NVIDIA Mellanox® MSX6001TS — 18-Port FDR-10 InfiniBand Leaf Blade for SX65XX Chassis

Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox® MSX6001TS is an 18-port FDR-10 InfiniBand leaf (line-card) blade built on the SwitchX-2 ASIC, designed to populate slots in the SX6506 / SX6512 / SX6518 / SX6525 / SX6536 director-class chassis (SX65XX family). It delivers 18× QSFP+ ports at FDR-10 (40 Gb/s per port) signaling and integrates with the chassis-wide non-blocking InfiniBand backplane to expand fabric port count without adding standalone 1U switches. Condition supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS: Refurbished Grade A — bench-tested for link establishment, EEPROM/vendor data integrity, and cosmetic inspection.

Specifications

Brand / OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): MSX6001TS
Product family: SwitchX-2 SX65XX chassis leaf blade
ASIC: Mellanox SwitchX-2
Protocol: InfiniBand (IB-only — not VPI, not Ethernet)
Generation / Speed: FDR-10 — 40 Gb/s per port (10 Gb/s × 4 lanes)
Ports: 18× QSFP+ FDR-10
Form factor: Leaf blade / line card for SX65XX director chassis (NOT a standalone 1U switch)
Management: Through chassis management module (MLNX-OS / IS5030 management plane), embedded subnet manager available chassis-wide
Forwarding architecture: Non-blocking, cut-through, integrated with chassis backplane
Condition: Refurbished Grade A — bench-tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS


What This Is NOT

NOT a standalone 1U switch. This is a leaf blade that must be installed in a compatible SX65XX chassis (SX6506, SX6512, SX6518, SX6525, or SX6536). It will not function outside the chassis.
NOT Ethernet-capable. SwitchX-2 SX65XX leaf blades are InfiniBand-only — no Ethernet or VPI mode on this leaf.
NOT FDR (56 Gb/s). This is FDR-10 — 40 Gb/s per port, a cost-optimized FDR signaling variant. Do not confuse with full FDR (56 Gb/s) ports.
NOT QSFP28 / EDR / HDR / NDR. Connectors are QSFP+ only; signaling is FDR-10. Not compatible with EDR (QSFP28), HDR (QSFP56), or NDR (OSFP) cables/transceivers.
NOT bundled with QSFP+ DAC cables, AOCs, transceivers, or installation accessories unless explicitly stated on the invoice.
NOT a Quantum-family product. SwitchX-2 predates the Quantum (HDR/NDR) generation.


Compatibility & Constraints

Chassis required: SX6506 (108-port), SX6512 (216-port), SX6518 (324-port), SX6525 (450-port), or SX6536 (648-port) SwitchX-2 director chassis. Verify available slot before ordering.
Cabling: QSFP+ FDR-10 / FDR / QDR passive copper DACs, active optical cables (AOCs), or QSFP+ optical transceivers with multi-mode fiber. Cables auto-negotiate down to FDR-10 speeds when paired with FDR/QDR endpoints.
Compatible host adapters: NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-3, ConnectX-3 Pro, and FDR-capable ConnectX-2 cards (QSFP+). ConnectX-4/5/6 will down-negotiate to FDR-10 if paired with QSFP+ cabling.
Subnet manager: Embedded SM available via chassis management blade, or use a host-based OpenSM in larger fabrics.
Power & cooling: Supplied through chassis PSUs and fans — no dedicated PSU on the leaf blade itself.
Pairs with (NOT tagged on this product): ConnectX-3/Pro adapter cards on hosts; SwitchX-2 spine blades (MSX6002 family) within the same chassis; MC2207 series QSFP+ FDR-10 DAC/AOC cabling.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What exactly is the MSX6001TS — a switch or a blade?
It is a leaf line-card blade for the SX65XX director-class chassis family. It is NOT a standalone 1U switch and will not operate outside a compatible SwitchX-2 chassis.
Q. Which chassis accept this leaf blade?
SX6506, SX6512, SX6518, SX6525, and SX6536 SwitchX-2 InfiniBand director chassis. Slot quantity varies per chassis — confirm available leaf slots before ordering.
Q. Is this FDR or FDR-10?
FDR-10. That is 40 Gb/s per port (10 Gb/s × 4 lanes), the cost-optimized variant of FDR. Full FDR is 56 Gb/s — a different SKU.
Q. Can this leaf run Ethernet or VPI?
No. The SwitchX-2 SX65XX leaf blades are InfiniBand-only. Ethernet/VPI is not supported on this product line.
Q. What host adapters pair with this leaf?
NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-3 and ConnectX-3 Pro (QSFP+) are the native generation match. ConnectX-2 FDR-capable cards also work. Later ConnectX-4/5/6 cards will down-negotiate to FDR-10 when cabled via QSFP+.
Q. What condition does T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS supply?
Refurbished Grade A. Each blade is bench-tested: link establishment per port, EEPROM and vendor data integrity check, and a cosmetic inspection. Packaged anti-static for global B2B shipping from EU stock.

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. We identify every unit by MPN, NVIDIA P/N, ASIC, and generation before it ships, and provide free pre-sale compatibility consultation for chassis-slot pairing, host adapter matching, and FDR/FDR-10 cabling selection. Multi-currency B2B invoicing, EU stock with worldwide express shipping, and direct technical contact with our engineering team — never a call center.