Identity & Definition
The NVIDIA Mellanox MBF2H536C-CESOT is a dual-port 100GbE Ethernet Data Processing Unit (DPU) in the enterprise DPU/SmartNIC category. Combining a ConnectX-6 Dx 100GbE network adapter with an 8-core Arm Cortex-A72 processor and 16 GB DDR4 on a single PCIe card, the MBF2H536C-CESOT offloads infrastructure processing from host CPUs. NVIDIA P/N: 900-9D208-0076-ST3. Crypto acceleration is disabled on this variant. Condition: Refurbished.
Engineering Context
The 8-core Arm A72 processor runs a full Linux OS (NVIDIA DOCA/Ubuntu) and handles network virtualization (OVS offload), storage virtualization (NVMe-oF, virtio-blk), security (microsegmentation), and telemetry without consuming host CPU cycles. Each QSFP56 port delivers 100GbE for 200 Gb/s aggregate Ethernet throughput. PCIe Gen4 x16 provides approximately 256 Gb/s host bus bandwidth. The 16 GB DDR4 onboard memory supports concurrent DPU workloads. The CESOT suffix indicates Ethernet-only, Secure Boot configuration, OEM Tall bracket, crypto disabled.
Deployment & Use Cases
Infrastructure offload in cloud environments running VMware ESXi or KVM with OVS hardware offload. Bare-metal cloud providers offloading tenant isolation to the DPU. NVMe-oF storage disaggregation with dual 100GbE connectivity for separate data and storage networks. Zero-trust security architectures with microsegmentation at the NIC level. Deployments not requiring hardware cryptographic acceleration.
Technical Specifications
OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
Part Number: MBF2H536C-CESOT
NVIDIA P/N: 900-9D208-0076-ST3
Type: BlueField-2 Ethernet DPU
Network Speed: 100GbE per port (200 Gb/s aggregate)
Ports: 2x QSFP56
Host Interface: PCIe Gen4 x16
Processor: 8-core Arm Cortex-A72
Memory: 16 GB DDR4
Crypto: Disabled
Bracket: Tall (Full-Height, Half-Length)
Condition: Refurbished — Tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Compatibility & Hard Constraints
Ethernet only — this DPU operates in Ethernet mode. It does NOT support InfiniBand. For InfiniBand DPUs, use BlueField-2 VPI variants. Crypto disabled — no hardware-accelerated IPsec or TLS offload. If crypto acceleration is needed, a different variant is required. PCIe Gen4 x16 required — will operate at reduced bandwidth in Gen3 slots. DOCA software — full DPU functionality requires NVIDIA DOCA SDK and compatible OS image. 16 GB DDR4 — not 32 GB. Verify memory requirements for your DPU workloads. For 32 GB, use MBF2M355A variants. Predecessor: ConnectX-6 Dx NIC (no Arm processor). Successor: BlueField-3.
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS (tes-itsolutions.com) tests every BlueField-2 DPU for dual-port connectivity, Arm processor boot, PCIe link negotiation, and memory integrity. Technical consultation available for DPU deployment and DOCA integration. Global shipping with 1–3 business day handling.