C H A P T E R  1

Sun Dual 10GbE SFP+ PCIe ExpressModule Overview

This chapter describes the Sun 10GbE XFP SR PCI Express Card hardware and software, and includes the following sections:


Shipping Kit Contents

The carton in which your Sun 10GbE XFP SR PCI Express Card was shipped should contain the following items:


ExpressModule Hardware Overview

The Sun 10GbE XFP SR PCI Express Card is a 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) fiber network interface card (NIC) for PCI Express systems. The ExpressModule is based on the dual-port Intel 82598EB 10GbE controller.

The ExpressModule is optimized for Intel I/O Acceleration Technology (I/OAT), which is designed to optimize network I/O. The ExpressModule is a high-performance, highly integrated 10 Gigabit Ethernet LAN card with PCIe host interface and fiber LAN connectors on the optical modules.

The product conforms to the IEEE 802.3 standard and supports standards for system manageability and power management.

FIGURE 1-1 Sun Dual 10GbE SFP+ PCIe ExpressModule, shown unpopulated. See also FIGURE 3-1 and FIGURE 3-2, which show a populated transceiver.


Illustration of the Sun Dual 10GbE SFP+ PCIe ExpressModule

ExpressModule Features

The Sun 10GbE XFP SR PCI Express Card provides the following features and benefits:

Indicator Lights on the ExpressModule

On the front panel of the ExpressModule (shown in FIGURE 1-2) next to each port, there are viewing holes for two lights dedicated to that port. TABLE 1-1 explains the meaning of the lights for each port.

FIGURE 1-2 Front Panel Lights and Attention Switch on a transceiver, shown unpopulated. See also FIGURE 3-1 and FIGURE 3-2, which show a populated transceiver.


 Illustration of the connectors and lights on the front panel.

 


TABLE 1-1 Indicator Lights for Each Port on the ExpressModule

Label

Color

Meaning

ACT/LINK

Green

Activity

10G/1G

Green

10GbE link

10G/1G

Amber

1GbE link


Two LEDs are on the ExpressModule next to the Attention switch. One LED emits green light, the LED other emits amber light. Each light can be on, off, or blinking. TABLE 1-2 explains the meaning of these lights.


TABLE 1-2 LED Indicator Lights on the ExpressModule

LED Color

LED State

Meaning

Action

Green

Off

Power off

Insertion or removal of add-in cards is permitted. All supply voltages (except Vaux) have been removed from the slot if required for add-in card removal.

Green

On

Power on

The slot is powered on. Insertion or removal of add-in cards is not permitted.

Green

Blinking

Power transition

The slot is in the process of powering up or down. Insertion of removal of add-in cards is not permitted.

Amber

Off

Normal

Operation is normal.

Amber

On

Attention

There is an operation problem at this slot.

Amber

Blinking

Locate

This slot is being identified at user request.




Note - The Attention switch currently is not supported.



Hardware and Software Requirements

Before using the Sun 10GbE XFP SR PCI Express Card, ensure that your system meets the hardware and software requirements in TABLE 1-3.


TABLE 1-3 Hardware and OS Requirements

Supported Hardware and Operating Systems

Supported Products

Hardware, SPARC-based

Sun SPARC Enterprise X6300 Server

Sun SPARC Enterprise X6340 Server

Sun SPARC Enterprise X6450 Server

Hardware, other

Sun Blade X6240 Server Module

Sun Blade X6250 Server Module

Sun Blade X6440 Server Module

Sun Blade X6450 Server Module[1]

Operating system

Solaris OS - See the ExpressModule Release Notes for the latest information about Solaris OS support.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.1 (32-bit and 64-bit)

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.6 (32-bit and 64-bit)

SUSE 10-Sp1 (64-bit)

Microsoft Windows 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit)

Microsoft Windows 2003 (32-bit and 64-bit)


Note that hardware and software support changes over time. For the latest information concerning I/O options supported by your server, check:

http://www.sun.com

 

 


Patches and Updates

Check the Sun Update Connection to ensure that you have the latest recommended patch clusters and security patches. You can download the latest recommended patch clusters and security patches at:

http://sunsolve.sun.com/pub-cgi/show.pl?target=patchpage

Search for keyword ixgbe.

In addition:

http://www.sun.com/products/networking/ethernet.jsp

http://www.sun.com/download

http://www.intel.com/support/network/adapter


1 (TableFootnote) The Sun Blade X6450 Server Module supports only Solaris and Linux operating systems.