Intel (News - Alert) has introduced a new network interface card (NIC). It will deliver higher data flow, a 10Gb performance over a standard copper cable and this will avoid service providers the expense of installing fiber optics to deliver services.

 

Intel launched its 10 Gbit AT Server Adapter at the Interop (News - Alert) Las Vegas exhibition and claimed that the new NIC can support both 1 Gb and 10 Gb functions. With this, operators can update the speed of their networks and services slowly rather than going for an abrupt change.

 

The device has support for 10BASE-T standard. The 10 gigabit BASE-T Ethernet server adapters are designed for multi-core processors and optimized for virtualization.

 

“The new device provides 328-foot network transmission over CAT 6a cable, as well as 180 feet over CAT 6 cable. The adapter is built for use in servers attached to local area networks or storage area networks,” Steve Schultz, marketing director for Intel, told InformationWeek.

 

Bandwidth intensive applications are made simpler by this highly affordable 10 gigabit Ethernet (GbE) network performance with cost-effective RJ-45 connections for distances up to 100 meters.

 

“In addition, the device contains Intel’s virtual machine device queues technology — or VMDq — that handles sorting of data among software-running virtual machines. By offloading the sorting to the NIC (News - Alert), rather than a virtual machine monitor, more data can move much faster,” Schultz said.

 

High-speed server connectivity — once reserved for costly, proprietary technologies such as High Performance Computing (HPC) clusters and grid-based computing — can now be achieved with the consistent connectivity of the 10 Gigabit AT Server Adapter.

 

The company’s Ethernet products support a variety of operating systems, including Windows, Linux, Fedora, FreeBSD, and VMware ESX. Dell (News - Alert) has committed to using the new adapter in upcoming models of its PowerConnect Ethernet switch.

 

The 10 Gbit AT Server Adapter is scheduled to ship at the end of the month. The device is expected to cost $999.