full line of Intel Network Adapters for PCI Express*, visit www.intel.com/go/ethernet
1 Lead and other materials banned in RoHS Directive ar e either (1) below all appli cable substa nce threshol ds the EU or (2) an approved /pend ing exemption ap plies .
Lead has not been intentionally add ed, but lead may stil l exist as an imp urity below 1000 ppm , or an app roved RoHS exemption applies.
2
Intel® VMDq req uires op erating system support.
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