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Okay, we found an extra HP NC522SFP Dual Port 10GbE Gigabit Server Adapter (468332-B21) at a site and I got it put into an HP Proliant server and it sees it, loaded drivers, etc.

I read over the QuickSpecs and according to this, it seems you have to use either an SFP DAC cable or get a fiber optics SFP GBIC module and I cannot find anything about any copper SFP GBIC modules to use for a transceiver.

Question: Does anyone have any recommendations on any verified and confirmed compatible GBIC adapters that work with this card that is copper and either 1 GbE or 10 GbE that gives just an Ethernet port to plug in an Ethernet cable?

Recap Clarification

  1. Something like this is desired

    enter image description here

  2. Would like to avoid these

    enter image description here

    enter image description here

Additional Detail

  • It's for an older HP Proliant DL380 G7 with over 100 GB of RAM.
  • The OS is Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter and Device Manager already recognizes the card with drivers, etc. loaded.
  • There is no switch at this site that will use a DAC cable on the other end
  • There is no switch at this site that can connect fiber optic.
  • This site has one managed and one unmanaged 1 GbE Ethernet switches but neither of those have any GBIC type connection.
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  • If someone could help me figure this out with anything that would work or tell me "no this is not possible and that document is accurate and those are the only methods of connection to copper Ethernet" it would greatly appreciate it. I wouldn't mind purchasing even a 1 GbE SFP copper module if I can confirm the correct form factor or design to fit into the SFP port.
    – Hard Core Hard Wear
    Sep 19, 2018 at 13:39
  • I think this question is so specific that you might just have to ask HP directly.
    – Bennett Yeo
    Sep 28, 2018 at 20:34
  • What are you trying to archive? I doubt that it is just a 'I want to use this card for fun'. And based on that desired goal (e.g. at least 2 more 1GBit network interface) an answer might even be to simply use another card which fits your goals rather than trying to shoehammer something found into a solution.
    – Hennes
    Sep 30, 2018 at 13:23
  • Having said that: potential shoehammer methods: 1) A extra switch with 10Gbit port(s) and regular copper ports. 2) An extra computer with some cheap 10Gbit ports (I got my mellanox X2 cards for EUR 35 for a pair) and a some more ether net out (using whatever form fits you other switches). But I think neither fits your goal.
    – Hennes
    Sep 30, 2018 at 13:25

1 Answer 1

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+50

OK, three part answers:

I am unaware of SPF(+) to copper interfaces. That does not mean that they do not exits.
If they do exist then compatability is not a guarantee, so a call to HP is probably a good idea. If only to get an article number to search further on, since I expect the HP price to be 'not low'.


Based on the goal that you just need two additional 1 GbE ports:
Swap the card. PCI-e cards with 2 or even 4 interface to regular copper are common, relative cheap and just work.

I linked to two potential cards, but theere are many more than just these two:

I/O Crest 4 Port Gigabit Ethernet Intel i350-AM4 Chipset PCI-E X4
Mentions server 2012 support on the box.

Quad 1GBit Intel PRO/1000 VT Quad Port Server Adapter LP PCI-E EXPI9404VT
2 more ports and is still affordable.


For future compatability and less down time (e.g. not swapping to a newer card if you get a more capable switch in the next year or two), try regular copper cards with higher speeds.

There are now desktop cards which support old format (100/1000mbit), but also 2½Gbit, 5Gbit and 10Gbit. Those could be used at the old speed with the current switch, and with a more modern switch you could do higher speeds.


Some more notes:
We have at least two generations of these cards already, and that the older ones draw a relative high amount of power. That makes this a trade off between adding a classic 1GBit multiport card now and upgrading later. Or spending a relative large amount now and having less downtime later.

Modern DP proliants (G9 or G10) often come with something called 'flexible LOM', where you can choose for native 10Gbit rather than for a few 1Gbit ports.

Quick googling finds a few examples of 10Gbit copper, but at not entirely trivial prices. Two examples One of which seems suitable for a server with high internal airflow and no single point of failure fan.


And as always:

  • Check what fits (Full height? Low height?),
  • Check for drivers for your OS.
  • Check for known compatability issues (sometimes servers are a lot more sensitive)
  • And check if you have any special needs. E.g. explicit support for the cards in ESX is something I would mention if you not already told use you used Windows server 2012.
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