What InfiniBand and Ethernet rates does the MCX354A-QCBT_H support?

The QCBT firmware variant operates at QDR (40 Gb/s) on the InfiniBand side and 10GbE on the Ethernet side per port. It does not auto-negotiate to FDR or higher rates.

Can both ports run different protocols simultaneously?

Yes. Each QSFP port is independently configurable via mlxconfig, so one port can run as InfiniBand QDR while the other runs as 10GbE. A host reboot is required after changing the port type.

What condition is this card sold in?

Refurbished. T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS link-tests both ports in IB and Ethernet modes and verifies firmware before shipment. See https://www.tes-itsolutions.com for tested-grade details.

NVIDIA Mellanox MCX354A-QCBT_H ConnectX-3 VPI Dual-Port QSFP QDR InfiniBand and 10GbE PCIe 3.0 x8 NIC: This is a dual-port Virtual Protocol Interconnect (VPI) host channel adapter built on the ConnectX-3 ASIC. Each QSFP port can be configured as either QDR InfiniBand (40 Gb/s) or 10 Gigabit Ethernet. The base MPN is MCX354A-QCBT and this unit ships with the _H sub-revision marker. This is a host adapter, not a switch. This is a refurbished unit.

Engineering Context

The ConnectX-3 VPI silicon presents two QSFP cages, each independently configurable as InfiniBand or Ethernet via firmware port type setting. The PCIe 3.0 x8 host interface runs at 8 GT/s per lane and provides approximately 64 Gbps of usable bandwidth, sufficient to drive a single QDR (40 Gb/s) port at line rate. The card supports RoCE v1 over the Ethernet personality and full RDMA over the InfiniBand personality. End-to-end RDMA latency is approximately 1 microsecond. SR-IOV is supported. The card uses a low-profile bracket as standard with a full-height bracket as an option.

Deployment & Use Cases

HPC compute nodes using QDR InfiniBand for MPI traffic. Storage cluster nodes participating in IBM GPFS or Lustre fabrics at QDR. Hybrid IB/Ethernet labs where the same hardware can be repurposed across protocol experiments. Migration paths from older 10GbE-only deployments to mixed VPI fabrics.

Technical Specifications

OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
Part Number: MCX354A-QCBT_H
ASIC: ConnectX-3 VPI
Ports: 2 x QSFP (independently configurable)
InfiniBand Rate: QDR 40 Gb/s
Ethernet Rate: 10GbE
Host Interface: PCIe 3.0 x8 (8 GT/s)
Protocols: InfiniBand, Ethernet, VPI, RoCE v1, RDMA
Form Factor: Low-profile PCIe with full-height bracket option
Connector: QSFP+ / QSFP
Condition: Refurbished — Tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS

Compatibility & Hard Constraints

Drivers available via MLNX_OFED for Linux, native ESXi inbox driver, and Windows Server. Requires QSFP DAC, AOC, or QDR-rated optical transceivers — modules are not included. The QCBT firmware variant operates at QDR; it will not auto-negotiate to FDR (56 Gb/s) or above. Port type selection (IB vs Ethernet) is controlled via mlxconfig and requires a host reboot to apply. The _H suffix denotes a sub-revision; if your environment requires a specific OEM-equivalent firmware (HP, Dell, IBM), verify firmware compatibility before deployment. Not a Pro variant: hardware VXLAN/NVGRE offload is not available on this firmware line.

Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS

T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS validates port link-up in both InfiniBand and Ethernet modes, verifies firmware integrity, and inspects QSFP cages before shipment. Visit tes-itsolutions.com/quote for VPI fabric design consultation. Global shipping with 1-3 day handling.

NVIDIA Mellanox® MCX354A-QCBT_H ConnectX-3 VPI Dual QSFP QDR IB 10GbE NIC

Name: NVIDIA Mellanox® MCX354A-QCBT_H ConnectX-3 VPI Dual QSFP QDR IB 10GbE NIC
SKU: MCX354A-QCBT_H_Refurbished

SKU: MCX354A-QCBT_H_Refurbished

€33.00

Quantity