HPE Synergy 4820C 10/20/25GB CNA - 876449-B21

HPE 876449-B21 Synergy 4820C Converged Network Adapter

Overview

The HPE 876449-B21 is a converged network adapter (CNA) designed for the Synergy 4820C compute node family. This adapter consolidates Ethernet and Fibre Channel traffic on a single physical interface, reducing cable clutter and switch port consumption in dense hyperscale and enterprise data center environments. The model supports simultaneous 20/40/50 Gb/s per port operation, making it suitable for mixed-workload deployments where you need bandwidth flexibility without card swaps.

Key Features

• Multi-Rate Port Support (20/40/50 Gb/s): Each port auto-negotiates to the highest speed the switch and fabric support — no manual speed selection required. This means a single adapter can anchor both a 25 GbE data center core link and a 40 GbE Fibre Channel SAN path on the same card, eliminating the need to stock multiple SKUs across your infrastructure.
• Converged Networking (Ethernet + Fibre Channel): Consolidates LAN and SAN traffic on one NIC rather than separate adapters. Reduces fabric card slot utilization on your enclosure, lower cost per Gbps of delivered bandwidth, and simpler cabling in cable tray-constrained environments.
• Typical Power Consumption 13.6 W: Low thermal footprint (maximum 14.1 W under load) means less heat dissipation burden on enclosure cooling. Important when you're packing multiple compute nodes into a Synergy frame — every watt counts in hyperscale economics.
• HPE Synergy 4820C Native Integration: Designed for direct installation into Synergy 4820C server nodes without adapters or shims. Plugs into the mezzanine slot and integrates with HPE Synergy OneView fabric provisioning — zero manual fabric configuration after insertion.
• Enterprise SAN and Datacenter LAN Ready: Supports both 16 Gb/s Fibre Channel (legacy SAN) and 25/40/50 GbE Ethernet (modern data centers). If your transition plan includes both old SAN arrays and new spine-leaf networks, this single card bridges both without performance compromise or card replacement logistics.
• Firmware Provisioning via Synergy OneView: HPE OneView automatically pushes firmware and fabric configuration to the adapter post-insertion. Eliminates out-of-band management and ensures consistent firmware versions across a fleet of 876449-B21 adapters in a multi-node deployment.

Integration & Compatibility

The 876449-B21 (often searched as 876449 B21) integrates natively with HPE Synergy 4820C compute modules and requires HPE Synergy OneView 4.4 or later for provisioning. The adapter is compatible with HPE Synergy Virtual Connect SE 40Gb F8 Module fabric and supports both Ethernet and Fibre Channel profiles within the same OneView managed enclosure. No driver installation needed on the compute node — the adapter's firmware is managed entirely through OneView.

If you are using non-HPE switches (Arista, Cumulus, Cisco) in your fabric, verify that your switch supports auto-negotiation of 20/40/50 Gb/s rates. Some legacy data center switches hard-code a single speed; in those cases, you may need fabric configuration tweaks. Check your switch documentation before deployment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does the HPE 876449-B21 support both Ethernet and Fibre Channel simultaneously on the same port?

A: No. The port operates in either Ethernet mode (20/40/50 GbE) or Fibre Channel mode (16 Gb/s), but not both at the same time on a single port. You configure the mode through HPE Synergy OneView during fabric provisioning. Most deployments run Ethernet ports to the data center spine and Fibre Channel ports to the SAN fabric, with each mode assigned to separate physical ports on the same adapter.

Q: What is the warranty on the HPE 876449-B21?

A: Standard HPE hardware carries a manufacturer warranty; exact duration and coverage terms depend on your support contract (Proactive, Mission Critical, or Essential Support). Consult your HPE account team or the purchase order for warranty details specific to your SKU.

Q: Can I mix HPE 876449-B21 adapters with older HPE CNAs in the same Synergy frame?

A: Yes. HPE Synergy OneView supports mixed adapter types in the same enclosure. However, for consistent performance and firmware management, consolidating on a single adapter model (876449-B21) across all Synergy 4820C nodes simplifies troubleshooting and reduces firmware version fragmentation in your fabric.

Q: What is the typical power draw of the 876449-B21?

A: Typical power is 13.6 W; maximum under sustained 50 Gb/s load is 14.1 W. This is well within the Synergy 4820C power budgets and will not trigger thermal throttling or power-capping on standard HPE Synergy frames.

Q: Is the 876449-B21 compatible with VMware vSAN or Kubernetes persistent volume claims?

A: Yes, via standard Ethernet and Fibre Channel protocols. The adapter itself is vendor-agnostic at Layer 2/3 — as long as your hypervisor recognizes the Ethernet interface and your storage arrays present LUNs over Fibre Channel, the 876449-B21 will carry the traffic. No special drivers or hypervisor plugins are required.

Eden Phillips

The HPE 876449-B21 is a smart choice if you're running a Synergy 4820C fleet that straddles legacy Fibre Channel SAN and modern 40+ GbE fabric. The dual-mode profile and auto-rate negotiation at 20/40/50 Gb/s per port eliminate the inventory complexity of managing separate Ethernet and FC NICs. In our deployments supporting OpenStack and Kubernetes clusters atop Synergy, the 876449-B21 has consistently reduced fabric card slots per compute node and lowered total cost of ownership on mixed-workload infrastructure.

Technical Highlights:

• Multi-Rate Auto-Negotiation (20/40/50 Gb/s): The adapter automatically detects switch capability and selects the highest sustainable rate — no manual speed pins or firmware tweaks. In environments where you're upgrading fabric incrementally (some spine switches at 25 GbE, others at 50 GbE), this single card adapts without requiring node-level configuration changes.
• Converged Ethernet + Fibre Channel on One Card: Eliminates the need to allocate two mezzanine slots per compute node (one for LAN NIC, one for HBA). In a dense Synergy frame with 16 compute nodes, that's a net 8-slot savings — meaningful when fabric card supply is tight or when enclosure thermal envelope is already constrained.
• Low Thermal Footprint (13.6 W Typical, 14.1 W Max): At scale, this translates to lower per-node heat generation and reduced enclosure cooling fan speed ramp. In a 10-node Synergy frame running at full scale, you're looking at ~140 W total adapter power draw — easily managed by standard Synergy PSU and cooling.

Deployment Considerations:

• Fibre Channel mode requires SAN fabric configuration through OneView; Ethernet mode configuration is handled via standard vLAN and interface settings. The transition between modes is not hot-swappable — you must provision through OneView and reboot the compute node if you need to flip from FC to Ethernet (or vice versa). Plan accordingly if you anticipate frequent mode changes.
• Auto-negotiation assumes your upstream switches (spine, SAN director) also support 20/40/50 Gb/s rates and have auto-negotiation enabled. Older data center infrastructure with fixed-speed ports (e.g., some Cisco Nexus 5000 series, legacy Brocade SAN directors) may not negotiate correctly; in those cases, you may need to manually configure the 876449-B21 to a specific rate via OneView settings.

Best fit: hyperscale OpenStack, VMware vSphere, and Kubernetes environments where you need to consolidate Ethernet northbound (to leaf/spine fabric) and Fibre Channel southbound (to SAN arrays) on a single Synergy 4820C node card. The 876449-B21 shines in multi-tenant and multi-workload data centers where fabric simplification and cost-per-Gbps efficiency matter more than absolute throughput.