QLogic 8200 Virtual Fabric Adapter Family for IBM System x
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Features
The QLogic 8200 VFA family is based on the QLogic second generation of Converged Network
Controllers, supporting simultaneous LAN (TCP/IP) and SAN (FCoE and iSCSI) traffic at line-rate, 10
Gbps Ethernet speed. This convergence of networking traffic lowers data center costs by eliminating the
need for separate LAN and SAN infrastructure. Data centers now need fewer adapters, cables, and
switches, which also means reduced power and cooling costs. In addition, these controllers are fully
compatible with existing Fibre Channel and iSCSI storage, providing investment protection for existing
infrastructure.
The QLogic 8200 VFA family adapters have the following features:
10 Gbps per-port maximum throughput for high bandwidth storage (SAN) and networking (LAN)
traffic.
Based on the QLogic 8200 ASIC.
Support both 1 Gb Ethernet and 10 Gb Ethernet.
PCI Express 2.0 x8 host interface.
Operate at full 10 Gbps line rate on both ports.
Support for SFP+ transceivers and DAC cables.
Two form factors:
Standard PCIe low-profile form factor adapter fits most M4 systems.
Mezzanine form-factor card installed in a dedicated slot on the system board of supported
servers.
Support for Switch Independent vNIC mode, also known as NIC Partitioning or NPAR (to be available
with a no-charge firmware upgrade, planned for 1Q/2013), where each physical port appears to the
server as four virtual NICs. Bandwidth for each vNIC can be configured from 100 Mbps to 10 Gbps.
This vNIC mode extends the existing VLANs to the virtual NIC interfaces. It uses IEEE 802.1Q VLAN
tags to separate data traffic; the VLAN tags are added to the packet by the applications or drivers
rather than by the switch.
Support for full FCoE and iSCSI hardware offload through the Features on Demand (FoD) license
upgrade (support planned 1Q/2013). This support enables flexibility and investment protection by
letting you buy the FCoE or iSCSI license when you need it. FCoE and iSCSI can also be enabled
with 4 of the vNIC ports (2 FCoE, 2 iSCSI) if vNIC is also enabled.
Full support for TCP/IP and Ethernet performance enhancements, such as Priority-Based Flow
Control (802.1Qbb), jumbo frames, checksum offloads, and segmentation offloads.
Support for IPv4 and IPv6.
Support for Wake on LAN.
Port 1 can be configured to be a shared management port to remotely connect to the IMM2
management controller.
