Features and specifications

The adapters have the following features:
  • One, two, or four 10/100/1000 copper ports with RJ45 for Cat 5e/6 cabling
  • Full line-rate performance across all ports
  • Low-profile form factor - supported by the majority of System x and iDataPlex servers
  • PCI Express 2.0 host interface (NetXtreme II single-port is PCI Express 1.1)
  • Jumbo Frames support (9600 bytes frames)
  • IEEE 802.1q VLAN support - provides enhanced network management and efficiency
  • I/O virtualization (IOV) support for VMWare NetQueue and Microsoft VMQ - improves network performance in virtualized environments
  • IEEE 802.3x flow control support
  • Receive and transmit side scaling
  • TCP, IP, and UDP checksum offload
  • Message Signaled Interrupts (MSI) and MSI-X support - Maximizes server processing performance by reducing CPU overhead and lowering interrupt latency
  • On-chip temperature monitor (NetXteme I only)
  • IEEE 802.3az Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) compliant - Reduces adapter power consumption by up to 42% through intelligent adaptive power management, adjusting power based on data traffic load. (NetXtreme I only)
  • IEEE 802.3z (Clause 30) - Statistics for SNMP MIB II, Ethernet like MIB, and Ethernet MIB (NetXtreme I only)
  • IEEE 1588 Precision Time Control and 802.1AS time synchronization support - Provides greater accuracy of data packet delivery within the network (NetXtreme I only)
  • TCP/IP Offload Engine (TOE) support (NetXtreme II dual and quad-port only)
  • Hardware-based iSCSI offload (NetXtreme II dual and quad-port only)
  • Management using Broadcom Advanced Control Suite (BACS), Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), and Broadcom Management API (BMAPI)

Table 2 compares the features of the cards. The NetXteme I adapters are a lower-cost offering using the latest Broadcom controller. The NetXtreme II adapters offer advanced features such as TOE and iSCSI offload.

Table 2. Features
FeatureNetXtreme I Quad-portNetXtreme II Quad-portNetXtreme I dual-portNetXtreme II dual-portNetXtreme II single-port
Part number90Y935249Y4220*90Y937042C1780 39Y6066
ChipsetBCM5719BCM5709CBCM5720BCM5709CBCM5708C
RJ45 connectors44221
PCIeYesYesYesYesYes
PCIe Gen2YesYesYesYesNo
PCIe Lanesx4x4x1x4x4
TOE supportNoYes (ports 0 & 1 only)NoYes (both ports)Yes
iSCSI offloadNo (software Initiator)YesNo (software Initiator)Yes**No (software Initiator)
Stateless offloads YesYesYesYesYes
Jumbo FramesYesYesYesYesYes
IEEE 802.1Q VLAN supportYesYesYesYesYes
PXE BootYesYesYesYesYes
iSCSI BootYesYesYesYesYes
NIC TeamingYesYesYesYesYes
On-chip temperature monitorYesNoYesNoNo
IEEE 802.3az (Energy Efficient Ethernet, EEE)YesNoYesNoNo
IEEE 1588/802.1AS (Precision Time Protocol, PTP)YesNoYesNoNo
VMware NetQueue & Microsoft VMQYesYesYesYesNo
Statistics for SNMP MIB IIYesNoYesNoNo
Form FactorLow-profile (5.2" x 2.7")Low-profile (6.6” x 2.53”)Low-profile (4.3" x 2.7")Low-profile (4.66” x 2.53”)Low-profile (5.875” x 2.75”)
Supported operating systems

The adapters support the following operating systems:
  • Microsoft Windows Essential Business Server 2008 Premium Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Essential Business Server 2008 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Windows HPC Server 2008
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Web Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003/2003 R2, Datacenter Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003/2003 R2, Datacenter x64 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003/2003 R2, Enterprise Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003/2003 R2, Enterprise x64 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003/2003 R2, Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003/2003 R2, Standard x64 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Datacenter x64 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Datacenter x86 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Enterprise x64 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Enterprise x86 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Standard x64 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Standard x86 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Web x64 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Web x86 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2012
  • Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003/2003 R2 Premium Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003/2003 R2 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 Premium Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 Standard Edition
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 AS for AMD64/EM64T
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 ES for AMD64/EM64T
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 WS/HPC for AMD64/EM64T
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server Edition
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server Edition with Xen
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server with Xen x64 Edition
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server x64 Edition
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Server Edition
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Server x64 Edition
  • SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 10 for AMD64/EM64T
  • SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 10 for x86
  • SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 10 with Xen for AMD64/EM64T
  • SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 for AMD64/EM64T
  • SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 for x86
  • SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 with Xen for AMD64/EM64T
  • VMware ESX 4.0
  • VMware ESX 4.1
  • VMware ESXi 4.0
  • VMware ESXi 4.1
  • VMware vSphere 5.0 (ESXi)
  • VMware vSphere 5.1 (ESXi)

See IBM ServerProven for the latest information about the specific versions and service packs supported: https://ibm.com/servers/eserver/serverproven/compat/us/. Click System x servers, and then click LAN to see the support matrix. Click the check mark that is associated with the System x server in question to see the details of operating system support.