NVIDIA Mellanox MCX445B-ECAN ConnectX-4 VPI Network Interface Card: This is a single-port adapter supporting EDR InfiniBand (100Gb/s) and 100 Gigabit Ethernet on the same QSFP28 port, in OCP Mezzanine form factor. The card is engineered for high-performance computing (HPC), machine learning, and converged storage fabrics where the host operator selects either IB or Ethernet personality at boot. This is an OCP mezzanine card, not a standard PCIe slot adapter, and requires an OCP-compliant host chassis. This is a refurbished unit.
Engineering Context
The MCX445B-ECAN runs the ConnectX-4 ASIC in Virtual Protocol Interconnect (VPI) mode, allowing each port to be configured for either InfiniBand (EDR, FDR, FDR10, QDR) or Ethernet (100/56/50/40/25/10GbE). The card supports RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) v1/v2, kernel-bypass libraries (libfabric, UCX), and SR-IOV. PCIe Gen3 x16 host interface delivers approximately 128 Gb/s of bidirectional bandwidth, sufficient to saturate one 100Gb/s port in both directions. Hardware-based congestion control supports lossless fabrics.
Deployment & Use Cases
HPC clusters running MPI workloads (OpenMPI, MVAPICH2, Intel MPI) over EDR InfiniBand. Machine learning training fabrics with RDMA-accelerated NCCL collectives. NVMe-oF storage targets and initiators using RoCE v2 or iSER. Converged data centers where some nodes run IB and others Ethernet on shared hardware. OCP-compliant hyperscale platforms where cabling consolidation matters.
Technical Specifications
- OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
- Part Number: MCX445B-ECAN
- Product Family: ConnectX-4 VPI
- Form Factor: OCP Mezzanine 2.0 Type 1
- Host Interface: PCIe 3.0 x16
- Data Rate: EDR IB (100Gb/s) / 100GbE
- Ports: 1 (Single-Port)
- Connector: QSFP28
- Protocols: InfiniBand (EDR/FDR/FDR10/QDR), Ethernet (100/56/50/40/25/10GbE)
- RDMA: Native IB verbs and RoCE v1/v2
- Virtualization: SR-IOV
- Condition: Refurbished — Tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Compatibility & Hard Constraints
Designed for OCP Mezzanine 2.0 Type 1 server slots — not a standard PCIe slot adapter and cannot be installed in conventional servers without an OCP-compatible chassis. Compatible with EDR InfiniBand switches (Mellanox SB7700/SB7800 series) and 100GbE switches (Spectrum SN2000/SN2700 with QSFP28 ports). The port operates in either IB or Ethernet mode, configured via mlxconfig — it does not run both protocols simultaneously on the same port. Driver support: Mellanox OFED, Linux mlx5_core/mlx5_ib, Windows WinOF-2.
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS (https://www.tes-itsolutions.com) tests every NIC for link establishment in both IB and Ethernet modes, RDMA functionality, and SR-IOV provisioning before shipment. Standard 1–3 day handling time. Expert consultation on HPC fabric design, global shipping, and comprehensive warranty.