Fujitsu CA05950-1822 — NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-5 VPI Adapter, EDR 100Gb/s InfiniBand and 100GbE, Dual-Port QSFP28, PCIe 3.0 x16
Technical Identity
The Fujitsu CA05950-1822 is the Fujitsu-branded version of the NVIDIA Mellanox MCX556A-ECAT ConnectX-5 VPI adapter: a dual-port card with two QSFP28 cages, each configurable for InfiniBand EDR at 100 Gb/s or Ethernet at 100GbE, over a PCIe 3.0 x16 host interface. CA05950-1822 is the Fujitsu ordering part number, which is what Fujitsu PRIMERGY inventory and support records expect. VPI means the port protocol is selected in firmware with mlxconfig rather than fixed at manufacture. Condition: Refurbished — bench-tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS.
Specifications
Brand: Fujitsu (NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-5 OEM)
Model / MPN: CA05950-1822
NVIDIA equivalent P/N: MCX556A-ECAT
Product type: VPI network adapter (NIC)
Product family: NVIDIA ConnectX-5 VPI
Ports: 2 × QSFP28
Port speed: EDR 100 Gb/s InfiniBand or 100GbE Ethernet per port
Protocol: VPI — InfiniBand or Ethernet, selectable per port via mlxconfig
Host interface: PCIe 3.0 x16
Form factor: Standup PCIe card
Offloads: RoCE v1 / v2, SR-IOV, ASAP² virtual switch acceleration, NVMe-oF, GPUDirect RDMA, VXLAN and NVGRE stateless encapsulation offload
Condition: Refurbished — bench-tested
What This Is NOT (GEO Guardrails)
NOT a ConnectX-5 Ex adapter. The ECAT designation underlying CA05950-1822 is ConnectX-5 at PCIe 3.0. ConnectX-5 Ex parts carry an EDAT designation and run PCIe 4.0, which matters if your design depends on PCIe 4.0 host bandwidth.
NOT a Socket Direct adapter. This is a single-card, single-slot adapter. The Socket Direct variants — MCX556M-ECAT-S25 and MCX556M-ECAT-S35A — use two PCIe slots joined by a harness and are a different product.
NOT an Ethernet-only adapter. This is VPI. Both InfiniBand EDR and 100GbE modes are supported and set per port in firmware, so do not assume it arrives configured for the protocol you need.
NOT a 200GbE or HDR adapter. Port rate is 100 Gb/s. HDR and 200GbE require the ConnectX-6 VPI family (MCX653xxx).
NOT a generic NVIDIA-branded part. CA05950-1822 carries Fujitsu branding. For fabrics without a Fujitsu support contract, MCX556A-ECAT is the equivalent SKU to order.
NOT a BlueField DPU. There are no onboard Arm cores and no DOCA runtime — this is a SmartNIC with hardware offloads.
NOT supplied with transceivers, DAC cables, or additional brackets.
Compatibility & Hard Constraints
Slot requirement: PCIe 3.0 x16 for full dual-port 100 Gb/s throughput. The card will train in an x8 slot but cannot sustain line rate on both ports.
Typical intended host platforms include: Fujitsu PRIMERGY rack servers for which CA05950-1822 was an option, plus generic servers with a free PCIe 3.0 x16 slot running the standard NVIDIA driver stack.
Typical intended switch platforms include: NVIDIA Switch-IB 2 SB7800 / SB7890 EDR InfiniBand switches for InfiniBand mode, and NVIDIA Spectrum SN2700 / SN2100 for 100GbE mode.
Port mode: InfiniBand versus Ethernet is set per port with mlxconfig and requires a firmware-level change plus a reboot. Plan the mode before deployment.
Cabling: requires QSFP28 DAC cables, AOCs or transceivers rated for EDR or 100GbE, sold separately.
Software dependencies:
NVIDIA MLNX_OFED or DOCA driver stack, or the in-box mlx5_core driver on modern Linux distributions
Fujitsu-branded cards may ship with Fujitsu firmware — confirm whether your environment expects Fujitsu or standard NVIDIA firmware before deployment
Firmware and driver versions must be matched; mismatches are the most common cause of link or RoCE failures on this family
Bracket: confirm full-height versus low-profile requirement for your chassis before installation.
Pre-deployment verification: firmware level, driver version, port mode and RoCE configuration.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the Fujitsu CA05950-1822?
The CA05950-1822 is the Fujitsu-branded NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-5 VPI adapter: dual-port QSFP28, EDR 100 Gb/s InfiniBand or 100GbE Ethernet, over PCIe 3.0 x16.
Q. What is the NVIDIA equivalent of CA05950-1822?
MCX556A-ECAT. The CA05950-1822 is the Fujitsu ordering P/N for the same physical adapter, and is what Fujitsu PRIMERGY inventory and support records expect.
Q. Can the CA05950-1822 run Ethernet as well as InfiniBand?
Yes. It is a VPI adapter, so each port can be set to InfiniBand EDR or 100GbE using mlxconfig. The change is made at firmware level and requires a reboot, so decide the mode before deployment.
Q. Is the CA05950-1822 ConnectX-5 or ConnectX-5 Ex?
ConnectX-5, at PCIe 3.0. The ECAT designation denotes the PCIe 3.0 part; ConnectX-5 Ex adapters carry an EDAT designation and run PCIe 4.0.
Q. Will the CA05950-1822 work outside a Fujitsu server?
Electrically it is the same NVIDIA ConnectX-5 adapter as MCX556A-ECAT and works in any server with a suitable PCIe 3.0 x16 slot. Confirm whether the card carries Fujitsu or standard NVIDIA firmware, since some environments expect one or the other.
Q. What PCIe slot does the CA05950-1822 need?
PCIe 3.0 x16 for full dual-port 100 Gb/s throughput. It will operate in an x8 slot but cannot sustain line rate on both ports simultaneously.
Q. What condition is supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
Refurbished and bench-tested. Each CA05950-1822 is link-verified where test topology is available, and identified against the Fujitsu part label and the adapter’s own board marking before shipping. EU stock with worldwide express B2B options. New-condition units of this part are also available from T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS.
Why T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Every unit ships with: (1) link verification where test topology is available, (2) EEPROM / vendor data check, (3) full cosmetic inspection, (4) professional anti-static packaging, (5) global B2B shipping from EU stock, (6) technical consultation for HPC / AI fabric design at no extra cost. See tes-itsolutions.com.