NVIDIA Mellanox MSN2100-BB2RO 40GbE Open Ethernet Switch, 16x QSFP28, Half-Width 1U: This is a half-width 1U Top-of-Rack Ethernet switch built on the NVIDIA Mellanox Spectrum-1 ASIC, configured as the Open Ethernet bare-metal bundle (ONIE-ready), with C2P (Connector-to-Power) airflow (trailing "O" designates the NVIDIA SKU OS-pre-install variant). This is NOT a fixed-OS appliance; the platform is ONIE-based and supports multiple network operating systems (NVIDIA Onyx/MLNX-OS, Cumulus Linux, SONiC). This is a refurbished unit.
Engineering Context
The MSN2100 platform places 16x QSFP28 into a half-width 1U chassis, allowing two switches to be deployed side-by-side in a single rack unit using the optional dual-mount kit. The Spectrum-1 ASIC delivers up to 3.2 Tb/s of switching capacity and a forwarding rate of up to 4.76 billion packets per second. In the TES inventory, this MSN2100-BB2RO ships firmware-limited to 40GbE per port — the underlying Spectrum-1 ASIC retains 3.2 Tb/s hardware capacity, but each QSFP28 port is locked at 40GbE for the deployable speed tier. Airflow is Connector-to-Power (C2P) — cool intake at the port side, hot exhaust at the power side, designed to align with the cold-aisle / hot-aisle orientation of the deployment. Two hot-swap AC PSUs and four hot-swap fans provide N+1 redundancy. Port-to-port latency is sub-microsecond at typical packet sizes.
Deployment & Use Cases
Top-of-Rack aggregation in dense rack rows where two half-width switches mount side-by-side for high port density. 40GbE leaf and small-spine duty in compact Ethernet fabrics for HPC clusters, GPU compute, and storage spine layers. Edge consolidation for 40GbE-attached compute and storage nodes. Open networking environments where Cumulus Linux, SONiC, or NVIDIA Onyx is required as the network OS via ONIE.
Technical Specifications
OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
Part Number: MSN2100-BB2RO
Switching ASIC: NVIDIA Mellanox Spectrum-1
Ports: 16x QSFP28 (firmware-limited to 40GbE per port)
Switching Capacity: 3.2 Tb/s hardware switching capacity (1.28 Tb/s deployable in 40GbE-limited mode)
Forwarding Rate: Up to 4.76 Bpps
Form Factor: Half-width 1U (two switches per 1U with dual-mount kit)
Power Supplies: 2x hot-swap AC (redundant)
Cooling: 4x hot-swap fans, C2P (Connector-to-Power) airflow
Management: 1x console (RJ-45), 1x out-of-band Ethernet (RJ-45), 1x USB
OS Support: ONIE bootloader (loads Cumulus Linux, NVIDIA Onyx/MLNX-OS, SONiC)
Condition: Refurbished — Tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Compatibility & Hard Constraints
Compatible with NVIDIA Mellanox QSFP28 transceivers and DAC/AOC cables, plus standards-compliant third-party QSFP28 optics. Supports breakout via QSFP-to-SFP/SFP+ splitter cables on a per-port basis. Not a 100GbE switch in this configuration — TES units in this SKU class ship firmware-limited to 40GbE and cannot be field-unlocked to 100GbE without an authorized NVIDIA license update. Customer is responsible for OS installation and license entitlement on the Open Ethernet bundle. Standard 19" rack mount requires the half-width adapter kit for single-switch deployment (sold separately). Operating temperature 0–40°C ambient.
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS bench-tests every refurbished MSN2100 for ASIC functionality, port-link integrity, fan and PSU operation, and management plane response before shipment. We provide consultation on Spectrum platform deployment and ONIE OS selection. Visit T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS for global shipping and 1–3 day handling on in-stock items.