Broadcom Launches Portfolio of Best-in-Class 1G and 10G Ethernet Solutions for HP ProLiant Gen8 Servers

Broadcom is offering five new adapters for HP ProLiant Gen8 servers, available in a variety of dual-port and quad-port network interface cards (NICs), as well as FlexNet cards and mezzanine cards. These solutions are designed for a wide range of network configurations and provide full compatibility with HP's new servers.

Rising demand for server virtualization, cloud computing, and I/O intensive applications are driving the need for greater processing capabilities in enterprise networks and data centers. A recent survey by IDC concludes that top priorities for IT managers in 2012 are virtualization, improving system management and adding new servers.(1) Broadcom's latest Ethernet adapter solutions are engineered to help IT managers meet these demands while leveraging features and benefits unique to HP's ProLiant Gen8 servers.

Based on NetXtreme Ethernet controllers, Broadcom's new adapters and LOMs are engineered for use with HP's servers, delivering full line-rate throughput across all ports. To support enterprise and data center efficiency and scalability requirements, Broadcom's NetXtreme family offers advanced functionality including Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) and IEEE 1588 time synchronization. The new adapter portfolio also leverages Broadcom's highly-integrated 40nm PCIe single-chip solutions that enable lower power consumption (up to 42 percent), contributing to reduced IT operating costs.*

Industry Leading 10GbE Performance
Broadcom's new line of 10GbE adapters deliver the industry's highest level of throughput performance and packet routing as validated by third-party analyst firm Demartek.(2) Optimized for virtualization by uniting data and storage networks on a common 10GbE fabric, the10GbE adapters allow the server to adapt to a broad range of bandwidth configurations that reduce power and cooling costs while minimizing overall system complexity.

Key Features:
• PCI Express® (PCIe™) Gen2.0
• Full line-rate performance across all ports
• Broad OS and hypervisor support
• Full TCP/IP hardware offload* engine (TOE)
• Flex-10 partitioning - up to four partitioning assignments per 10GbE link*
• SR-IOV ready*
• Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE)*
• IEEE 1588 time precision protocol*

Market Drivers:
• Increasing traffic and richer content continues to grow on the Internet(3)
• Adoption of virtualization and other new server technologies/solutions viewed a priority by IT managers(1)
• Server-class network ports growing with total shipments expected to reach in excess of 20 percent in 2011(3)
• Increase in server-to-server communications(3)
• Ethernet adapters optimized for HP's Gen8 servers — a clear requirement for next-generation networks

Availability
All Broadcom devices mentioned above are now shipping.