NVIDIA Mellanox® MHQH29C-XTR — ConnectX-2 VPI Dual-Port QSFP Adapter
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox® MHQH29C-XTR is a ConnectX-2 VPI dual-port QSFP Network Adapter for HPC, storage, and legacy data-center fabrics. VPI dual-protocol: each QSFP port is software-selectable between InfiniBand QDR (40 Gb/s) and Ethernet 10GbE. Built on the Mellanox ConnectX-2 ASIC in a standard low-profile PCIe 2.0 x8 form factor. Refurbished Grade A — bench-tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS.
Specifications

OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
Part Number (MPN): MHQH29C-XTR
Product Type: ConnectX Network Adapter (NIC / HCA)
ASIC / Family: ConnectX-2
Protocol: VPI dual-protocol (InfiniBand + Ethernet)
InfiniBand Generation: QDR (40 Gb/s per port)
Ethernet Speed: 10GbE
Port Configuration: Dual-Port
Connector Type: QSFP (not QSFP+, QSFP28, or QSFP56)
Host Interface: PCIe 2.0 x8 (5.0 GT/s)
Form Factor: Standard / low-profile PCIe
Condition: Refurbished Grade A — bench-tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS

Capabilities & Features

RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) and native InfiniBand verbs (RC, UC, UD, XRC).
Hardware-based stateless TCP/UDP/IP offloads (LSO, LRO, checksum).
SR-IOV virtualization with multiple virtual functions for VM and container deployments.
Hardware-based congestion control and quality-of-service (QoS).
VLAN insertion/stripping and Ethernet flow control (802.3x / 802.1Qbb PFC).
Low-latency InfiniBand QDR transport for HPC MPI fabrics.

What This Is NOT

NOT a switch. Host-side PCIe adapter — requires an available PCIe 2.0 x8 (or higher) slot in the server.
NOT a newer ConnectX generation. This is ConnectX-2 (mlx4 driver family), not ConnectX-3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7. Confirm OS, kernel, and firmware support before deploying.
NOT QSFP+, QSFP28, or QSFP56. Connector is QSFP only; transceivers and cables must match QSFP electrical and form factor.
NOT 40GbE Ethernet. The QSFP cage runs QDR InfiniBand (40 Gb/s) or 10GbE Ethernet — it does not negotiate 40GbE Ethernet.
NOT Ethernet-only or InfiniBand-only. VPI dual-protocol means each port is software-selectable between modes.
NOT bundled with cables, transceivers, low-profile bracket, or accessories — sold standalone.

Compatibility & Constraints

Drivers: Legacy NVIDIA MLNX_OFED 2.x branch (ConnectX-2 was dropped from MLNX_OFED 3.x and later). In-box mlx4_core / mlx4_en / mlx4_ib on most enterprise Linux LTS kernels. WinOF (not WinOF-2) on Windows. ESXi nmlx4 on supported VMware releases.
Mode switching: Use mlxconfig -d <device> set LINK_TYPE_P1=<ETH|IB|AUTO> LINK_TYPE_P2=<ETH|IB|AUTO> from MLNX_OFED 2.x, then reboot.
Cabling: QSFP DAC / AOC / optical transceivers rated for QDR InfiniBand (40 Gb/s, 8/10 encoding) on IB ports, or 10GbE-capable QSFP cabling on Ethernet ports.
Compatible switches: Mellanox SwitchX-2 / SwitchX (IS5000-series) for QDR InfiniBand; Mellanox Spectrum-1 SN2000-series or earlier Mellanox MSX / SX-series for 10GbE Ethernet. Verify topology and port mapping before deployment.
Host interface: PCIe 2.0 x8 slot; will train down in PCIe 1.1 slots with corresponding bandwidth loss.

Deployment & Use Cases

Legacy HPC clusters running QDR InfiniBand with RDMA / MPI workloads.
10GbE Ethernet RoCE storage fabrics for NFS-RDMA or iSER targets.
Virtualized hosts using SR-IOV for VM network acceleration.
Refurbished build-outs and replacement spares for installed ConnectX-2 fleets.
Lab, test bench, and educational HPC environments.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the NVIDIA Mellanox MHQH29C-XTR?
The MHQH29C-XTR is a Mellanox ConnectX-2 VPI dual-port QSFP adapter. Each port is software-selectable between InfiniBand QDR (40 Gb/s) and Ethernet 10GbE. Host interface is PCIe 2.0 x8.
Q. Does this card run 40GbE Ethernet?
No. The QSFP cage carries QDR InfiniBand at 40 Gb/s or Ethernet at 10GbE. 40GbE Ethernet was introduced on later ConnectX-3 EN and newer adapters.
Q. How do I switch a port between Ethernet and InfiniBand mode?
Use mlxconfig from MLNX_OFED 2.x: mlxconfig -d <device> set LINK_TYPE_P1=<ETH|IB|AUTO> LINK_TYPE_P2=<ETH|IB|AUTO>, then reboot.
Q. Which drivers and OS releases support ConnectX-2?
ConnectX-2 is supported by the legacy MLNX_OFED 2.x branch and the in-box mlx4 driver in most enterprise Linux LTS kernels. Newer MLNX_OFED 3.x+ releases dropped ConnectX-2 — verify the target kernel and distribution lifecycle before deploying.
Q. What switches and cables are compatible with MHQH29C-XTR?
Compatible switches: Mellanox SwitchX-2 / SwitchX for QDR InfiniBand; Mellanox Spectrum-1 or earlier MSX / SX-series for 10GbE Ethernet. Compatible cables: QSFP DAC, AOC, or optical transceivers rated for QDR IB or 10GbE Ethernet.
Q. What is the condition of this unit?
Refurbished Grade A. Bench-tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS with link validation, port-by-port traffic checks where applicable, and cosmetic inspection. Ships in professional anti-static packaging.
Why T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS is a Europe-based NVIDIA Mellanox specialist serving HPC, AI, and enterprise data-center procurement teams since 2007. We focus on a single brand so every unit is identified by MPN, NVIDIA P/N, and ASIC generation before it ships, and every customer gets free pre-sale compatibility advice for switch, adapter, and cable pairing. Multi-currency B2B invoicing, EU stock with worldwide express options, and direct technical contact with our engineering team — not a call-center.