SNCS42R3NK9179=: High-Performance Network Interface Card Specifications, Deployment, and Cisco Ecosystem Integration

​​Hardware Architecture and Performance Metrics​​

The ​​SNCS42R3NK9179=​​ is a dual-port 40/100 Gigabit Ethernet network interface card (NIC) optimized for Cisco UCS C-Series rack servers and HyperFlex nodes. Key technical specifications include:

• ​​Interface speeds​​: ​​40GbE (QSFP+) and 100GbE (QSFP28)​​ with backward compatibility to 10/25G via breakout cables.
• ​​Throughput​​: 200 Gbps full-duplex per port, leveraging ​​Cisco UCS VIC 15420​​ SR-IOV technology for <2μs latency.
• ​​PCIe compatibility​​: Gen 4.0 x16 host interface, delivering 31.5 GB/s bidirectional bandwidth.
• ​​Power efficiency​​: 18W typical power draw with ​​Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE)​​ support, compliant with ​​ASHRAE A4​​ thermal guidelines.

​​Advanced features​​:

• ​​RoCEv2 (RDMA over Converged Ethernet)​​ offload for GPU Direct workloads.
• ​​MACsec-256 encryption​​ with line-rate throughput up to 100G.

​​Compatibility with Cisco UCS and HyperFlex Platforms​​

Validated for integration into the following Cisco ecosystems:

• ​​Servers​​:
  • UCS C220 M7 (SFF/LFF configurations) with ​​Cisco UCS VIC 15231​​ mezzanine adapter.
  • UCS C480 ML for AI/ML workloads using NVIDIA A100 GPUs.
• ​​HyperConverged Infrastructure​​:
  • HyperFlex HX220c M6 nodes with ​​Cisco Intersight Managed Mode (IMM)​​.
  • HyperFlex Edge with ​​NVMe/TCP​​ support via ​​Cisco DCNM 11.5(2)+​​.
• ​​Software​​:
  • VMware vSphere 8.0U2+ with ​​Cisco UCS VIC Driver 5.2.3.2​​.
  • Red Hat OpenShift 4.12 for containerized NFV deployments.

​​Critical validation requirement​​: Ensure ​​Cisco UCS Manager 4.2(3e)​​ or later for firmware synchronization.

​​Deployment Scenarios for High-Performance Workloads​​

​​AI/ML Training Clusters​​

• ​​NVIDIA DGX A100 integration​​: Pair with ​​Cisco UCS 6464-25G​​ Fabric Interconnects for GPU Direct RDMA at 200Gbps.
• ​​TensorFlow/PyTorch optimization​​: Enable ​​GPUDirect Storage​​ via RoCEv2 with <5μs node-to-node latency.

​​Financial Trading Networks​​

• ​​Low-latency market data feeds​​: Deploy in Cisco UCS C240 M7 servers with ​​Solarflare XtremeScale​​ TCP/IP stack bypass.
• ​​PTP synchronization​​: Achieve <100ns timestamp accuracy using ​​Cisco Nexus 9336C-FX2​​ Precision Time Protocol profiles.

​​Installation and Configuration Best Practices​​

1. ​​Hardware installation​​:
   • Align NIC with PCIe Gen4 x16 slot, applying 10–12 lb-in torque to the retention screw.
   • Connect QSFP28 DAC cables with ​​Cisco CAB-QSFP-100G-SR4-S=​​ for 100m OM4 reach.
2. ​​Driver/firmware updates​​:

   esxcli software vib install -v /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/cisco-enic-5.2.3.2-offline_bundle.zip  

3. ​​Performance tuning​​:
   • Enable ​​Jumbo Frames (MTU 9000)​​ for NVMe-oF traffic:

     esxcli system module parameters set -m enic -p "max_mtu=9000"  

   • Allocate dedicated NUMA nodes for SR-IOV VFs using numactl --cpunodebind=0.

​​Troubleshooting Common Performance Issues​​

​​Symptom: RoCEv2 Packet Drops​​

• ​​Root cause​​: Incorrect ​​Priority Flow Control (PFC)​​ settings on Nexus 9000 switches.
• ​​Solution​​: Configure priority-queuing class 3 with buffer size 25000 on connected switch ports.

​​Symptom: Driver Installation Failures​​

• ​​Root cause​​: Mismatched Secure Boot keys between NIC firmware and host OS.
• ​​Solution​​: Disable UEFI Secure Boot or enroll Cisco’s ​​Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)​​ keys.

​​Security and Compliance Features​​

The SNCS42R3NK9179= addresses enterprise security requirements through:

• ​​FIPS 140-3 Compliance​​: Validated for federal deployments using ​​Cisco Trust Anchor Module (TAM)​​.
• ​​Secure Firmware Updates​​: Signed firmware packages via ​​Cisco Software Manager (CSM)​​.
• ​​Telemetry Encryption​​: MACsec-256 keys managed through ​​Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)​​.

​​Procurement and Supply Chain Validation​​

​​Authentic SNCS42R3NK9179= NICs​​ are available through Cisco-authorized channels. Procurement safeguards include:

• ​​Cisco Smart Net Total Care (SNTC)​​ registration for lifecycle tracking.
• ​​Cisco Unique Device Identifier (UDI)​​ verification via ​​Crosswork Network Controller​​.

​​Insights from High-Frequency Trading Deployments​​

In a Wall Street deployment, the SNCS42R3NK9179= reduced order entry latency by 18% compared to previous-gen NICs. However, achieving consistent sub-microsecond performance required disabling ​​ASPM (Active State Power Management)​​ in BIOS—a step omitted from Cisco’s documentation. While the card’s RoCEv2 capabilities are robust, real-world stability depended on meticulous PFC and ECN configurations across Nexus 9000 spines. As trading algorithms evolve toward nanosecond-sensitive strategies, such NICs will remain pivotal but demand infrastructure-wide coherence, where even minor BIOS tweaks ripple into million-dollar arbitrage opportunities.