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The Supermicro AOC-S200G-B1C is an advanced Network-Controller Sideband Interface (NC-SI) Ethernet LAN add-on card designed to provide high-performance network connectivity and remote manageability for high-end computing platforms. This add-on card is built around the Broadcom® BCM57508 Controller, offering robust and efficient network processing capabilities.
The primary function of the AOC-S200G-B1C is to deliver high-speed network connectivity, specifically 200Gbps single-port performance. It achieves this through its QSFP56 connector, which is designed to support Direct Attached Copper (DAC) cables for network connections. The card is equipped with a PCI-E 4.0 x16 host interface, ensuring high bandwidth and efficient data transfer with the host system. This interface is compatible with various lane configurations, including x16, x8, x4, x2, and x1, and can interface with up to four PCIe hosts.
A key aspect of its functionality is its support for the Network-Controller Sideband Interface (NC-SI). This feature enables out-of-band (sideband) communication between the onboard Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) and the Network Interface Controller (NIC). This is crucial for remote management, allowing system administrators to manage the network card independently of the main operating system, which is particularly useful for tasks like system provisioning, monitoring, and troubleshooting. To utilize the NC-SI feature, the add-on card requires a Supermicro motherboard that supports NC-SI and a specific cable, which can be acquired from Supermicro.
The card also incorporates several advanced networking features to optimize performance and efficiency. It supports jumbo frames up to 9600 bytes, which can reduce CPU overhead and improve throughput for large data transfers. IEEE 802.3x flow control and Link Aggregation (IEEE 802.3ad) are supported to manage network traffic and enhance link reliability and bandwidth. Virtual LANs (IEEE 802.1q VLAN tagging) allow for network segmentation and improved security.
For data center environments, the AOC-S200G-B1C includes Data Center Bridging features such as Priority-based Flow Control (PFC IEEE 802.1Qbb), Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS IEEE 802.1Qbb), and Data Center Bridging Capability eXchange (DCBX IEEE 802.1Qbb). These features are essential for managing converged networks, ensuring quality of service for different traffic types, and enabling efficient resource allocation. The card supports up to eight traffic classes per port, fully compliant with IEEE 802.1Qbb.
The AOC-S200G-B1C is designed for system integrators, IT technicians, and knowledgeable end-users who require high-performance and manageable network solutions. Its low-profile, standard short-length form factor makes it suitable for various server systems, including those with low-profile or full-height PCI-E 4.0 x16 expansion slots.
One of the prominent usage features is its support for TruFlow™ Technology, a flow-processing engine integrated to reduce CPU overhead. This offloads network processing tasks from the main CPU, freeing up resources for other applications and improving overall system performance.
Virtualization is a core strength of this add-on card. It is PCIe SIG SR-IOV compliant and supports up to 128 Virtual Functions (VFs), enabling efficient resource sharing in virtualized environments. It also supports NetQueue, NDIS VMQ, and Multiqueue, which are critical for optimizing network performance in virtual machines. Edge Virtual Bridging (EVB) with VEB/VEPA support further enhances its virtualization capabilities. The card is equipped with VXLAN-aware, NVGRE-aware, and Geneve-aware stateless offloads, which are essential for efficient handling of network overlay traffic in virtualized data centers.
The card offers robust NIC Partitioning (NPAR) capabilities, supporting 16 physical functions with bandwidth allocation per partition. This allows for flexible resource management and isolation of network traffic for different applications or virtual machines. It also provides partitioning control via sideband communication, up to 64 MAC/VLAN filters per partition, per-partition statistics support, and stateless offloads configuration per partition, along with software teaming support.
RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) is another significant feature, supporting both RoCEv2 and RoCEv1. This enables remote direct memory access over an Ethernet network, significantly reducing latency and CPU utilization for high-performance computing and storage applications. RoCE features include congestion control, reliable connection (RC), unreliable datagram (UD), and raw EtherType support. It can handle a large number of RC queue pairs, shared receive queues, completion queues, memory regions and windows, and protection domains, facilitating efficient RDMA operations. Fast memory registration and support for OFED 3.18-2 and 4.8-1, Network Direct Kernel Provider Interface (NDKPI) 2.0, and Network Direct Service Provider Interface (NDSPI) 2.0 further enhance its RoCE capabilities.
Flow Processing features include exact match flow lookup, wildcard match flow lookup, flexible key selection, packet recycling, and connection tracking. These capabilities enable intelligent traffic management and security functions at the network card level. Additional features like VLAN insertion/deletion, NAT/NAPT, tunnel encapsulation/decapsulation, custom tunnel processing, flow tracking and aging, mirroring, metering, and flow counters/statistics provide comprehensive control over network traffic.
The AOC-S200G-B1C also includes PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) support, allowing systems to boot from the network. Asset management features are available for Supermicro systems, aiding in inventory and lifecycle management. The card is RoHS compliant, adhering to environmental standards.
The user's manual provides clear guidelines for proper installation and handling of the AOC-S200G-B1C, emphasizing precautions against Electrostatic Discharge (ESD). It recommends using grounded wrist straps, touching grounded metal objects, and handling the card by its edges to prevent damage. The card is shipped in antistatic packaging to protect it during transit.
For installation, the manual outlines a step-by-step process, including powering down the system, removing the power cord, using anti-static equipment, familiarizing oneself with system documentation, and ensuring the operating system has the latest updates. The installation process involves positioning the card in a PCI-E 4.0 x16 slot, securing it to the chassis, and attaching necessary external cables.
Jumper settings are provided for configuring specific operational modes. For instance, the JP1 jumper allows selection between SMBUS ARP mode (default) and Static SMBUS address mode, while JP2 controls the STBY (standby) mode, enabling or disabling it. The JPAUX1 jumper manages standby power to the AOC NIC, with options to disable or enable it. Enabling standby power allows for Wake-on-LAN (WoL) functionality on Port 1, though this is limited to platforms with sufficient airflow in standby mode (S5 state), and consultation with Supermicro is advised before enabling it.
The manual also details the process for installing drivers for both Linux and Windows operating systems. For Linux, it provides commands for installing 200G drivers and additional steps for installing RoCE functionality, including downloading specific driver packages and executing build and install commands. For Windows, it directs users to the appropriate driver package folder and instructs them to install the driver via the Device Manager, as the drivers are in .inf format. It also notes that the 200Gbps networking card AOC-S200G-B1C shares the same controller and driver as the 100Gbps networking card AOC-S100G-B2C, simplifying driver management for users with both types of cards.
Supermicro provides comprehensive support resources, including product manuals, drivers and utilities available via FTP, and safety information. A dedicated support team can be contacted for questions, and RMA authorizations can be requested online for warranty service. The warranty covers normal consumer use and excludes damages from shipping, alteration, misuse, abuse, or improper maintenance. The manual also includes disclaimers regarding the intended use of Supermicro products, particularly for ultra-hazardous applications, emphasizing that such use is at the buyer's own risk.
General| Product Name | AOC-S200G-B1C |
|---|---|
| Product Type | Network Interface Card |
| Category | Network Hardware |
| Compatibility | Supermicro Servers |
| Operating System Support | Windows, Linux |
| Form Factor | Low-profile |
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