HP BK835A CN1100E 10Gb Ethernet Network Card

Name: HP BK835A CN1100E 10Gb Ethernet Network Card
Brand: HP
SKU: BK835A

Dual-port 10GbE with native FCoE and iSCSI support consolidates storage and network traffic onto a single PCIe card, eliminating dedicated HBA costs in ProLiant environments.

$185.00*

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Overview

The HP CN1100E (part number BK835A) is a dual-port converged network adapter that delivers 10 Gigabit Ethernet performance with simultaneous support for iSCSI and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) — three storage and network protocols on a single PCIe card. At 10,000 Mbps per port, each interface provides 10x the throughput ceiling of 1GbE predecessors, which eliminates the I/O starvation that occurs when multiple virtual machines share bandwidth-limited legacy adapters. The FCoE capability is architecturally significant: Fibre Channel storage protocols, which traditionally required dedicated and expensive FC HBAs and separate physical fabric, can now ride over the same 10GbE physical link as standard Ethernet traffic, consolidating two infrastructure layers into one.

The CN1100E is built specifically for HP ProLiant server environments, integrating with HP's Intelligent Provisioning, iLO, and management stack rather than operating as a generic PCIe NIC. This HP-centric design is a deliberate trade-off: the card delivers tighter integration and validated support within the ProLiant ecosystem, but its advanced feature set depends on HP management utilities that are not available outside that platform. Target users are data center operators running ProLiant-standardized infrastructure who want to consolidate network and storage connectivity at the 10GbE tier — reducing PCIe slot consumption, cabling density, and the operational overhead of maintaining separate network and storage adapter firmware tracks.

Key Features

Manufacturer- HP

HP Part Number- BK835A

Product Type- Network Card Adapters

Specifications

Brand

HP Part Number

BK835A

Model

CN1100E

Interface

PCI Express

Ports

Data Transfer Rate

10,000 Mbps (10GbE) per port

Supported Protocols

Ethernet, iSCSI, FCoE

Platform

HP ProLiant

Frequently Asked Questions

What protocols does the HP CN1100E support, and how does FCoE change my storage architecture?

The CN1100E supports Ethernet, iSCSI, and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE). FCoE is the significant capability — it allows Fibre Channel storage traffic to run over a 10GbE physical link, meaning a single converged card replaces what would otherwise require both a dedicated FC HBA and a separate NIC. This directly reduces PCIe slot consumption and cabling infrastructure in ProLiant servers.

What PCIe slot version and width does this card require?

The card uses a PCI Express interface. Specific PCIe generation and lane width are not published in the available spec sheet, but HP CN-series converged network adapters of this era typically require PCIe x8 slots. Verify your ProLiant server's available slot configuration before installation, particularly in blade and dense rack configurations where slot availability is constrained.

How many ports does the CN1100E provide, and at what speed does each port operate?

The CN1100E provides dual ports, each operating at 10 Gigabits per second. Both ports can be used simultaneously for traffic aggregation, failover bonding, or separated between storage (iSCSI/FCoE) and network (Ethernet) duties depending on your infrastructure configuration.

Does this card require specific HP SmartArray or ProLiant management software to function?

The CN1100E integrates with HP's ProLiant management stack and is designed for use in HP server environments where it surfaces in iLO and Intelligent Provisioning. While the card functions as a standard converged adapter, full feature parity — including FCoE configuration and advanced diagnostics — is accessed through HP's management utilities rather than generic adapter configuration tools.

Will the HP CN1100E work in a non-HP server chassis?

The card is designed and validated for HP ProLiant connectivity. It may function in third-party PCIe x8-compatible servers at the basic 10GbE Ethernet level, but FCoE and iSCSI features depend on driver support that HP's management stack provides. Third-party compatibility is not guaranteed and is outside HP's support scope for this card.

Strengths & Trade-offs

👍 Pros

Dual-port 10GbE operation at 10,000 Mbps per port delivers the full bandwidth headroom needed for modern virtualized workloads where 1GbE creates measurable I/O bottlenecks under simultaneous VM traffic.
Native FCoE support allows Fibre Channel storage traffic to share the same 10GbE physical link as Ethernet traffic, eliminating the need for a separate dedicated FC HBA and its associated PCIe slot and cable costs.
iSCSI support alongside FCoE and Ethernet means a single card can serve multiple storage protocol requirements — useful in mixed-protocol environments migrating from legacy FC to IP-based storage.
Converged infrastructure design reduces physical cabling density in the rack, replacing separate network and storage cable runs with a single 10GbE fiber or twinax connection per port.
HP OEM manufacture ensures validated compatibility with ProLiant server management tools, simplifying deployment in environments standardized on HP infrastructure.

👎 Cons

HP-centric design limits validated compatibility to ProLiant platforms — deploying this card in non-HP server hardware removes management stack integration and places FCoE/iSCSI functionality outside HP's support scope.
PCIe slot requirements are not explicitly published for this model, creating a pre-purchase compatibility verification step that less specialized NICs document clearly.
10GbE network infrastructure prerequisites are significant — this card only delivers its throughput advantage when connected to 10GbE switches and compatible endpoints; existing 1GbE switch infrastructure creates an immediate bottleneck at the top-of-rack switch.
As a data center component, the CN1100E requires configuration via HP management utilities rather than vendor-neutral tools, adding a software dependency that generic NICs do not impose.
No published thermal dissipation or idle/active power draw data makes power budget planning for dense ProLiant deployments require empirical measurement rather than spec-sheet calculation.

HP BK835A CN1100E 10Gb Ethernet Network Card

Overview

Key Features

Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

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