P21112-B21 is an HPE enterprise Ethernet network adapter designed for HPE ProLiant servers. It’s a dual-port 100GbE QSFP28 adapter based on the Intel Ethernet E810-CQDA2 controller, providing ultra-high-speed networking for demanding data center, virtualization, and storage workloads.
Why buyers pick P21112-B21 (plain English)
Massive 100Gb bandwidth Delivers full 100GbE per port for high-throughput applications, server clusters, and east-west traffic.
Intel E810 performance Modern silicon with advanced offloads and low latency ideal for virtualization, AI/ML, analytics, and storage fabrics.
Dual-port flexibility Two 100GbE ports support link aggregation, redundancy, or segmentation across high-speed links.
Future-ready data center networking Supports evolving 100GbE deployments and fabric interconnects without early refresh cycles.
HPE-validated reliability Firmware and drivers qualified for ProLiant platforms to ensure long-term stability and support.
60-second spec box (P21112-B21)
Adapter type Ethernet network adapter
Ports 2 × QSFP28
Speed 100GbE
Controller Intel Ethernet E810-CQDA2
Form factor PCIe stand-up adapter
Host interface PCIe Gen4
Supported media QSFP28 DACs or optical transceivers
Platform HPE ProLiant servers
Use case High-capacity data center networking, storage fabrics, virtualization-heavy clusters.
Where it fits (and when to choose something else)
Perfect for:
High-performance ProLiant servers
Virtualization, analytics, and AI/ML workloads
High-speed cluster and east-west traffic
100GbE uplink and fabric connectivity
Choose something else if:
You need lower speeds → 10/25/40Gb adapters
You need copper connectivity → RJ-45 options (where available)
You need quad-port on the same PCIe footprint → multi-port adapters
TL;DR
P21112-B21 is HPE’s Intel E810-CQDA2 dual-port 100GbE QSFP28 adapter: a high-performance, enterprise-validated NIC delivering ultra-fast networking for modern data center and virtualization workloads.
Maximum performance:The dual 100Gb QSFP28 ports provide extremely high bandwidth, essential for data-intensive workloads like cloud computing, data analytics, and high-performance computing (HPC).
CPU offload:Features such as Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) v2 reduce the load on the server's CPU, improving overall system efficiency.
Enhanced security:The adapter's firmware is secured with a hardware root-of-trust to prevent rogue firmware from being installed.
High-density virtualization:Supports Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV), which is critical for virtualized data center environments.
This adapter is particularly suited for high-demand applications requiring ultra-high bandwidth in modern data centers and cloud computing environments.
