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Certain Intel® Quad Port Server Adapters support the use of Virtual machine (VM) Direct Assignment or SR-IOV.
Adapters Supporting SR-IOV
Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I350-T4 and -F4
Intel® Gigabit ET2 Quad Port Server Adapter
Adapters Not Supporting SR-IOV
Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I340-T4 and -F4
Intel® PRO/1000 MT Quad Port Server Adapter
Intel® PRO/1000 GT Quad Port Server Adapter
Intel® PRO/1000 PT Quad Port Server Adapter
Intel® PRO/1000 PF Quad Port Server Adapter
Intel® PRO/1000 PT Quad Port Low Profile Server Adapter
Intel® Gigabit ET Quad Port Server Adapter
Issue
Intels older quad port server adapters used a PCI-e bridge to connect ports A & B to ports C & D. The PCI-e bridge used in older adapters does not support ACS (Access Control Service), which restricts unauthorized communication across the bridge. Although the more recent I340 adapters do not utilize a PCI-bridge, SR-IOV support was not implemented in these adapters.
Potential Risk
Using Direct Assignment with older quad port adapters potentially allows compromised virtual machines to send traffic across the bridge placing packets in the wrong memory space. Placing packets in the wrong memory space may corrupt unprotected devices or VM memory.
Recommendation
Intel recommends using the Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I350-T4 or -F4 as the best solution for virtualization in configurations where SR-IOV or Direct Assignment and four ports are desired.
Related Topics
FAQ: Using SR-IOV with Intel® Ethernet Server Adapters
Virtual Machine (VM) Direct Assignment, VMDc, or SR-IOV is Supported
Virtual Machine Direct Connect (VMDc)
This applies to:
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