InfiniBand QDR 18-port managed switch — the 851-0168-01 is a Mellanox InfiniScale IV-based InfiniBand QDR switch with 18 QSFP ports. MPN: 851-0168-01. This product IS an IB QDR switch with 18 external QSFP ports in a short-depth chassis; it is NOT an Ethernet switch, NOT an FDR or EDR switch, and NOT a full-depth chassis. Airflow: PSU-side to connector-side. Ships with 1 power supply included. Condition: refurbished.
Engineering Context
InfiniBand QDR delivers 40Gb/s per port (10 Gb/s per lane × 4 lanes). With 18 QSFP ports all operating at QDR, the switch provides up to 720 Gb/s aggregate port bandwidth. The InfiniScale IV ASIC (Mellanox) implements cut-through switching with sub-microsecond port-to-port latency, making it suitable for MPI-based parallel computing. The short-depth form factor accommodates shallow rack bays without requiring a full 600mm chassis depth. PSU-to-connector-side airflow direction should be verified against rack airflow requirements before installation.
Deployment & Use Cases
Deployed as a leaf switch in InfiniBand QDR fat-tree or spine-leaf HPC fabric topologies. Used in research and university computing clusters running MPI-based simulation workloads over IB QDR. Suitable for storage area networks using SRP (SCSI RDMA Protocol) over IB QDR with iSCSI-RDMA gateways. Appropriate for VMware ESXi clusters using IB QDR for RDMA-based datastore connectivity. Suitable for small to medium IB fabrics where an 18-port QDR leaf can serve up to 18 HCA-equipped servers or interconnect to spine switches in multi-rail designs.
Technical Specifications
MPN: 851-0168-01
ASIC: Mellanox InfiniScale IV
Protocol: InfiniBand QDR
Port Speed: 40Gb/s per port (QDR)
Lane Rate: 10 Gb/s per lane (4 lanes per port)
Number of Ports: 18 × QSFP
Aggregate Bandwidth: Up to 720 Gb/s
Form Factor: Short depth
Airflow: PSU side to connector side
Power Supplies: 1 included
Condition: Refurbished
Compatibility & Constraints
Compatible with QSFP QDR InfiniBand cables and HCAs including ConnectX-2, ConnectX-3, and ConnectX-3 Pro in QDR mode. Compatible with NVIDIA Mellanox SX6xxx-series FDR switches for mixed-generation fabrics via FDR/QDR speed negotiation. NOT compatible with FDR (56Gb/s) cables at native FDR speed — QDR ports will negotiate down or not link with FDR-only cables. NOT compatible with QSFP28 (EDR/100GbE) ports. NOT an Ethernet switch — cannot be used in IP/Ethernet fabrics. The 851-0168-01 ships with 1 power supply; dual-PSU operation requires sourcing a second compatible PSU. Verify airflow direction (PSU-to-connector) against rack cooling before installation; reversing airflow direction may overheat the unit.
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS tests all IB switches for port link-up, fabric initialization, and management plane functionality prior to dispatch. Lab-verified stock, 1–3 business day handling, global shipping. Technical consultation available for IB fabric design, switch configuration, and subnet manager setup. Visit tes-itsolutions.com.