Question 1

For what reason would you use all four ports? New to PC building. Wondering what the advantages are.

Accepted Answer

You wouldn't likely need this in a desktop computer, but it is more valuable in a server.  In a server, you can combine any number of these 4 ethernet connections into one faster virtual circuit.  This can be very helpful for supporting iSCSI SANs, live migration of virtual machines, high performance file and backup servers, etc.  The main competitor for multiple 1 Gbps circuits is 10 Gbps ethernet.  10 Gbps switch ports are still very expensive and they require more elaborate cooling (with accompanying noise).  Combining multiple 1 Gbps circuits can be an attractive for servers in the short term solution until the cost of 10 Gpbs switch ports comes down and until they can run reliably without loud fans.

Question 2

Why does this entry say "bulk pack" are there multiple adapters in the pack or just one?

Accepted Answer

Bulk pack (or OEM) means that it just comes in an anti-static bag. May also include a driver disk or optional brackets. Retail packaging on the other hand includes the retail box, manuals, disks, and any other extras that might come along with it.

Question 3

Could I use this to use my computer as a switch?

Accepted Answer

That depends on your OS, but yes the hardware can do it. I am doing this very thing with this card in a machine running OpenBSD.

Question 4

I'm trying to build a router that has 8-12 ports, Would this work like a standard router port? i have 6 gaming computers that are running fall time and 3 different servers. I've tried using switches but they are to slow. I'm also going to add wireless card for a number of other devices

Accepted Answer

A router is slower than a switch by design - a is layer 2 (MAC address header), while a router is layer 3 (IP addresses) in the OSI model.  What switches have you used, and are they gigabit?  Are you using proper cables and lengths?  If you want faster than gigabit, you'll either need to invest in smarter switches that let you combine multiple gigabit links together, or invest in 10gb infrastructure.

Question 5

Is this WIN7 compatible?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it is supported by Windows 7.  You can get the drivers from: https :// downloadcenter(.)intel(.)com(/)product(/)49186(/)Intel-Ethernet-Server-Adapter-I340-T4

Question 6

Does this card support link aggregation? I'd assume so, but the specs provide very little to go on.

Accepted Answer

Yup, I'm using aggregate links from a FreeBSD server (a pfsense firewall actually) on this card and it has worked perfectly.

Question 7

Does it come with a low-profile bracket?

Accepted Answer

Yes, just got mine in the mail and it came with a low-profile bracket in the package.

Question 8

What is the minimum require pci express lanes for this card to use all 4 ports at max speed?

It says its PCie2.0, so to get all 4 at max speed do i need  PCIe 2.0 at x4 enough?

I need to install 4 of these cards for a test box.  Hard to find mobos with pcie 3.0 x16 with 4 ports that actually run at x16.   They all lie and say PCIe x16 but really run at 4x, 8x, etc...

thanks

Accepted Answer

I've run one at x1 and it will only do 4Gbps total or 2 ports @ 1Gbps full duplex. I don't know about the math though, from my understanding PCIe 2.0 lanes do 5GT/s which equates to 500MB/s and are also full duplex, so there must be some overhead with this chipset as I've heard reports that simpler Realtek 4 port PCIe x1 NICs WILL do 4Gbps full duplex. The card will run at x2, some boards have only 2 lanes into x4 slots due to chipset limitations or configuration.

Question 9

Support for SMB multi-channel i.e SMB at speeds greater than 1 Gb/s?

Accepted Answer

I'm sure of you bond the ports you could push it at 2gbps or more , 
My purpose for this card was for a pfsense router/ firewall.

Question 10

Does this contain a yottamark as indicated by the picture?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it has a yottamark (the shiny flashy sticker with a serial number on it). I actually bought the "retail(?)" one (that is not marked "bulk") from newegg, and that had a yottamark and I successfully verified the number on the intel website. But it shouldn't matter whether retail or bulk, since both should be just as genuine.

Questions & Answers