NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-5 Ex EN 100GbE OCP 3.0 Single-Port QSFP28 Ethernet Adapter - MCX565A-CDAI
This Ethernet network interface card (NIC) is the NVIDIA Mellanox MCX565A-CDAI, a ConnectX-5 Ex EN 100GbE adapter in OCP 3.0 form factor with Crypto-enabled firmware, host management, and PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. This is a new, factory-sealed unit from T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS. It is NOT a ConnectX-6 or ConnectX-6 Dx adapter. It does NOT support InfiniBand protocols (Ethernet only).
Engineering Context
The MCX565A-CDAI is built on the ConnectX-5 Ex ASIC and connects via PCIe Gen 4.0 x16, delivering 100 Gb/s throughput through a single QSFP28 port. The "Ex" designation indicates PCIe Gen 4.0 support (vs. Gen 3.0 on standard ConnectX-5). The adapter provides hardware-accelerated IPsec inline encryption via its Crypto-enabled firmware. It supports RoCE v2, RDMA, SR-IOV, NVMe-oF, VXLAN/GRE/Geneve tunnel offloads, and stateless TCP/UDP/IP offloads. The OCP 3.0 form factor with internal lock bracket fits modular server mezzanine slots.
Deployment and Use Cases
The MCX565A-CDAI is deployed in hyperscale OCP 3.0 server environments running VMware ESXi, KVM, or bare-metal Linux with SR-IOV for multi-tenant cloud networking. Its 100GbE throughput over PCIe 4.0 provides full line-rate bandwidth without PCIe bottlenecks. NVMe-oF storage fabrics benefit from its single-port 100GbE RDMA connectivity. The Crypto capability serves compliance-driven deployments in financial services and healthcare environments on platforms from Dell, HPE, Lenovo, and Supermicro with OCP 3.0 mezzanine slots.
Technical Specifications
Model: MCX565A-CDAI
Product Type: ConnectX-5 Ex EN Ethernet Adapter Card (NIC)
Port: 1x QSFP28
Speed: Up to 100 Gb/s; also supports 40/25/10/1 GbE
PCIe Interface: Gen 4.0 x16
Form Factor: OCP 3.0
Bracket: Internal Lock
Host Management: Enabled
Crypto: Enabled (IPsec hardware offload)
Offloads: RoCE v2, RDMA, SR-IOV, NVMe-oF, VXLAN/GRE
RoHS: Compliant
Condition: New (factory-sealed)
Compatibility and Hard Constraints
The MCX565A-CDAI uses a QSFP28 connector and requires QSFP28 DAC, AOC, or transceiver cabling. It is NOT compatible with QSFP56 or QSFP-DD ports at speeds above 100GbE. This is an OCP 3.0 mezzanine card and will NOT fit standard PCIe expansion slots. The server must have an OCP 3.0 mezzanine slot. It is Ethernet-only and does NOT support InfiniBand. The MCX565M-CDUI is the Multi-Host variant. Driver support via NVIDIA MLNX_OFED or inbox drivers.
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS provides this MCX565A-CDAI as a new, factory-sealed unit. Technical consultation is available to verify OCP 3.0 slot compatibility. Global shipping with 1-3 business day handling time.