NVIDIA Mellanox® MQM9700-NS2F — Quantum-2 NDR InfiniBand Managed Switch, 64-Port, P2C Airflow
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox® MQM9700-NS2F is a 1U managed InfiniBand switch built on the NVIDIA Quantum-2 ASIC, delivering 64 ports of 400 Gb/s NDR InfiniBand through 32 physical OSFP cages (each cage carries two NDR ports via twin-port OSFP optics or OSFP-to-2×QSFP56 splitter cables). Aggregate switching capacity is 51.2 Tb/s with cut-through, sub-microsecond port-to-port latency. P2C (Power-to-Connector) airflow draws cold air in at the PSU / management side and exhausts at the port side — the standard front-to-back orientation for hot-aisle / cold-aisle data-center cabinets where servers cable from the rear. The "NS" designation indicates a managed switch with an embedded Subnet Manager. New, factory-sealed by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS.
Specifications
Brand: NVIDIA Mellanox
Part Number (MPN): MQM9700-NS2F
Product family: Quantum-2 NDR InfiniBand Managed Switch
ASIC: NVIDIA Quantum-2
Protocol: InfiniBand only (NDR / HDR / EDR speed-compatible per port)
Ports: 64 × 400 Gb/s NDR (via 32 OSFP cages, 2 NDR ports per cage)
Connector cage: OSFP only — not QSFP28 / QSFP56 / QSFP-DD
Aggregate bandwidth: 51.2 Tb/s bidirectional
Latency: Cut-through, sub-microsecond port-to-port
Management: Managed (NVIDIA MLNX-OS / UFM); embedded Subnet Manager (SM) included — the "NS" suffix denotes SM-equipped
Airflow direction: P2C — Power-to-Connector (intake at PSU side, exhaust at port side)
Form factor: 1U, 19" rack-mount
Power supplies: 2 × hot-swap PSU, 1+1 redundancy
Cooling: Hot-swap fan modules, N+1 redundancy
In-network computing: SHARPv3 (Scalable Hierarchical Aggregation and Reduction Protocol) for collective offload
Self-healing fabric: NVIDIA SHIELD for sub-microsecond fault recovery
Routing: Hardware adaptive routing and dynamic congestion control
Condition: New, factory-sealed
What This Is NOT
NOT an Ethernet switch. The Quantum-2 ASIC is InfiniBand-only and is NOT field-convertible to Ethernet. For 400GbE switching, use the Spectrum-4 SN5600 / SN5400 family instead.
NOT a QSFP-cage switch. The MQM9700-NS2F has OSFP cages only — QSFP28 / QSFP56 / QSFP-DD transceivers do not fit and are not electrically supported. Use OSFP optics, DACs, or AOCs rated for NDR.
NOT unmanaged. "NS" denotes a managed switch with an embedded Subnet Manager. SM-less variants (for externally-managed fabrics with UFM) carry different suffixes.
NOT C2P airflow. The trailing "F" indicates P2C airflow (cold-aisle intake at PSU side). The reverse-airflow counterpart is MQM9700-NS2R (C2P). Verify hot/cold aisle orientation before ordering.
NOT bundled with OSFP transceivers, DAC / AOC cables, rail kit, or console cable unless explicitly listed on the order line.
Compatibility & Constraints
Host adapters (NDR native): NVIDIA ConnectX-7 NDR HCAs (MCX75xxx series) and BlueField-3 NDR DPUs (B3220 / B3240).
Host adapters (backwards compatible): ConnectX-6 HDR adapters connect at HDR / HDR100 via OSFP-to-2×QSFP56 splitter cables.
Cabling — NDR native: OSFP twin-port DAC (MCP7Y series), OSFP twin-port AOC (MFA7U series), OSFP transceivers (MMA4Z00-NS / MMS4X00-NM) with MMF or SMF.
Cabling — splitter to HDR: OSFP-to-2×QSFP56 splitter DACs / AOCs (MCP7Y50-N, MFS1S00-Hxxx) for down-step to HDR200 ConnectX-6 endpoints.
Fabric role: Spine, leaf, or top-of-rack in Fat-Tree, DragonFly+, or Slim-Fly topologies — native Adaptive Routing and SHIELD self-healing.
Management plane: NVIDIA MLNX-OS / UFM via console (RJ45), 1GbE out-of-band management, USB, SNMP v2/v3, REST API, JSON-RPC.
Power: 100–240 VAC PSUs — verify rack PDU outlet type against NVIDIA datasheet before deployment.
Rack: Standard 19" 1U mount — rail kit (MTEF-KIT-D or equivalent) sold separately.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the NVIDIA Mellanox MQM9700-NS2F?
It is a 1U managed Quantum-2 NDR InfiniBand switch with 64 × 400 Gb/s ports delivered through 32 OSFP cages (each cage carries two NDR ports). Aggregate bandwidth is 51.2 Tb/s and the unit ships with an embedded Subnet Manager. Airflow direction is P2C (Power-to-Connector / front-to-back).
Q. Can the MQM9700-NS2F switch Ethernet traffic?
No. The Quantum-2 ASIC is InfiniBand-only and cannot be reconfigured to Ethernet. For 400GbE switching, use the NVIDIA Spectrum-4 SN5600 family.
Q. Why OSFP cages instead of QSFP56 or QSFP-DD?
NDR at 400 Gb/s per port requires the additional thermal and electrical headroom of OSFP. QSFP-form-factor optics do not fit and are not electrically supported. OSFP-to-2×QSFP56 splitter cables provide backwards compatibility for HDR ConnectX-6 endpoints.
Q. What is the difference between the "F" and "R" suffixes?
"F" = P2C (Power-to-Connector) airflow: intake at the PSU side, exhaust at the port side — the standard direction for most data centers. "R" = C2P (reverse). Order the suffix that matches your hot / cold aisle orientation.
Q. What does the "NS" designation mean?
"N" indicates a managed switch (full MLNX-OS / UFM management plane); "S" indicates an embedded Subnet Manager is included. SM-less variants exist for fabrics managed externally by UFM.
Q. Is this unit new or refurbished?
New, factory-sealed in original NVIDIA packaging. Supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS from EU stock with global B2B shipping.
Why buy from 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. Every switch 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 / cable pairing. Multi-currency B2B invoicing, EU stock with worldwide express shipping, and direct technical contact with our engineering team — not a call-center.