Download Gigabit Server Network Interface Cards— Copper and Fiber

DATA SHEET
Gigabit Server Network Interface Cards—
Copper and Fiber
Key Benefits
Tenfold Throughput Boost
Cost-Effect, Scalable Migration
Accelerate your Fast Ethernet server
connection to 1000 Mbps. 3Com®
gigabit server network interface cards
(NICs) and switches give you room for
future growth. 3Com gigabit server
NICs also provide a cost-effective, instant
performance boost over your existing
Category 5 UTP copper cabling.
The gigabit server NICs for Category
5 cabling support variable-speed
autonegotiation, providing a scalable
upgrade from Ethernet and Fast
Ethernet without replacing your
existing network infrastructure.
Automated Link Failover
Link aggregation and failover allow
you to install multiple NIC connections, boosting server availability
and bandwidth.
Centralized Management
Standards-compliant remote management—including WfM, DMI, PXE,
EFI, and remote wake up—helps
lower network administration time
and total cost of ownership (TCO).
Compatibility and Reliability
Faster Throughput
64-bit 133 MHz PCI-X bus mastering
and support for Jumbo Frames deliver faster transmissions with lower
CPU utilization.
3Com gigabit server NICs are fully
compliant with global Ethernet standards and backed by our Lifetime
Limited warranty.
Advanced Server Features
Server-enhancing capabilities help
maximize the availability, scalability,
and fault tolerance of your businesscritical servers.
Increase Network
Performance and
Availability with
Gigabit Ethernet
It’s frustrating enough that your
employees face traffic jams on their
way to the office. They shouldn’t have
to deal with the aggravation of a congested network, too.
Chances are, your enterprise LAN provides a vast array of network services—
e-business transactions, database
processing, group messaging, and
Web hosting—to an ever-growing
user group. But if your server link is
limited to 100 Mbps, you’re risking an
access bottleneck that slows down
server access, restricts user bandwidth,
and hurts overall productivity.
Migrating to 1000 Mbps Gigabit
Ethernet is a simple and cost-effective
upgrade that significantly improves
application and system performance
across the network. If your future plans
include organizational expansion, Gigabit
Ethernet is a necessary investment.
Best of all, with our gigabit server NICs—
both copper and fiber versions—you
get 3Com advanced server features
that boost system performance, improve
network manageability, improve link
fault tolerance, and reduce application
response times.
3 C O M ® G I G A B I T S E R V E R N E T W O R K I N T E R FA C E C A R D S — C O P P E R A N D F I B E R
Features and Benefits
End-to-End Gigabit Networking
3Com gigabit server NICs accelerate
network performance to 1000 Mbps.
Like our 10/100 Mbps server NICs,
our 1000 Mbps NICs are built to
industry standards so they’ll work
seamlessly with your Fast Ethernet
hardware and cabling*. Designed for
enterprise servers and backbones,
they deliver outstanding throughput,
renowned reliability, and timesaving
management capabilities.
3Com Gigabit Ethernet solutions
include NICs and switches, over
copper or fiber cabling. Get in-depth
information about our end-to-end
Gigabit solutions, by visiting
www.3com.com.
Processing Offloads
These server NICs offload cycle-intensive processing, reducing the burden
imposed on the host CPU by TCP/UDP/
IP checksum and TCP segmentation
tasks. They’ll help your server perform
better and last longer.
Faster, More Reliable Transmissions
High-performance capabilities include
64-bit 133 MHz PCI-X bus mastering,
interrupt coalescence, Jumbo Frames,
Microsoft large send, deep packet
buffer, and flow control. These features
help speed data transmissions through
the server, with fewer errors and lost
packets.
Copper vs. Fiber
3Com’s family of gigabit server NICs deliver
the fastest throughput available, standardsbased compatibility, and innovative management
support. But which version, copper or fiber,
is the right choice for your enterprise?
Gigabit Over Copper
The simplest and most cost-conscience way
to migrate to Gigabit Ethernet is by installing
a 3Com gigabit server NIC. This multi-speed,
autonegotiating NIC lets you keep your existing Category 5 UTP backbone. The only other
hardware you’ll need to modify is the backbone switch. 3Com SuperStack® 3 Switch
3300, for example, is easily upgraded with a
simple gigabit plug-in module. Or upgrade to a
gigabit-ready SuperStack 3 Switch 4900.
Gigabit Over Fiber
Building a fiber-optic backbone is a bigger
investment because it requires special switches
and cabling, but the rewards are numerous.
Fiber cabling is highly resistant to electromagnetic interference, packet snooping/
sniffing, and signal degradation—making it
ideal for longer cabling distances, high-security LANs, and electrically “noisy” environments.
For growing companies, consider this—fiber
optic cabling supports unlimited throughput
(copper cabling’s limit is 1000 Mbps). You’ll
have room to grow your business, and plenty
of bandwidth when the 10-Gigabit Ethernet
technologies arrive.
offline; PCI 2.2-compatible remote
wake up over the bus; and PCI-X for
a wider, faster data path.
Centralized Management for Lower TCO
Advanced Server Performance
3Com gigabit server NICs include
innovative features designed to optimize
server performance and bandwidth:
• Link Aggregation lets you install
multiple NICs in a single server for
increased throughput, automatic
link failover, and maximum availability.
• Bidirectional load balancing distributes data traffic across multiple
NICs and switches.
• Support for multiple VLANs lets
your security administrators monitor and secure traffic streams—
without relying on traffic-slowing
router hops.
• Advanced PCI-bus support includes
PCI Hot-Plug, which lets you hotswap NICs without taking the server
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Standards-based remote management
helps reduce the single biggest cost of
running your LAN—configuring and
troubleshooting all those PCs. Centrally
controlled capabilities—such as remote
wake up, DMI, and SNMP MIB—help
you manage networked systems without
having to physically visit each machine.
It saves your precious time as well as
some big TCO expenses.
Choose 3Com for Effortless Connections
3Com has the most experience in
delivering network connections that
access your network’s increasingly
complex infrastructure. Reliable,
open standards-based 3Com server
NICs work within your existing environments to help ensure network
availability and high-speed performance, while lowering your TCO.
3 C O M ® G I G A B I T S E R V E R N E T W O R K I N T E R FA C E C A R D S — C O P P E R A N D F I B E R
Features and Benefits
3Com Service and Support
3Com offers the support options you
need—anytime, anywhere. The 3Com
Knowledgebase Web service is a complimentary, interactive tool that gives
you around-the-clock access to
proven solutions and technical information. Explore our Knowledgebase,
Feature
as well as product information, technical tips, and FAQs, by visiting
www.3com.com.
Lifetime Limited Warranty
3Com backs gigabit server NICs with
a Lifetime Limited warranty. For
details, refer to the product manual
or visit www.3com.com.
Benefit
Performance
Affordable gigabit over copper
Relieves network congestion and improves
application response times over existing
Category 5 UTP cabling.
Scalable gigabit over fiber
Delivers a tenfold increase over Fast Ethernet;
fiber-optic cabling offers unlimited throughput potential.
TCP/UDP/IP checksum offloads
Offload cycle-intensive checksum processing
from the host CPU to the NIC for improved
system response and longer CPU life.
TCP segmentation offloads
Reduce host CPU load for improved system
performance.
Interrupt coalescing
Groups packets and reduces interrupts for
faster host processing and application response.
Bus mastering DMA
Provides more efficient I/O-bus data transfers
for lower CPU utilization.
9 KB Jumbo Frames
Speed data transfer rates, further improving
throughput.
Deep packet buffer
Maintains wire-speed throughput by using
96 KB deep packet buffer memory and
adaptive interrupt frequency.
Flow control
Reduces the number of lost packets and
retransmissions between the NIC and switch
for optimal performance.
Traffic prioritization
Uses IEEE 802.1p/Q-compliant multiple queues
to give time-sensitive data and critical applications top priority.
Efficient multicast control
Controls multicast flooding in switched LANs
for improved performance across the network.
Management
Installation CD-ROM
Includes graphical user interface for installation, configuration, and diagnostics, reducing
installation time.
Remote wake up
Wakes PCs from sleep mode, enabling
network administrators to manage servers
after hours from a central console; works
over the PCI bus (PCI 2.2-compatible or later
computers only).
Managed Boot Agent (MBA)
Provides pre-OS management capabilities,
including booting server from network; supports Remote Program Load (RPL), NetWare
Core Protocol (NCP), BootP, Pre-boot
Execution Environment (PXE), and Boot
Integrity Services (BIS), and EFI.
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3 C O M ® G I G A B I T S E R V E R N E T W O R K I N T E R FA C E C A R D S — C O P P E R A N D F I B E R
Features and Benefits
Management
10/100/1000 autonegotiation†
(copper NIC only)
Automatically senses and configures NIC
speed to the hub or switch port connection—
10, 100, or 1000 Mbps.
DMI 2.0, WfM 2.0 compliance
Allows managers to inventory servers and
NICs from a remote location, ensures compatibility with leading desktop management
applications.
ACPI compliance
Reduces power consumption and enables
remote wake up through the PCI bus.
CMOS power saver
Conserves power usage by system memory
and extends CMOS battery life.
IPv6 support (optional)
Supports increased number of IP addresses
and Layer 3 data security protocols, such as
IPSec.
Advanced Server Features
Link Aggregation
Supports redundant network connections
(up to eight) for an aggregate bandwidth
of up to 8,000 Mbps; automated, mixedspeed link failover delivers maximum server
availability.
Bidirectional load balancing
Spreads incoming/outgoing server traffic
across multiple NICs and switches; works in
the transmit direction across Layer 3 devices.
802.1Q multiple VLANs
Assign multiple subnets (up to 64 VLANs) to
each server and isolates devices within each
VLAN from the rest of the network for better
traffic control and security.
PCI Hot-Plug
Enables replacement/removal of server NIC
for upgrades or installation of additional
NICs without taking the server offline.
Compatibility and Reliability
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IEEE 802.3 compliance
Supports global Ethernet standards; fully
backwards compatible with 802.3 Ethernet
and 802.3u Fast Ethernet networks; works
with third-party NICs and LOMs.
IEEE 802.3ad compliance
Supports link aggregation and link trunking
in IEEE802.3ad-compliant switches and
hardware.
Lifetime Limited warranty
Backed by 3Com’s world-class service and
support.
3 C O M ® G I G A B I T S E R V E R N E T W O R K I N T E R FA C E C A R D S — C O P P E R A N D F I B E R
Specifications
Media
Management
Copper: 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX/1000BASE-T
Fiber: 1000BASE-SX
Works with any SNMP-compliant management
application including 3Com Managed PC Boot Agent,
3Com Network Supervisor, 3Com Boot Services
Connectors
Copper: RJ-45
Fiber: SC
Standards Compliance
Bus Interface
IEEE: 802.3, 802.3ab (copper), 802.3u (fiber),
802.3x, 802.1p, 802.1Q, 802.3ad
PC 99, WfM 1.1a/2.0, ACPI 1.0, DMI 2.0, WBEM,
CIM, WMI, PXE 2.0, BIS, RIS, EFI, SDG 3.0
32-/64-bit, 33/66 MHz PCI
32-/64-bit, 66/133 MHz PCI-X
PCI: PCI 2.2, PCI-X 1.0, PCI Hot-Plug 1.0
Cables and Operating Distances
Safety and Electromagnetic Compatibility
10BASE-T: Category 3, 4, or 5 UTP up to
100 m (328 ft)
Meets FCC requirements, FCC Part 15, Class B, CE
100BASE-TX/1000BASE-T: Category 5 UTP up to
100 m (328 ft)
1000BASE-SX: 1300 nm multimode up to 412 m
(1,351 ft) half-duplex, up to 2,000 m (6,557 ft)
full-duplex
Physical Dimensions
Length: 16.5 cm (6.6 in)
Width: 6.4 cm (2.5 in)
Power Requirements
+5 volts +/- 5%
System Requirements
Ordering Information
Hardware: PCI 2.2- or PCI-X 1.0-compliant server
Operating Ranges
Software: Linux 2.2, 2.4; Microsoft Windows XP‡,
2000, Windows NT 4.0||; Novell NetWare 4.x, 5.x,
6.x; SCO UnixWare 7, OpenServer 5;
Sun Solaris X86
Temperature: 0° to 70°C (32° to 158°F)
Humidity: 10% to 90% noncondensing
3Com Gigabit Server Network Interface Card
3Com Gigabit Fiber-SX Server Network Interface Card
Single NIC
Single NIC
Five-pack
3C996B-T
3C996B-T-5
Five-pack
3C996-SX
3C996-SX-5
* Gigabit Fiber-SX Server NICs require multimode fiber-compatible cabling and switches.
†
Gigabit Fiber-SX Server NICs transmit/receive at 1000 Mbps only and do not support autonegotiation.
‡
Software compatibility based on testing with the latest available Windows XP beta software.
||
This server NIC is not compatible with Microsoft desktop operating systems, such as Windows Me, 9x, or 3.x.
3Com Corporation, Corporate Headquarters, 5400 Bayfront Plaza, P.O. Box 58145, Santa Clara, CA 95052-8145
3Com simplifies how people connect to information and services through easy-to-use connectivity products and solutions
for consumers and commercial organizations. The company also provides access infrastructures and IP services platforms
for network service providers. For further information, visit www.3com.com or the press site at www.3com.com/pressbox.
Copyright © 2001 3Com Corporation. All rights reserved. 3Com and SuperStack are registered trademarks and the 3Com
logo is a trademark of 3Com Corporation. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Microsoft, Windows, and
Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks of Novell,
Inc. SCO OpenServer and Unixware are registered trademarks of The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc. Sun is a registered trademark and Solaris is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of
their respective companies.
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400702-001 07/01