NVIDIA Mellanox® MBF2M355A-VESOT — BlueField-2 P-Series DPU 200GbE/HDR Single-Port QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 x16
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox® MBF2M355A-VESOT is a BlueField-2 P-Series Data Processing Unit (DPU) — a single-port QSFP56 adapter operating at 200GbE Ethernet or HDR InfiniBand (VPI dual-protocol), hosted on a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. The card combines a Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx network-fabric ASIC with eight ARM Cortex-A72 cores, 16 GB on-board DDR4 memory, hardware crypto engines, and Secure Boot — enabling full host-isolated networking, storage, and security offload through the NVIDIA DOCA SDK. Ships as a New, factory-sealed unit with tall-bracket form factor.
Specifications
Brand: NVIDIA Mellanox
Model / MPN: MBF2M355A-VESOT
Product family: BlueField-2 P-Series DPU
ASIC: BlueField-2 (ConnectX-6 Dx fabric + 8× ARM Cortex-A72)
Ports: 1 × QSFP56 (single-port)
Line speed: 200GbE Ethernet or HDR InfiniBand (VPI dual-protocol)
Host interface: PCIe 4.0 x16 (Gen3 x16 fallback)
On-board memory: 16 GB DDR4
Security: Crypto enabled (IPsec, TLS, AES-GCM), Secure Boot
Form factor: Half-height, half-length (HHHL), tall bracket
Power: ≤ 75 W typical (PCIe slot only — no AUX cable required for standard variant)
Condition: New, factory-sealed
What This Is NOT
NOT a standard ConnectX NIC. The BlueField-2 runs its own BlueField OS on integrated ARM cores; it is provisioned as a separate networked device, not a transparent NIC.
NOT a switch. It is a server-side PCIe adapter, not a top-of-rack or spine fabric device.
NOT plug-and-play for offload features. NVMe-oF, OVS, IPsec, and TLS offload require DOCA SDK + BlueField OS image installation and host MLNX_OFED / DOCA driver stack.
NOT bundled with cables, transceivers, or rail kits — sold standalone.
NOT a dual-port card. This MPN has one QSFP56 port; for dual-port variants see MBF2M345A / MBF2M516A.
Compatibility & Constraints
Software stack: BlueField OS image (Ubuntu / CentOS Arm64) on the DPU; host runs MLNX_OFED 5.x or NVIDIA DOCA host driver (recommended DOCA 2.x).
Switch pairing (Ethernet 200GbE): NVIDIA Spectrum-2 (SN3000 series) or Spectrum-3 (SN4000 series); compatible third-party 200GbE switches with QSFP56 / QSFP28 ports.
Switch pairing (HDR InfiniBand): NVIDIA Quantum HDR switches — QM8700 (managed) or QM8790 (externally managed) — 40-port HDR.
Cabling: QSFP56 DAC / AOC for 200Gb/s links; QSFP56 SR4 / FR4 transceivers with MMF / SMF; backward-compatible to QSFP28 100Gb/s when paired with a QSFP28 endpoint.
PCIe slot: PCIe 4.0 x16 strongly recommended to deliver 200Gb/s line rate; PCIe 3.0 x16 limits aggregate throughput to ~128 Gb/s.
Thermal: Designed for server-grade airflow ≥ 200 LFM across the heatsink.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the NVIDIA Mellanox MBF2M355A-VESOT?
The MBF2M355A-VESOT is a BlueField-2 P-Series Data Processing Unit (DPU) — a single-port QSFP56 adapter delivering 200GbE Ethernet or HDR InfiniBand (VPI dual-protocol) on a PCIe 4.0 x16 host interface, with 16 GB DDR4, eight ARM A72 cores, crypto engines, and Secure Boot.
Q. What software stack is required to use this BlueField DPU?
The DPU runs the BlueField OS image (Ubuntu or CentOS Arm64) on its ARM cores. The host server requires MLNX_OFED 5.x or — preferred — the NVIDIA DOCA 2.x host driver stack to enable accelerated networking, storage, and security services on the host.
Q. What switches and cables are compatible with MBF2M355A-VESOT?
For 200GbE Ethernet: NVIDIA Spectrum-2 (SN3000) or Spectrum-3 (SN4000) switches with QSFP56 ports, paired with QSFP56 DAC / AOC cables or SR4 / FR4 transceivers. For HDR InfiniBand: NVIDIA Quantum QM8700 or QM8790 HDR switches with QSFP56 ports and matching HDR DAC / AOC cables.
Q. Is this card single-port or dual-port?
Single-port. The MBF2M355A-VESOT carries one QSFP56 cage. Dual-port BlueField-2 variants (e.g., MBF2M345A, MBF2M516A) are different MPNs.
Q. Does the card include cables or transceivers?
No. The DPU ships standalone in factory packaging. QSFP56 DAC / AOC cables and transceivers are sold separately and must match the planned line rate (200GbE or HDR) and the partner switch / adapter on the other end.
Q. Is this a new or refurbished unit?
New, factory-sealed in original NVIDIA packaging. Each unit is verified by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS for SKU match and packaging integrity before dispatch from EU stock.
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 BlueField DPU is identified by MPN, NVIDIA P/N, and ASIC generation before it ships; every customer receives free pre-sale compatibility advice for switch, adapter, 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.