NVIDIA Mellanox MCX653105A-HDAT + MTMK0012 ConnectX-6 VPI Socket Direct Kit, 200Gb/s: This is a single-port QSFP56 ConnectX-6 VPI adapter card (MCX653105A-HDAT) bundled with the MTMK0012 Socket Direct auxiliary kit. The combination provides one network port and two PCIe x16 host connections — one to each CPU socket on a dual-socket server — so each processor has a direct PCIe path to the NIC. This is a Virtual Protocol Interconnect (VPI) adapter that operates as either InfiniBand HDR or 200Gb Ethernet. This is a refurbished unit.
Engineering Context
The MCX653105A-HDAT supports VPI, which lets the same physical port operate as InfiniBand HDR (200Gb/s) or 200GbE Ethernet by host configuration. PCIe Gen3/Gen4 x16 host connectivity feeds the 200Gb/s line rate from a single port. The MTMK0012 Socket Direct kit ships with an additional PCIe x16 carrier card and the harness cables that bond it to the primary NIC, so each CPU on a dual-socket platform owns its own x16 path to the network controller rather than sharing one through QPI/UPI. This reduces inter-socket NUMA traffic for RDMA, GPU-Direct, and NVMe-oF workloads where every microsecond of latency matters.
Deployment & Use Cases
Dual-socket HPC compute nodes running MPI over InfiniBand HDR. NVIDIA Magnum IO and GPUDirect RDMA fabrics for AI training clusters. NVMe-over-Fabrics target/initiator hosts where storage threads pin to a specific NUMA node. RoCE v2 spine-leaf Ethernet fabrics at 200GbE. Virtualization and containerized platforms running SR-IOV with workloads bound to specific sockets.
Technical Specifications
OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
Primary Part Number: MCX653105A-HDAT
Auxiliary Kit: MTMK0012 (Socket Direct carrier + cables)
Adapter Family: ConnectX-6 VPI
Network Port: 1× QSFP56
Line Rate: Up to 200Gb/s per port
Protocols: InfiniBand HDR / 200GbE Ethernet (VPI)
Host Bus: PCIe 3.0 / PCIe 4.0 x16
Topology Mode: Socket Direct (2× PCIe x16 to two CPUs)
RDMA / Offloads: RDMA, RoCE, GPUDirect supported by ConnectX-6
Form Factor: PCIe HHHL (low-profile/full-height bracket per shipped unit)
Condition: Refurbished — Tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Compatibility & Constraints
Requires a dual-socket server with two PCIe x16 slots routed to separate CPUs to use Socket Direct in its intended mode; in a single-socket chassis the auxiliary card has no benefit. Compatible with NVIDIA Quantum HDR switches for InfiniBand and Spectrum/Spectrum-2 switches for 200GbE Ethernet. Cabling must be QSFP56 (HDR AOC, HDR DAC, or HDR transceiver + MMF). Not compatible with PCIe 5.0-only platforms that lack Gen3/Gen4 backward-compatibility, and not compatible with QSFP28 100G-only switch ports without renegotiation to a lower speed. Driver stack: NVIDIA MLNX_OFED for Linux or WinOF-2 for Windows must be installed before Socket Direct topology is recognized.
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS validates each ConnectX-6 VPI adapter and its auxiliary Socket Direct kit on a live dual-socket bench, confirming both PCIe x16 paths enumerate and that the QSFP56 port links at 200Gb/s. Visit tes-itsolutions.com for the full Mellanox NIC catalog. Handling time is 1–3 business days with global shipping and a comprehensive warranty.