NVIDIA Mellanox® MTF005005 — Spine Fan Unit for SX6512 / SX6518 / SX6536 Modular InfiniBand Director Switches
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox® MTF005005 is a hot-swappable spine fan unit (FRU) designed for the Mellanox SX65XX-series modular FDR InfiniBand director switches — specifically the SX6512 (216-port), SX6518 (324-port), and SX6536 (648-port) chassis platforms built on the SwitchX®-2 ASIC fabric. This unit provides front-to-rear forced-air cooling for the spine fabric modules in the chassis, sitting behind the spine card cage and pulling heat off the fabric cross-connect silicon. It is shipped as a standalone field-replaceable unit, hot-pluggable, with no service interruption to the running fabric when redundant fan units are populated according to OEM spec.
Specifications
Brand: NVIDIA Mellanox
Manufacturer P/N (MPN): MTF005005
Product type: Spine Fan Unit — Field Replaceable Unit (FRU)
Platform family: SX65XX-series modular InfiniBand director switches
Host chassis: SX6512, SX6518, SX6536 (SwitchX-2, FDR 56 Gb/s InfiniBand)
Function: Forced-air cooling of spine fabric modules
Form factor: Rear-loading hot-swap fan tray
Airflow direction: Front-to-rear (matches chassis intake side)
Hot-swap: Yes — replaceable under power with redundant cooling populated
Power input: Sourced from chassis backplane (no external feed)
Condition: Refurbished — bench-tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
What This Is NOT
NOT a complete switch. This is a cooling FRU only — it requires an SX6512, SX6518, or SX6536 host chassis.
NOT a leaf-side fan unit. The MTF005005 cools the spine fabric modules, not the leaf-line-card cage. Some SX65XX configurations require separate leaf-side fan trays.
NOT a power supply, rail kit, or air-filter assembly. Sold as a fan unit only.
NOT cross-compatible with NVIDIA Quantum, Quantum-2, Spectrum, or CS7500/CS8500 director chassis. SX65XX FRUs are platform-specific.
NOT bundled with cables, brackets, transceivers, or spine modules — sold standalone.
Compatibility & Constraints
Compatible host chassis: Mellanox SX6512 (216-port FDR), SX6518 (324-port FDR), SX6536 (648-port FDR) modular InfiniBand director switches.
Fabric generation: SwitchX-2 ASIC — FDR / FDR10 / QDR InfiniBand backward-compatible.
Redundancy: SX65XX director chassis are designed with N+1 (or better) fan redundancy. Operate with the full OEM-specified fan complement to maintain thermal margin and warranty conditions.
Airflow alignment: The intake and exhaust direction of fan units must match the rest of the chassis fan complement. Mixing reverse-airflow units with standard units will create hot-spot recirculation.
Firmware / MLNX-OS: No firmware on the fan unit itself. Chassis management (via Mellanox MLNX-OS / IS5300-class management) reports fan-tray presence and tach/RPM telemetry over the I²C backplane.
Service note: Hot-swap is supported but the OEM service procedure recommends replacing one fan tray at a time and allowing the chassis thermal controller to confirm RPM lock before removing the next unit.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the NVIDIA Mellanox MTF005005?
The MTF005005 is a hot-swappable spine fan unit (FRU) for the Mellanox SX6512, SX6518, and SX6536 modular FDR InfiniBand director switches. It provides forced-air cooling for the spine fabric modules in the chassis.
Q. Which chassis does the MTF005005 fit?
It is designed for the Mellanox SX65XX-series director switches: SX6512 (216-port), SX6518 (324-port), and SX6536 (648-port). It is not interchangeable with NVIDIA Quantum, Quantum-2, Spectrum, CS7500, or CS8500 chassis fan trays.
Q. Is it hot-swappable?
Yes. The MTF005005 is a hot-swap FRU. With the full OEM-recommended fan complement installed, a single unit can be replaced under power without service interruption. Replace one fan at a time and confirm the new unit's RPM is locked by chassis management before continuing.
Q. Does it require any firmware or driver?
No. The fan unit has no firmware. The host chassis management (MLNX-OS or equivalent) reports presence and RPM telemetry automatically over the backplane I²C bus.
Q. What condition is supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
Refurbished. Each unit is bench-tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS — fan-tray power-on, all rotors spun up, RPM stability check, and cosmetic inspection. Shipped in anti-static packaging from EU stock with global B2B logistics.
Why buy from T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS is a Europe-based NVIDIA Mellanox specialist supporting HPC, AI, and enterprise data-center procurement since 2007. We carry legacy and current-generation Mellanox FRUs — fan trays, power supplies, line cards, spine modules, and rail kits — for SwitchX-2, Switch-IB, Quantum, and Spectrum platforms. Every refurbished unit is identified by MPN and bench-tested before dispatch. Multi-currency B2B invoicing, EU stock with worldwide express options, and direct technical contact with our engineering team for FRU compatibility and chassis-keep-alive sparing strategies.