Identity & Definition
The NVIDIA Mellanox MCX384A-BCCA is a dual-port 40GbE Ethernet network adapter in the enterprise network interface card (NIC) category. Based on the ConnectX-3 Pro ASIC with two QSFP ports and PCIe 3.0 x8 host interface, this is an Ethernet-only adapter (the BCCA suffix indicates EN variant with crypto enabled). This is NOT a VPI card — it does not support InfiniBand. Condition: Refurbished.
Engineering Context
The ConnectX-3 Pro introduced hardware-offloaded IPsec inline encryption, enhanced SR-IOV support, and RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet). Each QSFP port delivers 40GbE, providing 80 Gb/s aggregate bandwidth. The PCIe 3.0 x8 interface provides approximately 64 Gb/s host bus bandwidth. ConnectX-3 Pro also supports DPDK, OVS offload, and VXLAN/NVGRE encapsulation. Predecessor: ConnectX-3 (no IPsec). Successor: ConnectX-4 Lx / ConnectX-5 EN.
Deployment & Use Cases
Dual 40GbE server connectivity in enterprise and cloud data centers running VMware ESXi, Hyper-V, or KVM. Storage networking (iSCSI, NFS, SMB Direct over RDMA/RoCE) at 40 Gb/s per port. Virtualized environments with SR-IOV and OVS offload. Network security appliances requiring inline IPsec hardware offload at 40GbE line rate.
Technical Specifications
- OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
- Part Number: MCX384A-BCCA
- ASIC: ConnectX-3 Pro
- Speed: 40GbE per port (80 Gb/s aggregate)
- Ports: 2x QSFP
- Host Interface: PCIe 3.0 x8
- Protocol: Ethernet only
- RDMA: RoCE
- Offloads: IPsec, SR-IOV, VXLAN, NVGRE, OVS
- Bracket: Tall (Full-Height)
- Condition: Refurbished — Tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Compatibility & Hard Constraints
Ethernet only — the MCX384A-BCCA does NOT support InfiniBand. For InfiniBand + Ethernet (VPI), use ConnectX-3 Pro VPI variants (MCX354A series). QSFP ports accept QSFP+ (40GbE) transceivers and DAC cables, and can also operate at 10GbE with QSFP-to-SFP+ breakout cables. Not compatible with QSFP28, QSFP56, or QSFP-DD modules. PCIe 3.0 x8 required — physical x8 or x16 slot. Prior generation — ConnectX-3 Pro has been superseded by ConnectX-4/5/6. Current Ethernet-only equivalent is ConnectX-6 Dx.
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS (tes-itsolutions.com) tests every ConnectX-3 Pro adapter for dual-port connectivity, PCIe link negotiation, and firmware integrity. Technical consultation available for NIC selection and network architecture. Global shipping with 1–3 business day handling.