QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading provider of storage and networking solutions, has officially introduced its new QXG-10G2SF-NXE network expansion card, equipped with two 10GbE SFP+ ports and advanced technologies such as RDMA and SR-IOV. Targeted at IT professionals, content creators, and virtualization environments, this solution reinforces QNAP’s commitment to offering high-performance network infrastructure at an affordable cost.
Efficient and Scalable 10GbE Connectivity
The QXG-10G2SF-NXE features a Broadcom 57412 controller, supports PCIe Gen 3 x8 (backward compatible with Gen 4), and is compatible with multiple platforms, including Linux and Windows servers, as well as QNAP’s TS-x64 and TS-x64U NAS series. With its two 10Gbps SFP+ ports, it can achieve up to 20Gbps by combining bandwidth through SMB multichannel or port trunking.
This capability is ideal for applications such as 4K/8K video editing, massive backups, multi-user environments, or latency-sensitive workloads. Additionally, energy efficiency and its active cooling system (fan with heatsinks) ensure thermal stability even under heavy usage.
Key Advantages for Virtualization and Enterprise Environments
One of the main attractions of this new card is its compatibility with advanced virtualization technologies:
- SR-IOV (Single Root I/O Virtualization): allows multiple virtual machines to directly access the physical card, optimizing performance and significantly reducing CPU load on NAS servers with virtualization.
- RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access): enhances data transfer efficiency by enabling direct memory access between servers, reducing latency and resource consumption.
- iSER (iSCSI Extensions for RDMA): improves iSCSI storage access performance by avoiding intermediate network layers.
These features are especially useful in environments with VMware, Proxmox, KVM, or Hyper-V, enabling organizations to enhance efficiency in data centers, testing labs, or edge deployments.
Cross-Platform Compatibility and Available Drivers
The card can be used in both NAS and conventional server environments. QNAP confirms compatibility with:
- QNAP NAS: models with QTS 5.2.1 or QuTS hero h5.2.1 or later.
- Windows: Windows 11 22H2 and Windows Server 2022 (requires Broadcom driver).
- Linux: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and equivalent distributions (requires Broadcom driver).
Official drivers are available on the Broadcom website to facilitate integration into heterogeneous environments.
Ideal for 10GbE Environments with QNAP Switches
QNAP recommends combining this card with its range of managed or unmanaged 10GbE switches, such as the QSW-M2108 or QSW-M5216 models, to build cost-effective high-performance networks. These configurations enable more agile, fluid, and secure IT infrastructures in both enterprises and creative studios or universities.
Utilizing technologies like multichannel SMB maximizes performance in point-to-point connections, while port trunking is ideal for multi-user scenarios with multiple clients accessing the NAS simultaneously.
Conclusion
The QXG-10G2SF-NXE strengthens QNAP’s portfolio of network expansion cards with a powerful, versatile option optimized for the demands of virtualization and intensive data transfers. With SR-IOV, RDMA compatibility, active cooling, and cross-platform support, this card positions itself as a key solution for organizations looking to make the definitive leap to 10GbE connectivity.