HPE ProLiant SL250s Gen8 Networking Adapters
Genuine HPE Ethernet server adapters and FlexibleLOM cards for the HPE ProLiant SL250s Gen8, new and refurbished. The tray has two Gigabit ports on board and two slots that will take a network card — a FlexibleLOM slot and one low-profile PCI Express 3.0 x8 slot — because the three remaining PCI Express positions are listed GPU only and take nothing else.
SL250s Gen8 Networking Specifications
- Embedded networking: an HPE Ethernet 1Gb 2-port 361i Adapter, plus a dedicated 1Gb iLO 4 remote management port that is separate from the two data ports
- Expansion slot: one PCI Express 3.0 slot, x8 electrical on an x8 connector, half-length and half-height, reached from the front panel
- FlexibleLOM slot: a PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot taking a 1 Gigabit, 10 Gigabit or InfiniBand FlexibleLOM, also reached from the front panel
- Slots that will not take a card: the three full-length, full-height PCI Express 3.0 x16 positions are listed GPU only, so they add no network capacity however many lanes they carry
- Gigabit cards stocked: NC112T single-port, NC365T four-port, 1Gb 4-port 331T, 1Gb 2-port 361T and 332T, and the 1Gb 4-port 331FLR FlexibleLOM
- 10 Gigabit cards stocked: NC523SFP, NC552SFP, 530SFP and 560SFP+ adapters, with the 530FLR-SFP+ and FlexFabric 554FLR-SFP+ in FlexibleLOM form; HPE supports only the low-profile version of the 10GbE adapters here
- InfiniBand and cabling: 4X QDR and FDR dual-port host channel adapters, including 544QSFP and 544FLR-QSFP ConnectX-3 cards needing no enablement kit; direct attach copper cables and fibre transceivers are purchased separately
Five PCI Express positions, two of which will take a network card. The three full-length x16 slots are listed GPU only, leaving the FlexibleLOM slot and one low-profile x8 expansion slot for adapters — and HPE supports only the low-profile version of the 10GbE Ethernet cards in that slot. Two Gigabit ports are already on board before any card goes in.
Where does the card actually go?
| Slot | Technology | Width | Takes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-profile expansion | PCIe 3.0 | x8 electrical, x8 connector | Half-length, half-height cards, including InfiniBand host channel adapters |
| FlexibleLOM | PCIe 3.0 | x16 electrical, x16 connector | 1 Gigabit, 10 Gigabit or InfiniBand FlexibleLOM cards |
| GPU1, GPU2 and GPU3 | PCIe 3.0 | x16 electrical, x16 connector | Full-length, full-height accelerators only |
| Embedded 361i | On board | — | Two Gigabit RJ-45 ports, always present |
There are fewer usable slots here than a slot count suggests. Three of the five PCI Express positions in this tray are reserved for accelerators and will not take a network card, and the one general-purpose slot is x8 on an x8 connector and half-height, so a full-height card or one built for a x16 connector is the wrong part however well it matches on speed. With two Gigabit ports already fitted, a card earns one of the two remaining places by adding bandwidth, fabric or port count rather than basic connectivity.
Choosing the Right SL250s Gen8 Network Adapter
- Low profile is a requirement, not a preference. HPE supports only the low-profile version of the 10GbE Ethernet adapters in this tray, so a standard-height card is wrong however it matches on speed.
- Check the connector, not just the lane count. The general-purpose expansion slot is x8 on an x8 connector, so a card built for a x16 connector will not seat in it.
- The ConnectX-3 InfiniBand cards need no enablement kit. HPE notes this for the 544QSFP and both 544FLR-QSFP adapters, which run FDR or QDR InfiniBand or 40 and 10 Gigabit Ethernet.
- Cables and transceivers are separate. SFP+ and QSFP cards ship bare: direct attach copper for short runs, transceivers and fibre for longer ones.
- Match the media, not just the speed. An SFP+ card and a 10GBASE-T switch port will not connect without the right optics in between.
Complete Your SL250s Gen8 Build
Networking and storage share the front of this tray — see SL250s Gen8 drives and storage controllers alongside this page. Also available: SL250s Gen8 memory and processors, or the full SL250s Gen8 parts listing, where the InfiniBand host channel adapters are found, and the HPE parts by server model index.
SL250s Gen8 Networking Adapters FAQ
How many network ports does an SL250s Gen8 have as standard?
Two Gigabit RJ-45 ports, from the embedded HPE Ethernet 1Gb 2-port 361i Adapter, plus a separate dedicated 1Gb port for iLO 4 management.
How many slots can take a network card?
Two: the FlexibleLOM slot and the low-profile PCI Express 3.0 x8 expansion slot. The other three PCI Express positions in the tray are listed GPU only.
Does the SL250s Gen8 support InfiniBand?
Yes. 4X QDR and FDR dual-port host channel adapters are listed for this node, including the 544QSFP and 544FLR-QSFP ConnectX-3 cards, which HPE notes need no InfiniBand enablement kit.
Can I fit a full-height 10GbE card?
No. HPE supports only the low-profile version of the 10GbE Ethernet adapters on the SL250s Gen8, so the card has to be the low-profile variant.
What is the FlexibleLOM slot on this server?
A PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot reached from the front panel. It takes a 1 Gigabit, 10 Gigabit or InfiniBand FlexibleLOM adapter rather than a standard expansion card.
Do SFP+ adapters include cables?
No. Direct attach copper cables for copper environments, and transceivers plus fibre for fibre-optic ones, are purchased separately from the adapter.
✅ Looking for a specific SL250s Gen8 network adapter? Browse our full selection below.
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