HP 431643-B21 Fibre Channel 8Gb/s PCI-E x4 Mezzanine Network Adapter

Product Description

The HP 431643-B21 is a high-performance Host Bus Adapter (HBA) specifically engineered to facilitate robust and rapid connectivity between HP servers and Storage Area Networks (SANs). Operating at a data transfer rate of 8Gb/s per channel, this adapter is crucial for environments that demand high throughput and low latency for storage operations. Its primary function is to offload storage traffic from the server's main CPU, thereby improving overall system performance and efficiency when accessing storage resources. The adapter utilizes a PCI-Express (PCI-E) x4 interface, providing ample bandwidth for its 8Gb/s Fibre Channel ports. The mezzanine form factor indicates that it is designed to be integrated into specific HP server chassis, often occupying a dedicated slot or bay that might not accommodate standard PCI-E cards. This specialized design ensures optimal integration and performance within the HP server ecosystem, making it a reliable choice for HP enterprise environments. By enabling direct, high-speed access to SAN storage, the 431643-B21 is essential for mission-critical applications, large databases, virtualization platforms, and data-intensive workloads. It supports Fibre Channel protocols, which are the industry standard for high-performance storage networking, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of SAN switches and storage arrays. This adapter is a key component for organizations looking to build or expand their storage infrastructure with reliable and fast connectivity.