Frequently Asked Questions for SR-IOV on Intel® Ethernet Server Adapters
Find answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) about using Intel® Ethernet Adapters with single root I/O virtualization (SR-IOV).
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Which Intel® Ethernet Adapters and Intel® Ethernet Controllers support SR-IOV?
- Intel® Ethernet 800 Series
- Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter E810 (All Product SKUs)
- Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter X722 Series
- Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter X722-DA2
- Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter X722-DA4
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter XL710 Series
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter XL710-QDA1
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter XL710-QDA2
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter XL710-QDA1 for OCP
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter XL710-QDA2 for OCP
- Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter XXV710 Series
- Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter XXV710-DA1
- Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter XXV710-DA2
- Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter XXV710-DA1 for OCP
- Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter XXV710-DA2 for OCP
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710 Series
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710-DA2
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710-DA4
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710-T4
- Intel® Ethernet Controller X710/X557-AT 10GBASE-T
- Intel® Ethernet Connection X722
- Intel® Ethernet Connection X722 for 10GBASE-T
- Intel® Ethernet Connection X722 for 10GbE backplane
- Intel® Ethernet Connection X722 for 10GbE QSFP+
- Intel® Ethernet Connection X722 for 10GbE SFP+
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X550
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X550-T1
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X550-T2
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X540
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X540-T1
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X540-T2
- Intel® 82599 10 Gigabit Ethernet Controller
- Intel® Ethernet 82599EB 10 Gigabit Ethernet Controller
- Intel® Ethernet 82599ES 10 Gigabit Ethernet Controller
- Intel® Ethernet 82599EN 10 Gigabit Ethernet Controller
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X520
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X520-DA2
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X520-SR1
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X520-SR2
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X520-LR1
- Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X520-T2
- Intel® Ethernet Controller I350
- Intel® Ethernet Controller I350-AM4
- Intel® Ethernet Controller I350-AM2
- Intel® Ethernet Controller I350-BT2
- Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I350
- Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I350-T2
- Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I350-T4
- Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I350-F2
- Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I350-F4
| Note | PCI-SIG SR-IOV requires support from the operating system and hardware platform. Some systems support SR-IOV through some PCI Express* slots, but not on some other slots. Refer to your manufacturer's documentation for SR-IOV support on your system. |
Which hypervisors support SR-IOV on Intel® Ethernet Adapters?
- Microsoft Hyper-V* (Windows Server 2012*, Windows Server 2012 R2*, Windows Server 2016*, Windows Server 2019*)
- VMware vSphere* 7.0, 6.7, and 6.5
- KVM* (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
Which guest operating systems (GOS) have virtual function drivers?
Virtual function (VF) drivers for guest operating systems are available for:
- Windows Server 2019*
- Windows Server 2016*
- Windows Server 2012*
- Windows Server 2012* R2
- Linux* 2.6.30 kernel or later
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.0* and later
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11* SP1 and later
- Ubuntu* 14.04 LTS and 16.04 LTS
Where can I get the virtual function (VF) drivers?
The Intel® Ethernet Software Package for Windows includes VF Drivers for Windows*:- Intel Download Center
- Intel® Ethernet software and drivers for Windows Server 2019*
- Intel® Ethernet software and drivers for Windows Server 2016*
- Intel® Ethernet software and drivers for Windows Server 2012*
- Intel Download Center
- Intel® Network Adapter Linux* Virtual Function Driver for Intel® Ethernet Controller 700 and E810 Series
- Intel® Network Adapter Virtual Function Driver for Intel® 10 Gigabit Ethernet Network Connections
- Network Adapter Virtual Function Driver for Intel® Gigabit Ethernet Network Connections for Linux*
- Wired Ethernet SourceForge site. Included in Red Hat*, SUSE*, and other Linux* distributions.
You can download FreeBSD VF drivers from:
How can I make SR-IOV work in Linux*?
Most Linux* distributions support SR-IOV with the Intel® Ethernet Network Adapters.
Can I use SR-IOV with Microsoft Hyper-V*?
Yes. Hyper-V* in Windows Server 2012*, Windows Server 2012* R2, Windows Server 2016*, and Windows Server 2019* include support for SR-IOV–capable network devices. An SR-IOV virtual function of a physical network adapter can assign directly to a virtual machine. Earlier versions of Hyper-V don't support SR-IOV.
Can I use SR-IOV with VMware* products?
VMware vSphere* 7.0, 6.7, and 6.5 supports SR-IOV.
| Note | VMware vSphere* 7.0, 6.7, and 6.5 don't support SR-IOV on 1Gb products. |
| Note | VMware vSphere* doesn't Support Simultaneous FCoE and SR-IOV. Intel® Ethernet Converged Network X520, X540, and X550 adapters support both Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) and SR-IOV. However, you cannot simultaneously configure FCoE and SR-IOV on the same physical port in VMware’s implementation of SR-IOV for Intel® Ethernet Adapters. |