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The QLogic 3200 Series is the Adapter
of Choice for Virtualized Environments
QLogic 10GbE Adapter Offers Superior Performance
and Features Compared to Intel
Key Findings
Support for increasing server and storage workloads, the need for higher application performance, and the ability to meet critical
requirements of virtual environments are key factors in the selection and deployment of 10Gb Ethernet. Due to its rich feature set and
unique architecture, the QLogic® 3200 Series Intelligent Ethernet Adapter delivers superior performance compared to the Intel® X520
Ethernet Server Adapter and provides the following benefits:
• Bandwidth: Superior networking line-rate throughput for enterprise applications through the optimization of TCP/IP and UDP traffic
• CPU Efficiency: Significantly reduced host CPU processing required, delivering the native OS performance needed for virtual
machine (VM) deployment
• Maximize Virtualization: Increased, dedicated bandwidth for VMs and associated applications, higher I/O performance in virtualized
environments, and conservation of PCIe slots in all server environments using VMflex™ technologies in tier-1 OEM-specific or
industry-standard I/O virtualization implementations
• Management Simplicity: Easy management of Ethernet Adapters in heterogeneous OS environments with QConvergeConsole®, a
single-pane-of-glass management console
Executive Summary
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With increased server utilization as a result of virtualization and greater
compute power due to multi-core processors, a larger demand is
being placed on I/O bandwidth capacity. 10Gb Ethernet is becoming
the technology of choice for the enterprise data center because it is
cost-effective, increases scalability, and simplifies management. The
QLogic 3200 Series Intelligent Ethernet Adapter provides the highest
performing and most cost-effective solution when transitioning from
Gigabit to 10Gigabit Ethernet infrastructures. With unique capabilities,
such as VMflex, the QLogic Intelligent Ethernet Adapter decreases
the number of I/O adapters that are required, reduces CPU overhead,
Introduction
In today’s business environment, enterprises can’t afford to stand still. They
must move at the speed of business to capitalize on opportunities and
remain agile to swiftly respond to competition. IT assets must be able to
be deployed in minutes—not months—while still providing a high-quality
experience for users of real-time applications.
One answer to these challenges is 10Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE), which is
rapidly becoming the backbone of enterprise networks. The increased use
of 10GbE is being driven by the deployment of servers with multi-core
processors and demanding applications, such as virtualization, database
cluster, and video-on-demand. 10GbE delivers increased performance,
reliability, security, and ease of use in enterprise data centers, including
virtual environments. To ensure the best performance and lowest total
cost of ownership, data center managers need to choose the networking
adapter that can deliver the highest efficiency.
The QLogic Offering
The QLogic 3200 Series Intelligent Ethernet Adapters boast industryleading networking performance, with dual-port throughput equaling
approximately 40Gbps. The adapters are designed for use in virtualized
environments, with support for QLogic’s unique NIC Partitioning feature
(NPAR). NIC Partitioning allows a user to divide a physical Ethernet port
into four virtual ports with flexible, user-defined allocation of 10Gbps
bandwidth. The QLogic 3200 Series Intelligent Ethernet Adapters come in
single- and dual-port models with support for SFP+ direct attach copper
cables and both SR (short reach) and LR (long reach) optical transceivers.
and enables the implementation of Quality of Service (QoS) policies
to improve application performance and simplify management within
next-generation virtualized data centers.
This paper describes why QLogic is the ideal solution for the transition
from 1GbE to 10GbE and helps IT administrators make an informed
decision when purchasing network adapters.
QLogic Versus Intel
An Intelligent Ethernet Adapter from QLogic goes beyond the support
offered by the Intel X520 Network Server Adapter. The QLogic 3200 Series
Intelligent Ethernet Adapter helps businesses accomplish more through
streamlined operations by providing the following capabilities:
• Highest application and VM performance by delivering superior
CPU efficiency
• VMflex technology (NIC Partitioning and QoS) to enable flexible bandwidth
allocation, ensure application isolation, and maintain productivity
• Centralized cross-platform, cross-protocol manageability to ease
installation and management
The QLogic 3200 Series Intelligent Ethernet Adapters offer superior
operational efficiencies and simplicity. The adapters reduce costs and
provide the flexibility and performance needed to support critical business
needs, such as virtualization, OS mobility, and more. QLogic delivers a
solution with broad interoperability and maximum connectivity using a
standards-based approach. Intel’s approach focuses on keeping network
processing close to the core, supporting the company’s main focus of
selling more processors. QLogic, on the other hand, delivers a solution with
the highest application performance, best server utilization, and easiest
management tools. This leads to the best return on investments made in
your enterprise data center, both now and in the future.
HSG-WP11002 SN0330930-00 Rev. A 02/12 2
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Enabling Business Agility through CPU Efficiencies
As virtualization becomes prevalent in the enterprise data center, CPU
efficiency is emerging as a key factor in network consolidation initiatives.
Consolidation increases the density of server environments, and more dense
servers require higher throughput for business-critical applications. High
throughput with low CPU utilization is the key to scaling in next-generation
virtualized data centers, and without offloads significant overhead is added
to each operation, limiting the scalability of virtual servers. The QLogic
Intelligent Ethernet Adapter is designed to provide high throughput for
enterprise applications while removing CPU overhead to enable near-native
OS performance for VMs. This creates higher server utilization and enables
support for more VMs per physical server, helping to contain server sprawl
and reduce overall costs.
The following charts highlight the advantages that the QLogic adapter holds
over the Intel adapter. Figure 1 shows that the QLogic QLE3242 Intelligent
Ethernet Adapter in a bi-directional, dual-port configuration requires 60
percent less CPU resources than the Intel X520 Network Server Adapter.
Consuming only a small portion of the CPU enables the QLogic adapter
to more efficiently scale. Figure 2 shows that the CPU efficiency of the
QLogic QLE3242 is 175 percent greater compared to the Intel X520 at
12 workloads. To arrive at this result, total throughput for each adapter
was calculated through increasing workloads and then divided by the
percentage of the CPU required to drive the throughput. In virtualized
data centers, CPU efficiency has even greater importance because of the
additional overhead virtualization places on data center servers.
5000
4500
4000
3500
3000
2500
2000
Mbps/CPU
1500
1000
500
0
1 2 4 8 1 2
Workload
Figure 2. CPU Efficiency
QLE324 2
X520
The Added Overhead of Virtualization
Deploying 10Gb Ethernet allows for the replacement of multiple 1Gb
connections with a single physical 10Gb Ethernet connection, which is
a more cost-effective approach. 10GbE’s advanced features offer more
flexibility than multiple 1Gb Ethernet connections, while providing the
aggregate bandwidth needed to support new consolidated environments.
Consolidation of applications, servers, and networking resources is being
driven by virtualization and bladed servers. Both virtualization and bladed
servers have the potential to greatly enhance infrastructure flexibility,
enabling IT to adapt to changing user requirements and transient workloads
while reducing capital expenditures.
25.0
20.0
15.0
CPU%
10.0
5.0
0.0
1 2 4 8 12
Workload
QLE324 2
X520
The density of VMs per physical server is on the rise, with the number
of potential TCP/IP connections growing exponentially. When VMs are
implemented, their Ethernet connections not only have to provide LAN
and WAN connectivity, but also leverage features such as VM heartbeats,
live migration, and resource allocation services to provide dynamic load
balancing and high availability within virtual operating environments.
This places stress on Ethernet networking and the server CPUs that must
process the data.
High throughput with low CPU utilization, such as provided by QLogic’s
Intelligent Ethernet Adapter, is the key to scaling within next-generation
data centers. The superior CPU efficiency combined with the full line-rate
Figure 1. CPU Percentage
performance of the QLogic 3200 Series is imperative to meeting application
throughput demands and virtualized server scalability requirements.
Intel’s answer to this is to flaunt its multi-core processors and push
the need for more of these processors within virtual servers to process
network overhead. However, multi-core servers running virtual operating
environments are now hosting an average of 12 VMs, compounding the
work each processor must now handle. In the future, VM densities are
expected to rise.
HSG-WP11002 SN0330930-00 Rev. A 02/12 3
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