NVIDIA Mellanox MSX6002FLR 36-port FDR/56GbE VPI Spine Module for SX6500-Series Chassis: The MSX6002FLR is a SwitchX-2-based spine line card providing 36 QSFP+ ports of FDR (56Gb/s) InfiniBand and 56 Gigabit Ethernet via VPI. It is a chassis-internal spine module for the Mellanox SX6500-family director switches (SX6506, SX6512, SX6518, SX6536). It is not a standalone 1U switch and cannot operate outside its host chassis. This is a refurbished unit.
Engineering Context
The MSX6002FLR uses the Mellanox SwitchX-2 ASIC to deliver non-blocking 36-port FDR connectivity at sub-microsecond port-to-port latency. Each port is QSFP+ and supports VPI auto-negotiation between InfiniBand FDR (56Gb/s) and Ethernet (10/40/56GbE). The module is RoHS-6 compliant and hot-swappable within a populated director chassis. As a spine module, it interconnects with the chassis leaf modules across the internal orthogonal backplane.
Deployment & Use Cases
Expanding spine fabric capacity in Mellanox SX6500-series director chassis to scale port counts in HPC clusters. Adding non-blocking FDR bandwidth to InfiniBand-attached storage backends (Lustre, GPFS, BeeGFS). Provisioning a multi-rack 56GbE fabric where the director chassis serves as the aggregation core. Replacement spare for failed spine modules in production SX6500 director switches.
Technical Specifications
OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
Part Number: MSX6002FLR
Module Type: Spine Line Card (chassis-internal)
Switching ASIC: SwitchX-2
Port Count: 36 x QSFP+
InfiniBand Rate: FDR (56Gb/s per port)
Ethernet Rate: 56GbE / 40GbE / 10GbE
Protocol: VPI (InfiniBand and Ethernet)
Form Factor: SX6500-series chassis spine module
Compliance: RoHS-6
Hot-Swap: Supported in populated chassis
Condition: Refurbished — Tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Compatibility & Hard Constraints
Compatible exclusively with Mellanox SX6500-series director chassis: SX6506, SX6512, SX6518, and SX6536. Requires a host chassis with active management module(s) (e.g., MSX6000MAR controller). Not a standalone 1U switch — cannot be powered or managed outside its parent chassis. Not compatible with EDR-class chassis (CS7500/CS8500) or HDR-class chassis (QM8700-series). Port speed is capped at FDR (56Gb/s); will not negotiate to EDR (100Gb/s) or HDR (200Gb/s).
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS tests every spine module on a live SX6500 chassis for port enumeration, link training, and management plane visibility before shipment. Visit tes-itsolutions.com for the full SX6500 platform inventory. We provide expert consultation on chassis fabric design, global shipping, and 1–3 day handling time.