Qnap Fibre Channel Expansion Card Adapter 16G Host Bus 2X

The QNAP Fibre Channel Expansion Card is a dedicated dual-port Fibre Channel adapter designed to unlock enterprise-grade SAN performance directly within your QNAP NAS. Engineered for reliability, scalability, and efficiency, this 16Gb/32Gb FC expansion card elevates storage networking without the need for a full platform overhaul. By adding Fibre Channel connectivity, you can consolidate storage traffic, shorten backup windows, boost virtualization performance, and simplify data management across servers and storage arrays. Whether you’re building a compact business SAN, supporting a virtualized environment, or managing a sizable data center, this card helps you maximize throughput, reduce latency, and streamline storage administration. Its compact PCIe form factor and dual-port design deliver flexible connectivity and robust resilience, enabling you to connect to two independent FC fabrics or implement redundant paths for mission-critical workflows.

• Enterprise-grade SAN acceleration for NAS: Transform your QNAP NAS into a high-performance storage hub with dedicated Fibre Channel connectivity. This expansion card brings SAN-grade throughput, predictable I/O, and lower latency to data-intensive applications, helping databases, virtual machines, and large backups run more smoothly. By offloading storage traffic to FC, you free up NAS resources for other workloads, ensuring consistent performance across services and users.
• Dual-Port FC for fabric redundancy and throughput: The dual-port design lets you connect to two independent Fibre Channel fabrics or provide redundant paths to a single fabric. This architecture enhances resilience, reduces the risk of downtime due to path failures, and supports failover scenarios that are critical for production environments, disaster recovery planning, and always-on storage availability.
• Supports high-speed 16 Gb/s and 32 Gb/s FC speeds: Designed to work with contemporary FC switches and storage arrays, the card delivers substantial bandwidth gains and lower latency compared to older FC adapters. This makes it ideal for virtualization workloads, IOPS-heavy databases, and bandwidth-intensive backups, ensuring smoother data movement and faster recovery operations.
• Seamless QNAP NAS integration and management: The expansion card integrates tightly with QNAP’s QTS FC management tools, enabling straightforward path and zone management, easy switch connectivity, and streamlined administration. You can configure zoning, monitor link status, and manage storage fabrics directly from the familiar QTS interface, reducing complexity and improving control over your SAN environment.
• Optimized for mission-critical workloads: Whether hosting VM storage, large databases, or time-sensitive backups, this FC expansion card is built to deliver consistent I/O performance under load. Its design supports high-availability configurations, reduces bottlenecks in storage pipelines, and provides predictable latency essential for enterprise-grade applications and services that demand reliable data access and rapid recovery.

Technical Details of QNAP Fibre Channel Expansion Card

• Product Type: Fibre Channel expansion card (dual-port)
• Interface: Fibre Channel, Dual-Port
• Supported Speeds: 16 Gb/s and 32 Gb/s Fibre Channel
• Form Factor: PCIe expansion card (PCIe 3.0 x8 compatible)
• Compatibility: Designed for QNAP NAS with PCIe slots; supports SAN environments.

How to install QNAP Fibre Channel Expansion Card

• Power down safely: Turn off the QNAP NAS, unplug from power, and discharge any residual energy before handling components.
• Open the chassis and locate a suitable PCIe slot: Identify an available PCIe slot that is compatible with PCIe 3.0 x8 or better, following your NAS model’s service guide.
• Insert the card firmly: Gently but firmly seat the QNAP Fibre Channel Expansion Card into the PCIe slot until it is securely seated and aligned with the slot cutout.
• Reconnect power and boot: Reassemble the chassis, reconnect power, and power on the NAS. Allow the system to boot and recognize the new hardware.
• Configure in QTS FC management: Open the QTS FC management interface, configure paths, zones, and connections to your FC switches and storage arrays. Verify link status, perform basic sanity checks, and monitor performance to ensure the FC fabric is operating as expected.

Frequently asked questions

• What does this card add to my QNAP NAS? It adds dual-port Fibre Channel connectivity, enabling SAN capabilities directly within the NAS. This allows high-speed storage networking, fabric zoning, and more efficient data management for databases, VMs, and large backups.
• What speeds does the card support? The card supports both 16 Gb/s and 32 Gb/s Fibre Channel speeds, providing scalable bandwidth to match your FC switches and storage arrays.
• Is the card compatible with all QNAP NAS models? Compatibility requires a NAS with an available PCIe slot (PCIe 3.0 x8 compatible). Check your NAS model’s PCIe slot specifications and QTS FC support documentation for exact compatibility.
• Do I need additional software to use Fibre Channel on QNAP? The card integrates with QNAP’s QTS FC management tools. You can manage paths, zones, and fabric connections through QTS without requiring separate FC software; firmware updates may be necessary to enable full functionality.
• Can I use the card to create redundant storage paths? Yes. The dual-port design supports two independent FC fabrics or redundant paths to a single fabric, improving availability and resilience for critical workloads.
• What workloads benefit most from this FC expansion card? Mission-critical databases, VM storage, large-scale backups, and media workflows with stringent latency and IOPS requirements typically benefit the most from the enhanced throughput and predictable performance of Fibre Channel connectivity.