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Mellanox MCX631432AN-ADAB ConnectX-6 Lx OCP 3.0 SmartNIC - Dual Port 10/25GbE Accelerator
Product Details:
| Brand Name: | Mellanox |
| Model Number: | MCX631432AN-ADAB |
| Document: | connectx-6-lx-en-card.pdf |
Payment & Shipping Terms:
| Minimum Order Quantity: | 1pcs |
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| Price: | Negotiate |
| Packaging Details: | outer box |
| Delivery Time: | Based on inventory |
| Payment Terms: | T/T |
| Supply Ability: | Supply by project/batch |
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Detail Information |
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| Model NO.: | MCX631432AN-ADAB | Ports: | Dual-Port |
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| Technology: | Ethernet | Private Mold: | No |
| Transmission Rate: | 25GB | Interface Type: | Pcle 4.0 X8 |
| Specification: | Dual Port QSFP28 | Origin: | India / Israel / China |
| Highlight: | Mellanox ConnectX-6 Lx SmartNIC,Dual Port 25GbE Network Card,OCP 3.0 Ethernet Accelerator |
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Product Description
NVIDIA ConnectX-6 Lx MCX631432AN-ADAB OCP 3.0 Smart Network Interface Card
Product Model: MCX631432AN-ADAB | Form Factor: OCP 3.0 Small Form Factor (SFF) | Data Rate: Dual-Port 10/25GbE | Host Interface: PCIe 4.0 x8
Engineered for Hyperscale Efficiency and Performance
The MCX631432AN-ADAB represents the pinnacle of network-optimized design for modern data center servers. This OCP 3.0 SmartNIC delivers full line-rate 25GbE connectivity while integrating powerful hardware accelerators that offload demanding networking, storage, and security workloads from the host CPU. The result is a dramatic increase in server compute efficiency, reduced operational costs, and the ability to deploy advanced features like NVMe-oF storage and encrypted overlays at scale—seamlessly integrating with high-performance spine layers such as the mq9700 series.
1. Product Overview
The NVIDIA ConnectX-6 Lx MCX631432AN-ADAB is an Open Compute Project (OCP) 3.0 compliant SmartNIC, purpose-built for high-density, cloud-optimized server platforms. Featuring two SFP28 ports capable of 10GbE or 25GbE speeds, this adapter transcends the role of a standard network card. It functions as an intelligent network co-processor, equipped with dedicated engines for RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE), Software-Defined Networking (SDN) packet processing (ASAP2), and inline IPsec cryptography. This architectural approach maximizes server productivity by freeing CPU resources for application workloads, making it an essential component for Telco NFV, public clouds, and large-scale enterprise virtualization.
2. Key Characteristics
3. Core Technology & Standards
This SmartNIC leverages NVIDIA's industry-leading silicon and firmware to deliver breakthrough capabilities:
- ASAP² (Accelerated Switch and Packet Processing): Offloads the entire data plane of virtual switches to the network card hardware. This processes overlay protocols like VXLAN and GENEVE at line rate, drastically reducing hypervisor overhead and improving East-West traffic performance between virtual machines and containers.
- Zero-Touch RoCE (ZTR): Implements a congestion management algorithm that allows RoCE to run efficiently on standard Ethernet networks without requiring lossless configuration (PFC), simplifying the deployment of low-latency storage and HPC clusters.
- OCP 3.0 Compliance: Adheres to the mechanical, electrical, thermal, and management specifications defined by the Open Compute Project, ensuring interoperability and optimized cooling in compliant server designs.
- Hardware Root of Trust & Inline Crypto: Provides a secure foundation with device-unique keys for firmware validation and offers line-rate IPsec encryption using AES-256/512-XTS, securing data in motion without performance loss.
4. Operational Architecture: The Smart Processing Pipeline
The MCX631432AN-ADAB operates on a principle of deterministic, hardware-based offload. Network traffic entering the adapter is parsed and classified. RDMA (RoCE) traffic is directly placed into or retrieved from application memory, completely bypassing the CPU. Overlay-encapsulated traffic is de-tunneled by the ASAP2 engine. IPsec-protected packets are decrypted inline. All these complex operations are executed concurrently in dedicated hardware blocks, ensuring consistent, low-latency performance at the full 25Gb/s wire speed. This transforms the server's network interface from a bottleneck into a powerful accelerator, a concept that is multiplicative when deployed alongside high-capacity aggregation switches like the mq9700.
5. Target Applications & Deployment Scenarios
- Hyperscale Cloud Platforms: Provides secure, accelerated networking for multi-tenant virtual machines and microservices, improving density and performance while reducing host CPU tax.
- Telecommunications & 5G Core (NFV): Offloads virtualized network functions (VNFs) such as vEPC, vFirewall, and SD-WAN gateways, enabling higher throughput and lower latency for mobile and edge computing.
- High-Performance Storage Fabrics: Serves as the ideal host adapter for NVMe-over-Fabrics (NVMe-oF) initiators, leveraging RoCE for ultra-low latency access to disaggregated storage pools.
- AI/ML Training Clusters & HPC: Facilitates high-bandwidth, CPU-efficient communication between servers, which is critical for scaling distributed training jobs and scientific simulations.
- Secure Cloud Networking: Enables the establishment of high-performance, encrypted VXLAN or IPsec tunnels for secure inter-data-center and hybrid-cloud connectivity.
6. Technical Specifications
7. Key Differentiators and Benefits
- Optimized for Scale and Operational Efficiency: The OCP 3.0 design ensures consistent thermal performance, cabling, and management across thousands of servers, reducing operational complexity and total cost of ownership in large-scale deployments.
- Superior Performance per Watt and per Core: By offloading networking tasks that can consume 30% or more of a server's CPU cores, this SmartNIC effectively increases available compute capacity, allowing for greater workload consolidation or the use of more energy-efficient server SKUs.
- Future-Proofed for Emerging Workloads: With support for PCIe 4.0, programmable pipelines, and advanced protocols, the MCX631432AN-ADAB is ready to handle the demands of next-generation applications, ensuring a longer lifecycle for your server investment.
- Holistic Security Integrated into the Data Path: Combines robust device integrity protection with line-rate data-in-flight encryption, providing a comprehensive security posture that is essential when connecting to the core enterprise fabric, often powered by switches like the mq9700.
8. Our Commitment: Support & Services
We provide a comprehensive partnership for your OCP networking needs:
- Authentic Product & Warranty: We supply genuine NVIDIA OCP adapters, fully covered by the manufacturer's standard warranty and support agreements.
- Architecture & Integration Expertise: Our technical team offers guidance on OCP platform integration, driver configuration, and performance optimization for specific workloads.
- Scalable Supply Chain Solutions: We support volume procurement with reliable inventory management and global logistics, catering to both greenfield builds and phased expansions.
- Lifecycle Management Support: Access to ongoing firmware updates, compatibility matrices, and end-of-life planning information to manage your infrastructure effectively.
9. Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is this OCP NIC interchangeable with a standard PCIe card?
A: No. The MCX631432AN-ADAB uses the OCP 3.0 SFF mezzanine connector and is designed to plug directly into a dedicated slot on OCP-compliant server motherboards. It is not mechanically or electrically compatible with a standard PCIe slot. For traditional PCIe servers, please inquire about models like the MCX623106AN-CDAT.
Q: What software support is available for this adapter?
A: It is supported by all major operating systems (Linux, Windows Server), hypervisors (VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, KVM), and cloud orchestration frameworks (OpenStack, Kubernetes). NVIDIA provides the MLNX_EN OFED drivers for Linux and an SDK for custom applications, making this a versatile network card for automated, software-defined environments.
10. Installation & Operational Notes
- Mechanical Compatibility: Confirm your server chassis and motherboard are designed to the OCP 3.0 SFF specification and include the appropriate mezzanine connector.
- Thermal Design: OCP servers have specific airflow designs. Ensure the system's cooling solution is implemented as per the OCP thermal model for reliable operation.
- Firmware and Driver Harmony: Always use the tested and recommended firmware/driver pair from the NVIDIA support portal to ensure stability, security, and access to all features.
- BMC Configuration: For out-of-band management via NC-SI, proper configuration of the baseboard management controller (BMC) is required.
11. About Our Company
- Deep Technical Mastery: Our engineering and solutions teams possess extensive, practical expertise in OCP architectures and accelerated networking. We provide valuable, architecture-level guidance for integrating components like the MCX631432AN-ADAB SmartNIC into your environment.
- Strategic Authorized Partnerships: As an authorized distributor for NVIDIA Networking and other technology leaders, we guarantee product authenticity, direct access to technical support, and supply chain integrity for every order.