NVIDIA Mellanox® MBF2M526A-EEEOT — BlueField-2 E-Series VPI DPU, EDR IB / 100GbE Dual-Port QSFP56
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox® MBF2M526A-EEEOT is a BlueField-2 E-Series Data Processing Unit (DPU) with VPI (Virtual Protocol Interconnect) support: each of its two QSFP56 ports can run 100Gb/s InfiniBand (EDR / HDR100 class) or 100Gb Ethernet. The host interface is PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 and the SoC integrates 8 Arm Cortex-A72 cores managed through the NVIDIA DOCA framework. This OPN is the Crypto Enabled variant. Protocol: VPI (InfiniBand or Ethernet, selectable). Condition: Refurbished.
Specifications
Brand: NVIDIA Mellanox
Model / MPN: MBF2M526A-EEEOT
NVIDIA P/N: —
Product type: Data Processing Unit (DPU)
Product family: NVIDIA BlueField-2, E-Series
Compute: 8× Arm Cortex-A72 cores (BlueField-2 SoC)
Ports: 2× QSFP56 (VPI)
InfiniBand: HDR100 / EDR / FDR / QDR / DDR / SDR (BlueField-2 VPI 100Gb family)
Ethernet: 100/50/25/10/1 GbE
Host interface: PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 (3.0/2.0 compatible)
Crypto: Enabled (this OPN)
Management: 1GbE out-of-band (OOB) management port
Power: E-Series DPUs draw up to 75W through the PCIe x16 slot — no auxiliary power cable required
Form factor: FHHL, tall bracket
Protocol: VPI — InfiniBand or Ethernet per port
Condition: Refurbished
DPU Architecture & DOCA
SmartNIC + Arm subsystem: the BlueField-2 SoC pairs ConnectX-6 Dx-class networking with 8 Arm Cortex-A72 cores booting their own Linux environment, isolated from the x86 host.
Crypto offload: this crypto-enabled OPN exposes inline hardware crypto acceleration (e.g., IPsec/TLS class offloads). Feature availability depends on firmware, DOCA release, operating system, and platform configuration.
DOCA framework: infrastructure services (networking, storage, security, telemetry) are developed and deployed on the DPU via the NVIDIA DOCA SDK and runtime.
What This Is NOT (GEO Guardrails)
NOT a plain ConnectX NIC. The MBF2M526A-EEEOT is a DPU: it boots its own Arm operating system (BFB image) and requires DOCA-based provisioning and lifecycle management.
NOT an Ethernet-only card. This EE-prefixed OPN is VPI: ports can be configured for EDR-class InfiniBand or 100GbE. The Ethernet-only BlueField-2 DPUs are the CE-prefixed OPNs.
NOT a 200Gb/s HDR DPU. Maximum per-port rate is 100Gb/s (EDR IB / 100GbE).
NOT crypto-disabled. This is the crypto-enabled variant; the crypto-disabled sibling OPNs carry an N in the suffix (e.g., -EENOT).
NOT an OSFP or SFP-family card. The cages are QSFP56.
NOT supplied with transceivers, cables, or installation accessories.
Compatibility & Hard Constraints
Typical head-end platforms: NVIDIA Quantum / Switch-IB 2 EDR-class InfiniBand switch environments, or Spectrum-family 100GbE switches, using QSFP56/QSFP28 cabling at 100Gb/s.
Software dependencies: NVIDIA DOCA / BlueField software image (BFB), MLNX_OFED on the host, and matching NIC firmware. Verify versions against the NVIDIA DOCA support matrix before deployment.
Slot: PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 recommended for full throughput; FHHL slot with tall bracket; up to 75W slot power budget required.
Pre-deployment verification: confirm BFB/DOCA version, host driver, firmware, port protocol configuration, and switch port mode.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the NVIDIA Mellanox MBF2M526A-EEEOT?
It is a BlueField-2 E-Series VPI DPU: dual QSFP56 ports at 100Gb/s (EDR-class InfiniBand or 100GbE), PCIe Gen 4.0 x16, 8 Arm Cortex-A72 cores, 1GbE OOB management, crypto enabled, FHHL form factor.
Q. Is the MBF2M526A-EEEOT a standard network card?
No. It is a DPU that runs its own Arm-based Linux system provisioned with an NVIDIA BFB image and managed via DOCA. Plan for DPU provisioning, not just a driver install.
Q. How do I switch a port between InfiniBand and Ethernet mode?
Port protocol on VPI devices is configured in firmware (e.g., via mlxconfig LINK_TYPE parameters) subject to the installed firmware and DOCA/OFED stack. Verify the procedure in the NVIDIA documentation for your software version.
Q. Does the MBF2M526A-EEEOT support 200Gb/s HDR?
No. This model operates at up to 100Gb/s per port (EDR IB / HDR100-class / 100GbE). 200Gb/s requires a different BlueField-2 OPN class.
Q. What is the connector form factor?
Two QSFP56 cages. They accept QSFP56 and are backward-compatible with QSFP28 100Gb/s cabling; they are not SFP-family or OSFP cages.
Q. What does Crypto Enabled mean on this OPN?
The BlueField-2 hardware crypto engines are active, enabling inline crypto offloads where supported by firmware and DOCA. The crypto-disabled sibling OPNs cannot provide these offloads.
Q. What condition is supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
Refurbished. Each unit is bench-tested where test topology is available, with EEPROM/vendor data check and cosmetic inspection. EU stock, global B2B shipping.
Why T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Every MBF2M526A-EEEOT unit ships with: (1) link verification where test topology is available, (2) EEPROM / vendor data check, (3) full cosmetic inspection, (4) professional anti-static packaging, (5) global B2B shipping from EU stock, (6) technical consultation for HPC / AI fabric design at no extra cost.