Intel® Data Direct I/O Technology is a platform technology that improves I/O data processing efficiency for data delivery and data consumption from I/O devices. With Intel DDIO, Intel® Server Adapters and controllers talk directly to the processor cache without a detour via system memory, reducing latency, increasing system I/O bandwidth, and reducing power consumption.

Single-Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) involves natively (directly) sharing a single I/O resource between multiple virtual machines. SR-IOV provides a mechanism by which a Single Root Function (for example a single Ethernet Port) can appear to be multiple separate physical devices.

Flexible Port Partitioning (FPP) technology utilizes industry standard PCI SIG SR-IOV to efficiently divide your physical Ethernet device into multiple virtual devices, providing Quality of Service by ensuring each process is assigned to a Virtual Function and is provided a fair share of the bandwidth.

System requirements
Compatible operating systems	https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000025890/network-and-i-o/ethernet-products.html
Windows operating systems supported	Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 7 Enterprise x64, Windows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Basic x64, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Home Premium x64, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Professional x64, Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Starter x64, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7 Ultimate x64, Windows 8, Windows 8 Enterprise, Windows 8 Enterprise x64, Windows 8 Pro, Windows 8 Pro x64, Windows 8 x64
Linux operating systems supported	Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 5.0, Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 6.0, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11
Server operating systems supported	Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008 R2 x64, Windows Server 2008 x64, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012 R2 x64
Ports & interfaces
Connectivity technology	Wired
Host interface	PCI Express
Interface	Ethernet
Ethernet LAN (RJ-45) ports	2
PCI version	3.0
PCI Card form factor	Half-height (low-profile)
Operational conditions
Operating temperature (T-T)	0 - 55 °C
Storage temperature (T-T)	-40 - 70 °C
Storage relative humidity (H-H)	0 - 90%
Network
Maximum data transfer rate	10000 Mbit/s
Networking standards	IEEE 802.1Q, IEEE 802.1as, IEEE 802.1p, IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3ad
Ethernet LAN	Yes
Ethernet interface type	5 Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet
Ethernet LAN data rates	100,1000,2500,5000,10000 Mbit/s
Cabling technology	10GBase-T
VLAN tagging	Yes
iSCSI support	Yes
Maximum operating distance	100 m
LAN controller	Intel® X550
Other features
Data transfer rate	8 GT/s
Cable type	RJ45 Category 6 up to 55m; Category 6A up to 100m
Market segment	Server
Number of VLANs	4096
Intel Virtual Machine Device Queues (VMDq)	Yes
PCI-SIG* SR-IOV Capable	Yes
On-chip QoS and Traffic Management	Yes
Intel Flexible Port Partitioning	Yes
Speed & slot width	8.0 GT/s, x4 Lane
Low halogen options available	No
Intelligent Offloads	Yes
iWARP/RDMA	No
Fiber Channel over Ethernet	Yes
Intel Data Direct I/O Technology	Yes
Intel Virtualization Technology for Connectivity (VT-c)	Yes
Interface type	PCIe v3.0 (8.0 GT/s)
Conflict-Free	Yes
Product type	Network Interface Card
Desktop Management Interface (DMI) version	2.0
Processor family	500 Network Adapters (up to 10GbE)-500 Network Adapters (up to 10GbE)
Ethernet adapter ARK ID	88209
Export Control Classification Number (ECCN)	5A992C
Commodity Classification Automated Tracking System (CCATS)	G135872
Controller type	Intel® Ethernet Controller X550
Cabling type	RJ45 Category 6 up to 55m; Category 6A up to 100m
Bracket height	Low-Profile (LP) / Full-Height (FH)
Storage Over Ethernet	iSCSI, FCoE, NFS
Launch date	Q1'16
Network interface card cable medium	Copper
Network interface card type	Server
Product brief URL	http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ethernet-products/converged-network-adapters/ethernet-x550-brief.html
Status	Launched
Last change	64826838
Product family	Intel 10 Gigabit server adapter
Product series	500 Series Network Adapters (up to 10GbE)
Design
Internal	Yes
Product colour	Green, Silver
Logistics data
Harmonized System (HS) code	85176990