Broadcom 57416 Dual-Port 10GBASE-T Server Adapter

Upgrading a server room to 10 Gigabit Ethernet usually means a cabling project, and the Broadcom 57416 is how most of those projects get avoided. This dual-port 10GBASE-T server adapter runs full 10Gbps over ordinary Cat6a copper on standard RJ45 connections, so existing structured cabling, patch panels and switch ports keep doing their jobs at ten times the speed. Under the familiar connectors sits Broadcom's NetXtreme-E silicon with RDMA offload and NIC partitioning, giving a conventional copper network some of the data-center-class features that once demanded expensive fiber and special switches.

Key Features

• Two independent 10GBASE-T ports on standard RJ45 connectors
• Full 10Gbps throughput over Cat6a copper cabling
• RDMA (RoCEv2) offload for low-overhead data transfer
• NPAR NIC partitioning for traffic isolation per port
• Full-height PCIe form factor for standard servers
• NetXtreme-E architecture with hardware offloads

Product Specifications

• Ports: 2x 10GBASE-T RJ45
• Speeds: 10Gbps with auto-negotiation to lower rates
• Adapter Family: Broadcom NetXtreme-E 57416
• Host Interface: PCI-Express server slot
• RDMA: RoCEv2 offload support
• Partitioning: NPAR (NIC partitioning) for bandwidth allocation
• Form Factor: full-height bracket PCIe adapter card
• Cabling: Cat6a/Cat7 copper for 10G at standard distances

Use Cases

This is the straightforward path to 10G for virtualization hosts, backup servers and storage nodes sitting in buildings wired for copper, and it shines in converged environments where one pair of links carries both storage and LAN traffic. IT teams also standardize on it for refresh projects, since dual ports give every server redundant connectivity without touching the fiber plant.

Compatibility

The adapter connects directly to 10GBASE-T switch ports and runs over installed Cat6a or better cabling at 10Gbps, with automatic negotiation down to 1Gbps where needed. It is supported by Broadcom's mainstream driver packages across current Windows and Linux server platforms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need fiber for 10 Gigabit?

Not with this adapter. It delivers 10Gbps over standard copper cabling rated Cat6a or better, using the same RJ45 wiring as Gigabit Ethernet.

How far can it run at 10G?

10GBASE-T supports runs up to 100 meters over Cat6a cabling, matching the reach of existing structured copper installations.

What is RDMA used for here?

RoCEv2 offload lets storage and cluster traffic bypass much of the host networking stack, reducing CPU load and latency for shared storage and hyperconverged workloads.

What does NPAR do?

NIC partitioning lets each physical port be divided into virtual functions with dedicated bandwidth, so one card can serve isolated traffic classes cleanly.

The smartest network upgrades are the ones that reuse what the building already has, and copper-based 10G is exactly that kind of win. With dual 10GBASE-T ports, RDMA offload and enterprise NIC features in a standard full-height card, the 57416 brings modern server networking to any rack that already speaks Ethernet.