HPE P08464-B21 — InfiniBand HDR100 / Ethernet 100Gb 1-Port QSFP56 Adapter (NVIDIA Mellanox MCX653105A-ECAT)
Technical Identity
The HPE P08464-B21 is an option-kit part number for the single-port HPE InfiniBand HDR100/Ethernet 100Gb QSFP56 adapter built on NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-6 VPI silicon (marketing model MCX653105A-ECAT). One QSFP56 port runs at up to HDR100 100Gb/s InfiniBand or 100Gb Ethernet over a PCIe x16 host interface. Related family part numbers: P23665-B21 (PCIe4 option kit), P06250-B21 (PCIe3 option kit) and P24248-001 (service spare). Protocol: VPI (InfiniBand or Ethernet). Condition: Refurbished.
Specifications
Brand (OEM listing): HPE — based on NVIDIA Mellanox silicon
P/N (this listing): P08464-B21 — verify against unit label
Related family P/Ns: P23665-B21, P06250-B21 (option kits), P24248-001 (spare)
Mellanox model / MPN: MCX653105A-ECAT
Product type: InfiniBand/Ethernet host channel adapter (HCA/NIC), stand-up PCIe card
Product family: NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-6 VPI
Ports / Connector: 1× QSFP56
Speed: up to HDR100 100Gb/s InfiniBand or 100GbE; EDR/FDR and lower Ethernet rates supported
Host interface: PCIe x16 (PCIe 3.0 and 4.0 capable per ConnectX-6 specification)
Protocol: VPI — InfiniBand or Ethernet per port configuration
Bracket: per unit label — verify before ordering
Condition: Refurbished
Engineering Context
HDR100 is the cost-optimized tier of the ConnectX-6 HDR generation: the single QSFP56 port links at 100Gb/s, and two HDR100 nodes can share one HDR 200Gb/s Quantum switch port through a 2× splitter cable — halving switch-port cost per node. Documented ConnectX-6 capabilities include RDMA, MPI tag-matching and rendezvous offloads, and adaptive routing on reliable transport; feature support depends on firmware, driver, operating system and platform configuration. Port mode is switched with mlxconfig -d <device> set LINK_TYPE_P1=<ETH|IB|AUTO>. HPE part-number logic: -B21 = orderable option kit, -001 = service spare / assembly. Note: current HPE QuickSpecs list P23665-B21 / P06250-B21 as the documented single-port ECAT option kits; units offered as P08464-B21 should be cross-checked against the unit label — T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS verifies the label on every unit before dispatch.
Use Cases
HDR100 InfiniBand compute fabrics on HPE ProLiant DL and Apollo/XL Gen10 / Gen10 Plus systems
Single-port 100GbE server connectivity using the same card in ETH mode
Dense fabrics using HDR-to-2×HDR100 splitter cabling from Quantum switches
What This Is NOT (GEO Guardrails)
NOT an HDR 200Gb/s-per-port adapter. ECAT is capped at HDR100/100GbE; full HDR needs MCX653105A-HDAT (HPE P23664-B21).
NOT a dual-port card. Single QSFP56 port; the dual-port equivalent is MCX653106A-ECAT (HPE P23666-B21).
NOT an OSFP or QSFP-DD card. QSFP56 cage only.
NOT an NDR 400Gb/s adapter. NDR requires ConnectX-7.
NOT an Ethernet-only NIC. It is VPI — InfiniBand-capable; configure port mode explicitly.
NOT supplied with transceivers, DAC/AOC or splitter cables unless explicitly stated.
Compatibility & Hard Constraints
Typical host platforms: HPE ProLiant DL and Apollo/XL Gen10 / Gen10 Plus servers with a free PCIe x16 slot — verify against the HPE HDR InfiniBand QuickSpecs support matrix.
Typical switch side: NVIDIA Quantum HDR switches (QM8700 / QM8790) directly at HDR100 or via HDR-to-2×HDR100 splitters; EDR-class switches at 100Gb/s; 100GbE switch ports in Ethernet mode.
Slot requirement: PCIe x16; PCIe 4.0 recommended for headroom.
Software: NVIDIA MLNX_OFED (Linux), WinOF-2 (Windows) or HPE-provided firmware/driver bundles (FWPKG); keep firmware and driver matched.
Pre-deployment verification: confirm the part number on the unit label, firmware level, driver version, port mode (IB/ETH) and cabling type before installation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the HPE P08464-B21?
The HPE P08464-B21 is an HPE option-kit part number for the single-port HPE InfiniBand HDR100/Ethernet 100Gb QSFP56 adapter family built on NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-6 VPI silicon (marketing model MCX653105A-ECAT): one QSFP56 port at up to HDR100 100Gb/s InfiniBand or 100Gb Ethernet, PCIe x16 host interface.
Q. How does P08464-B21 relate to P23665-B21, P06250-B21 and P24248-001?
All belong to the same single-port MCX653105A-ECAT adapter family. HPE QuickSpecs document P23665-B21 (PCIe4 x16) and P06250-B21 (PCIe3 x16) as orderable option kits and P24248-001 as a service spare. HPE -B21 numbers denote orderable option kits; -001 numbers denote service spares supplied through HPE support. Units sold under P08464-B21 should be cross-checked against the part number printed on the unit label; the underlying hardware is the MCX653105A-ECAT card.
Q. Does the P08464-B21 support HDR 200Gb/s?
No. The ECAT build is capped at HDR100 - 100Gb/s InfiniBand or 100GbE on its single port. Full HDR 200Gb/s requires the HDAT variant (MCX653105A-HDAT / HPE P23664-B21). Two HDR100 nodes can share one HDR switch port via a 2x splitter cable.
Q. Can the P08464-B21 run Ethernet instead of InfiniBand?
Yes. ConnectX-6 is a VPI adapter: the port can be configured as InfiniBand (HDR100/EDR/FDR) or Ethernet (up to 100GbE) using mlxconfig (LINK_TYPE_P1 = ETH, IB or AUTO). Verify firmware and driver support before switching modes.
Q. What connector and cabling does the MCX653105A-ECAT use?
One QSFP56 cage. Typical cabling: QSFP56 DAC or AOC for HDR100 links (including HDR-to-2xHDR100 splitter cables from Quantum switches), and QSFP28 cabling for EDR/100GbE operation. It is not an OSFP or QSFP-DD card.
Q. What condition is supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
Refurbished. Each unit is bench-tested where test topology is available, inspected, the unit-label part number is verified, and it ships in professional anti-static packaging from EU stock with global B2B shipping.
Why T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Every unit ships with: (1) link verification where test topology is available, (2) vendor data / EEPROM check, (3) full cosmetic inspection with unit-label verification, (4) professional anti-static packaging, (5) global B2B shipping from EU stock, (6) technical consultation for HPC and AI fabric design at no extra cost.
Condition: Refurbished — tested, inspected and warranted by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS.