Title: 100GbE NIC Card for Mellanox MCX556A-EDAT, PCIe 4.0 x16 100Gb Ethernet NIC with Mellanox ConnectX-5 Ex Chipset, Dual QSFP28 IB Network Card Support RDMA
Short Excerpt: Dual-port 100G VPI adapter based on Mellanox/NVIDIA ConnectX-5 Ex. Runs 100 Gb/s EDR InfiniBand or 100 GbE per port, low-profile card, PCIe 4.0 x16, SR-IOV and RDMA acceleration—ideal for AI clusters, NVMe-oF storage, HPC, and virtualized data centers.
Overview:
Unleash lightning-fast data transfers with a true dual-mode workhorse. This MCX556A-EDAT-class adapter uses the ConnectX-5 Ex VPI controller to deliver 100 Gb/s EDR InfiniBand or 100 GbE on each QSFP28 port. A low-profile design and PCIe 4.0 x16 host interface fit perfectly in dense rack servers, while hardware offloads for RDMA (RoCE v1/v2), SR-IOV, and overlay tunneling keep CPU overhead low and latency tight. Drop it into your spine/leaf, Kubernetes, Proxmox/ESXi, Ceph/Gluster, or Ray/SLURM nodes for seamless, high-performance connectivity.
Key Features:
• VPI dual-mode: 100 Gb/s InfiniBand (EDR) or 100 GbE per port (module/switch dependent)
• Dual QSFP28 ports; supports 10/25/40/50/100 Gb link rates and 4×25 GbE breakout
• PCIe 4.0 x16 host interface (backward-compatible with Gen3)
• RDMA (RoCE v1/v2), SR-IOV, RSS, checksum/TSO/LRO, VXLAN/GENEVE offloads
• ASAP²/OVS offload for higher PPS and lower CPU usage
• PTP/IEEE 1588 time sync, jumbo frames, UEFI PXE/iPXE boot
• Low-profile card with excellent airflow characteristics for 1U/2U servers
Specifications:
• Form Factor: Low profile
• Dimensions (L × W): 5.6″ × 2.71″ (PCB without bracket)
• Connector Type: 2 × QSFP28
• Interface: PCIe 4.0 x16
• InfiniBand Data Rate: up to 100 Gb/s EDR
• Ethernet Data Rate: up to 100 Gb/s
• Voltage: 12 V
• Operating Temperature: 32 °F to 131 °F (0 °C to 55 °C)
• Controller: Mellanox/NVIDIA ConnectX-5 Ex (MCX556A-EDAT class)
• OS Support: Major Linux distros, Windows/Windows Server, ESXi, FreeBSD (driver/firmware dependent)
What’s in the Box:
• Dual-port ConnectX-5 Ex VPI 100G adapter (low-profile form factor)
• Low-profile bracket (full-height bracket is commonly pre-installed by some vendors; include as applicable)
Compatibility Notes:
• Use QSFP28 DACs/AOCs/optics that match your switch and chosen mode (EDR IB or 100 GbE).
• For RoCE, configure PFC/ETS on the fabric for lossless transport.
• Ensure front-to-back chassis airflow; 100G optics can run warm under sustained load.
Warranty: 90-day limited (per listing).
Condition: Brand New
Lead Time: Usually ships quickly; check current availability.
SKU: HCT-MCX556A-EDAT-VPI-100G