Posted by Grant Foraker on June 13, 2006 at 13:27:31:
The following was in a recent WindowsITPro newsletter. Since CFAM relies so heavily on TCP/IP, this is something to look for in a new server or an upgrade to an existing server.
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Microsoft Scalable Networking Pack
At Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) 2006 a few weeks ago, Microsoft released its Scalable Networking Pack for Windows Server 2003. I was too busy at the show to hook up with the Windows Server folks to discuss this add-on, but since then, I've spoken with Microsoft Senior Product Manager Ian Hameroff. He told me that the Scalable Networking Pack is a free add-on for Windows 2003 that dramatically increases network throughput in certain situations by offloading CPU cycles to hardware in a new generation of compatible NICs that are becoming increasingly common. Scalable Networking Pack will simply be included as a core networking feature in Longhorn Server and, interestingly, in Windows Vista as well.
There are three primary components of the Scalable Networking Pack: TCP Chimney Offload, Receive-Side Scaling, and NetDMA. TCP Chimney Offload frees up the CPU by offloading the processing required for the TCP connection to a chip on these new NICs. This can have huge advantages for anyone needing to move huge amounts of data over a reliable, high- speed network. Receive-Side Scaling is basically a load balancer for incoming network connections, so it's a natural for file servers, Web servers, or any other kind of server with lots of simultaneous clients.
And NetDMA supports Intel's I/O Acceleration Technology (I/OAT), providing another means of offloading processing requirements from the CPU so, as Hameroff put it, the CPU can "go about its day job."
Scalable Networking Pack is simple stuff: It's a free download. You install it and don't have to manage anything for the most part. In short, you shouldn't even know it's there beyond the performance boost you're going to get. What is required, of course, is a compatible NIC.
Microsoft says that it has 13 partners shipping these NICs now, with more coming on board throughout the year. And server vendors such as Dell and HP are already offering servers with integrated networking that's compatible as well. What you're looking for is a NIC with TCP Offload Engine (TOE) support (for TCP Chimney Offload) or one that's marketed specifically as being compatible with Receive-Side Scaling.
For NetDMA support, you'll need a newer Intel motherboard that's marketed with I/OAT support. For more information and a list of compatible products, check out Microsoft's Scalable Networking Pack Web site.