Technical Specifications:
- Product Code: X540-T2
- Vertical Segment: Server
- Controller: Intel® Ethernet Controller X540
- Port Configuration: Dual
- Data Rate Per Port: 10GbE / 1GbE / 100Mb/s
- System Interface Type: PCI Express (PCIe) v2.1 (5.0 GT/s)
- Speed & Slot Width: 5.0 GT/s, x8 Lane (compatible with x8 and x16 PCIe slots)
- Cabling Type: RJ45 Category 6 up to 55m; Category 6A up to 100m
- Networking Standards: IEEE 802.1p (Priority), IEEE 802.1Q (VLANs), IEEE 802.3 (Ethernet), IEEE 802.3ad (Link Aggregation)
- Storage Over Ethernet: Supports iSCSI, FCoE, NFS
- Thermal Design Power (TDP): Approximately 13.4W (varies with data rate)
- Launch Date: Q1'12
- Marketing Status: Discontinued (though still available through various resellers)
Benefits:
- Simplified Migration to 10GbE: Leverages existing copper cabling infrastructure, making the upgrade to 10GbE more affordable and less complex.
- Cost-Effective Solution: The integrated single-chip design and use of standard copper cabling help reduce deployment costs.
- Low Power Consumption: The single-chip solution contributes to lower power requirements compared to multi-chip alternatives.
- High Performance: Delivers the bandwidth needed for demanding applications, virtualization, and unified storage.
- Reliability and Proven Technology: Built on Intel's established Ethernet technology, ensuring reliable performance.
- Enhanced Virtualization: Optimizes network performance in virtualized environments through Intel VT-c features.
- Flexible Network Architectures: Supports various data center designs, including Top of Rack (ToR), Middle of Row (MoR), and End of Row (EoR).
Typical Use Cases:
The Intel X540-T2 is ideal for:
- Data centers requiring a cost-effective upgrade to 10GbE.
- Servers running bandwidth-intensive applications.
- Virtualized environments needing optimized network I/O.
- Unified networking deployments carrying LAN and storage traffic (iSCSI/FCoE).
- High-performance computing (HPC) clusters.
- Network Attached Storage (NAS) and Storage Area Networks (SAN).