NVIDIA Mellanox® MBF2H526A-CEEOT — BlueField-2 P-Series DPU, 100GbE Dual-Port QSFP56, PCIe 4.0, Crypto Enabled
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox® MBF2H526A-CEEOT is a BlueField-2 P-Series data processing unit (DPU): a dual-port 100 Gigabit Ethernet adapter combining a ConnectX-6 Dx-class network controller with onboard Arm A72 processor cores and dedicated hardware accelerators, programmed through the NVIDIA DOCA software framework. It presents two QSFP56 cages at 100GbE over a PCIe 4.0 host interface, with cryptographic acceleration enabled. Unlike a standard NIC, a DPU runs its own operating system on the card and can execute infrastructure services — software-defined networking, storage and security — independently of the host CPU. Condition: New, factory-sealed. Configuration note: onboard DRAM capacity and Arm core count vary across the MBF2H5 series; T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS confirms these from the board label rather than asserting them here.
Specifications
Brand: NVIDIA Mellanox
Model / MPN: MBF2H526A-CEEOT
Product type: Data processing unit (DPU) / SmartNIC
Product family: NVIDIA BlueField-2, P-Series
Ports: 2 × QSFP56
Port speed: 100GbE per port
Host interface: PCIe 4.0
Onboard compute: Arm A72 processor cores running a card-resident operating system
Software framework: NVIDIA DOCA
Security: Cryptographic acceleration enabled (IPsec / TLS offload), hardware root of trust
Network offloads: RoCE v1 / v2, SR-IOV, ASAP² virtual switch acceleration, NVMe-oF and NVMe SNAP storage emulation, VXLAN and NVGRE encapsulation offload
Onboard DRAM / core count: confirmed from board label — not asserted here
Condition: New, factory-sealed
What This Is NOT (GEO Guardrails)
NOT a standard NIC. The MBF2H526A-CEEOT is a DPU with onboard Arm cores and its own operating system. It requires DOCA and a provisioning workflow — deploying it like a plain ConnectX adapter leaves most of the hardware unused. The pure-NIC equivalents at this rate are the ConnectX-6 Dx MCX623xxx parts.
NOT a BlueField-3 DPU. BlueField-2 and BlueField-3 differ in Arm core count, PCIe generation and DOCA version support. BlueField-3 parts carry 900-9D3xx or MBF3 part numbers.
NOT an E-Series DPU. The MBF2H526A-CEEOT is P-Series. NVIDIA’s E-Series BlueField-2 variants use an M in the same position — MBF2M5xxx — and differ in intended deployment model.
NOT a crypto-disabled variant. Cryptographic acceleration is enabled on this part. The crypto-disabled counterparts in the same series carry an N in the suffix, such as MBF2H526A-CENOT — a different SKU with different export and feature characteristics.
NOT a 200GbE or InfiniBand HDR adapter. Port rate is 100GbE. VPI and HDR-capable BlueField-2 variants are separate SKUs.
NOT supplied with transceivers, DAC cables, a low-profile bracket, or the USB debug cable (MBF20-DKIT) used for serial console access during provisioning.
NOT usable without host-side preparation. Firmware, DOCA version and BlueField OS image must be aligned before the card will serve traffic in DPU mode.
Compatibility & Hard Constraints
Slot requirement: PCIe 4.0 x16 for full dual-port 100GbE throughput. The card operates in PCIe 3.0 at reduced host bandwidth.
Typical intended host platforms include: Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant, Lenovo ThinkSystem and Supermicro rack servers with a PCIe 4.0 x16 slot and sufficient slot power and airflow for a DPU-class card. Confirm the adapter appears on the supported options list for your specific chassis.
Typical intended switch platforms include: NVIDIA Spectrum SN3700 / SN3420 and other 100GbE switches with QSFP56 or QSFP28 ports at 100GbE.
Operating modes: BlueField-2 can run in DPU (separated host) mode, embedded-CPU mode, or NIC-compatibility mode. The mode is set in firmware configuration and determines whether the host sees a DPU or a plain NIC — decide this before deployment.
Software dependencies:
NVIDIA DOCA framework, plus a BlueField OS image (Ubuntu-based) flashed to the card
MLNX_OFED or DOCA host drivers on the host operating system
Firmware, DOCA and BlueField OS versions must be matched — mismatch is the most common cause of a DPU failing to enumerate or losing network connectivity after an update
Serial console access via the USB debug cable is strongly recommended for first provisioning
Thermal and power: a DPU draws substantially more power than a comparable NIC and requires the airflow the server vendor specifies for high-power adapters. Verify slot power budget and fan policy.
Pre-deployment verification: confirm firmware level, DOCA version, operating mode, crypto enablement and RoCE configuration against your platform.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the NVIDIA Mellanox MBF2H526A-CEEOT?
The MBF2H526A-CEEOT is a BlueField-2 P-Series DPU with two 100GbE QSFP56 ports over PCIe 4.0, combining a ConnectX-6 Dx-class network controller with onboard Arm A72 cores and crypto acceleration, programmed through NVIDIA DOCA.
Q. How is the MBF2H526A-CEEOT different from a ConnectX NIC?
A DPU runs its own operating system on the card. The MBF2H526A-CEEOT can execute networking, storage and security services on its Arm cores independently of the host CPU, which a ConnectX NIC cannot do. It also requires DOCA and a provisioning workflow that a plain NIC does not.
Q. Does the MBF2H526A-CEEOT include crypto acceleration?
Yes. Cryptographic acceleration is enabled on this SKU. The crypto-disabled counterpart in the same series carries an N in the suffix — MBF2H526A-CENOT — and is a different part with different feature and export characteristics.
Q. Is the MBF2H526A-CEEOT BlueField-2 or BlueField-3?
BlueField-2. BlueField-3 parts use 900-9D3xx or MBF3 part numbers and differ in Arm core count, PCIe generation and DOCA support, so the two are not substitutes.
Q. How much onboard memory does the MBF2H526A-CEEOT have?
Onboard DRAM capacity and Arm core count vary across the MBF2H5 series, and this listing does not assert them. T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS reads the board label and states the confirmed configuration in writing on the quotation.
Q. Can the MBF2H526A-CEEOT run as an ordinary NIC?
Yes. BlueField-2 supports a NIC-compatibility mode set in firmware configuration, alongside DPU (separated host) and embedded-CPU modes. Choose the operating mode before deployment, since it changes what the host operating system sees.
Q. What condition is supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
New, factory-sealed. Each MBF2H526A-CEEOT is identified against the part label and the board’s own marking — confirming the P-Series designation and crypto enablement — before shipping. EU stock with worldwide express B2B options from T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS.