Network Interface Cards (NICs) are now certified for use with Windows Server in a different method, thanks to changes made by the Microsoft networking team. …
Microsoft has certified NICs based on adapter link speed since Windows Server 2008, meaning that any adapter 10 Gbps or higher had additional requirements (Microsoft testing) imposed on it, regardless of the adapter’s intended use (as designed by the manufacturer).
This strategy resulted in some NIC vendors testing speed rather than actual performance. However, servers are increasingly expected to perform a variety of I/O-intensive tasks, such as driving Microsoft’s own Storage Spaces Direct software-defined storage solution, which is increasingly being used in hyper-converged infrastructure.
Raw speed is not an indicator of how well a NIC will perform on a server being asked to take on the role of a shared storage array, Microsoft argues. Microsoft’s old certifications, therefore, made customers unaware of scenarios that a NIC might struggle to handle.
Microsoft realized that its approach of assuming a faster NIC is a better NIC was inappropriate after the release of Windows Server 2022.
Cuomo said the operating system’s arrival “has increased the number of support cases, leading to frustrating ‘unsupported’ support claims even though the device has been certified.”
Microsoft’s answer is its NIC certification system, which evaluates a device’s performance based on whether it can perform in three roles.
The new certification system does not match NICs with Microsoft products or applications.
“This change is intended to do away with the dangerous phrase of ‘sorry, your configuration is not supported,’” he wrote. “We’ve had feedback on how frustrating it can be to call support on a certified device, but we’ve found the adapter is not supported the way it’s used.”