HPE P10097-B21 Dual Port 10GBASE-T Ethernet PCIe 3.0 x8 Network Adapter

The HPE P10097-B21 is a dual-port 10GBASE-T Ethernet PCIe 3.0 x8 network adapter for HPE ProLiant servers — delivering two 10GbE copper (RJ-45) network ports for high-bandwidth server connectivity using standard CAT6A or CAT7 copper cabling, eliminating the need for fiber optic infrastructure while providing 10Gb/s Ethernet performance for HPE server networking environments.

Key Features

• Dual-port 10GBASE-T for two independent 10GbE copper RJ-45 connections per adapter
• PCIe 3.0 x8 interface for high-bandwidth 10GbE server network connectivity
• 10GBASE-T copper — compatible with standard CAT6A/CAT7 cabling infrastructure
• Auto-negotiation to 1GbE and 100MbE for backward compatibility with existing switches
• HPE option kit (-B21) for standard channel and reseller procurement

Product Specifications

• Part Number: P10097-B21
• Manufacturer: HP / HPE
• Ports: 2x 10GBASE-T (RJ-45)
• Interface: PCIe 3.0 x8
• Speed: 10GbE (auto-negotiates to 1GbE, 100MbE)
• Cabling: CAT6A (to 55m at 10GbE), CAT7 (to 100m at 10GbE)
• Form Factor: Low-profile PCIe adapter (full-height bracket included)

Component Specifications

• Controller: Intel X550 or equivalent 10GBASE-T NIC controller
• PCIe Lanes: x8 (PCIe 3.0)
• Power Consumption: ~10W typical (10GBASE-T active)
• OS Support: Windows Server, Linux (RHEL, SLES, Ubuntu), VMware ESXi
• Wake-on-LAN: Supported

Performance Specifications

• Throughput: Up to 10 Gb/s per port (20 Gb/s aggregate dual-port)
• Latency: Low-latency 10GbE for server workloads
• Offloads: TCP/UDP checksum offload, LSO, RSS, VMDq
• Virtualization: SR-IOV support for VM network performance

Use Cases

• Dual 10GbE copper connectivity for HPE ProLiant servers without fiber optic infrastructure
• High-bandwidth server networking for virtualization, NAS, and storage connectivity over copper
• 10GbE network expansion using existing CAT6A/CAT7 structured cabling infrastructure
• VMware ESXi and Hyper-V server networking with SR-IOV and VMDq for VM performance

Compatibility

• HPE ProLiant Gen9, Gen10, Gen10 Plus, and Gen11 servers with PCIe 3.0 x8 slots
• Requires CAT6A cabling for 10GbE operation up to 55 meters (CAT7 for up to 100 meters)
• 10GBASE-T switch port required for 10GbE operation — auto-negotiates to 1GbE on GbE switches
• Verify HPE server PCIe slot availability and OS driver support before installation

Frequently Asked Questions

What cabling is required for 10GBASE-T at 10GbE speeds?

10GBASE-T requires CAT6A (augmented Category 6) cabling for operation up to 55 meters at 10Gb/s, or CAT7 for up to 100 meters. Standard CAT6 cabling supports 10GbE only up to 37 meters and is not recommended for runs longer than that. CAT5e and standard CAT6 are limited to 1GbE at typical server room distances when connected to 10GbE ports.

What is the difference between 10GBASE-T and 10GbE SFP+ for server networking?

10GBASE-T uses copper RJ-45 connectors with standard structured cabling — compatible with existing switch infrastructure and eliminating fiber/DAC cable costs, but consuming more power (~10W per port) and adding slight latency versus SFP+. 10GbE SFP+ (fiber or DAC) offers lower power consumption (~2-5W), lower latency, and longer fiber distances, but requires SFP+ switches and transceivers or DAC cables. 10GBASE-T is preferred when leveraging existing copper cabling infrastructure.

Does P10097-B21 support SR-IOV for VMware or Hyper-V virtualization?

Yes — the P10097-B21 supports SR-IOV (Single Root I/O Virtualization), enabling physical NIC resources to be shared among multiple VMs with near-native network performance by bypassing the hypervisor network stack. SR-IOV requires SR-IOV-enabled hypervisor configuration (VMware ESXi, Hyper-V, KVM) and a BIOS/UEFI setting enabling SR-IOV on the PCIe slot. HPE ProLiant server BIOS supports SR-IOV configuration for compatible NICs.

The HPE P10097-B21 delivers dual-port 10GBASE-T Ethernet PCIe 3.0 x8 connectivity for HPE ProLiant servers — providing two independent 10GbE copper RJ-45 ports for high-bandwidth server networking over standard CAT6A/CAT7 infrastructure, with SR-IOV, VMDq, and offload capabilities for virtualization, storage networking, and high-throughput server workloads without fiber optic infrastructure.