Intel XL710-Q2 User manual

Intel®Ethernet Adapters and Devices
User Guide

Overview
Welcome to the User's Guide for Intel® Ethernet Adapters and devices. This guide covers hardware and
software installation, setup procedures, and troubleshooting tips for Intel network adapters, connections, and
other devices.
Installing the Network Adapter
If you are installing a network adapter, follow this procedure from step 1.
If you are upgrading the driver software, start with step 5 .
1. Make sure that you are installing the latest driver software for your adapter. Visit Intel's support web-
site to download the latest drivers.
2. Review system requirements.
3. Insert the adapter(s) in the computer.
4. Attach the copper or fiber network cable(s).
5. Install the driver.
6. For Windows systems, install the Intel® PROSet software.
If you have any problems with basic installation, see Troubleshooting.
You can now set up advanced features, if necessary. The available features and the configuration process
varies with the adapter and your operating system.
Before You Begin
Supported Devices
For help identifying your network device and finding supported devices, click the link below:
http://www.intel.com/support
Compatibility Notes
In order for an adapter based on the XL710 controller to reach its full potential, you must install it in a PCIe
Gen3 x8 slot. Installing it in a shorter slot, or a Gen2 or Gen1 slot, will limit the throughput of the adapter.
Some older Intel® Ethernet Adapters do not have full software support for the most recent versions of
Microsoft Windows*. Many older Intel Ethernet Adapters have base drivers supplied by Microsoft Windows.
Lists of supported devices per OS are available at
http://www.intel.com/support/go/network/adapter/nicoscomp.htm
Supported Operating Systems
Supported 32-bit Operating Systems
NOTE: Microsoft* Windows* 32-bit operating systems are only supported on Intel 1GbE Ethernet
Adapters and slower devices. All adapters support 32-bit versions of Linux* and FreeBSD*.
Basic software and drivers are supported on the following operating systems:
lDOS
lSunSoft* Solaris* (drivers and support are provided by the operating system vendor)

Advanced software and drivers are supported on the following operating systems:
lMicrosoft Windows 7
lMicrosoft Windows 8
lMicrosoft Windows 8.1
lMicrosoft Windows 10
lLinux*, v2.4 kernel or higher
lFreeBSD*
Supported Intel® 64 Architecture Operating Systems
lMicrosoft* Windows* 7
lMicrosoft Windows 8
lMicrosoft Windows 8.1
lMicrosoft Windows 10
lMicrosoft* Windows Server* 2008 R2
lMicrosoft Windows Server 2012
lMicrosoft Windows Server 2012 R2
lMicrosoft Windows Server 2016
lMicrosoft Windows Server 2016 Nano Server
lVMWare ESXi 5.5
lVMWare* ESXi* 6.0
lVMWare ESXi 6.5
lRed Hat* Linux*
lNovell* SUSE* Linux
lFreeBSD*
Supported Operating Systems for Itanium-based Systems
lLinux, v2.x kernel and higher, except v2.6
Some older Intel® Ethernet Adapters do not have full software support for the most recent versions of
Microsoft Windows*. Many older Intel Ethernet Adapters have base drivers supplied by Microsoft Windows.
Lists of supported devices per OS are available at
http://www.intel.com/support/go/network/adapter/nicoscomp.htm
Hardware Compatibility
Before installing the adapter, check your system for the following:
lThe latest BIOS for your system
lOne open PCI Express slot
NOTE: The Intel® 10 Gigabit AT Server Adapter will only fit into x8 or larger PCI Express slots.
Some systems have physical x8 PCI Express slots that actually support lower speeds. Please
check your system manual to identify the slot.

Cabling Requirements
Intel Gigabit Adapters
Fiber Optic Cables
lLaser wavelength: 850 nanometer (not visible).
lSC Cable type:
lMulti-mode fiber with 50 micron core diameter; maximum length is 550 meters.
lMulti-mode fiber with 62.5 micron core diameter; maximum length is 275 meters.
lConnector type: SC.
lLC Cable type:
lMulti-mode fiber with 50 micron core diameter; maximum length is 550 meters.
lMulti-mode fiber with 62.5 micron core diameter; maximum length is 275 meters.
lConnector type: LC.
Copper Cables
l1000BASE-T or 100BASE-TX on Category 5 or Category 5e wiring, twisted 4-pair copper:
lMake sure you use Category 5 cabling that complies with the TIA-568 wiring specification. For
more information on this specification, see the Telecommunications Industry Association's web
site: www.tiaonline.org.
lMaximum Length is 100 meters.
lCategory 3 wiring supports only 10 Mbps.
NOTE: To insure compliance with CISPR 24 and the EU’s EN55024, devices based on the 82576
controller should be used only with CAT 5E shielded cables that are properly terminated according
to the recommendations in EN50174-2.
Intel 10 Gigabit Adapters
Fiber Optic Cables
lLaser wavelength: 850 nanometer (not visible).
lSC Cable type:
lMulti-mode fiber with 50 micron core diameter; maximum length is 550 meters.
lMulti-mode fiber with 62.5 micron core diameter; maximum length is 275 meters.
lConnector type: SC.
lLC Cable type:
lMulti-mode fiber with 50 micron core diameter; maximum length is 550 meters.
lMulti-mode fiber with 62.5 micron core diameter; maximum length is 275 meters.
lConnector type: LC.
Copper Cables
lMaximum lengths for Intel® 10 Gigabit Server Adapters and Connections that use 10GBASE-T on Cat-
egory 6, Category 6a, or Category 7 wiring, twisted 4-pair copper:
lMaximum length for Category 6 is 55 meters.
lMaximum length for Category 6a is 100 meters.
lMaximum length for Category 7 is 100 meters.

lTo ensure compliance with CISPR 24 and the EU's EN55024, Intel® 10 Gigabit Server
Adapters and Connections should be used only with CAT 6a shielded cables that are properly
terminated according to the recommendations in EN50174-2.
l10 Gigabit Ethernet over SFP+ Direct Attached Cable (Twinaxial)
lLength is 10 meters max.
Intel 40 Gigabit Adapters
Fiber Optic Cables
lLaser wavelength: 850 nanometer (not visible).
lSC Cable type:
lMulti-mode fiber with 50 micron core diameter; maximum length is 550 meters.
lMulti-mode fiber with 62.5 micron core diameter; maximum length is 275 meters.
lConnector type: SC.
lLC Cable type:
lMulti-mode fiber with 50 micron core diameter; maximum length is 550 meters.
lMulti-mode fiber with 62.5 micron core diameter; maximum length is 275 meters.
lConnector type: LC.
Copper Cables
l40 Gigabit Ethernet over SFP+ Direct Attached Cable (Twinaxial)
lLength is 7 meters max
Installation Overview
Installing the Adapter
1. Turn off the computer and unplug the power cord.
2. Remove the computer cover and the adapter slot cover from the slot that matches your adapter.
3. Insert the adapter edge connector into the slot and secure the bracket to the chassis.
4. Replace the computer cover, then plug in the power cord.
Install Drivers and Software
Windows* Operating Systems
You must have administrative rights to the operating system to install the drivers.
1. Download the latest drivers from the support website and transfer them to the system.
2. If the Found New Hardware Wizard screen is displayed, click Cancel.
3. Start the autorun located in the downloaded the software package. The autorun may automatically start
after you have extracted the files.
4. Click Install Drivers and Software.
5. Follow the instructions in the install wizard.

Installing Linux* Drivers from Source Code
1. Download and expand the base driver tar file.
2. Compile the driver module.
3. Install the module using the modprobe command.
4. Assign an IP address using the ifconfig command.
Optimizing Performance
You can configure Intel network adapter advanced settings to help optimize server performance.
The examples below provide guidance for three server usage models:
lOptimized for quick response and low latency – useful for video, audio, and High Performance Com-
puting Cluster (HPCC) servers
lOptimized for throughput – useful for data backup/retrieval and file servers
lOptimized for CPU utilization – useful for application, web, mail, and database servers
NOTES:
lThe recommendations below are guidelines and should be treated as such. Additional factors
such as installed applications, bus type, network topology, and operating system also affect
system performance.
lThese adjustments should be performed by a highly skilled network administrator. They are
not guaranteed to improve performance. Not all settings shown here may be available
through network driver configuration, operating system or system BIOS. Linux users, see the
README file in the Linux driver package for Linux-specific performance enhancement
details.
lWhen using performance test software, refer to the documentation of the application for
optimal results.
General Optimization
lInstall the adapter in an appropriate slot.
NOTE: Some PCIe x8 slots are actually configured as x4 slots. These slots have insufficient
bandwidth for full line rate with some dual port devices. The driver can detect this situation
and will write the following message in the system log: “PCI-Express bandwidth available for
this card is not sufficient for optimal performance. For optimal performance a x8 PCI-
Express slot is required.”If this error occurs, moving your adapter to a true x8 slot will resolve
the issue.
lIn order for an Intel® X710/XL710 based Network Adapter to reach its full potential, you must install it
in a PCIe Gen3 x8 slot. Installing it in a shorter slot, or a Gen2 or Gen1 slot, will impact the throughput
the adapter can attain.
lUse the proper cabling for your device.
lEnable Jumbo Packets, if your other network components can also be configured for it.
lIncrease the number of TCP and Socket resources from the default value. For Windows based sys-
tems, we have not identified system parameters other than the TCP Window Size which significantly
impact performance.

lIncrease the allocation size of Driver Resources (transmit/receive buffers). However, most TCP traffic
patterns work best with the transmit buffer set to its default value, and the receive buffer set to its min-
imum value.
lWhen passing traffic on multiple network ports using an I/O application that runs on most or all of the
cores in your system, consider setting the CPU Affinity for that application to fewer cores. This should
reduce CPU utilization and in some cases may increase throughput for the device. The cores selected
for CPU Affinity must be local to the affected network device's Processor Node/Group. You can use
the PowerShell command Get-NetAdapterRSS to list the cores that are local to a device. You may
need to increase the number of cores assigned to the application to maximize throughput. Refer to your
operating system documentation for more details on setting the CPU Affinity.
lIf you have multiple 10 Gpbs (or faster) ports installed in a system, the RSS queues of each adapter
port can be adjusted to use non-overlapping sets of processors within the adapter's local NUMA
Node/Socket. Change the RSS Base Processor Number for each adapter port so that the combination
of the base processor and the max number of RSS processors settings ensure non-overlapping cores.
1. Identify the adapter ports to be adjusted and inspect at their RssProcessorArray using the
Get-NetAdapterRSS PowerShell cmdlet.
2. Identify the processors with NUMA distance 0. These are the cores in the adapter's local
NUMA Node/Socket and will provide the best performance.
3. Adjust the RSS Base processor on each port to use a non-overlapping set of processors within
the local set of processors. You can do this manually or using the following PowerShell com-
mand:
Set-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name <Adapter Name> -DisplayName
"RSS Base
Processor Number" -DisplayValue <RSS Base Proc Value>
4. Use the Get-NetAdpaterAdvancedproperty cmdlet to check that the right values have been set:
Get-NetAdpaterAdvancedproperty -Name <Adapter Name>
For Example: For a 4 port adapter with Local processors 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22,
24, 26, 28, 30, and 'Max RSS processor' of 8, set the RSS base processors to 0, 8, 16 and 24.
Optimized for quick response and low latency
lMinimize or disable Interrupt Moderation Rate.
lDisable Offload TCP Segmentation.
lDisable Jumbo Packets.
lIncrease Transmit Descriptors.
lIncrease Receive Descriptors.
lIncrease RSS Queues.
Optimized for throughput
lEnable Jumbo Packets.
lIncrease Transmit Descriptors.
lIncrease Receive Descriptors.
lOn systems that support NUMA, set the Preferred NUMA Node on each adapter to achieve better scal-
ing across NUMA nodes.

Optimized for CPU utilization
lMaximize Interrupt Moderation Rate.
lKeep the default setting for the number of Receive Descriptors; avoid setting large numbers of Receive
Descriptors.
lDecrease RSS Queues.
lIn Hyper-V environments, decrease the Max number of RSS CPUs.
Remote Storage
The remote storage features allow you to access a SAN or other networked storage using Ethernet protocols.
This includes Data Center Bridging (DCB), iSCSI over DCB, and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE).
DCB (Data Center Bridging)
Data Center Bridging (DCB) is a collection of standards-based extensions to classical Ethernet. It provides a
lossless data center transport layer that enables the convergence of LANs and SANs onto a single unified
fabric.
Furthermore, DCB is a configuration Quality of Service implementation in hardware. It uses the VLAN priority
tag (802.1p) to filter traffic. That means that there are 8 different priorities that traffic can be filtered into. It also
enables priority flow control (802.1Qbb) which can limit or eliminate the number of dropped packets during
network stress. Bandwidth can be allocated to each of these priorities, which is enforced at the hardware level
(802.1Qaz).
Adapter firmware implements LLDP and DCBX protocol agents as per 802.1AB and 802.1Qaz respectively.
The firmware based DCBX agent runs in willing mode only and can accept settings from a DCBX capable
peer. Software configuration of DCBX parameters via dcbtool/lldptool are not supported.
iSCSI Over DCB
Intel® Ethernet adapters support iSCSI software initiators that are native to the underlying operating system.
In the case of Windows, the Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator, enables connection of a Windows host to an
external iSCSI storage array using an Intel Ethernet adapter.
In the case of Open Source distributions, virtually all distributions include support for an Open iSCSI Software
Initiator and Intel® Ethernet adapters will support them. Please consult your distribution documentation for
additional configuration details on their particular Open iSCSI initiator.
Intel® 82599 and X540-based adapters support iSCSI within a Data Center Bridging cloud. Used in
conjunction with switches and targets that support the iSCSI/DCB application TLV, this solution can provide
guaranteed minimum bandwidth for iSCSI traffic between the host and target. This solution enables storage
administrators to segment iSCSI traffic from LAN traffic, similar to how they can currently segment FCoE
from LAN traffic. Previously, iSCSI traffic within a DCB supported environment was treated as LAN traffic by
switch vendors. Please consult your switch and target vendors to ensure that they support the iSCSI/DCB
application TLV.

Intel®Ethernet FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet)
Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) is the encapsulation of standard Fibre Channel (FC) protocol frames as
data within standard Ethernet frames. This link-level encapsulation, teamed with an FCoE-aware Ethernet-to-
FC gateway, acts to extend an FC fabric to include Ethernet-based host connectivity. The FCoE specification
focuses on encapsulation of FC frames specific to storage class traffic, as defined by the Fibre Channel FC-4
FCP specification.
NOTE: Support for new operating systems will not be added to FCoE. The last operating system
versions that support FCoE are as follows:
lMicrosoft*Windows Server* 2012 R2
lRHEL 7.2
lRHEL 6.7
lSLES 12 SP1
lSLES 11 SP4
lVMware* ESX 6.0
Jumbo Frames
The base driver supports FCoE mini-Jumbo Frames (2.5k bytes) independent of the LAN Jumbo Frames
setting.
FCoE VN to VN (VN2VN) Support
FCoE VN to VN, also called VN2VN, is a standard for connecting two end-nodes (ENodes) directly using
FCoE. An ENode can create a VN2VN virtual link with another remote ENode by not connecting to FC or
FCoE switches (FCFs) in between, so neither port zoning nor advance fibre channel services is required. The
storage software controls access to, and security of, LUNs using LUN masking. The VN2VN fabric may have
a lossless Ethernet switch between the ENodes. This allows multiple ENodes to participate in creating more
than one VN2VN virtual link in the VN2VN fabric. VN2VN has two operational modes: Point to Point (PT2PT)
and Multipoint.
NOTE: The mode of operation is used only during initialization.

Point to Point (PT2PT) Mode
In Point to Point mode, there are only two ENodes, and they are connected either directly or through a
lossless Ethernet switch:

MultiPoint Mode
If more than two ENodes are detected in the VN2VN fabric, then all nodes should operate in Multipoint mode:
Enabling VN2VN in Microsoft Windows
To enable VN2VN in Microsoft Windows:
1. Start Windows Device Manager.
2. Open the appropriate FCoE miniport property sheet (generally under Storage controllers) and click on
the Advanced tab.
3. Select the VN2VN setting and choose "Enable."
Remote Boot
Remote Boot allows you to boot a system using only an Ethernet adapter. You connect to a server that
contains an operating system image and use that to boot your local system.
Intel®Boot Agent
The Intel® Boot Agent is a software product that allows your networked client computer to boot using a
program code image supplied by a remote server. Intel Boot Agent complies with the Pre-boot eXecution
Environment (PXE) Version 2.1 Specification. It is compatible with legacy boot agent environments that use
BOOTP protocol.
Supported Devices
Intel Boot Agent supports all Intel 10 Gigabit Ethernet, 1 Gigabit Ethernet, and PRO/100 Ethernet Adapters.

Intel®Ethernet iSCSI Boot
Intel® Ethernet iSCSI Boot provides the capability to boot a client system from a remote iSCSI disk volume
located on an iSCSI-based Storage Area Network (SAN).
NOTE: Release 20.6 is the last release in which Intel® Ethernet iSCSI Boot supports Intel® Eth-
ernet Desktop Adapters and Network Connections. Starting with Release 20.7, Intel Ethernet
iSCSI Boot no longer supports Intel Ethernet Desktop Adapters and Network Connections.
Intel®Ethernet FCoE Boot
Intel® Ethernet FCoE Boot provides the capability to boot a client system from a remote disk volume located
on an Fibre Channel Storage Area Network (SAN).
Using Intel®PROSet for Windows Device Manager
There are two ways to navigate to the FCoE properties in Windows Device Manager: by using the "Data
Center" tab on the adapter property sheet or by using the Intel® "Ethernet Virtual Storage Miniport Driver for
FCoE Storage Controllers" property sheet.
Supported Devices
A list of Intel Ethernet Adapters that support FCoE can be found at
http://www.intel.com/support/go/network/adapter/fcoefaq.htm
Virtualization Support
Virtualization makes it possible for one or more operating systems to run simultaneously on the same physical
system as virtual machines. This allows you to consolidate several servers onto one system, even if they are
running different operating systems. Intel® Network Adapters work with, and within, virtual machines with
their standard drivers and software.
NOTES:
lSome virtualization options are not available on some adapter/operating system com-
binations.
lThe jumbo frame setting inside a virtual machine must be the same, or lower than, the setting
on the physical port.
lWhen you attach a Virtual Machine to a tenant overlay network through the Virtual NIC ports
on a Virtual Switch, the encapsulation headers increase the Maximum Transmission Unit
(MTU) size on the virtual port. The Encapsulation Overhead feature automatically adjusts the
physical port's MTU size to compensate for this increase.
lSee http://www.intel.com/technology/advanced_comm/virtualization.htm for more inform-
ation on using Intel Network Adapters in virtualized environments.
Using Intel®Network Adapters in a Microsoft* Hyper-V* Environment
When a Hyper-V Virtual NIC (VNIC) interface is created in the parent partition, the VNIC takes on the MAC
address of the underlying physical NIC. The same is true when a VNIC is created on a team or VLAN. Since
the VNIC uses the MAC address of the underlying interface, any operation that changes the MAC address of

the interface (for example, setting LAA on the interface, changing the primary adapter on a team, etc.), will
cause the VNIC to lose connectivity. In order to prevent this loss of connectivity, Intel® PROSet will not allow
you to change settings that change the MAC address.
NOTES:
lIf Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)/Data Center Bridging (DCB) is present on the port,
configuring the device in Virtual Machine Queue (VMQ) + DCB mode reduces the number of
VMQ VPorts available for guest OSes. This does not apply to Intel® Ethernet Controller
X710 based devices.
lWhen sent from inside a virtual machine, LLDP and LACP packets may be a security risk.
The Intel® Virtual Function driver blocks the transmission of such packets.
lThe Virtualization setting on the Advanced tab of the adapter's Device Manager property
sheet is not available if the Hyper-V role is not installed.
lWhile Microsoft supports Hyper-V on the Windows* 8 client OS, Intel® Ethernet adapters do
not support virtualization settings (VMQ, SR-IOV) on Windows 8 client.
lANS teaming of VF devices inside a Windows 2008 R2 guest running on an open source
hypervisor is supported.
The Virtual Machine Switch
The virtual machine switch is part of the network I/O data path. It sits between the physical NIC and the
virtual machine NICs and routes packets to the correct MAC address. Enabling Virtual Machine Queue (VMQ)
offloading in Intel® PROSet will automatically enable VMQ in the virtual machine switch. For driver-only
installations, you must manually enable VMQ in the virtual machine switch.
Using ANS VLANs
If you create ANS VLANs in the parent partition, and you then create a Hyper-V Virtual NIC interface on an
ANS VLAN, then the Virtual NIC interface *must* have the same VLAN ID as the ANS VLAN. Using a
different VLAN ID or not setting a VLAN ID on the Virtual NIC interface will result in loss of communication on
that interface.
Virtual Switches bound to an ANS VLAN will have the same MAC address as the VLAN, which will have the
same address as the underlying NIC or team. If you have several VLANs bound to a team and bind a virtual
switch to each VLAN, all of the virtual switches will have the same MAC address. Clustering the virtual
switches together will cause a network error in Microsoft’s cluster validation tool. In some cases, ignoring this
error will not impact the performance of the cluster. However, such a cluster is not supported by Microsoft.
Using Device Manager to give each of the virtual switches a unique address will resolve the issue. See the
Microsoft TechNet article Configure MAC Address Spoofing for Virtual Network Adapters for more
information.
Virtual Machine Queues (VMQ) and SR-IOV cannot be enabled on a Hyper-V Virtual NIC interface bound to a
VLAN configured using the VLANs tab in Windows Device Manager.
Using an ANS Team or VLAN as a Virtual NIC
If you want to use a team or VLAN as a virtual NIC you must follow these steps:

NOTES:
lThis applies only to virtual NICs created on a team or VLAN. Virtual NICs created on a
physical adapter do not require these steps.
lReceive Load Balancing (RLB) is not supported in Hyper-V. Disable RLB when using
Hyper-V.
1. Use Intel® PROSet to create the team or VLAN.
2. Open the Network Control Panel.
3. Open the team or VLAN.
4. On the General Tab, uncheck all of the protocol bindings and click OK.
5. Create the virtual NIC. (If you check the "Allow management operating system to share the network
adapter." box you can do the following step in the parent partition.)
6. Open the Network Control Panel for the Virtual NIC.
7. On the General Tab, check the protocol bindings that you desire.
NOTE: This step is not required for the team. When the Virtual NIC is created, its protocols
are correctly bound.
Command Line for Microsoft Windows Server* Core
Microsoft Windows Server* Core does not have a GUI interface. If you want to use an ANS Team or VLAN as
a Virtual NIC, you must use Microsoft*Windows PowerShell* to set up the configuration. Use Windows
PowerShell to create the team or VLAN.
NOTE: Support for the Intel PROSet command line utilities (prosetcl.exe and crashdmp.exe) has
been removed, and is no longer installed. This functionality has been replaced by the Intel
Netcmdlets for Microsoft* Windows PowerShell*. Please transition all of your scripts and
processes to use the Intel Netcmdlets for Microsoft Windows PowerShell.
The following is an example of how to set up the configuration using Microsoft* Windows PowerShell*.
1. Get all the adapters on the system and store them into a variable.
$a = Get-IntelNetAdapter
2. Create a team by referencing the indexes of the stored adapter array.
New-IntelNetTeam -TeamMembers $a[1],$a[2] -TeamMode
VirtualMachineLoadBalancing -TeamName “Team1”
Virtual Machine Queue Offloading
Enabling VMQ offloading increases receive and transmit performance, as the adapter hardware is able to
perform these tasks faster than the operating system. Offloading also frees up CPU resources. Filtering is
based on MAC and/or VLAN filters. For devices that support it, VMQ offloading is enabled in the host partition
on the adapter's Device Manager property sheet, under Virtualization on the Advanced Tab.

Each Intel® Ethernet Adapter has a pool of virtual ports that are split between the various features, such as
VMQ Offloading, SR-IOV, Data Center Bridging (DCB), and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE). Increasing
the number of virtual ports used for one feature decreases the number available for other features. On devices
that support it, enabling DCB reduces the total pool available for other features to 32. Enabling FCoE further
reduces the total pool to 24.
NOTE: This does not apply to devices based on the Intel® Ethernet X710 or XL710 controllers.
Intel PROSet displays the number of virtual ports available for virtual functions under Virtualization properties
on the device's Advanced Tab. It also allows you to set how the available virtual ports are distributed between
VMQ and SR-IOV.
Teaming Considerations
lIf VMQ is not enabled for all adapters in a team, VMQ will be disabled for the team.
lIf an adapter that does not support VMQ is added to a team, VMQ will be disabled for the team.
lVirtual NICs cannot be created on a team with Receive Load Balancing enabled. Receive Load Balan-
cing is automatically disabled if you create a virtual NIC on a team.
lIf a team is bound to a Hyper-V virtual NIC, you cannot change the Primary or Secondary adapter.
Virtual Machine Multiple Queues
Virtual Machine Multiple Queues (VMMQ)enables Receive Side Scaling (RSS) for virtual ports attached to a
physical port. This allows RSS to be used with SR-IOV and inside a VMQ virtual machine, and offloads the
RSS processing to the network adapter. RSS balances receive traffic across multiple CPUs or CPU cores.
This setting has no effect if your system has only one processing unit.
SR-IOV Overview
Single Root IO Virtualization (SR-IOV) is a PCI SIG specification allowing PCI Express devices to appear as
multiple separate physical PCI Express devices. SR-IOV allows efficient sharing of PCI devices among
Virtual Machines (VMs). It manages and transports data without the use of a hypervisor by providing
independent memory space, interrupts, and DMA streams for each virtual machine.

SR-IOV architecture includes two functions:
lPhysical Function (PF) is a full featured PCI Express function that can be discovered, managed and
configured like any other PCI Express device.
lVirtual Function (VF) is similar to PF but cannot be configured and only has the ability to transfer data in
and out. The VF is assigned to a Virtual Machine.
NOTES:
lSR-IOV must be enabled in the BIOS.
lIn Windows Server 2012, SR-IOV is not supported with teaming and VLANS. This occurs
because the Hyper-V virtual switch does not enable SR-IOV on virtual interfaces such as
teaming or VLANs. To enable SR-IOV, remove all teams and VLANs.
SR-IOV Benefits
SR-IOV has the ability to increase the number of virtual machines supported per physical host, improving I/O
device sharing among virtual machines for higher overall performance:
lProvides near native performance due to direct connectivity to each VM through a virtual function
lPreserves VM migration
lIncreases VM scalability on a virtualized server
lProvides data protection

iWARP (Internet Wide Area RDMA Protocol)
Remote Direct Memory Access, or RDMA, allows a computer to access another computer's memory without
interacting with either computer's operating system data buffers, thus increasing networking speed and
throughput. Internet Wide Area RDMA Protocol (iWARP) is a protocol for implementing RDMA across
Internet Protocol networks.
Microsoft* Windows* provides two forms of RDMA: Network Direct (ND) and Network Direct Kernel (NDK).
ND allows user-mode applications to use iWARP features. NDK allows kernel mode Windows components
(such as File Manager) to use iWARP features. NDK functionality is included in the Intel base networking
drivers. ND functionality is a separate option available during Intel driver and networking software installation.
If you plan to make use of iWARP features in applications you are developing, you will need to install the user-
mode Network Direct (ND) feature when you install the drivers. (See Installation below.)
NOTE: Even though NDK functionality is included in the base drivers, if you want to allow NDK's
RDMA feature across subnets, you will need to select "Enable iWARP routing across IP Subnets"
on the iWARP Configuration Options screen during base driver installation (see Installation below).
Requirements
The Intel® Ethernet User Mode iWARP Provider is supported on Linux* operating systems and Microsoft*
Windows Server* 2012 R2 or later. For Windows installations, Microsoft HPC Pack or Intel MPI Library must
be installed.
Installation
NOTE: For installation on Windows Server 2016 Nano Server, see Installing on Nano Server below.
Network Direct Kernel (NDK) features are included in the Intel base drivers. Follow the steps below to install
user-mode Network Direct (ND) iWARP features.
1. From the installation media, run Autorun.exe to launch the installer, then choose "Install Drivers and
Software" and accept the license agreement.
2. On the Setup Options screen, select "Intel® Ethernet User Mode iWARP Provider".
3. On the iWARP Configuration Options screen, select "Enable iWARP routing across IP Subnets" if
desired. Note that this option is displayed during base driver installation even if user mode iWARP was
not selected, as this option is applicable to Network Direct Kernel functionality as well.
4. If Windows Firewall is installed and active, select "Create an Intel® Ethernet iWARP Port Mapping Ser-
vice rule in Windows Firewall" and the networks to which to apply the rule. If Windows Firewall is dis-
abled or you are using a third party firewall, you will need to manually add this rule.
5. Continue with driver and software installation.
Installing on Nano Server
Follow the steps below to install the Intel® Ethernet User Mode iWARP Provider on Microsoft Windows
Server 2016 Nano Server.

1. Create a directory from which to install the iWARP files. For example, C:\Nano\iwarp.
2. Copy the following files into your new directory:
l\Disk\APPS\PROSETDX\Winx64\DRIVERS\i40wb.dll
l\Disk\APPS\PROSETDX\Winx64\DRIVERS\i40wbmsg.dll
l\Disk\APPS\PROSETDX\Winx64\DRIVERS\indv2.cat
l\Disk\APPS\PROSETDX\Winx64\DRIVERS\indv2.inf
l\Disk\APPS\PROSETDX\Winx64\DRIVERS\indv2.sys
3. Run the DISM command to inject the iWARP files into your Nano Server image, using the directory
you created in step 1 for the AddDriver path parameter. For example, "DISM .../Add-Driver C:\Nan-
o\iwarp"
4. Create an inbound firewall rule for UDP port 3935.
5. If desired, use the Windows PowerShell commands below to enable iWARP routing across IP Sub-
nets.
lSet-NetOffloadGlobalSetting -NetworkDirectAcrossIPSubnets Allow
lDisable Adapter
lEnable Adapter
Customer Support
lMain Intel web support site: http://support.intel.com
lNetwork products information: http://www.intel.com/network
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Installing the Adapter
Select the Correct Slot
One open PCI-Express slot, x4, x8, or x16, depending on your adapter.
NOTE: Some systems have physical x8 PCI Express slots that actually only support lower speeds.
Please check your system manual to identify the slot.
Insert the Adapter into the Computer
1. If your computer supports PCI Hot Plug, see your computer documentation for special installation
instructions.
2. Turn off and unplug your computer. Then remove the cover.
CAUTION: Turn off and unplug the power before removing the computer's cover. Failure to
do so could endanger you and may damage the adapter or computer.
3. Remove the cover bracket from an available slot.
4. Insert the adapter, pushing it into the slot until the adapter is firmly seated. You can install a smaller
PCI Express adapter in a larger PCI Express slot.
CAUTION: Some PCI Express adapters may have a short connector, making them
more fragile than PCI adapters. Excessive force could break the connector. Use cau-
tion when pressing the board in the slot.
5. Secure the adapter bracket with a screw, if required.
6. Replace the computer cover and plug in the power cord.
7. Power on the computer.
Connecting Network Cables
Connect the appropriate network cable, as described in the following sections.

Connect the RJ-45 Network Cable
Connect the RJ-45 network cable as shown:
Type of cabling to use:
l10GBASE-T on Category 6, Category 6a, or Category 7 wiring, twisted 4-pair copper:
lLength is 55 meters max for Category 6.
lLength is 100 meters max for Category 6a.
lLength is 100 meters max for Category 7.
NOTE: For the Intel® 10 Gigabit AT Server Adapter, to ensure compliance with CISPR 24
and the EU’s EN55024, this product should be used only with Category 6a shielded cables
that are properly terminated according to the recommendations in EN50174-2.
lFor 1000BASE-T or 100BASE-TX, use Category 5 or Category 5e wiring, twisted 4-pair copper:
lMake sure you use Category 5 cabling that complies with the TIA-568 wiring specification. For
more information on this specification, see the Telecommunications Industry Association's web
site: www.tiaonline.org.
lLength is 100 meters max.
lCategory 3 wiring supports only 10 Mbps.
CAUTION: If using less than 4-pair cabling, you must manually configure the speed
and duplex setting of the adapter and the link partner. In addition, with 2- and 3-pair
cabling the adapter can only achieve speeds of up to 100Mbps.
lFor 100BASE-TX, use Category 5 wiring.
lFor 10Base-T, use Category 3 or 5 wiring.
lIf you want to use this adapter in a residential environment (at any speed), use Category 5 wiring. If the
cable runs between rooms or through walls and/or ceilings, it should be plenum-rated for fire safety.
In all cases: