Reference: Supported NICs and Slot Configurations

Reference: Supported NICs and Slot Configurations

Use this reference to find NIC manufacturing part numbers, orderable part numbers, supported slot configurations, restrictions or caveats for specific cards, and NIC support by appliance model.

For details about required software versions, see Installing Network Interface Cards.

For details about NICs for SteelHead, see the Riverbed Virtual & Cloud Platforms Guide.

NIC sizes are abbreviated as follows:

• HHHL = Half Height, Half Length

• FHHL = Full Height, Half Length

• FH7.6 = Full Height, Length 7.6”

• FH9.5 = Full Height, Length 9.5”

Supported NICs Matrix

Use this table to find NIC part numbers and the appliances that support each card.

NIC name and size	Manufacturing part no.	Orderable part no.	Appliances
Two-Port 100-GbE Fiber LR4 FH9.5	410-00248-01	NIC-1-100G-2LR4-BP	Interceptor 9800
Two-Port 100-GbE Fiber SR4 FH9.5	410-00247-01	NIC-1-100G-2SR4-BP	Interceptor 9800
Two-Port 40-GbE Fiber LR4 FH9.5	410-00194-01	NIC-1-040G-2LR4-BP	SteelHead 5080 SteelHead 6090 SteelHead 7080 SteelHead 8090 SteelHead GX 10000 Interceptor 9600 Interceptor 9800
Two-Port 40-GbE Fiber SR4 FH9.5	410-00193-01	NIC-1-040G-2SR4-BP	SteelHead 5080 SteelHead 6090 SteelHead 7080 SteelHead 8090 SteelHead GX 10000 Interceptor 9600 Interceptor 9800
Four-Port 10-GbE Copper FH9.5	410-00195-01	NIC-1-010G-4TX-BP	SteelHead 5080 SteelHead 7080 SteelHead GX 10000
Four-Port 10-GbE DAC FH7.6	410-00197-01	NIC-1-010G-DAC-BP	SteelHead 3080 SteelHead 5080 SteelHead 7080 SteelHead GX 10000
Four-Port 10-GbE Fiber LR FH7.6	410-00190-01	NIC-1-010G-4LR-BP	SteelHead 3080 SteelHead 4090 SteelHead 5070 SteelHead 5080 SteelHead 6090 SteelHead 7070 SteelHead 7080 SteelHead 8090 SteelHead GX 10000 Interceptor 9600 Interceptor 9800
Four-Port 10-GbE Fiber SR FH7.6	410-00191-01	NIC-1-010G-4SR-BP	SteelHead 3080 SteelHead 4090 SteelHead 5070 SteelHead 5080 SteelHead 6090 SteelHead 7070 SteelHead 7080 SteelHead 8090 SteelHead GX 10000 Interceptor 9600 Interceptor 9800
Two-Port 10-GbE TX Copper	410-00094-01	NIC-1-010G-2TX	SteelFusion
Four-Port 1-GbE Copper Base-T HHHL	410-00115-01 or -11	NIC-1-001G-4TX-BP	SteelFusion Core 3500 SteelHead 2090 SteelHead 3070 SteelHead 3080 SteelHead 4090 SteelHead 5070 SteelHead 5080 SteelHead 6090 SteelHead 7070 SteelHead 7080 SteelHead 8090 SteelHead GX 10000 Interceptor 9600
Four-Port 1-GbE Fiber LX FHHL	410-00123-01	NIC-1-001G-4LX-BP	SteelHead 3070 SteelHead 3080 SteelHead 4090 SteelHead 5070 SteelHead 5080 SteelHead 6090 SteelHead 7070 SteelHead 7080 SteelHead 8090 Interceptor 9600 Interceptor 9800
Four-Port 1-GbE Fiber SX FHHL	410-00122-01	NIC-1-001G-4SX-BP	SteelHead 3070 SteelHead 3080 SteelHead 4090 SteelHead 5070 SteelHead 5080 SteelHead 6090 SteelHead 7070 SteelHead 7080 SteelHead 8090 SteelHead GX 10000 Interceptor 9600 Interceptor 9800
Two-Port 1-GbE Fiber LX HHHL	410-00114-01	NIC-1-001G-2LX-BP	SteelHead 3070 SteelHead 5070 SteelHead 7070 Interceptor 9600
Two-Port 1-GbE Fiber SX HHHL	410-00113-01	NIC-1-001G-2SX-BP	SteelHead 3070 SteelHead 5070 SteelHead 7070 Interceptor 9600
Two-Port TX 1-GbE Copper	410-00043-01	NIC-001-2TX	SteelHead 150, 250, 550, 555
Four-Port TX 1-GbE Copper	410-00044-01	NIC-002-4TX	SteelHead 555, 755, 1555, 5055, 7055
QuickAssist Technology (QAT) Compression/Acceleration HHHL	410-00246-01	QAT-COMP-SP	SteelHead 7080
10-Gbps Compression Offload FHHL	410-00055-02	OFL-1-CMP-2	SteelHead GX 10000
5-Gbps Compression Offload HHHL	410-00303-02	OFL-1-CMP-1	SteelHead 7070

Supported slot configurations

Use this reference to understand supported slot configurations and restrictions or caveats for specific cards.

Supported slots for SteelHead CX 6090 and 8090

SteelHead CX 6090 and 8090 supported NICs	Quantity	Supported slots
40GbE	2	Slots 2 and 4. These cards can be installed in slots 2 and 4.
10 GbE	4	Slots 1, 2, 4 and 5. These cards can be installed in slots 1, 2, 4, and 5 and cannot be installed in slots 3 and 6 due to hardware restrictions.
1 GbE	5	Slots 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6. These cards can be installed in slots 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6.

For optimal performance, it is recommended to alternate your installation of 10GbE or higher NICs, between slots 1, 2, and slots 3, 4, 5. For example, if your first 10GbE card is installed in slot 1, your second 10GbE card should be installed in slot 4 or 5.

Supported slots for SteelHead CX 4090

SteelHead CX 4090 supported NICs	Quantity	Supported slots
10 GbE	1	Slot 2. These cards can be installed in slot 2.
1 GbE	1	Slot 2. These cards can be installed in slot 2.

Supported slots for SteelHead CX 5080 and 7080

SteelHead CX 5080 and 7080 supported NICs	Quantity	Supported slots
40 GbE	2	Slots 2 and 4. These cards require two slots due to their larger size and need for a x16 bus width PCIe slot. They can be installed in slot 2 (slot 1 will be blocked) and/or slot 4 (slot 5 will be blocked).
10 GbE	4	Slots 1, 2, 4, and 5. These cards can be installed in slots 1, 2, 4, and 5 but cannot be installed in slots 3 and 6 due to hardware restrictions.
1 GbE	6	Slots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. These cards can be installed in slots 1 to 6. If a QAT Compression/Acceleration card is installed in slot 6, you lose that slot.
QAT Compression/Acceleration	1	Slot 6 only. The QAT Compression/Acceleration card can only be installed in the CX 7080 appliance, slot 6.

Slots restrictions for SteelHead CX 5080 and CX 7080

The slot restrictions based on height and length of NICs are described in these tables.

Right riser slots

Slot no.	Bus width	Height	Length	Notes
Slot 1	x8	FH (Full-Height)	FL (Full-Length)	When a x16 card is in slot 2, slot 1 can’t be used.
Slot 2	x16 or x8	FH (Full-Height)	FL (Full-Length)	When a x16 card is in slot 2, slot 1 can’t be used. Two-Port 40-GbE Fiber SR4/LR4 cards require x16 bus width slots and are only supported in slots 2 and 4.
Slot 3	x8	FH (Full-Height)	HL (Half-Length <= 6.6 in.)	SteelHead CX 5080 and CX 7080 appliances ship with a Four-Port 1-GbE Copper Bypass card installed in slot 3.

Left riser slots

Slot no.	Bus width	Height	Length	Notes
Slot 4	x16 or x8	FH (Full-Height)	FL (Full-Length)	When a x16 card is in slot 4, slot 5 can’t be used. Two-Port 40-GbE Fiber cards require a x16 bus width PCIe slot and are only supported in slots 2 and 4.
Slot 5	x8	FH (Full-Height)	FL (Full-Length)	When a x16 card is in slot 4, slot 5 can’t be used.
Slot 6	x8	See notes.	HL (Half-Length <= 6.6 in.)	Half-Height: CX 7080 ships with a 3008-8i HBA mezzanine card preinstalled. The CX 7080 requires this mezzanine card for internal PCIe and IO expansion. The CX 5080 doesn’t require a mezzanine card. Full-Height: The CX 5080 is full-height NIC compatible when a mezzanine card isn’t installed. The QAT Compression/Acceleration card can be installed in slot 6. Two Mini-SAS-HD cables connect the 3008-8i HBA mezzanine card and the backplane connectors. If these cables are bad or loose, the SSDs won’t function properly. If the 3008-8i HBA mezzanine card fails, the system won’t recognize the SSDs.

Supported slots for Interceptor 9800

Interceptor 9800 supported NICs	Quantity	Supported slots
100 GbE	2	Slots 2 and 4. (Two-Port 100-GbE cards require a x16 bus width PCIe slot and are only supported in slots 2 and 4.) When a 100-GbE card is installed in slot 2, slot 1 is unusable. When a 100-GbE card is installed in slot 4, slot 5 is unusable.
40 GbE	2	Slots 2 and 4. (Two-Port 40-GbE cards require a x16 bus width PCIe slot and are only supported in slots 2 and 4.) When a 40-GbE card is installed in slot 2, slot 1 is unusable. When a 40-GbE card is installed in slot 4, slot 5 is unusable.
10 GbE	4	Slots 1, 2, 4, and 5. (hardware restriction in slot 3 and slot 6).
1 GbE Fiber SX	4	Slots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. No slot restrictions.

Interceptor 9800 supported NIC combinations and slot restrictions

Interceptor 9800 appliances support a maximum of four NICs (occupying slots 1, 2, 4, and/or 5) in the following combinations:

• 2 x 100-GbE NICs in slots 2 and 4. In this combination, slots 1 and 5 must be empty.

• 1 x 100-GbE NIC + 1 x 40-GbE NIC:

– 100-GbE NIC in slot 2, then 40-GbE NIC in slot 4.

– 40-GbE NIC in slot 2, then 100-GbE NIC in slot 4.

• 2 x 40-GbE NICs in slots 2 and 4. In this combination, slots 1 and 5 must be empty.

• 1 x 40-GbE NIC + 1 x 10-GbE NIC:

– 40-GbE NIC in slot 4 (slot 5 should be empty), then 10-GbE NIC can occupy either slot 1 or slot 2.

or

– 40-GbE NIC in slot 2 (slot 1 should be empty), then 10-GbE NIC can occupy either slot 4 or slot 5.

• 1 x 40-GbE NIC + 2 x 10-GbE NIC:

– 40-GbE NIC in slot 4 (slot 5 must be empty), then 2 x 10-GbE NIC can occupy slots 1 and 2.

or

– 40-GbE NIC in slot 2 (slot 1 should be empty), then 2 x 10-GbE NIC can occupy slots 4 and 5.

• 4 x 10-GbE NICs; slots 1, 2, 4, and 5.

• 3 x 10-GbE NICs; can occupy any three of slots 1, 2, 4, or 5.

• 2 x 10-GbE NICs; can occupy any two of slots 1, 2, 4, or 5.

• 1 x 10-GbE NIC; can occupy any one of slots 1, 2, 4, or 5.

• Multiple 1-GbE Fiber SX NICs can occupy any of slots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 and be used in combination with all other NICS supported on the Interceptor 9800.

Interceptor 9800 does not support the Four-Port 1-GbE Copper Base-T NICs (manufacturing part numbers 410-00115-01 or -11).

Supported slots for SteelHead CX xx70, GX 10000, and Interceptor 9600

This table summarizes the maximum number of NICs and slot restrictions for the SteelHead CX 3070, 5070, and 7070, the GX 10000, and the Interceptor 9600 appliances.

Supported NICs	Quantity	Supported slots
SteelHead GX 10000
1 GbE	4	1, 2, 4, 5 (compression card in slots 3 and 6)
10 GbE	2	1, 2 (hardware restriction in slots 4 and 5; compression cards in slots 3 and 6)
40 GbE	2	1, 2 (compression card in slots 3 and 6)
SteelHead CX5070
1 GbE	6	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
10 GbE	4	1, 2, 3, 6 (hardware restriction in slots 4 and 5)
40 GbE	2	1, 2
SteelHead CX7070
1 GbE	5	1, 2, 4, 6 (compression card in slot 3)
10 GbE	3	1, 2, 6 (compression card in slot 3; hardware restrictions slots 4 and 5)
40 GbE	2	1, 2 (compression card in slot 3)
SteelHead CX3070
10GbE (fiber SR, redirector)	2	Slots 2 and 3 (Slot 1 is reserved for the default bypass card and it only takes a half-height card.)
Interceptor 9600
1 GbE	6	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
10 GbE	4	1, 2, 3, 6
40 GbE	2	1, 2

Slot restrictions for SteelHead CX xx70, GX 10000, and Interceptor 9600

Product	Slot guidelines
SteelHead CX 5070, CX 7070	• Appliances ship with a four-port 1-GbE copper bypass card installed in slot 1. • The preferred order for populating slots is 2, 3 (if available), 6, 5, and 4. • Install 10-GbE NICs before 1-Gbps NICs when following the preferred slot order. (The preinstalled NIC will always remain in slot1.) • Compression cards must be installed in slot 3. (The CX 7070H also includes a preinstalled compression card in slot 3.)
SteelHead GX 10000	• GX 10000 appliances don’t ship with any data NICs installed. If you preorder a data NIC, it will be installed in slot 1. The GX 10000 ships with two compression cards in slots 3 and 6. • The preferred order for populating slots is 2, 4, and 5. • Install 10-GbE cards before 1-GbE cards when following the preferred slot order. You can install a maximum of two 10-GbE NICs in slots 1 and 2. • 10-GbE cards must be installed in slots 1, 2, 3, or 6; don’t install in slots 4 or 5. Install 10-GbE cards before 1-GbE cards when following the preferred slot order. • 40-GbE cards must be installed in slot 1 or 2; don’t install in slots 3, 4, 5, or 6.
Interceptor 9600	• Appliances ship with a four-port 1-GbE copper bypass card installed in slot 1. You can install a maximum of six 1-GbE NICs in slots 1 to 6 in IC 9600. • The preferred order for populating slots is 2, 3 (if available), 6, 5, and 4. • Install 10-GbE NICs before 1-Gbps NICs when following the preferred slot order. (The preinstalled NIC will always remain in slot1.) • 10-GbE NICs must be installed in slots 1, 2, 3, or 6; don’t install in 4, 5. Install 10-GbE NICs before 1-Gbps NICs when following the preferred slot order. You can install a maximum of four 10-GbE NICs in IC 9600. • IC 9600 supports four 10-GbE network add-on cards. The 1 GbE card in slot 1 must be relocated to slot 4 or 5. • 40-GbE NICs must be installed in slots 1 or 2; don’t install in 3, 4, 5, or 6. You can install a maximum of two 40-GbE NICs in IC 9600.