Broadcom Unleashes Single-Chip, Dual-Port 10GbE C-NIC

Broadcom introduced a single-chip, dual-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) converged network interface controller (C-NIC) specifically developed for high volume server designs.



Current servers typically are equipped with Gigabit Ethernet ports and upgrading to 10 Gbps could mean additional support from the host CPU to process the data.



Broadcom said its new 10GbE C-NIC enables simultaneous processing of network, storage, processor clustering and management traffic on chip while enabling convergence of different traffic types over a single Ethernet fabric. By supporting Microsoft's Windows TCP chimney engine, iSCSI block storage and remote direct memory access (RDMA), the new C-NIC enables network protocol processing on-chip, thereby saving the server's CPU and memory I/O resources to perform their primary tasks - running applications.



The Broadcom NetXtreme II BCM57710, which is part of the NetXtreme II C-NIC family, is a fully functional dual port C-NIC that runs at 10Gbps rates and supports small form factors and PCB footprints. It converges TCP, iSCSI, RDMA, and remote management traffic over 10GbE with PCI Express interface to the host. The BCM57710 also eliminates the need for external memory, which is essential for lowering the cost of 10GbE to enable its widespread adoption. Sampling is currently underway to early access customers. Volume production is expected during the fourth quarter of 2007. http://www.broadcom.com