NVIDIA Mellanox MCX453A-FCAT ConnectX-4 VPI Single-Port Adapter, FDR IB / 56GbE QSFP28: This is a half-height, half-length PCIe network adapter built on the ConnectX-4 VPI ASIC (vendor P/N 900-9X426-0014-ST0). It exposes a single QSFP28 port that can be configured as InfiniBand up to FDR (56 Gb/s) or as Ethernet at 40GbE / 56GbE. This is a Virtual Protocol Interconnect (VPI) card, not an Ethernet-only ConnectX-4 Lx EN. This is a refurbished unit, tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS, shipped with a tall (full-height) bracket.
Engineering Context
ConnectX-4 VPI provides hardware-accelerated RDMA over both InfiniBand and Ethernet (RoCEv1/v2) with sub-microsecond message latency and full line-rate at 56 Gb/s. The single QSFP28 port runs over a PCIe 3.0 x8 host interface. Note that the FCAT SKU caps InfiniBand at FDR (56 Gb/s); for EDR (100 Gb/s) IB, the ECAT/ECAT-equivalent SKU is required. Hardware offloads include T10-DIF/CRC, NVMe-oF target/initiator, OVS-offload, and overlay-network encap/decap (VXLAN, NVGRE, GENEVE).
Deployment & Use Cases
HPC compute nodes connecting to FDR InfiniBand fabrics. Storage initiator/target nodes running NVMe-oF over RDMA. Financial-services low-latency 56GbE Ethernet messaging. Single-port HCA for refresh of legacy FDR clusters where EDR upgrade is not yet justified. Lab and bring-up systems requiring VPI flexibility for protocol switching.
Technical Specifications
- OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
- Part Number: MCX453A-FCAT
- Vendor P/N: 900-9X426-0014-ST0
- ASIC: ConnectX-4 VPI
- Ports: 1 × QSFP28
- InfiniBand: SDR / DDR / QDR / FDR10 / FDR (up to 56 Gb/s)
- Ethernet: 1 / 10 / 25 / 40 / 56 GbE
- Host Bus: PCIe 3.0 x8 (8 GT/s)
- Form Factor: Half-Height, Half-Length (HHHL)
- Bracket: Tall (Full-Height) — Low-Profile bracket not included
- Compliance: RoHS R6
- Condition: Refurbished — Tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Compatibility & Constraints
Compatible with servers exposing a PCIe 3.0 x8 (or wider) slot and standard ATX/EEB form factors that accept full-height brackets. Drivers: NVIDIA MLNX_OFED for Linux, WinOF-2 for Windows; in-box drivers ship with RHEL 7.4+, Ubuntu 16.04+, ESXi 6.5+. Not compatible with EDR-only switches at full link rate — the port will negotiate down to FDR. Does not include a low-profile bracket; verify chassis bracket requirements before ordering. Does not provide RoCE-LAG across two ports (single-port card).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the MCX453A-FCAT?
The MCX453A-FCAT is a ConnectX-4 VPI single-port QSFP28 adapter at InfiniBand FDR or 56GbE Ethernet.
Q. Does it run InfiniBand and Ethernet simultaneously?
No. It is a VPI card - the port operates in one mode at a time.
Q. Will T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS confirm the configuration of MCX453A-FCAT before shipping?
Yes. T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS (tes-itsolutions.com) bench-tests each unit where test topology is available, before dispatch from EU stock.
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS tests every adapter for link training, port LED status, and PCIe link width before shipment. We provide expert consultation on InfiniBand fabric design, global shipping, and a 1–3 day handling time. Visit tes-itsolutions.com for the full enterprise networking catalog.