Support

Hardware installation

  1. I have a PCI express card. Will it work in an x16 or x4 slot?
    In general, Chelsio adapters auto-negotiate to the width of the slot that they are plugged into. Chelsio adapters are x8 or x16 depending on the adapter (T5 and T6 25G adapters are x8, whereas T6 100G adapters are x16). If you place an x8 card in an x16 slot, the card will recognize the configuration and only use the 8 lanes. One item to note: In some machines, an x16 slot may be x16 physically but only x8 electrically. If you were to plug a T62100-LP-CR in this slot, for example, because only 8 lanes are really available, the performance will not be same as if plugged the adapter into a true x16 slot.
  2. What do the different LEDs mean?
    Green: Link Established; Yellow: Link Active; Red: ON by default during power on. When the driver is loaded, this is turned off.
  3. What are the minimum hardware requirements for a Chelsio card?
    Chelsio doesn’t impose any requirements. For best results the CPU and system memory are the typical bottlenecks.
  4. Is the Chelsio card hot-pluggable?
    No.
  5. What are the different physical connectors available for your card?
    Optical (SR & LR), SFP+, SFP28, QSFP+, QSFP28, Base-T.
  6. Can I use my own pluggable optics modules?
    Yes, but it is highly recommended that you only use Chelsio’s optics (and accessories in general) for optimum performance and to allow the adapter warranty and support structure to remain intact. Chelsio is not responsible for any performance degradation or damage caused to hardware, including Chelsio adapter, due to the usage of a third-party accessory.
  7. What switches do you recommend?
    Please visit our switch partners page at our switch partners page to see the list of switch companies we work with.