HPE ProLiant BL-Series Blade Server 16Gbps FC Storage Interface Card

HPE Option P/N: 718203-B21 | HPE Spare P/N: 718201-001 | Model: LPe1605

The HPE 718201-001 (718203-B21) is an enterprise-class, dual-port 16Gb Fibre Channel (FC) Host Bus Adapter (HBA) designed in a specialized mezzanine form factor for HPE ProLiant Gen8 and Gen9 blade servers. Engineered by Emulex, this high-performance adapter connects blade computing nodes directly to enterprise SAN (Storage Area Network) infrastructures. By delivering up to 16Gbps of bi-directional throughput per port, it drastically reduces data bottlenecks, satisfies intensive I/O storage demands, and provides robust multi-path redundancy for virtualized data centers.

• Data Rate: 🏎️ 16 Gbps Fibre Channel (Backward compatible with 8Gb and 4Gb FC links)

• Ports: 🔌 2x Ports (Dual-Port)

• Interface Form Factor: 📏 Type A Mezzanine Card (Dedicated Blade Server Slot)

• Silicon Architecture: 🧠 Emulex Engine Technology

• Topology Support: 🖧 Point-to-Point, Arbitrated Loop, Switched Fabric

• Performance Overhead: 🛡️ Over 1.2 Million IOPS capability (Combined Ports)

• Server Compatibility: ⚙️ HPE ProLiant Gen8 / Gen9 BL Blade Server Nodes (Mezzanine Slots)

• Emulex Virtualization Enhancements: Features full support for N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) and hardware-based isolation. This enables administrators to allocate independent, secure virtual world-wide names (WWNs) directly to separate virtual machines running on the host blade.

• Dedicated Mezzanine Layout: Built inside a dedicated, low-profile Type A mezzanine envelope. This footprint locks securely into the server blade’s interior chassis layer, allowing high-speed SAN signals to route directly through the backplane without consuming standard external expansion lanes.

• Enterprise Multitasking Efficiency: Offloads complex storage-layer command stacks entirely from the server’s primary CPU cores. The card handles physical data frame processing natively, ensuring maximum clock cycles remain open for core virtual workloads.

• Target Systems (HPE ProLiant Blade Ecosystem):

  • HPE ProLiant BL460c Gen9 & Gen8 Server Blades

  • HPE ProLiant BL660c Gen9 & Gen8 Server Blades

  • Designed for installation into an HPE BladeSystem c7000 or c3000 Enclosure linked to a matching 16Gb Fibre Channel SAN switch or pass-through module (such as Brocade or Cisco MDS fabric modules).

• Ideal Workloads:

  • Heavy Workload Hypervisors: Provides a robust storage backbone for massive virtual machine farms running VMware vSphere/ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, or enterprise Linux Installation & Seller Listing Note

    ⚠️ Structural Form Factor Check: This is a Blade Mezzanine Card, not a standard PCIe slot card with a metal bracket expansion faceplate. It is designed specifically to plug straight into a internal motherboard interface socket on BL-series server blades and will not fit standard rackmount or desktop systems.

    💡 Matching Part Numbers: The identification sticker on the physical circuit board typically displays HPE Spare P/N: 718201-001. Listing both this spare code and the marketing number (HPE Option P/N: 718203-B21) inside your listing description guarantees maximum search visibility for enterprise datacenter procurement managers.

    The HPE LPe1605 16Gb FC Mezzanine HBA provides a highly resilient, low-latency, and high-throughput connection engine to keep your blade server storage pipelines executing at enterprise grade.