Intel’s first eco-friendly halogen-free board combines low-power and cost for the best price/performance ratio in a quad-port solution available today.

Intel® Ethernet I340 Server Adapter

Quad-port Gigabit Ethernet server adapter designed for multi-core processors and

optimized for Virtualization & Unified Networking Environments

• Four high-performing 10/100/1000 BASE-T Ethernet

connections

• Low power high performing bridgeless design supporting PCI

Express* Gen 2.0 5 GT/s

• Environmentally friendly  halogen free and lead free adapter

• Hardware acceleration for TCP-IP and  iSCSI

• Hardware optimizations for virtualized servers

• Reliable and proven Gigabit Ethernet technology from Intel Corp.

Based  on the new  Intel® 82580  Gigabit Ethernet  Controller,

the Intel®  Ethernet  I340 Server  Adapter  is Intel’s fourth  gener-

ation of  PCIe GbE  adapter. This  adapter showcases  the  indus-

The I/O technologies on a multi-core platform make use of the

multiple queues and multiple interrupt vectors available on the

network controller. These queues and interrupt vectors help in load

balancing the data and interrupts amongst themselves in order

to lower the load on the processors and improve overall system

performance. For example, depending upon the latency sensitivity

of the data, the low latency interrupts feature can bypass the time

interval for specific TCP ports or for flagged packets to give certain

types of data streams the least amount of latency to the applica-

tion.

try’s  first fully  integrated  quad-port  PCIe Gen2  GbE controller,

providing  a smaller  footprint  and lower  power dissipation.    In

addition,  the Intel®  Ethernet  I340 Server  Adapter  offers ad-

vanced  features, including   support  for multi-core  processors

and server  virtualization,   as well as  a scalable  PCI Express  Gen

2.0 interface.   Intel’s  first  eco-friendly  halogen-free  board  com-

bines  low-power and  cost for  the best  price/performance   ratio

in a quad-port   solution  available  today.

Halogen-Free

1

Working to create a more environmentally sustainable future,

Intel is pleased to introduce its first halogen-free Ethernet Server

Adapter.  The transition to halogen-free products is not govern-

ment mandated, but driven by Intel’s goal to eliminate the use of

environmentally sensitive materials.  The move to halogen-free

products marks another step in our continual march toward mini-

mizing the environmental footprint of Intel’s products, processes,

and technologies.

Intel I/O Acceleration Technology (Intel I/OAT) is a suite of

features that improves data acceleration  across the platform,

from networking devices  to the chipset and processors,  which

helps to improve system performance  and application response

times. The different  features include MSI-X, Low-Latency

Interrupts, Receive Side Scaling  (RSS), and others.  MSI-X helps

in load-balancing  I/O interrupts across multiple  processor cores,

and Low Latency Interrupts  can provide certain data streams a

non-modulated path  directly to the application. RSS  directs the

interrupts to a specific  processor core based on the application’s

address.

Designed for Multi-Core Processors

This quad-port  adapter provides high-performing,  multi-port

Gigabit connectivity  in a multi-core platform as well as in  a

virtualized environment.  In a multi-core platform, the  adapter

supports technologies  such as MSI-X, and Low Latency Inter-

rupts that help accelerate data  across the platform, improving

application response  times.

Support for iSCSI

Intel® Ethernet server adapters  with native iSCSI initiators built

into Microsoft® Windows®, Linux®, and  VMware® ESX platforms

1

Applies only  to halogenated flame  retardants and  PVC in components.   Halo-

gens are below  900 ppm bromine  and 900 ppm chlorine.

provide a simple, dependable,  cost-effective way to connect

to LANs and iSCSI  SANs. These native initiators are broadly

tested using multiple generations  of operating systems, storage

systems, and OS tools to help  ensure reliability and ease of use.

Standardizing on Intel Ethernet server  adapters for iSCSI allows

administrators to use  a single initiator, TCP/IP stack, and set of

management tools and IT policies.  In addition, the I340  server

adapter includes a number  of hardware features designed to

accelerate iSCSI traffic  and enhance data processing. For  example,

TCP segmentation offload,  Receive side coalescing (RSC),  and

checksum offload  capabilities help reduce processor  utilization,

increase throughput,  and deliver exceptional iSCSI performance.

The adapters are designed  to flexibly scale workloads across

multi-core processor–based  systems. Finally, using native OS

initiators, an Intel® Ethernet  I340 Server Adapter enables support

for the CRC-32 digest instruction  set included in the Intel® Xeon®

processor 5500 series,  which improves transmission reliablity  and

thus delivers an enterprise  class iSCSI solution for the IT  customer.

it is recommended that a virtualized  physical server  needs at least

six GbE ports to satisfy  the I/O requirement demands..

Virtual Machine  Device queues (VMDq)

VMDq reduces I/O overhead  on the hypervisor in a virtualized

server by performing  data sorting and coalescing  in the network

silicon. VMDq technology  makes use of multiple queues in the

network controller. As data packets  enter the network adapter,

they are sorted, and  packets traveling to the same destination

(or virtual machine) get grouped  together in a single queue. The

packets are then sent to the hypervisor,  which directs them to

their respective virtual  machines. Relieving the  hypervisor of

packet filtering and sorting  improves overall CPU usage and

throughput levels.

Reliable Performance

The server adapter includes  a number of advanced features  that

enable it to provide industry-leading  quad-port  1GbE performance

and reliability. With over 25 years  of experience shipping Ethernet

adapters, Intel offers unmatched  quality and design.

Optimized for Virtualization

PCIe* v2.0 (5 GT/s)

The Intel® Ethernet I340 Server  Adapter showcases a suite of

hardware assists that improves  overall system performance

by lowering the I/O overhead  in a virtualized environment.  This

optimizes CPU usage, reduces  system latency, and improves I/O

throughput. These  features include:

PCIe v2.0 (5 GT/s) support  enables customers to take full

advantage of the 1 GbE by providing  a maximum of 2.0 Gbps

bi-directional  throughput per port on a single  quad-port card.

For today’s demanding  virtualized data center environments,

the new Intel®  Ethernet I340  Server  Adapter delivers ultimate

flexibility and scalability.

• Virtual Machine  Device Queues (VMDq)

• Intel® I/O Acceleration Technology (Intel® I/OAT)

Use of multi-port  adapters in a virtualized environment  is very

important because  of the need to provide redundancy  and

data connectivity  for the applications/workloads  in the virtual

machines. Due to the  need for redundancy and data connectivity,

Features

Benefits

General

Intel® 82580  Gigabit Ethernet  Controller

with

• Industry-leading  smallest  non-bridged  PCIe  Gen2 quad-port  1GbE controller

PCI Express*  V2.0 (5 GT/s) Support

• Enables customers  to take full  advantage  of 1GbE by providing maximum  bi-directional  throughput  per

port on a single  quad-port  adapter

Halogen Free

• Leadership  in an environmentally  friendly  ecosystem

(Applies  only to halogenated  flame retardants.   Halogens  are below  900 ppm

bromine  and 900 ppm chlorine.)

Low-profile

• Enables higher  bandwidth  and throughput  from standard  and low-profile  PCIe slots  and servers

iSCSI remote  boot support

• Provides  centralized storage  area network  (SAN) management  at a lower cost  than competing  iSCSI

solutions

Load balancing  on multiple  CPUs

• 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*

Compatible with x4, x8, and x16 standard and low-profile PCI Express* slots

• Enables quad-port   operation in almost  any PCI Express  server slot,  except x1 slots

Multi-port  design

• Allows each  port to operate  without interfering  with the  others

• Enables widespread  deployment

Support  for most network  operating  systems (NOS)

RoHS-compliant

• Compliant  with the European  Union directive  2002/95/EC  to reduce the  use of hazardous  materials

Intel® PROSet  Utility for Windows*  Device Manager

• Provides  point-and-click  management  of individual adapters,  advanced  adapter features,  connection

teaming,  and virtual local  area network  (VLAN)  configuration

Features

Benefits

I/O Features for Multi-core Processor Servers

MSI-X support

• Minimizes  the overhead  of interrupts

• Allows load-balancing   of interrupt handling  between  multiple cores/CPUs

Low Latency  Interrupts

• Based on the  sensitivity  of the incoming  data, the adapter  can bypass the  automatic moderation

of time intervals  between the  interrupts

Header Splits  and Replication  in Receive

Multiple  Queues: 8 queues  per port

• Helps the driver  focus on the  relevant part  of the packet without  the need to parse  it

• Network  packet handling  without waiting  or buffer overflow  providing  efficient packet  prioritization

Tx/Rx IP, SCTP, TCP, and  UDP checksum  offloading

(IPv4, IPv6)  capabilities

• Lower processor  usage

• Checksum  and segmentation  capability  extended  to new standard packet  type

Tx TCP segmentation  offload  (IPv4, IPv6)

• Increased  throughput  and lower processor  usage

• Compatible  with large-send  offload feature  (in Microsoft  Windows* Server  operating  systems)

Receive and  Transmit Side Scaling  for Windows  environment

and Scalable  I/O for Linux*  environments  (IPv4, IPv6,  TCP/UDP)

• This technology  enables  the direction  of the interrupts  to the processor  cores in order  to improve

the CPU usage  rate

Virtualization  Features

VMDq

• Offloads  the data-sorting  functionality  from  the Hypervisor  to the network  silicon, improving  data

throughput  and the CPU  usage

• Sorting  based on MAC addresses  and VLAN  tags

Advanced  Packet Filtering

• 24 exact-matched  packets (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

VLAN support  with VLAN  tag insertion,  stripping

and packet  filtering for up to 4096  VLAN tags

• Ability  to create multiple  VLAN segments

Manageability  Features

Advanced  filtering capabilities

• Supports  extended  L2, L3, and L4 filtering  for traffic  routing to BMC

• Supports  MAC address,  VLAN, ARP, IPv4,  IPv6, RMCP UDP  ports, and  UDP/TCP ports  filtering

• Supports  flexible header  filtering

• Enables the  BMC to share the  MAC address with  the host OS

Preboot eXecution  Environment  (PXE)  Support

• Enables system  boot up via the  LAN (32-bit and  64-bit))

• Flash interface  for PXE image

Simple Network  Management  Protocol (SNMP)  and

Remote Network  Monitoring  (RMON) Statistic  Counters

• Easy system  monitoring  with industry-standard  consoles

Wake-on-LAN  support

iSCSI Boot

• Packet recognition  and wake-up  for LAN on motherboard   applications  without software  configuration

• Enables system  boot up via iSCSI

• Provides  additional network  management  capability

Watchdog Timer

• Gives an indication  to the manageability   firmware or external  devices that  the chip or the  driver

is not functioning

IEEE 1588 precision  time control  protocol

• Time synch  capability—synchronizes   internal clocks  according  to a network master  clock

• HW timestamping  of IEEE 1588 precision  time protocol  packets for  increased accuracy

Intel Backing

Backed by an  Intel® limited lifetime  warranty,  90-day money-back  guarantee

(U.S. and  Canada), and worldwide  support

Customer Support

For Product Information

Intel® Customer Support Services offers a broad selection of

To speak to a customer service  representative regarding Intel

programs including phone support and warranty service. For more

information, contact us at www.intel.com/support. Service and

availability may vary by country.

products, please  call 1-800-538-3373 (U.S. and Canada) or

visit  www.intel.com/support/feedback.htm    for

the telephone number  in your area. For additional product

information on Intel Networking  Connectivity products,

visit  www.intel.com/go/ethernet.
 
Intel® 82580 Gigabit Ethernet Controller
 
 
Halogen Free
 Leadership in an environmentally friendly ecosystem
 
RoHS compliant
 Compliant with the European Union directive 2002/95/EC to reduce the use of hazardous materials
 
Low-profile
 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*