IBM 49Y4235 10Gb/s Virtual Fabric Adapter (CFFh)

Product Description

The IBM 49Y4235 is a specialized 10 Gigabit per second (10Gb/s) Virtual Fabric Adapter (VFA) designed to enhance network performance and capabilities within IBM server environments. It utilizes the CFFh (Common Fabric Form Factor) interface, which is a proprietary connector type used in certain IBM server platforms, indicating a tight integration with specific IBM hardware. This adapter is engineered to provide high-speed, low-latency network connectivity, crucial for modern data centers and demanding enterprise applications. The term 'Virtual Fabric Adapter' suggests that this card is optimized for virtualized environments. It likely incorporates features that facilitate efficient network traffic management for virtual machines (VMs), such as advanced I/O virtualization technologies (like SR-IOV) that allow VMs to directly access the network adapter's hardware resources, bypassing the hypervisor's network stack for improved performance and reduced CPU overhead. This makes it ideal for consolidating workloads and running multiple virtualized applications on a single server. While the exact port configuration might vary depending on the specific sub-model or implementation, 10Gb/s VFAs typically offer multiple ports (often SFP+ based) to support high bandwidth requirements, network redundancy, or the segregation of different types of network traffic (e.g., storage, management, application data). The CFFh interface implies it's designed for specific IBM blade servers or high-density systems where space and power efficiency are paramount. The 49Y4235 represents a high-performance networking solution tailored for IBM's infrastructure, focusing on speed, efficiency, and virtualization support.