Network cards

Designing an efficient network starts with the basics, which means purchasing a good network card. At Hardware Direct, we know that every environment has its specifics – that's why, instead of offering universal solutions, we help you choose equipment that truly meets your needs. Our offer includes not only standard Ethernet cards but also specialized adapters for the most demanding deployments.

When designing a network, it's worth looking beyond just current requirements. In our offer, you will find network cards starting from simple gigabit models, but the real strength lies in high-end solutions. For example, the Intel E810 is not a random choice – these cards not only provide 200 GbE bandwidth but also excel in network traffic optimization.

A virtual environment is a significant challenge for any network card. It's not just about bandwidth – the card must handle traffic from many machines efficiently. At Hardware Direct, we have a wide selection of models with full support for VMware, including Direct Path I/O and SR-IOV. Notably, the Broadcom 57504 cards can not only divide bandwidth between VMs but do so while maintaining strict QoS parameters.

For VMware administrators, native support for SR-IOV is particularly important – a feature that practically means direct access of virtual machines to the card's resources. Every server network card from this line undergoes real-world testing before being sold.

Storage is a real test for network bandwidth. Ordinary cards often can't handle it – that's why at Hardware Direct, we focus on specialized Qlogic and Emulex models. These are not ordinary server network cards – each supports the NVMe over Fabric protocol, which translates into lightning-fast storage access. If your databases need an extra boost, these cards make a real difference. Onboard, you'll find dedicated processors that offload a lot of work from the main CPU.

Modern applications can consume every available network resource. We kept this in mind when assembling server devices for our offer. In this category, you will find server network cards that can handle a significant portion of network tasks on their own. For example, the Mellanox ConnectX-6 is a real powerhouse – not only does it handle packet classification independently, but it also manages protocol processing in hardware. Many administrators will also appreciate Intel network cards with ADQ (Application Device Queues). In practice, this means you can direct specific traffic to selected CPU cores – invaluable when you need predictable latency.

Modern data centers are constantly seeking a balance between performance and cost efficiency. In our offer, you will find a network card with multi-host support, capable of handling up to four physical servers simultaneously. Mellanox solutions in this segment are a real breakthrough – not only do you save on equipment, but you also gain configuration flexibility.

At Hardware Direct, we offer models with advanced partitioning – you can divide one physical port into several independent virtual interfaces. Each with its own QoS, bandwidth allocation, and full traffic isolation. This is particularly useful when you want to maximize the use of available network resources while maintaining full control over traffic.

In today's data centers, separate networks for LAN and SAN are often an unnecessary overhead. We know this, and that's why we offer network cards that combine both worlds without any performance compromises.

HPE and Dell models with FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet) support are not just a way to simplify cabling – they represent a complete change in network architecture. Particularly noteworthy are models with DCB (Data Center Bridging) certification, which guarantee predictable performance for storage traffic even under high network load.

A new generation LAN network card can now handle both application and storage traffic simultaneously, maintaining full isolation and performance guarantees. This solution is especially appreciated when modernizing older infrastructure, where every saved port counts.

In the Hardware Direct offer, you will find network cards with hardware support for RDMA and iSCSI.

Chelsio T6 models are real beasts when it comes to optimizing storage access. Hardware acceleration of both protocols translates into drastically reduced latency – particularly noticeable in database environments. A server network card with RoCE v2 (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) support allows you to leverage RDMA benefits in standard Ethernet networks without building a separate infrastructure. This technology works well in both Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct environments and classic iSCSI deployments. You will particularly appreciate this in projects where every microsecond of latency can impact application performance.