Which host interface does the Dell 540-BDED network adapter use?

: "The Dell 540-BDED network adapter uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 host interface, as indicated in the model description. This requires a compatible PCIe 4.0 x16 slot in the server. The x16 lane configuration is important to provide sufficient bandwidth between the server and the adapter for dual 100 Gb/s ports.

What type of network ports are available on the Dell 540-BDED adapter?

The Dell 540-BDED is described as a Broadcom 57508 Dual Port 100 Gb/s QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 x16 Network Adapter. The QSFP56 designation indicates that the network ports use QSFP56 interfaces. This allows integration with QSFP56-based optics and cabling in data center environments that deploy 100 Gb/s Ethernet links.

How many network ports does the Dell 540-BDED provide?

According to the model description, the adapter is a Broadcom 57508 Dual Port 100 Gb/s QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 x16 Network Adapter. The term dual port specifies that there are two network ports available on this card. Both ports are designed for 100 Gb/s operation using QSFP56 interfaces.

What key specifications should be noted when ordering the Dell 540-BDED?

When ordering the Dell 540-BDED, note that it is a Dell Broadcom 57508 Dual Port 100 Gb/s QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 x16 Network Adapter. Key elements are the dual port 100 Gb/s capability, QSFP56 interfaces, the PCIe 4.0 x16 host connection, and the SKU 540-BDED for accurate identification in procurement systems.

540-BDED - Dell 540-BDED Dual Port 100 Gb/s QSFP56 adapter

Name: Dell 540-BDED Dual Port 100 Gb/s QSFP56 adapter
Brand: Dell
SKU: 540-BDED
Price: 1430 USD
Availability: InStock

540-BDED - Dell 540-BDED Dual Port 100 Gb/s QSFP56 adapter | US IT Hardware

Product overview

The Dell Broadcom 57508 Dual Port 100 Gb/s QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 x16 Network Adapter, SKU 540-BDED, is designed to provide high-speed Ethernet connectivity in demanding server environments. This adapter offers dual port 100 Gb/s capability using QSFP56 interfaces, enabling robust, high-bandwidth network connections. The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface supports substantial throughput between the server and the network adapter, aligning with modern data center performance requirements. As a Broadcom 57508 based solution, it fits into infrastructures standardizing on QSFP56 networking for 100 Gb/s links. IT procurement teams can align this adapter with deployments that require dual port configurations at 100 Gb/s speeds and PCIe 4.0 x16 slots. The concise specification set makes it suitable for use in configurations where clear requirements exist for interface type, link speed, and PCIe generation without additional feature dependencies.

Dual port 100 Gb/s Ethernet connectivity
QSFP56 interfaces for 100 Gb/s links
PCIe 4.0 x16 host interface
Based on Broadcom 57508 controller
Dell branded network adapter
SKU 540-BDED for precise ordering

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Featuring

Product Series
Manufacturer part #	540-BDED
Brand	Dell
Condition	Refurbished
Model	Broadcom 57508
Controller	Broadcom BCM57508 200GbE MAC controller with integrated dual-channel 100GbE SFI transceiver
Form Factor	Standard PCIe add-in card (full-height bracket on Dell 540-BDED)
Bracket Type	Full-height bracket
Product Line	Dell Network Adapter
Product Type	Network adapter
RDMA Support	RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) support for low-latency networking

Best for

High-speed servers
Suitable for servers that require dual port 100 Gb/s connectivity through QSFP56 interfaces and a PCIe 4.0 x16 slot for high-throughput networking.
Data center aggregation
Fits data center environments that standardize on 100 Gb/s links and QSFP56 connections, leveraging a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface for reliable bandwidth.
QSFP56-based networks
Ideal where network infrastructure is built around QSFP56 ports and needs dual 100 Gb/s links from a single PCIe 4.0 x16 adapter.
Server refresh projects
Useful for refresh cycles that specify PCIe 4.0 x16 expansion and dual port 100 Gb/s QSFP56 connectivity without additional feature complexity.
Consolidated network interfaces
Appropriate when consolidating multiple lower-speed adapters into a single dual port 100 Gb/s QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 x16 network adapter.

Frequently asked questions

What network speed does the Dell 540-BDED adapter support?

Details

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Offload Features	Checksum offload, Large Send Offload (LSO), Large Receive Offload (LRO), TCP segmentation offload

Controller Family	Broadcom NetXtreme-E 100GbE family

Security Features	Secure boot, device-level secure firmware update, and hardware root-of-trust capabilities in the controller

Intended Use Cases	High-performance data center, cloud, and storage networking requiring dual 100GbE connectivity over QSFP56

Supported Link Speeds	100 Gb/s per port

Supported Module Types	QSFP56, QSFP28 and QSFP+ optical transceivers plus passive and active copper DAC cables

Auxiliary Power Support	Powered entirely from the PCIe slot; no auxiliary power connector required

Storage Offload Support	iSCSI and FCoE offload support in the NetXtreme-E controller family

Virtualization Features	SR-IOV support with multiple virtual functions for hypervisor and VM networking

Traffic Classes Supported	Up to 8 traffic classes with IEEE 802.1p priority-based QoS

Receive Side Scaling (RSS)	Multi-queue receive with RSS for load distribution across CPU cores

Link Training and Auto-Negotiation	IEEE-compliant Ethernet link training and auto-negotiation for 100GbE

Supported Transceiver Form Factors	QSFP56, QSFP28, QSFP+ optical modules and copper direct-attach cables

Performance

Media Type	Optical fiber via QSFP56/QSFP28/QSFP+ modules; copper via direct-attach QSFP cables
Data Transfer Rate	100 Gb/s per port
Media Type Supported	Optical fiber
Host Interface Bandwidth	Up to 256 Gb/s raw throughput over PCIe 4.0 x16
Total Aggregate Throughput	200 Gb/s

Typical Power Consumption	Typical power draw in the 20–25 W range for dual 100GbE operation (controller family specification)

Networking Ports & Interfaces

Ports	2 ports
Interface	PCI-Express 4.0 x16
Port Type	QSFP56
Connector Type	Two external QSFP56 cages for pluggable transceivers or DACs
LED Indicators	Per-port LEDs indicating link status and activity on each QSFP56 cage
Media Interface	SFI-based dual 100GbE SerDes interface from MAC to PHY
Host Bus Interface	PCI Express 4.0 x16 card edge connector
Network Technology	100 Gigabit Ethernet
Per-Port Line Rate	100 Gb/s per port line-rate Ethernet
Expansion Slot Type	QSFP56 cages for hot-pluggable network modules
Host Interface Standard	PCI Express Base Specification Revision 4.0 compliant
Overlay Network Offloads	Hardware offload for VXLAN, NVGRE and Geneve encapsulation
Power Management Features	Supports PCIe Active State Power Management (ASPM) and dynamic power reduction based on link utilization
QoS and Traffic Management	Per-queue rate limiting and priority flow control for data center QoS
Network Controller Features	Integrated dual 100GbE PHY in BCM57508 controller
Physical Interface Standard	100GBASE-X Ethernet over QSFP56
Port Configuration Flexibility	Dual 100GbE ports presented as independent interfaces to the host
Host Interface Lane Configuration	16‑lane PCIe 4.0 host interface

Dell 540-BDED Dual Port 100 Gb/s QSFP56 adapter