The IBM Power6 8203-E4A (#5768) 2-Port Gigabit Ethernet-SX PCI Express Adapter
The IBM 2-Port Gigabit Ethernet-SX PCI Express (PCIe) Adapter provides two 1 Gbps (1000 Base-SX) full-duplex Ethernet LAN connections. The adapter interfaces to the system via a PCIe bus. It is PCIe x4 capable and conforms to the PCIe 1.0a standard. The adapter connects to a network using a 50/62.5 micron shortwave (850 nm) multimode optical cable that conforms to the IEEE 802.3z standard. The adapter supports distances of 260m for 62.5 micron Multi Mode Fiber (MMF) and 550m for 50.0 micron MMF. AIX Network Install Manager (NIM) boot capability is supported with this adapter.
A function called 'Large Send' or sometimes known as TCP Segmentation is also provided by this adapter. This function offloads the TCP segmentation operation from the AIX IP layer to the adapter for outgoing (transmit side) TCP segments. Another function known as "Checksum Offload" which offloads the TCP Checksum Operation or workload from the CPU to the adapter is also provided.
The IBM 2-Port Gigabit Ethernet-SX PCIe Adapter The IBM Power6 8203-E4A (#5768) should be considered where maximum port density is required per I/O card slot. For a suggested maximum number of adapters taking performance into consideration, see the IBM System p PCI placement guide (SA76-0090) for information about the PCIe slots on your system unit.
Note: The 2-Port IBM Gigabit Ethernet-SX PCIe Adapter incorporates an LC type connector on the card. This new, smaller form factor connector is being used by the industry for the next generation of fiber optic networks. If connecting into an older, existing SC type connector network, an LC-SC 62.5 Micron Fiber Converter Cable The IBM Power6 8203-E4A (#2459) or LC-SC 50 Micron Fiber Converter Cable The IBM Power6 8203-E4A (#2456) is required.
Limitation: Half Duplex (HDX) mode is not supported.
Attributes provided: Two full-duplex 1000Base-SX fiber connections to a Gigabit Ethernet LAN(s).
Attributes required: One available PCIe card slot
For 8203-E4A: The IBM Power6 8203-E4A (#5768)
Minimum required: 0
For feature number 5768:
Maximum allowed: 32 (Initial order maximum: 32)
OS level required: AIX 5.3 with the 5300-07 Technology Level or later. AIX 6.1 or later. IBM i V5R4 with V5R4M5 machine code, or later. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1 for POWER Systems, or later. Red Hat Enterprise Linux for POWER, version 4.5, or later. Red Hat Enterprise Linux for POWER, version 5.1, or later.
Initial Order/MES/Both/Supported: Both
CSU: Yes
Return parts MES: No
Note: CEC maximum of 3 under AIX, IBM i, or Linux. System maximum of 32 under AIX, IBM i, or Linux.
