List of NICs and their equivalent OEM parts

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BLinux

cat lover server enthusiast
Jul 7, 2016
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So, in the RAID controller section, there's a thread that's been really useful to me that maps all the LSI controllers to their equivalent OEM versions by Dell, HP, IBM, etc.

I thought I would start a thread to do something similar for network interface controllers. I've particularly found this type of information useful when searching ebay for parts and I may create such ebay search links below to help other STH members find things one eBay. please add any contributions you know of and I'll copy them to this OP so all the information will be in one place.

[1Gbps]
Intel PRO/1000 PT dual 82571EB quad-port 1Gbps (PCI-E 1.0a x4, 12.096W)
- Intel EXPI9404PT
- HP NC364T 436431-001 435506-003
- IBM 39Y6137 39Y6138

eBay search: (intel,hp,ibm) (EXPI9404PT,C364T,436431-001,435506-003,39Y6137,39Y6138) | eBay

Intel PRO/1000 VT dual 82575GB quad-port 1Gbps (PCI-E 1.1 x4, 10.65W)
- Intel EXPI9404VTG1P20 EXPI9404VT
- Dell H092P K828C HM9JY YT674

eBay search: (intel,dell) (EXPI9404VTG1P20,EXPI9404VT,H092P,K828C,HM9JY,YT674) | eBay

NetXen NX3031 quad-port 1Gbps (PCI-E 2.0 x4, 14W)
- HP NC375T PN: 491176-001 539931-001

Broadcom BCM5719 quad-port 1Gbps (PCI-E 2.0 x4, 4.3W)
- DELL TMGR6 03GCD5 W0N4T
- HP 331T PN: 647594-B21 647592-001 649871-001
- IBM 90Y9352 90Y9355
- Lenovo 7ZT7A00484

eBay search: (broadcom,dell,hp,ibm,lenovo) (bcm5719,TMGR6,03GCD5,W0N4T,331T,647594-B21,647592-001,649871-001,90Y9352,90Y9355,7ZT7A00484) in "Computers, Tablets, and Networking" | eBay

Intel i340-T4 82580EB quad-port 1Gbps (PCI-E 2.0 x4, 4.3W)
- Intel E1G44HT, E1G44ET, E1G44ET2,
- IBM FRU: 94Y5167 or PN: 49Y4240 49Y4241 49Y4242
- HP NC365T PN: 593743-001 593720-001 593722-B21
- Dell A4336167
- Fujitsu D2745-A11

eBay search: (Intel,IBM,HP,Dell) (i340-T4,94Y5167,49Y4240,49Y4241,49Y4242,NC365T,593743-001,593720-001,593722-B21,A4336167) in "Computers, Tablets, and Networking" | eBay

Intel i350-T4 quad-port gigabit (PCI-E 2.1 x4, 5W, SR-IOV)
- Lenovo / IBM 4XC0F28740 4XC0F28731 00AG520 00AG522 03T8760
- Dell 9YD6K X8DHT THGMP 0NWK2 T34F4 K9CR1
- Cisco UCSC-PCIE-IRJ45
- Fujitsu D3045-A11
- Lenovo / IBM 00D1998 47C8210 0JY932 (for ML2 slot, not PCI-E)
- Sun / Oracle 7100477 7048474 7014741
- Supermicro: AOC-SGP-I4

eBay search for Dell/Cisco/Fujitsu/Sun/Supermicro: (Intel,Dell,Cisco,Fujitsu,Sun,Oracle,Supermicro) (9YD6K,X8DHT,THGMP,0NWK2,T34F4,K9CR1,UCSC-PCIE-IRJ45,D3045,7100477,7048474,7014741,AOC-SGP-I4) | eBay

eBay search for Intel/Lenovo/IBM: (Intel,Lenovo,IBM) (I350-T4,I350,4XC0F28740,4XC0F28731,00AG520,00AG522,03T8760) | eBay

[10Gbps]
Intel 82599EB X520-T2 / E10G42BT (PCI-E 2.0 x8, 18.31~22.33W, RJ45)
- Dell JM42W 9VKJ0

Intel X520-DA2 82599EB / E10G42BTDA (PCI-E 2.0 x8, 5.8~7.0W, SFP+, SR-IOV)
- Dell VFVGR, U810N F3VKG 942V6 XYT17
- IBM 49Y7960 49Y7961 49Y7962
- HP 662539-001 QR449A
- Fujitsu D2755-A11

Intel X540-T2 / E10G42BT (PCI-E 2.1 x8, 17.4W, RJ45)
- IBM - 49Y7970, 49Y7971, 49Y7972
- Dell - RC49N K7H46 3DFV8 0C6FW

Intel X710-DA2 2-port (PCI-E 3.0 x8, 3.3~5.1W, SFP+)
- Dell Y5M7N 5N7Y5
- Lenovo / IBM 81Y3522 81Y3520

QLogic QLE3242 2-port (PCI-E 2.0 x8, 17W, SFP+, SR-IOV)
- HP NC523SFP 593717-B21 593742-001
(can't find a lot of info on this one. supposedly comparable to X520-DA2/ConnectX-3)

Emulex Blades-Engine 3 / BE3 (PCI-E 2.0 x8, 10~11W, SFP+,)
- HP NC552SFP 614203-B21

QLogic/Cavium 57810S 2-port (PCI-E 2.0 x8, 9W, SFP+,SR-IOV)
- HP 530SFP 652503-B21 652501-001 656244-001
- Dell 540-BBGS

<to be updated later>
HP Ethernet 10Gb 2-port 530T Adapter 656596-B21
HP Ethernet 10Gb 2-port 560SFP+ Adapter 665249-B21
HP Ethernet 10Gb 2-port 561T Adapter 716591-B21
HP Ethernet 10Gb 2-port 570SFP+ Adapter 718904-B21
 
Last edited:

nthu9280

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2016
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Last year when I read here about the rampant counterfeit issue with Intel NICs, I compiled a list. By no means it's complete and needs validation. If you want to update / merge your OP, please feel free. I think this thread probably need move to resources or a sticky in the networking forum.

Code:
1G

PRO/1000 PT Quad
    - Intel: EXPI9404PT
    - IBM: 39Y6137, 39Y6138
    - HP: NC364T

Pro/1000 VT Quad
    - Intel: EXPI9404VT
    - HP - NC365T
    - Dell - H092P K828C HM9JY YT674
    - IBM -
   
I340-T4 (E1G44ET, E1G44ET2, E1G44HT)
    - IBM: 49Y4240, 49Y4241, 49Y4242, 94Y5167
    - Dell:  A4336167

I350-T4
    - Cisco: UCSC-PCIE-IRJ45
    - Dell: K9CR1, THGMP, 9YD6K
    - Fujitsu: D3045
    - HP:
    - IBM-Lenovo: 00D1998, 00AG520, 4XC0F28731
    - Sun-Oracle: 7100477, 7048474
    - Supermicro: AOC-SGP-I4
   
10G
X520-T2 (E10G42BT)
    - Dell: RC49N, JM42W, 9VKJ0
    - HP:
    - IBM:
    - Sun:

X520-DA2 (E10G42BTDA)
    - Dell: 67XRW, GCCFM, VFVGR, U810N, 942V6, XYT17
    - IBM:  49Y7960. 49Y7962
    -  HP: 662539-001, QR449A
    -
   
X540-T2 (82599) E10G42BT
    - IBM - 49Y7970, 49Y7972, 49Y7972
    - Dell - K7H46, 3DFV8, 0JM42W, C6FW
   

X710-DA2
    - Dell: Y5M7N, 5N7Y5
    - Lenovo: 81Y3522, 81Y3520
 
Last edited:

BLinux

cat lover server enthusiast
Jul 7, 2016
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@nthu9280 thanks for the contribution. i've integrated your stuff into the OP, although I found a few errors and corrected them. a few things I had a hard time finding the right info.
 

nezach

Active Member
Oct 14, 2012
210
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This is a great idea. I think a lot of people have similar list for personal use and there are some info scattered across other threads, so it would be nice to collect everything in one place. Here is my contribution.

General Info
Intel PRO/1000 PT Adapters

These are very widely used/available and can be had for cheap. In general go with I340 if you don't mind spending few extra bucks. Quad version consumes 12.1 W so go with I340-T4 @ 4.3 W instead if you can.
  • Launch Date: ~2005-2006
  • Controller: Intel 82571
    • Note: Intel 82572GI is used by EXPI9400PT, Intel 82571GB/82571EB are used by 2/4 port NICs
    • Note: 82571GB and 82571EB are functionally identical, only Intel NICs use 82571GB
  • Interface: PCIe v1.0a x4 (2.5 GT/s)
  • 10/100/1000Mbps
  • On-chip QoS and Traffic Management: No
  • Flexible Port Partitioning: No
  • VMDq: No
  • SR-IOV Capable: No
  • Intelligent Offloads: Yes
  • Storage Over Ethernet: iSCSI, NFS
  • Intel Ethernet Power Management: No
  • Packet Buffer ECC: ECC
  • Managability ECC: Parity
Code:
Intel PRO/1000 PT Server Adapter           | EXPI9400PT                                  | 1 port, copper  |
Intel PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Server Adapter | EXPI9402PT                                  | 2 ports, copper | 4.95 W | http://ark.intel.com/products/50494/Intel-PRO1000-PT-Dual-Port-Server-Adapter
Intel PRO/1000 PT Quad Port Server Adapter | EXPI9404PT, EXPI9404PTL                     | 4 ports, copper | 12.1 W | https://ark.intel.com/products/50496/Intel-PRO1000-PT-Quad-Port-Server-Adapter
Intel PRO/1000 PF Server Adapter Series    | EXPI9402PF                                  | 2 ports, fiber  | 3.3 W  | https://ark.intel.com/products/50489/Intel-PRO1000-PF-Dual-Port-Server-Adapter
HP NC360T                                  | 412648-B21, 412651-001, 412646-001, KU004AA | 2 ports, copper |        | https://h20195.www2.hpe.com/v2/getpdf.aspx/c04163767.pdf
HP NC364T                                  | 435508-B21, 436431-001, 435506-003          | 4 ports, copper |        | https://h20195.www2.hpe.com/v2/getpdf.aspx/c04163764.pdf
Dell X3959                                 | 0X3959, D33682                              | 2 ports, copper |
IBM PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Server Adapter   | 39Y6127, 39Y6128                            | 2 ports, copper |
IBM PRO/1000 PT Quad Port Server Adapter   | 39Y6137, 39Y6138                            | 4 ports, copper |
Sun 371-0905                               |                                             | 2 ports, copper |

Intel Gigabit VT a.k.a. PRO/1000 VT Adapters

I recommend staying away from these, unless you know what you are getting yourself into.

There is a lot of ambiguity surrounding these adapters. They are based on Intel 82575 controller (no SR-IOV), so they are not the same as ET adapters that are based on Intel 82576 controller (supports SR-IOV), even though PCB looks visually the same. It also appears that these adapters were only shipped in OEM systems (Dell only?) and were not available as a retail product.
There is very little info about these adapters on Intel website and driver support might be spotty especially on Win and FreeBSD systems.
Info from Intel website:
This adapter is sold and supported by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM).
The generic version of the adapter only has Linux* and FreeBSD* drivers. Adapters sold and supported by Dell* have drivers for Microsoft Windows*.
Code:
Intel Gigabit VT Quad Port Server Adapter  | EXPI9404VT, EXPI9404VTG1P20 | 4 ports, copper | 10.65 W |
Dell H092P                                 |                             | 4 ports, copper |
Dell YT674                                 |                             | 4 ports, copper |
Dell K828C                                 |                             | 4 ports, copper |
Dell HM9JY                                 |                             | 4 ports, copper |

Intel Gigabit ET/ET2 Adapters

Visually these look almost the same as VT adapters and a lot of eBay listings advertise VT adapters as ET/ET2, so pay close attention when buying these. These are not very widely available so you can probably pick up I340 for less money.
  • Launch Date: ~2008-2010
  • Intel’s third generation of PCIe GbE network adapters
  • Controller: Intel 82576
  • Interface: PCIe v2.0 x4 (2.5 GT/s)
  • 10/100/1000Mbps
  • On-chip QoS and Traffic Management: Yes
  • Flexible Port Partitioning: Yes
  • VMDq: Yes (4 queues/port)
  • SR-IOV Capable: Yes (8 VFs/port)
  • Intelligent Offloads: Yes
  • Storage Over Ethernet: iSCSI, NFS
  • Intel Ethernet Power Management: No
  • Packet Buffer ECC: ECC
  • Managability ECC: ECC
  • iSCSI remote boot support
Code:
Intel Gigabit ET Dual Port Server Adapter  | E1G42ET, E1G42ETBLK   | 2 ports, copper | 2.9 W   | https://ark.intel.com/products/50397/Intel-Gigabit-ET-Dual-Port-Server-Adapter
Intel Gigabit ET Quad Port Server Adapter  | E1G44ET, E1G44ETBLK   | 4 ports, copper |
   - Discontinued, replaced by ET2? why?
Intel Gigabit ET2 Quad Port Server Adapter | E1G44ET2, E1G44ET2BLK | 4 ports, copper | 8.4 W   | https://ark.intel.com/products/49187/Intel-Gigabit-ET2-Quad-Port-Server-Adapter
Intel Gigabit EF Dual Port Server Adapter  | E1G42EF, E1G42EFBLK   | 2 ports, fiber  | 2.2 W   | https://ark.intel.com/products/50396/Intel-Gigabit-EF-Dual-Port-Server-Adapter

Intel Ethernet Server Adapter I340

These are go-to adapters for most as of 2018. They are quite widely available and reasonably cheap.
  • Launch Date: ~2010
  • fully integrated (native) quad-port controller, non-bridged
  • Controller: Intel 82580
  • Interface: PCIe v2.0 x4 (5.0 GT/s)
  • 10/100/1000Mbps
  • On-chip QoS and Traffic Management: Yes
  • Flexible Port Partitioning: Yes
  • VMDq: Yes (8 queues/port)
  • SR-IOV Capable: No
  • Intelligent Offloads: Yes
  • Storage Over Ethernet: iSCSI, NFS
  • Intel Ethernet Power Management: No
  • Packet Buffer ECC: ECC
  • Managability ECC: ECC
  • iSCSI remote boot support
Code:
Intel Ethernet Server Adapter I340-T2      |                                    | 2 ports, copper | 4.3 W | https://ark.intel.com/products/49185/Intel-Ethernet-Server-Adapter-I340-T2
Intel Ethernet Server Adapter I340-T4      | E1G44HT, E1G44HTBLK                | 4 ports, copper | 4.3 W | https://ark.intel.com/products/49186/Intel-Ethernet-Server-Adapter-I340-T4
Intel Ethernet Server Adapter I340-F4      | E1G44HF, E1G44HFBLK                | 4 ports, fiber  | 4.5 W | https://ark.intel.com/products/49184/Intel-Ethernet-Server-Adapter-I340-F4
HP NC365T 4-port Ethernet Server Adapter   | 593722-B21, 593743-001, 593720-001 | 4 ports, copper |
IBM 49Y4230                                | 49Y4232, 49Y4231, 94Y5166          | 2 ports, copper |
IBM 49Y4240                                | 49Y4241, 49Y4242, 94Y5167          | 4 ports, copper |
Dell A4336167                              |                                    | 4 ports, copper |

Intel Ethernet Server Adapter I350

Latest and greatest. These are still quite expensive (as of 2018), but support SR-IOV. There are a lot of fake cards on eBay so make sure you are getting genuine one, see https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/comparison-intel-i350-t4-genuine-vs-fake.6917/.
  • Launch Date: ~2011
  • fully integrated (native) quad-port controller, non-bridged
  • Controller: Intel I350
  • Interface: PCIe v2.1 x4 (5.0 GT/s)
  • 10/100/1000Mbps
  • On-chip QoS and Traffic Management: Yes
  • Flexible Port Partitioning: Yes
  • VMDq: Yes (8 queues/port)
  • SR-IOV Capable: Yes (8 VFs/port)
  • Intelligent Offloads: Yes
  • Storage Over Ethernet: iSCSI, NFS
  • Intel Ethernet Power Management: Yes
  • Packet Buffer ECC: ECC
  • Managability ECC: ECC
  • iSCSI remote boot support
  • DMA Coalescing (DMAC)
Code:
Intel Ethernet Server Adapter I350-T2      | I350T2, I350T2BLK, I350T2G1P20     | 2 ports, copper | 4.4 W | https://ark.intel.com/products/59062/Intel-Ethernet-Server-Adapter-I350-T2
   - Discontinued, replaced by I350-T2V2
Intel Ethernet Server Adapter I350-T2V2    | I350T2V2, I350T2V2BLK              | 2 ports, copper | 4.4 W | https://ark.intel.com/products/84804/Intel-Ethernet-Server-Adapter-I350-T2V2
Intel Ethernet Server Adapter I350-T4      | I350T4, I350T4BLK, I350T2G1P20     | 4 ports, copper | 5.0 W |
   - Discontinued, replaced by I350-T4V2
Intel Ethernet Server Adapter I350-T4V2    | I350T4V2, I350T4V2BLK              | 4 ports, copper | 5.0 W | https://ark.intel.com/products/84805/Intel-Ethernet-Server-Adapter-I350-T4V2
Intel Ethernet Server Adapter I350-F2      | I350F2, I350F2BLK                  | 2 ports, fiber  | 5.5 W | https://ark.intel.com/products/59064/Intel-Ethernet-Server-Adapter-I350-F2
Intel Ethernet Server Adapter I350-F4      | I350F4, I350F4BLK                  | 4 ports, fiber  | 6.0 W | https://ark.intel.com/products/59065/Intel-Ethernet-Server-Adapter-I350-F4
 

i386

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Mar 18, 2016
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Mellanox nics (sorry for not prettifying that list :D):

Code:
Card   Type   Speed   Ports   PCIE   Variations
MCX415A-CCAT   EN   100GBE   1 QSFP28   3.0 x16   IBM EKAM, H3C 0631A012/0231A7PU/0231A7XR
MCX416A-CCAT   EN   100GBE   2 QSFP28   3.0 x16   IBM EC3L (Low Profile), IBM EC3M, Dell 540-BBQH, DELL 540-BBQF (Low Profile), DELL 540-BBVR (Low Profile), DELL 540-BBUU (Low Profile), H3C 9901A3SQ
MCX311A-XCAT   EN   10GBE   1 SFP+   3.0 x8   Lenovo 00AE047
MCX312A-XCBT   EN   10GBE   2 SFP+   3.0 x8   Lenovo 00D9690, Lenovo SC50K57838
MCX314A-BCBT   EN   40/56GBE   2 QSFP+   3.0 x8   IBM EC3A (Low Profile), IBM EC3B
MCX414A-BCAT   EN   40/56GBE   2 QSFP28   3.0 x8   IBM EKF1
MCX416A-BCAT   EN   40/56GBE   2 QSFP28   3.0 x16   H3C 9901A3SR, Lenovo SN30L67871
MCX4121A-XCAT   EN LX   10GBE   2 SFP28   3.0 x8   IBM EC2R (Low Profile), IBM EC2S, H3C 0631A013/0231A7Q0/0231A7XS, Lenovo SN30M86842
MCX4121A-ACAT   EN LX   25GBE   2 SFP28   3.0 x8   IBM EKAU (Low Profile), IBM EC2T (Low Profile), IBM EC2U, IBM AHB6, IBM AC0E, IBM AH16, IBM 0412, DELL 406-BBLC (Low Profile), DELL 406-BBLF, DELL 406-BBLH, H3C 0631A015/0231A7G5/0231A7G6, HPE 817753-B21, Lenovo 01GR250, Lenovo 4XC0G88861, Lenovo SN30P15739
MCX4411A-ACQN   EN LX   25GBE   1 SFP28   OCP 2.0/3.0 x8   Lenovo SN30M07759
MCX4421A-ACQN   EN LX   25GBE   2 SFP28   OCP 2.0/3.0 x8   Lenovo SN30L26463
MCX4131A-BCAT   EN LX   40GBE   1 QSFP28   3.0 x8   Lenovo 00MM950
MCX312B-XCCT   EN PRO   10GBE   2 SFP+   3.0 x8   IBM EC2M (Low Profile), IBM EL40 (Low Profile), IBM EC2N, IBM EL54, IBM EC37 (Low Profile), IBM EL3X (Low Profile), IBM EC38, IBM EL53, DELL 540-BBPC (Low Profile), DELL 540-BBOU, HPE 779793-B21
MCX314A-BCCT   EN PRO   40/56GBE   2 QSFP14   3.0 x8   DELL 540-BBOZ, DELL 540-BBPN
MCB191A-FCAT   IB   FDR   1 QSFP14   3.0 x8   Lenovo 00D1864
MCB193A-FCAT   IB   FDR   1 QSFP14   3.0 x16   Lenovo 00D1773
MCB194A-FCAT   IB   FDR   2 QSFP14   3.0 x16   Lenovo 46W0571
MCX455A-ECAT   VPI   EDR/100GBE   1 QSFP28   3.0 x16   IBM EC3T (Low Profile), IBM EC3U, DELL 540-BBQI, DELL 540-BBOG, HPE 825110-B21, Lenovo 00KH924
MCX456A-ECAT   VPI   EDR/100GBE   2 QSFP28   3.0 x16   IBM EKAL, EC3E (Low Profile), IBM EC3F, DELL 540-BBQG, DELL 540-BBOB (Low Profile), HPE 825111-B21, Lenovo 00MM960
MCX555A-ECAT   VPI   EDR/100GBE   1 QSFP28   3.0 x16   IBM EKFD, IBM EC62 (Low Profile), IBM EC63, DELL 540-BCDJ, DELL 540-BCDI, H3C 0231A7GH/0231A7GM, HPE 872725-B21, Lenovo 4C57A08979
MCX556A-ECAT   VPI   EDR/100GBE   2 QSFP28   3.0 x16   HPE 872726-B21, Lenovo 4C57A08980
MCX556A-EDAT   VPI   EDR/100GBE   2 QSFP28   4.0 x16   IBM EKAY
MCX353A-FCBT   VPI   FDR/40/56GBE   1 QSFP14   3.0 x8   DELL 540-BBKI (Low Profile)
MCX354A-FCBT   VPI   FDR/40/56GBE   2 QSFP14   3.0 x8   DELL 540-BBKH (Low Profile), H3C 0231A7D1/0231A7D2, Lenovo 00D9550, Lenovo SN30M27771
MCX453A-FCAT   VPI   FDR/40/56GBE   1 QSFP28   3.0 x8   H3C 9901A3M6/0231A9CA, Lenovo 7XC7A05524
MCX454A-FCAT   VPI   FDR/40/56GBE   2 QSFP28   3.0 x8   Lenovo 7ZT7A00500
MCX354A-FCCT   VPI PRO   FDR/40/56GBE   2 QSFP14   3.0 x8   HPE 764284-B21
MCX556M-ECAT-S25   VPI Socket Direct   EDR/100GBE   2 QSFP28   3.0 x8 (*2)   Lenovo 4C57A09506
 

BLinux

cat lover server enthusiast
Jul 7, 2016
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@nezach @i386 thanks guys for your contributions! when i find some time, i'll try to merge all that info into the OP... or, do you guys think that's pointless and people can just read the thread to find info? i won't be able to do it until later as I'm currently desperately trying to debug some code that's causing issues in prod...
 

nezach

Active Member
Oct 14, 2012
210
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I don't personally have a preference as long as the list gets maintained over time, which is always the biggest problem with threads like these. Of course there are a lot of NIC choices so 1 post might become a bit cumbersome to maintain.
 

AveryFreeman

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Mar 17, 2017
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Intel Gigabit VT a.k.a. PRO/1000 VT Adapters

I recommend staying away from these, unless you know what you are getting yourself into.

There is a lot of ambiguity surrounding these adapters. They are based on Intel 82575 controller (no SR-IOV)
Code:
Intel Gigabit VT Quad Port Server Adapter  | EXPI9404VT, EXPI9404VTG1P20 | 4 ports, copper | 10.65 W |
Dell K828C                                 |                             | 4 ports, copper |
I have one of these I'm not even using. Why would you recommend people steer away from it?

Also have an HP364T based on 82571EB apparently. Do you know which would be better for pfSense appliance?

Also have a Supermicro AOC-SG-i4 which is x8 pcie 2.0 lanes and based on the 82576 - it's in the pfSense appliance but I'm thinking it's overkill (also, motherboard only has x1 pcie lane despite being x16 physical size).

Do you have a recommendation for which of these three cards I should use in a simple pfSense appliance with x1 pcie lane and a J1800 processor?
 

nezach

Active Member
Oct 14, 2012
210
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I have used NC364T in pfSense myself so I know it works very well. AOC-SG-i4 has better ECC and lower power usage, but I am not sure how well it is supported under FreeBSD. If you care about that stuff then you can try AOC-SG-i4, if not just stick with tried and true. VT cards as I have mentioned have spotty driver support but if you have it, try it pfSense and report back.
 

AveryFreeman

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Mar 17, 2017
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I have used NC364T in pfSense myself so I know it works very well. AOC-SG-i4 has better ECC and lower power usage, but I am not sure how well it is supported under FreeBSD. If you care about that stuff then you can try AOC-SG-i4, if not just stick with tried and true. VT cards as I have mentioned have spotty driver support but if you have it, try it pfSense and report back.
Yeah, Supermicro makes great add-on cards, I am frequently impressed by all the little things they consider in their designs. What drew me to it wasn't the chipset, I unfortunately wasn't even paying attention at the time.

What alerted me to it was that it was x8 PCIe lanes rather than x4, so I figured it had more bandwidth in case it needed it. Then later on I found out my motherboard on my pfSense appliance only has x1 PCIe lane despite having a x16-sized slot, so it got me thinking I should probably use the AOC-SG-i4 for my main ESXi host that actually can make use of all the lanes and things like IOAT and SR-IOV.

I am going to put my NC364T in the pfSense appliance since it can make use of the em driver, which undoubtedly has gone through far more iterations. Maybe even TSO & LRO won't be broken (!). Have you enabled them on your NC364T?
 

nezach

Active Member
Oct 14, 2012
210
128
43
Not sure regarding TSO/LRO, whatever they have as default, I just left it at that.
 

AveryFreeman

consummate homelabber
Mar 17, 2017
413
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Near Seattle
averyfreeman.com
Well, here's a start:

I put each card in my little j1800 pfSense appliance and ran three iperf3 tests per card with a nearby server

The results are interesting. The NC364T had scores that were about 50Mbit/sec faster. That's the one that is 82571 based and uses the em driver. The other, an AOC-SG-I4 is 82576 based and has a lot better feature set, is newer, and uses 1-2w less energy as per my watt meter, but with my setup did a bit more poorly at the iperf3 test.

tl;dr Lowest two tests in order of AOC-SG-I4 first, NC364T second:

Code:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   762 MBytes   639 Mbits/sec                  sender
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   761 MBytes   638 Mbits/sec                  receiver
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   815 MBytes   683 Mbits/sec                  sender
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   814 MBytes   683 Mbits/sec                  receiver
Highest two tests, AOC-SG-I4 first, NC364T second:
Code:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   816 MBytes   684 Mbits/sec                  sender
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   815 MBytes   683 Mbits/sec                  receiver
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-10.01  sec   877 MBytes   735 Mbits/sec                  sender
[  4]   0.00-10.01  sec   876 MBytes   734 Mbits/sec                  receiver
Raw test data:

NC364T 52571:
Code:
root@napp-it01:~# iperf3 -c 192.168.1.97
Connecting to host 192.168.1.97, port 5201
[  4] local 192.168.1.66 port 46430 connected to 192.168.1.97 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-1.00   sec  63.2 MBytes   530 Mbits/sec
[  4]   1.00-2.00   sec  82.1 MBytes   689 Mbits/sec
[  4]   2.00-3.00   sec  86.6 MBytes   724 Mbits/sec
[  4]   3.00-4.01   sec  87.9 MBytes   736 Mbits/sec
[  4]   4.01-5.00   sec  84.0 MBytes   708 Mbits/sec
[  4]   5.00-6.00   sec  88.6 MBytes   743 Mbits/sec
[  4]   6.00-7.00   sec  86.4 MBytes   725 Mbits/sec
[  4]   7.00-8.00   sec  86.7 MBytes   728 Mbits/sec
[  4]   8.00-9.01   sec  86.3 MBytes   719 Mbits/sec
[  4]   9.01-10.00  sec  84.8 MBytes   717 Mbits/sec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   837 MBytes   702 Mbits/sec                  sender
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   836 MBytes   701 Mbits/sec                  receiver
iperf Done.
root@napp-it01:~# iperf3 -c 192.168.1.97
Connecting to host 192.168.1.97, port 5201
[  4] local 192.168.1.66 port 65031 connected to 192.168.1.97 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-1.00   sec  66.9 MBytes   561 Mbits/sec
[  4]   1.00-2.01   sec  83.3 MBytes   694 Mbits/sec
[  4]   2.01-3.00   sec  90.6 MBytes   762 Mbits/sec
[  4]   3.00-4.00   sec  88.1 MBytes   740 Mbits/sec
[  4]   4.00-5.00   sec  94.1 MBytes   790 Mbits/sec
[  4]   5.00-6.00   sec  89.5 MBytes   751 Mbits/sec
[  4]   6.00-7.00   sec  91.6 MBytes   771 Mbits/sec
[  4]   7.00-8.00   sec  95.6 MBytes   802 Mbits/sec
[  4]   8.00-9.00   sec  89.7 MBytes   752 Mbits/sec
[  4]   9.00-10.01  sec  87.7 MBytes   731 Mbits/sec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-10.01  sec   877 MBytes   735 Mbits/sec                  sender
[  4]   0.00-10.01  sec   876 MBytes   734 Mbits/sec                  receiver
iperf Done.
root@napp-it01:~# iperf3 -c 192.168.1.97
Connecting to host 192.168.1.97, port 5201
[  4] local 192.168.1.66 port 61134 connected to 192.168.1.97 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-1.01   sec  64.4 MBytes   537 Mbits/sec
[  4]   1.01-2.00   sec  90.5 MBytes   763 Mbits/sec
[  4]   2.00-3.00   sec  89.6 MBytes   752 Mbits/sec
[  4]   3.00-4.00   sec  86.9 MBytes   729 Mbits/sec
[  4]   4.00-5.00   sec  87.9 MBytes   734 Mbits/sec
[  4]   5.00-6.00   sec  86.2 MBytes   725 Mbits/sec
[  4]   6.00-7.00   sec  86.5 MBytes   726 Mbits/sec
[  4]   7.00-8.01   sec  86.7 MBytes   721 Mbits/sec
[  4]   8.01-9.01   sec  50.6 MBytes   424 Mbits/sec
[  4]   9.01-10.00  sec  85.4 MBytes   723 Mbits/sec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   815 MBytes   683 Mbits/sec                  sender
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   814 MBytes   683 Mbits/sec                  receiver
AOC-SG-I4 52576:
Code:
root@napp-it01:~# iperf3 -c 192.168.1.97
Connecting to host 192.168.1.97, port 5201
[  4] local 192.168.1.66 port 36312 connected to 192.168.1.97 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-1.01   sec  69.7 MBytes   580 Mbits/sec
[  4]   1.01-2.01   sec  94.1 MBytes   791 Mbits/sec
[  4]   2.01-3.00   sec  89.2 MBytes   753 Mbits/sec
[  4]   3.00-4.00   sec  85.4 MBytes   717 Mbits/sec
[  4]   4.00-5.01   sec  85.6 MBytes   713 Mbits/sec
[  4]   5.01-6.00   sec  44.1 MBytes   373 Mbits/sec
[  4]   6.00-7.00   sec  81.8 MBytes   687 Mbits/sec
[  4]   7.00-8.00   sec  87.5 MBytes   732 Mbits/sec
[  4]   8.00-9.00   sec  83.8 MBytes   704 Mbits/sec
[  4]   9.00-10.00  sec  40.8 MBytes   342 Mbits/sec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   762 MBytes   639 Mbits/sec                  sender
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   761 MBytes   638 Mbits/sec                  receiver
iperf Done.
root@napp-it01:~# iperf3 -c 192.168.1.97
Connecting to host 192.168.1.97, port 5201
[  4] local 192.168.1.66 port 47529 connected to 192.168.1.97 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-1.01   sec  68.4 MBytes   570 Mbits/sec
[  4]   1.01-2.00   sec  90.3 MBytes   763 Mbits/sec
[  4]   2.00-3.00   sec  93.1 MBytes   780 Mbits/sec
[  4]   3.00-4.00   sec  70.6 MBytes   593 Mbits/sec
[  4]   4.00-5.00   sec  57.5 MBytes   482 Mbits/sec
[  4]   5.00-6.00   sec  82.9 MBytes   695 Mbits/sec
[  4]   6.00-7.01   sec  87.5 MBytes   731 Mbits/sec
[  4]   7.01-8.00   sec  84.0 MBytes   708 Mbits/sec
[  4]   8.00-9.01   sec  89.4 MBytes   745 Mbits/sec
[  4]   9.01-10.00  sec  92.1 MBytes   778 Mbits/sec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   816 MBytes   684 Mbits/sec                  sender
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   815 MBytes   683 Mbits/sec                  receiver
iperf Done.
root@napp-it01:~# iperf3 -c 192.168.1.97
Connecting to host 192.168.1.97, port 5201
[  4] local 192.168.1.66 port 56859 connected to 192.168.1.97 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-1.00   sec  57.0 MBytes   478 Mbits/sec
[  4]   1.00-2.00   sec  90.9 MBytes   763 Mbits/sec
[  4]   2.00-3.00   sec  92.8 MBytes   778 Mbits/sec
[  4]   3.00-4.00   sec  86.4 MBytes   724 Mbits/sec
[  4]   4.00-5.00   sec  59.9 MBytes   503 Mbits/sec
[  4]   5.00-6.01   sec  67.5 MBytes   563 Mbits/sec
[  4]   6.01-7.00   sec  92.8 MBytes   784 Mbits/sec
[  4]   7.00-8.00   sec  81.3 MBytes   682 Mbits/sec
[  4]   8.00-9.00   sec  79.5 MBytes   667 Mbits/sec
[  4]   9.00-10.00  sec  84.4 MBytes   705 Mbits/sec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   792 MBytes   665 Mbits/sec                  sender
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec   791 MBytes   664 Mbits/sec                  receiver
This is just cursory testing, still have yet to try various offload settings...
 

AveryFreeman

consummate homelabber
Mar 17, 2017
413
54
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Near Seattle
averyfreeman.com
Iperf2 tests show about the same margin of difference:

AOC-SG-I4 82576:
Code:
$ iperf -c 192.168.1.97
------------------------------------------------------------
Client connecting to 192.168.1.97, TCP port 5001
TCP window size: 32.8 KByte (default)
------------------------------------------------------------
[  3] local 192.168.1.58 port 14942 connected with 192.168.1.97 port 5001
[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth
[  3]  0.0-10.0 sec   892 MBytes   748 Mbits/sec
$ iperf -c 192.168.1.97
------------------------------------------------------------
Client connecting to 192.168.1.97, TCP port 5001
TCP window size: 32.8 KByte (default)
------------------------------------------------------------
[  3] local 192.168.1.58 port 14952 connected with 192.168.1.97 port 5001
[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth
[  3]  0.0-10.0 sec   936 MBytes   784 Mbits/sec
$ iperf -c 192.168.1.97
------------------------------------------------------------
Client connecting to 192.168.1.97, TCP port 5001
TCP window size: 32.8 KByte (default)
------------------------------------------------------------
[  3] local 192.168.1.58 port 14962 connected with 192.168.1.97 port 5001
[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth
[  3]  0.0-10.0 sec   908 MBytes   761 Mbits/sec
NC364T 52751:
Code:
$ iperf -c 192.168.1.97
------------------------------------------------------------
Client connecting to 192.168.1.97, TCP port 5001
TCP window size: 32.8 KByte (default)
------------------------------------------------------------
[  3] local 192.168.1.58 port 15119 connected with 192.168.1.97 port 5001
[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth
[  3]  0.0-10.0 sec   950 MBytes   797 Mbits/sec
$ iperf -c 192.168.1.97
------------------------------------------------------------
Client connecting to 192.168.1.97, TCP port 5001
TCP window size: 32.8 KByte (default)
------------------------------------------------------------
[  3] local 192.168.1.58 port 15120 connected with 192.168.1.97 port 5001
[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth
[  3]  0.0-10.0 sec   989 MBytes   830 Mbits/sec
$ iperf -c 192.168.1.97
------------------------------------------------------------
Client connecting to 192.168.1.97, TCP port 5001
TCP window size: 32.8 KByte (default)
------------------------------------------------------------
[  3] local 192.168.1.58 port 15121 connected with 192.168.1.97 port 5001
[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth
[  3]  0.0-10.0 sec   905 MBytes   759 Mbits/sec
 

AveryFreeman

consummate homelabber
Mar 17, 2017
413
54
28
42
Near Seattle
averyfreeman.com
Re: offloading (disabled by default in pfSense) -- TSO seemed to make card a little slower, but LRO results on NC364T / 52751 card seems to help a bit (at least on my setup):

Code:
$ iperf -c 192.168.1.97
------------------------------------------------------------
Client connecting to 192.168.1.97, TCP port 5001
TCP window size: 32.8 KByte (default)
------------------------------------------------------------
[  3] local 192.168.1.58 port 15481 connected with 192.168.1.97 port 5001
[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth
[  3]  0.0-10.0 sec   982 MBytes   824 Mbits/sec
$ iperf -c 192.168.1.97
------------------------------------------------------------
Client connecting to 192.168.1.97, TCP port 5001
TCP window size: 32.8 KByte (default)
------------------------------------------------------------
[  3] local 192.168.1.58 port 15482 connected with 192.168.1.97 port 5001
[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth
[  3]  0.0-10.0 sec   984 MBytes   825 Mbits/sec
$ iperf -c 192.168.1.97
------------------------------------------------------------
Client connecting to 192.168.1.97, TCP port 5001
TCP window size: 32.8 KByte (default)
------------------------------------------------------------
[  3] local 192.168.1.58 port 15492 connected with 192.168.1.97 port 5001
[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth
[  3]  0.0-10.0 sec   972 MBytes   815 Mbits/sec
 

nezach

Active Member
Oct 14, 2012
210
128
43
@AveryFreeman is iPerf client and server on the same subnet or is this traffic being filtered by the firewall? The numbers are a bit low so I don't think your bottleneck is in the adapters.