NVIDIA MBF2M345A-HESOT — BlueField-2 E-Series DPU, 200GbE / HDR QSFP56, 16GB DDR4, Crypto Disabled, HHHL Tall Bracket (Refurbished)
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA MBF2M345A-HESOT is a BlueField-2 E-Series Data Processing Unit (DPU) in HHHL (half-height, half-length) form factor with a tall PCIe bracket. It exposes a single QSFP56 port capable of 200GbE Ethernet or HDR 200Gb/s InfiniBand — VPI dual-protocol, selectable in software via mlxconfig LINK_TYPE_P1. The card combines a ConnectX-6 Dx network engine with 8× ARM Cortex-A72 cores and 16GB DDR4 on-board memory, attaching to the host through PCIe Gen4 x16. The HESOT suffix denotes Host-mode, E-Series feature set, 16GB memory, Crypto Disabled (export-friendly), Tall bracket. Condition: Refurbished Grade A.
Specifications
MPN: MBF2M345A-HESOT
Family: NVIDIA BlueField-2 DPU, E-Series
Ports: 1× QSFP56
Link speeds: 200GbE Ethernet OR HDR 200Gb/s InfiniBand (VPI)
Network ASIC: ConnectX-6 Dx integrated
Arm complex: 8× Cortex-A72 64-bit, up to 2.5 GHz
Onboard memory: 16GB DDR4
Host interface: PCIe Gen4 x16
Security: Secure Boot Enabled; Crypto Disabled (no IPsec/TLS inline offload)
Management: 1GbE RJ45 OOB
Form factor: HHHL, Tall Bracket
Programmability: NVIDIA DOCA SDK
Offloads: RoCE v2, NVMe-oF, IB verbs, OVS hardware acceleration, GeneVE/VXLAN, regex/DPI
Condition: Refurbished Grade A
What This Is NOT
NOT BlueField-3 (that is the 400G next generation — different ASIC, PCIe Gen5).
NOT a P-Series performance-tier card — this is the E-Series enhanced variant with 16GB DDR4 and the full Arm complex.
NOT Crypto Enabled — IPsec/TLS inline crypto offload engines are factory-deactivated. Software crypto stacks still work normally.
NOT dual-port — one physical QSFP56 port only.
NOT a plain ConnectX-6 Dx NIC — the Arm subsystem boots its own OS (Ubuntu/CentOS BFB image) and is independently addressable.
NOT bundled with QSFP56 transceivers, AOC/DAC cables, or rail kits.
Compatibility & Constraints
InfiniBand switches: NVIDIA Quantum-1 HDR (MQM8700 / MSB7800 series) and Quantum-2 HDR-compatible ports.
Ethernet switches: NVIDIA Spectrum-2 (SN3000 series) and Spectrum-3 (SN4000 series) at 200GbE QSFP56. Third-party 200GbE QSFP56 switches with auto-neg support.
Cabling (HDR IB): MCP1650-Hxxx DAC, MFA1A00-Hxxx AOC, or MMA1T00-HS transceivers + MFS1S00 AOC.
Cabling (200GbE): 200GbE QSFP56 DAC / AOC / SR4 transceivers; MFA1A00-Cxxx splitter cables to 2× 100GbE if breakout is supported by the switch.
Host slot: requires a PCIe Gen4 x16 slot for full bandwidth (Gen3 x16 supported with reduced throughput).
Form-factor check: HHHL with tall bracket — confirm chassis accepts a half-height, half-length card with full-height bracket. Low-profile brackets are sold separately.
Software: NVIDIA DOCA framework, MLNX_OFED / DOCA-OFED, BFB OS image for the Arm complex, mlxconfig & mlxfwmanager for firmware/protocol selection.
Export: Crypto Disabled SKU — suitable for destinations restricted from hardware-crypto exports.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the MBF2M345A-HESOT?
The MBF2M345A-HESOT is an NVIDIA BlueField-2 E-Series DPU with a single QSFP56 port supporting 200GbE Ethernet or HDR 200Gb/s InfiniBand (VPI dual-protocol). PCIe Gen4 x16, 16GB DDR4, Secure Boot Enabled, Crypto Disabled, HHHL with Tall Bracket.
Q. E-Series vs P-Series BlueField-2 — which is HESOT?
HESOT is E-Series. E-Series carries the enhanced feature set: 16GB DDR4, the full 8-core Arm Cortex-A72 complex, and the complete BlueField-2 offload pipeline. P-Series is the performance-tier configuration with a reduced feature set.
Q. What does Crypto Disabled mean on this DPU?
The hardware inline IPsec and TLS crypto offload engines are factory-deactivated. RoCE v2, NVMe-oF, OVS hardware acceleration, and DOCA application offload are unaffected. Software crypto stacks still operate normally. Crypto Disabled SKUs are intended for crypto-export-restricted destinations.
Q. Does HESOT support both Ethernet and InfiniBand on the same port?
Yes — VPI (Virtual Protocol Interconnect). The QSFP56 port runs at 200GbE Ethernet or HDR 200Gb/s InfiniBand. Protocol is selected with mlxconfig (LINK_TYPE_P1=ETH or LINK_TYPE_P1=IB) and persists across reboots.
Q. What Arm cores are on the BlueField-2, and how are they programmed?
8× ARM Cortex-A72 64-bit cores at up to 2.5 GHz. They run a standalone Linux distribution (Ubuntu or CentOS BFB image) and are programmed via the NVIDIA DOCA SDK for inline networking, security, and storage offload.
Q. What condition is supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
Refurbished Grade A — EEPROM and vendor-data verified, link-tested where bench topology is available, cosmetically inspected. Ships from EU stock with professional anti-static packaging and worldwide express B2B shipping.
Why buy from T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS is a Europe-based NVIDIA Mellanox specialist serving HPC, AI, and enterprise data-center procurement teams since 2007. Every DPU is identified by MPN, NVIDIA P/N, and ASIC generation before shipment, and every customer gets free pre-sale compatibility advice for switch, transceiver, and cable pairing. Multi-currency B2B invoicing, EU stock with worldwide express options, and direct technical contact with our engineering team — not a call-center.