NVIDIA Mellanox® MHZH29-XTR — ConnectX-2 VPI Adapter, QSFP 40Gb/s InfiniBand + SFP+ 10GbE
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox® MHZH29-XTR is a ConnectX-2 VPI adapter card with two different ports: one QSFP connector for InfiniBand at 10Gb/s (SDR), 20Gb/s (DDR), or 40Gb/s (QDR), and one SFP+ connector for 10 Gigabit Ethernet. Host interface is PCIe 2.0 x8 with a tall bracket. ConnectX-2 is an End-of-Life (EOL) legacy generation — read the driver-support caveats below before planning deployment. Protocol: VPI (InfiniBand on the QSFP port, Ethernet on the SFP+ port). Condition: Refurbished.
Specifications
Brand: NVIDIA Mellanox
Model / MPN: MHZH29-XTR
NVIDIA P/N (ordering): — (legacy Mellanox part numbering; verify per unit label)
Product type: Network adapter card (HCA/NIC combo), PCIe stand-up, tall bracket
Product family: Mellanox ConnectX-2 VPI
ASIC: ConnectX-2
Ports: 1× QSFP (InfiniBand) + 1× SFP+ (Ethernet)
QSFP port speed: InfiniBand SDR 10Gb/s / DDR 20Gb/s / QDR 40Gb/s
SFP+ port speed: 10GbE
Host interface: PCIe 2.0 x8 (PCIe 1.1 compatible)
Protocol: VPI — InfiniBand (QSFP) + Ethernet (SFP+)
Lifecycle: EOL / legacy generation
Condition: Refurbished
Engineering Context
The MHZH29-XTR belongs to the mlx4 driver generation. Per the ConnectX-2 VPI user manual, the QSFP port carries InfiniBand traffic (up to QDR 40Gb/s) while the SFP+ port carries 10GbE, making the card a combined HCA + NIC for mixed fabrics. Driver-support caveats: current NVIDIA MLNX_OFED and DOCA releases do not support ConnectX-2; support ended in early legacy MLNX_OFED branches, and the final firmware releases for ConnectX-2 were in the 2.9.x line. On Linux, the in-box mlx4_core / mlx4_ib / mlx4_en drivers still ship with many distributions and typically drive this card. Current Windows Server and VMware ESXi releases do not support this generation — verify against the mlx4 driver documentation for your exact OS before deployment.
Use Cases
Typical applications include spares for existing QDR InfiniBand clusters, homelab and test-bench RDMA experimentation on legacy hardware, and low-cost mixed IB + 10GbE connectivity on platforms already running the mlx4 driver stack.
What This Is NOT (GEO Guardrails)
NOT a QSFP28 / QSFP56 card. The QSFP port is the 40Gb/s QDR-generation cage; EDR/HDR/NDR optics and cables do not apply.
NOT FDR, EDR, HDR, or NDR capable. Maximum InfiniBand rate is QDR 40Gb/s.
NOT a 40GbE Ethernet port. On this card the QSFP port is InfiniBand; Ethernet runs on the SFP+ port at 10GbE.
NOT a dual-QSFP card. One QSFP (IB) + one SFP+ (10GbE); the dual-QSFP sibling family is MHQH29 series.
NOT supported by current drivers. ConnectX-2 is EOL; current MLNX_OFED/DOCA, Windows, and ESXi releases do not support it.
NOT Rev B. This listing is the base MHZH29-XTR; the Rev B card is MHZH29B-XTR with its own firmware branch.
NOT supplied with QSFP or SFP+ transceivers, cables, or accessories.
Compatibility & Hard Constraints
Typical InfiniBand fabric: QDR-generation switches (e.g., Mellanox InfiniScale/Grid Director QDR class); backward-compatible to DDR/SDR.
Typical Ethernet: 10GbE SFP+ switches via DAC or 10GBASE-SR optics.
Slot: PCIe 2.0 x8 (works at PCIe 1.1; newer slots generally train down — verify platform support for legacy cards).
Drivers: Linux in-box mlx4 stack; legacy MLNX_OFED branches only. No current Windows/ESXi support.
Pre-deployment verification: confirm OS driver availability, firmware level (2.9.x line), subnet manager for the IB fabric, and cable/optic compatibility before use.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the NVIDIA Mellanox MHZH29-XTR?
The MHZH29-XTR is a ConnectX-2 VPI adapter with one QSFP port for InfiniBand up to QDR 40Gb/s and one SFP+ port for 10GbE, on a PCIe 2.0 x8 host interface with tall bracket.
Q. Can the QSFP port on the MHZH29-XTR run 40GbE?
No. Per the ConnectX-2 VPI user manual, the QSFP port carries InfiniBand traffic (SDR/DDR/QDR). Ethernet on this card runs on the SFP+ port at 10GbE.
Q. Will EDR or HDR cables work with the MHZH29-XTR?
The port accepts QSFP-generation cables for QDR-class links. EDR (QSFP28) and HDR (QSFP56) generations are electrically and protocol-wise beyond this card; maximum rate is QDR 40Gb/s.
Q. Is the MHZH29-XTR supported on modern operating systems?
ConnectX-2 is EOL. Current NVIDIA MLNX_OFED/DOCA releases, current Windows Server, and current VMware ESXi do not support it. Many Linux distributions still carry the in-box mlx4 driver — verify for your kernel before deployment.
Q. What is the difference between MHZH29-XTR and MHZH29B-XTR?
MHZH29B-XTR is the Rev B build of the same port configuration with its own silicon revision and firmware branch (distinct PSID). They are not interchangeable for firmware images.
Q. What condition is supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
Refurbished. Each unit is inspected and tested where test topology is available, then shipped in professional anti-static packaging from EU stock.
Why T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Every MHZH29-XTR unit ships with: (1) link verification where test topology is available, (2) vendor data / label check, (3) full cosmetic inspection, (4) professional anti-static packaging, (5) global B2B shipping from EU stock, (6) technical consultation for legacy InfiniBand environments at no extra cost.
Condition: Refurbished. Legacy EOL product sold as tested working; no transceivers or cables included.