Home > Networking Solutions > Modular/Blade Switches > MX-Series Modular Switches (PowerEdge MX) > White Papers > Managing VLANs from Advanced Partitioned NICs: Dell PowerEdge MX760c Servers Using Advanced NPAR > Minimizing implementation of physical NICs with Advanced NPAR on PowerEdge MX
As we discussed earlier, NPAR lets you split a physical network adapter into multiple network adapters; in this case, you can create up to four virtual ports per physical interface. Each virtual port receives its own MAC address and can receive its own VLAN ID.[2] Additionally, you can set each virtual port’s bandwidth allocation, and in some cases, its QoS policies as well. These abilities let you better manage network resources.[3]
You must enable NPAR at the firmware level of the server’s network adapter. NPAR also requires support from both the adapter and the operating system running on the server. You must ensure that all components are supported in order to configure Advanced NPAR. The Broadcom 57504 quad-port 25GbE adapter is supported, along with a number of server and switch options.[4] Once you have correctly configured the network adapter, you use software from the server vendor for further customization. Dell offers two options. Within Dell Lifecycle Controller, you can define the ports and set their bandwidth allocation. More rich and robust features, including the ability to fully utilize the new Advanced NPAR feature,[5] are available within the Dell OME Modular console. Though historically you had to manage VLAN tagging at the OS level if the OS supported that ability, now you can use OME Modular to handle all the NPAR configuration tasks.
The typical use case for NPAR is in datacenters that require high performance and network reliability. By dividing physical network adapters, NPAR allows for multiple applications running on the same hardware as well ensuring each application has the correct network resources available. Additionally, the reduction in physical adapters and physical connections can reduce network sprawl and cut down on the need for additional physical switches and cables. Not only are networking resources optimized, but CPU utilization improves as well by offloading this virtualization from the OS to the NIC.[6]