Enhanced Networking (EN): Uses single root I/O virtualization (SR-IOV) to provide high performance networking capabilites on supported instance types.
SR-IOV is a method of device virtualization that provides higher I/O performance and lower CPU utilization when compared to traditional virtualized network interfaces.
Enhanced networking provides higher bandwidth, higher packet per second (PPS) performance, and consistanly lower inter-instance latencies. There is no additional charge for using enhanced networking
Use where you want good netwoking performance.
Depending on your instance type, enhance networking can be enabled using:
- Elastic Network Adapter (ENA): Which support network spread of up to 100 gbps for supported instance type.
- Intel 82599 Virtual Function (VF) Interface: Which supports network speeds of up to 10 gbps for supported instance types. This is typically used on older instances.