Silicom PE340G2QI71-QX4 Overview

The Silicom PE340G2QI71-QX4 is a high-performance, dual-port 40 Gigabit Ethernet (40GbE) PCI Express server adapter designed for demanding networking environments like data centers, high-performance computing (HPC), and enterprise storage. It’s built by Silicom Ltd., a specialist in edge computing and networking hardware, and leverages Intel’s advanced Ethernet controller for reliable, low-latency connectivity.

Key Features and Specifications

* Ports: 2 x QSFP+ (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable Plus) fiber ports, supporting 40GbE over short-range (SR4) multimode fiber optics. Each port can handle full-duplex 40 Gbps speeds, enabling aggregate throughput up to 160 Gbps.

* Controller: Intel XL710-BM2 (or similar XL710 series variant like XL710-QDA2), which includes hardware offloads for TCP/UDP/IP checksums, Large Send Offload (LSO), Receive Side Scaling (RSS), and support for up to 128 Virtual Device Queues (VMDq) per port for virtualization.

* Interface: PCI Express 3.0 x8 (compatible with x16 slots), low-profile or full-height bracket options for flexible server integration.

* Performance: Optimized for high-bandwidth applications with features like IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tagging, jumbo frames (up to 9.5KB), and DCB (Data Center Bridging) for converged networks. It supports advanced flow control and error correction for minimal packet loss.

* Power and Form Factor: Low power consumption (typically under 15W), PCIe half-height/half-length card suitable for 1U/2U servers.

* Operating Systems: Compatible with Linux (e.g., RHEL, Ubuntu), Windows Server, VMware ESXi, and FreeBSD via Intel’s ixgbe driver.

This adapter is particularly valued in scenarios requiring ultra-fast data transfers, such as between storage nodes in HPC clusters, where users report “zero drops” and “lightning-fast” performance. It’s a drop-in solution for upgrading legacy 10GbE setups to 40GbE without major infrastructure changes.