NVIDIA Mellanox® MSX1012B-2BFS — SwitchX-2 40GbE 1U Open Ethernet Switch, 12× QSFP+ Ports, Dual AC PSU
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox® MSX1012B-2BFS is a 1U short-depth Open Ethernet top-of-rack switch built on the SwitchX-2 ASIC, delivering 12× non-blocking 40GbE QSFP+ ports, 960 Gb/s switching capacity, and 1.4 Bpps forwarding rate at ~250 ns port-to-port latency. The "2BFS" SKU ships with dual redundant AC power supplies, fixed fans with connector-to-PSU (C2P / front-to-back from port side) airflow, a PPC460 management CPU, and runs NVIDIA Onyx NOS (formerly MLNX-OS). Each QSFP+ port supports 4×10GbE breakout for up to 48× 10GbE links. Rail Kit sold separately. RoHS6 compliant. Condition supplied: Refurbished Grade A from EU stock.
Specifications

Brand: NVIDIA Mellanox
Model / MPN: MSX1012B-2BFS
ASIC / Platform: SwitchX-2
Product type: 40GbE Open Ethernet Switch (top-of-rack)
Port count: 12× QSFP+ (40GbE), non-blocking
Port speed: 40Gb/s per QSFP+ port; 4×10GbE breakout per port supported (up to 48× 10GbE)
Switching capacity: 960 Gb/s full-duplex
Forwarding rate: 1.4 Bpps
Port-to-port latency: ~250 ns
Packet buffer: 4.5 MB shared
Chassis: 1U, short depth
Power: 2× AC PSU (hot-swap, redundant)
Cooling: Fixed fans, C2P airflow (connector-side intake → PSU-side exhaust)
Management CPU: PPC460
Network OS: NVIDIA Onyx (L2/L3, VLAN, LACP, MLAG, ECMP, BGP, OSPF, VXLAN; CLI / SNMP / REST / JSON-RPC)
Management ports: 1× RJ45 mgmt, 1× RJ45 console, 1× USB
Rail Kit: Sold separately
Compliance: RoHS6
Protocol: Ethernet (40GbE)
Condition: Refurbished Grade A

What This Is NOT

NOT InfiniBand. Ethernet-only Open Ethernet switch running NVIDIA Onyx. For InfiniBand fabrics see Quantum (HDR/NDR) or Switch-IB (EDR).
NOT 50/100/200/400GbE. SwitchX-2 platform ceiling is 40GbE per QSFP+ port. For 100GbE see Spectrum / Spectrum-2; for 200/400GbE see Spectrum-3 / Spectrum-4.
NOT full-depth. Short-depth chassis — verify rack depth (≈ 19" / 482 mm class) before ordering.
NOT supplied with Rail Kit. Rail Kit is a separate SKU.
NOT supplied with cables or transceivers. QSFP+ DAC / AOC / optics ordered separately.
NOT P2C airflow. This SKU is C2P (port-to-PSU). Mixing C2P and P2C in a single hot/cold-aisle row causes airflow recirculation.

Compatibility & Constraints

Interconnect: QSFP+ 40GbE passive copper DAC (typical reach ≤ 5 m), active copper ACC, AOC fiber (typical reach ≤ 100 m), or QSFP+ MSA optical transceivers (SR4 ≤ 100/150 m OM3/OM4, LR4 ≤ 10 km, ER4 ≤ 40 km).
10GbE breakout: QSFP+-to-4×SFP+ splitter cables (DAC or AOC). 48× 10GbE links per chassis when all 12 ports are broken out.
Adapter pairing: Any 40GbE QSFP+-capable NIC — ConnectX-3, ConnectX-3 Pro, ConnectX-4 Lx, ConnectX-5 in 40G mode, or third-party MSA-compliant adapters.
Airflow planning: C2P / front-to-back from port side. Cold aisle must face the port (connector) side; hot aisle faces the PSU side. Match airflow direction across the entire rack row.
Power: Dual hot-swap AC inlets — connect to independent A/B feeds for full redundancy.
Management: Out-of-band 1GbE RJ45 management port plus RS-232 console. Onyx supports CLI, SNMPv1/2c/3, JSON-RPC, and REST API.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the NVIDIA Mellanox MSX1012B-2BFS?
SwitchX-2 1U Open Ethernet switch: 12× QSFP+ ports at 40GbE, dual AC PSU, short-depth chassis, PPC460 management CPU, NVIDIA Onyx NOS, C2P (port-to-PSU) airflow. Rail Kit sold separately.
Q. What NOS runs on the MSX1012B-2BFS?
NVIDIA Onyx (formerly MLNX-OS) — Linux-based network operating system supporting L2/L3 protocols including VLAN, LACP, MLAG, ECMP, BGP, OSPF, and VXLAN, managed via CLI, SNMP, JSON-RPC, and REST API.
Q. Does MSX1012B-2BFS support InfiniBand?
No. MSX1012B-2BFS is Ethernet-only. For InfiniBand fabrics see Quantum (HDR/NDR) or earlier Switch-IB (EDR) families.
Q. Can MSX1012B-2BFS break out 40GbE ports to 10GbE?
Yes. Each QSFP+ port supports 4×10GbE breakout via QSFP+-to-4×SFP+ splitter cables, providing up to 48× 10GbE links per 1U chassis.
Q. Which cables and transceivers work with MSX1012B-2BFS?
Any QSFP+ 40GbE-rated interconnect: passive copper DAC, active copper ACC, AOC fiber, or QSFP+ MSA optical transceivers (SR4, LR4, ER4). QSFP+-to-4×SFP+ splitter cables enable 10GbE breakout.
Q. What condition does T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS supply?
Refurbished Grade A — chassis bench-tested, port-level link verification where topology allows, PSU and fan function-tested, cosmetically inspected, shipped from EU stock with anti-static packaging.
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 MPN-identified, EEPROM-verified, and function-tested before leaving our EU warehouse. Multi-currency B2B invoicing, worldwide express shipping, and free pre-sale technical consultation on switch / adapter / cable pairing included — direct line to our engineering team, not a call-center.