HPE Pensando DSP DSC-25 ENT 10/25GB Card - P26966-B21

HPE P26966-B21 Pensando DSP DSC-25 Enterprise 10/25GbE SmartNIC

Overview

The HPE Pensando DSP DSC-25 ENT 10/25GbE Card (P26966-B21) is a distributed services platform (DSP) adapter designed to offload networking, security, and storage functions from the host CPU onto dedicated programmable silicon. In server environments where software-defined security policies, stateful firewalling, or encrypted east-west traffic inspection are taxing compute headroom, the DSC-25 moves that processing to the card itself — keeping application cores free for workloads. The dual-port 10/25GbE interface covers both legacy 10G SFP+ deployments and modern 25G spine-leaf fabrics without requiring separate adapters.

Compatibility

The P26966-B21 is an HPE factory option and spare targeting HPE ProLiant Gen10 and Gen10 Plus rack and tower servers with a PCIe slot supporting the card's form factor. It is integrated into HPE's Pensando-based network adapter portfolio and pairs with HPE Aruba and third-party 25GbE top-of-rack switches. Verify slot availability and firmware baseline against the HPE SPP (Service Pack for ProLiant) for your server generation before ordering — Pensando DSP cards require specific iLO and system firmware versions to enable the full distributed services feature set. Compatible with HPE GreenLake for Networking management where the DSP policy plane is centrally administered.

Installation Notes

Install into a PCIe Gen3 or Gen4 slot per the target server's technical reference. The card draws power from the slot; no auxiliary power connector is required for the DSC-25 at 10/25G line rates. SFP+ or SFP28 transceivers are not included and must be sourced separately — confirm DAC/AOC or optical transceiver compatibility against the HPE Networking transceiver support matrix for your switch infrastructure. Driver and firmware provisioning is handled through the HPE Pensando Policy and Services Manager (PSM) or iLO Amplifier Pack; plan for PSM cluster deployment if managing more than a handful of cards across a data center fabric.