StarTech.com ST2000SPEXI User manual

Manual Revision: 11/29/2013
For the most up-to-date information, please visit: www.startech.com
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FR: Guide de l'utilisateur - fr.startech.com
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IT: Guida per l'uso - it.startech.com
NL: Gebruiksaanwijzing - nl.startech.com
PT: Guia do usuário - pt.startech.com
ST2000SPEXI
Dual Port PCI Express (PCIe x4) Gigabit Ethernet
Server Adapter Network Card - Intel® i350 NIC
*actual product may vary from photos

Instruction Manual
FCC Compliance Statement
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital
device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates,
uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with
the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there
is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment
does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment o and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by
one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit dierent from that to which the receiver
is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Use of Trademarks, Registered Trademarks, and other Protected Names and Symbols
This manual may make reference to trademarks, registered trademarks, and other
protected names and/or symbols of third-party companies not related in any way to
StarTech.com. Where they occur these references are for illustrative purposes only and do not
represent an endorsement of a product or service by StarTech.com, or an endorsement of the
product(s) to which this manual applies by the third-party company in question. Regardless
of any direct acknowledgement elsewhere in the body of this document, StarTech.com hereby
acknowledges that all trademarks, registered trademarks, service marks, and other protected
names and/or symbols contained in this manual and related documents are the property of
their respective holders.

Instruction Manual
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Table of Contents
Introduction............................................................................................2
Packaging Contents ................................................................................................................................. 3
System Requirements.............................................................................................................................. 3
Installation ..............................................................................................3
Hardware Installation .............................................................................................................................. 3
Driver Installation...................................................................................................................................... 4
Windows ..........................................................................................................................................................4
Verifying Installation................................................................................................................................ 5
Windows ..........................................................................................................................................................5
Advanced Features (Windows) ............................................................6
Link Speed & Duplex ............................................................................................................................... 6
Advanced Tab ............................................................................................................................................. 7
Gigabit Master Slave Mode .......................................................................................................................7
Interrupt Moderation ..................................................................................................................................8
Jumbo Packet.................................................................................................................................................8
Large Send Ooad ......................................................................................................................................9
Locally Administered Address..................................................................................................................9
Log Link State Event.....................................................................................................................................10
Maximum Number of RSS Queues .........................................................................................................10
Packet Priority & VLAN ................................................................................................................................11
Performance Options ..................................................................................................................................11
Receive Side Scaling ....................................................................................................................................12
TCP/IP Ooading Options ........................................................................................................................12
Wait for Link....................................................................................................................................................13

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Power Management................................................................................................................................. 13
Teaming........................................................................................................................................................ 15
ANS Teaming Types......................................................................................................................................18
Primary and Secondary Adapters ...........................................................................................................21
Failover and Failback ...................................................................................................................................21
VLANs ............................................................................................................................................................ 22
Specications..........................................................................................23
Technical Support ..................................................................................24
Warranty Information............................................................................24
Introduction
The ST2000SPEXI PCI Express Dual Port Gigabit Network Card lets you add two
gigabit Ethernet ports to a desktop computer through a single, four-lane (x4 or higher)
PCI Express slot.Each port is fully compatible with IEEE 802.3/u/ab standards, for
10/100/1000 Mbps auto-negotiation.
This 2-port GbE network card is based on the high-performance Intel® I350
chipset, which oers several advanced driver options including IEEE 802.3ad link
aggregation / teaming support, enabling you to add additional bandwidth to your
system. Support for Jumbo Frames, full-duplex operation and 802.1q VLAN tagging
also aid in creating an ecient network conguration.
Also useful for virtualization applications or setting up a dual-homed host
conguration, this dual-port network card lets you accommodate several complex
network scenarios, to meet your business needs. For added versatility, the controller
card is equipped with a standard prole bracket and includes a low-prole/half-height
bracket for installation in small form-factor computers.

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Packaging Contents
• 1 x 2 Port Network Card
• 1 x Low Prole Bracket
• 1 x Driver CD
• 1 x Instruction Manual
System Requirements
• Available PCI Express x4 or higher (x8, x16) slot
• Windows® 8.1 (32/64bit), 8 (32/64bit), 7 (32/64), Vista(32/64), XP(32/64), Windows®
Server 2012, 2008 R2, 2003(32/64), Linux 2.4.x/ 2.6.x
Installation
Hardware Installation
WARNING! PCI Express cards, like all computer equipment, can be severely damaged
by static electricity. Be sure that you are properly grounded before opening your
computer case or touching your PCI Express card. StarTech.com recommends that you
wear an anti-static strap when installing any computer component. If an anti-static
strap is unavailable, discharge yourself of any static electricity build-up by touching a
large grounded metal surface (such as the computer case) for several seconds. Also be
careful to handle the card by its edges and not the gold connectors.
1. Turn your computer o and any peripherals connected to the computer (i.e. Printers,
external hard drives, etc.). Unplug the power cable from the rear of the power
supply on the back of the computer and disconnect all peripheral devices.
2. Remove the cover from the computer case. See documentation for your computer
system for details.
3. Locate an open PCI Express slot and remove the metal cover plate on the rear of the
computer case (Refer to documentation for your computer system for details.). Note
that this card will work in PCI Express slots of additional lanes (i.e. x8 or x16 slots).
4. Insert the card into the open PCI Express slot and fasten the bracket to the rear of
the case.
Note: If installing the card into a low prole desktop system, replacing the
preinstalled standard prole bracket with the included low prole (half height)
installation bracket may be necessary.

Instruction Manual
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5. Place the cover back onto the computer case.
6. Insert the power cable into the socket on the power supply and reconnect all other
connectors removed in Step 1.
Driver Installation
Windows
Note: The card may auto-install using native drivers, however it is recommended to
use the procedure below to update to the latest version and have access to advanced
features.
1. Upon starting Windows, if the “Found New Hardware”wizard appears on the screen,
cancel/close the window and insert the included Driver CD into the computer’s CD/
DVD drive.
2. AutoPlay should automatically launch and display all of the folders on the CD or
prompt you to view les. If AutoPlay is disabled on your system, open a Computer
window and navigate to your CD/DVD drive.
3. Choose the appropriate driver for your version of windows and double-click to run
the installer.
4. Choose the driver options you would like installed and follow the on-screen
instructions to complete the installation.

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Verifying Installation
Windows
1. Open the Device Manager by right-clicking on Computer, and then select
Manage. In the new Computer Management window, select Device Manager
from the left window panel (For Windows 8, open the Control Panel and select
Device Manager).
2. Expand the “Network Adapters” section. On a successful install, you should following
devices in the list with no exclamation points or question marks.

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Advanced Features (Windows)
Link Speed & Duplex
In the default mode, the adapter will attempt to auto-negotiate with its link partner
to determine the best setting. If the adapter cannot establish link with the link partner
using auto-negotiation, you may need to manually congure the adapter and link
partner to identical settings to establish link and pass packets. This should only be
needed when attempting to link with an older switch that does not support auto-
negotiation or one that has been forced to a specic speed or duplex mode. Your link
partner must match the setting you choose.
CAUTION: Only experienced network administrators should force speed and duplex
manually. The settings at the switch must always match the adapter settings. Adapter
performance may suer or your adapter may not operate if you congure the adapter
dierently from your switch.
Manually setting Speed &Duplex
By default, auto-negotiation is enabled. Change this setting only to match your
link partner.
1. Open the Device Manager and expand the Network Adapters section.
2. Right-click the Intel i350 Gigabit Network Connection you wish to congure and
select Properties.
3. Click the Link Speed tab.
4. Select the appropriate speed and duplex from the Speed and Duplex pull
down menu.
5. Click OK.
Gigabit Network Device Considerations
Per the IEEE specication, gigabit speed is available only in full duplex.
The settings available when auto-negotiation is disabled are:
• 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps Full duplex (requires a full duplex capable link partner set to
full duplex). The adapter can send and receive packets at the same time. You must
set this mode manually.
• 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps Half duplex (requires a link partner set to half duplex). The
adapter performs one operation at a time; it either sends or receives. You must set
this mode manually.

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• Auto-Negotiation 1000 Mbps. The adapter only advertises gigabit speed at
full duplex.
Advanced Tab
All of the settings explained in the following sections can be accessed / modied from
the Advanced tab in the device properties:
1. Open the Device Manager and expand the Network Adapters section.
2. Right-click the Intel i350 Gigabit Network Connection you wish to congure
and select Properties.
3. Click the Advanced tab.
4. Make your desired modications.
5. Click OK to apply the changes.
Gigabit Master Slave Mode
Decides whether the adapter or link partner, is designated as the master. The other
device is designated as the slave. Changing the setting can improve link quality with
certain link partners.
NOTE: Some multi-port devices can be forced to master mode. If forced to master
mode, the device can either disconnect or downshift to a 100-Mbps link. This issue can
also occur in a Forced Slave to Forced Slave mode. Changing this setting can cause a
momentary loss of connectivity.

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Interrupt Moderation
Sets the Interrupt Throttle Rate (ITR), the rate at which the controller moderates
interrupts.
The default setting is optimized for common congurations. Changing this setting can
improve network performance on certain network and system congurations.
Options:
Adaptive (ITR = -1, no interrupts/sec, it is dynamically changed by the driver)
O (ITR = 0, no limit)
Minimal (ITR = 200)
Low (ITR = 400)
Medium (ITR = 950)
High (ITR = 2000)
Extreme (ITR = 3600)
When an event occurs, the adapter generates an interrupt, which allows the driver to
handle the packet. At greater link speeds, more interrupts are created, and CPU rates
also increase. This results in poor system performance. When you use a higher ITR
setting, the interrupt rate is lower, and the result is better system performance.
NOTE: A higher ITR rate also means the driver has more latency in handling packets.
If the adapter is handling many small packets, lower the ITR so the driver is more
responsive to incoming and outgoing packets.
Jumbo Packet
Jumbo frames are Ethernet frames that are larger than 1518 bytes. You can use Jumbo
Frames to reduce server CPU utilization and increase throughput. However, additional
latency may be introduced.
NOTES:
• All equipment on the network must also support the larger frame size. When
setting up Jumbo Frames on other network devices, be aware that dierent network
devices calculate Jumbo Frame size dierently. Some devices include the header
information in the frame size while others do not. Intel adapters do not include
header information in the frame size. When conguring Jumbo Frames on a switch,
set the frame size four bytes higher for CRC, plus four bytes if you are using VLANs or
QoS packet tagging.
• Jumbo Frames are supported at 1000 Mbps only. Using Jumbo Frames at 10 or 100
Mbps is not supported and may result in poor performance or loss of link.