Abstract

3Com Corp. commissioned The Tolly Group to evaluate its EtherLink Server 10/100 PCI with 3 XP Processor, a Fast Ethernet server adapter outfitted with an onboard dedicated encryption co-processor, for throughput and CPU utilization in a variety of multi-adapter configurations in conjunction with an 800-MHz Compaq Corp. ML530 ProLiant dual-processor server running Microsoft Corp. Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 Server. In addition, 3Com requested that The Tolly Group test Intel Corp.’s PRO/100 S Server Adapter, also a PCI-based Fast Ethernet server adapter, in the same set of tests. The Tolly Group quantified the performance and CPU efficiency characteristics of these adapters in 4-adapter link aggregation configurations with and without IPSec secure connections between clients and the server. Throughput and CPU consumption data were used, at 3Com’s request, to calculate the Ziff-Davis “Performance/Efficiency” score. 

Summary:

The document is a performance evaluation conducted by The Tolly Group in May 2001 comparing the 3Com EtherLink Server 10/100 PCI Network Interface Card with 3XP Processor against the Intel PRO/100 S Server Adapter. These Fast Ethernet adapters were tested in both Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 environments using a dual-processor Compaq ProLiant ML530 server. The primary goal was to assess each adapter’s throughput and CPU utilization, particularly when using link aggregation and IPSec encryption, and to calculate a “Performance/Efficiency” (P/E) index combining those factors.

Across various configurations, the 3Com adapter consistently outperformed the Intel adapter in both throughput and efficiency. For example, in Windows 2000 using four non-aggregated adapters, the 3Com NICs achieved 567 Mbit/s with 98% CPU usage (P/E = 5.8), while Intel reached 504 Mbit/s at 99% CPU usage (P/E = 5.1). With four aggregated adapters under Windows NT 4.0, the 3Com NICs reached a P/E of 5.6 versus Intel’s 4.3. Even when IPSec encryption was enabled and offloaded to the NIC hardware, 3Com adapters delivered higher throughput and better efficiency than Intel, especially in aggregated configurations.

The 3Com NIC’s performance advantage is attributed to its integrated ARM9-based 3XP processor, which effectively offloads encryption and TCP/IP processing from the server CPU. Both adapters support encryption standards like DES, 3DES, MD5, and SHA-1, but 3Com showed stronger performance under secure traffic loads. The report also highlights that while link aggregation boosts overall bandwidth and resilience, it may reduce throughput slightly under Windows 2000 due to driver overhead. Ultimately, the 3Com adapter proved to be a more efficient and powerful solution for enterprise servers requiring both high performance and secure networking.