Intel XL710-Q2 User Manual page 16

SR-IOV architecture includes two functions:
Physical Function (PF) is a full featured PCI Express function that can be discovered, managed and
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configured like any other PCI Express device.
Virtual Function (VF) is similar to PF but cannot be configured and only has the ability to transfer data in
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and out. The VF is assigned to a Virtual Machine.
NOTES:
SR-IOV must be enabled in the BIOS.
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In Windows Server 2012, SR-IOV is not supported with teaming and VLANS. This occurs
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because the Hyper-V virtual switch does not enable SR-IOV on virtual interfaces such as
teaming or VLANs. To enable SR-IOV, remove all teams and VLANs.
SR-IOV Benefits
SR-IOV has the ability to increase the number of virtual machines supported per physical host, improving I/O
device sharing among virtual machines for higher overall performance:
Provides near native performance due to direct connectivity to each VM through a virtual function
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Preserves VM migration
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Increases VM scalability on a virtualized server
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Provides data protection
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