NVIDIA Mellanox MSX6018F-1BFS SwitchX-2 18-Port FDR 56Gb/s InfiniBand Managed Switch, 1U Short Depth, P2C Airflow: This is a 1U managed InfiniBand switch built on the SwitchX-2 ASIC, with 18 non-blocking QSFP+ ports running at FDR 56Gb/s per port. The switch ships with MLNX-OS for fabric management and an embedded subnet manager. Airflow is PSU-side intake to connector-side exhaust (P2C). This is a fully managed switch, not an externally-managed unit. This is a refurbished unit.
Engineering Context
The MSX6018F-1BFS provides up to 2.016 Tb/s aggregate non-blocking bandwidth across 18 QSFP+ FDR ports. Port-to-port latency is approximately 170 nanoseconds, suitable for low-latency HPC and AI workloads. The PPC460 management processor runs MLNX-OS with embedded OpenSM, enabling self-managed fabrics without a separate management host. P2C airflow direction supports installations where the rack rear face is the cold aisle, the inverse of the more common C2P configuration.
Deployment & Use Cases
Top-of-Rack leaf switch in HPC clusters running MPI workloads or AI training with NVIDIA NCCL. Storage backbone for Lustre, BeeGFS, or IBM Spectrum Scale (GPFS) parallel filesystems. Standalone clusters using the embedded subnet manager. Reverse-airflow rack designs where the cabling face is on the hot aisle.
Technical Specifications
OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
Part Number: MSX6018F-1BFS
Switch ASIC: SwitchX-2
Ports: 18 x QSFP+ FDR (non-blocking)
Per-Port Speed: 56Gb/s FDR (auto-neg to QDR/DDR/SDR)
Aggregate Bandwidth: 2.016 Tb/s
Port-to-Port Latency: ~170 ns
Management Processor: PPC460 running MLNX-OS
Form Factor: 1U Short Depth
Power Supply: 1 x AC (non-redundant)
Airflow: P2C (PSU-side intake to connector-side exhaust)
Condition: Refurbished — Tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Compatibility & Hard Constraints
Compatible with NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-3, ConnectX-3 Pro, ConnectX-4, ConnectX-5, and ConnectX-6 InfiniBand adapters at FDR or lower speeds. Embedded OpenSM supports fabrics up to 648 nodes. Not an Ethernet switch by default — VPI Ethernet operation is not standard on this SKU. Does not support EDR (100Gb/s) or HDR (200Gb/s). P2C airflow only; do not mix with C2P switches in the same hot/cold aisle without careful planning. Single PSU means no power redundancy.
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS validates all 18 ports at FDR rate, confirms MLNX-OS boots cleanly with the embedded SM operational, and tests power supply, fans, and airflow direction before shipment. We provide expert consultation on InfiniBand fabric design and global shipping with comprehensive warranty. Visit tes-itsolutions.com. Handling time 1-3 business days.