What are Server Accessories? 

Server accessories are the add-on hardware components that extend or complete a base server's capabilities beyond what ships in the chassis by default, including network adapters, storage and RAID controllers, and remote management modules. Network adapters, such as additional network interface cards (NICs) or Open Compute Project (OCP) mezzanine cards, add ports and bandwidth beyond a server's onboard networking, supporting speeds from gigabit Ethernet up to 25GbE or more depending on the workload. Storage and RAID controllers, sometimes called host bus adapters, manage how physical drives are combined and protected, enabling configurations like mirroring or striping that a server's base storage interface may not support natively. Remote management modules, often called baseboard management controller (BMC) or Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) upgrade kits, add or enhance out-of-band access, letting administrators monitor, control, and even remotely view a server's console over the network, independent of the operating system's state.

Why do you need to know it? 

No single base server configuration fits every deployment, and buying a different pre-configured model for every variation in I/O, storage protection, or management capability is inefficient and expensive. Server accessories let IT teams tailor a standard server platform to their specific requirements, adding exactly the networking bandwidth, RAID protection level, or remote management capability a given deployment needs, without paying for a different base model or over-provisioning capabilities that go unused. This matters especially for organizations managing servers across multiple sites, where remote management accessories can be the difference between resolving an issue instantly and dispatching a technician for an on-site visit. Understanding what accessories are available, and when they're needed, helps IT teams right-size their server purchases and avoid costly retrofits down the line.

Benefits of Server Accessories

The core benefit of server accessories is modularity: rather than committing to a single fixed configuration, IT teams can add precisely the capabilities a deployment requires, whether that's additional 10G or 25G networking, hardware RAID for data protection, or enhanced remote management. Hardware RAID controllers improve both performance and reliability for storage-intensive workloads, offloading parity and mirroring calculations from the main CPU while protecting against drive failure. Expanded networking options, including OCP mezzanine cards, let servers keep pace with growing bandwidth demands from virtualization, storage networking, or high-throughput applications without replacing the entire system. Remote management accessories with KVM-over-IP capability let administrators troubleshoot and manage servers as if they were physically present, drastically reducing the operational cost of maintaining servers across distributed locations, including branch offices and colocation facilities.

How does ASUS help? 

ASUS offers a comprehensive catalog of server accessories spanning networking, storage protection, and remote management. Its network adapter lineup includes options from basic 4-port gigabit Ethernet cards like the PEI-1G/I350-4T to high-speed 10GBase-T and SFP+ adapters such as the PEI-10G/X710-2T and PEI-10G/82599-2S, plus OCP 3.0 mezzanine cards for space-efficient integration. For storage protection, the PIKE II 3108 series delivers SAS 12Gb/s RAID controllers across multiple port and drive-bay configurations, giving customers flexibility in balancing performance and redundancy. The ASUS ASMB9-iKVM and ASMB8iKVM management upgrade kits add IPMI 2.0 remote management with full KVM-over-IP capability, letting administrators manage ASUS servers as though they were sitting in front of them, from anywhere on the network. Because these accessories are designed and validated specifically for ASUS server platforms, customers can extend their systems with confidence that compatibility and performance have already been verified.