Identity & Definition
The NVIDIA Mellanox MCX445N-ECAN is a 100Gb/s enterprise VPI (Virtual Protocol Interconnect) network adapter in OCP mezzanine form factor, sold in refurbished condition. This single-port QSFP28 adapter is based on Mellanox ConnectX-4 technology and supports both InfiniBand EDR (100Gb/s) and 100GbE Ethernet over the same physical port, configurable via firmware. The MCX445N-ECAN is an OCP adapter — it is NOT a standard PCIe add-in card (no bracket), and NOT an Ethernet-only NIC.
Engineering Context
The MCX445N-ECAN delivers 100Gb/s through its single QSFP28 port using four lanes of 25Gb/s NRZ signaling. The adapter connects to the host via a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface providing maximum bus bandwidth. ConnectX-4 VPI technology supports hardware offloads including SR-IOV (up to 240 VFs), RoCE v2, GPUDirect RDMA, stateless TCP/UDP/IP offload, and VXLAN/NVGRE/Geneve tunnel offload. The VPI capability allows field-configurable switching between InfiniBand and Ethernet protocols.
Deployment & Use Cases
The MCX445N-ECAN is deployed in OCP-compliant server platforms requiring high-bandwidth InfiniBand or Ethernet connectivity. Typical use cases include HPC clusters using EDR InfiniBand for MPI workloads and GPU-to-GPU RDMA, 100GbE storage fabric connections for NVMe-oF and parallel file systems, AI/ML training nodes requiring GPUDirect RDMA, and hyperscale data centers with OCP server designs requiring flexible IB/Ethernet protocol switching.
Technical Specifications

Part Number (MPN): MCX445N-ECAN
Adapter Family: ConnectX-4 VPI
Adapter Type: VPI (InfiniBand + Ethernet)
Port Count: 1 (Single-Port)
Port Type: QSFP28
Data Rate: 100Gb/s (EDR IB or 100GbE)
Host Interface: PCIe 3.0 x16
Form Factor: OCP Mezzanine (No Bracket)
Protocols: EDR InfiniBand, 100GbE, RoCE v2, SR-IOV, GPUDirect RDMA
Condition: Refurbished

Compatibility & Hard Constraints
The MCX445N-ECAN requires an OCP-compliant mezzanine slot with PCIe 3.0 x16 electrical connectivity. It is NOT compatible with standard PCIe expansion slots — it has no bracket and uses the OCP mezzanine connector. The QSFP28 port accepts 100GbE QSFP28 transceivers, 100GbE QSFP28 DAC cables, EDR InfiniBand QSFP28 cables, or QSFP28-to-4xSFP28 breakout cables for 4x25GbE operation. For the standard PCIe add-in card equivalent, consider the MCX455A-ECAT. The ConnectX-5 successor for EDR VPI is the MCX555A-ECAT.
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Every MCX445N-ECAN adapter sold by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS is functionally tested and verified before shipment. Our team provides technical consultation on NVIDIA Mellanox VPI adapter compatibility, protocol configuration, and deployment planning. Orders ship within 1–3 business days with worldwide delivery and protective packaging.