NVIDIA Mellanox MSX6518-6R 288-Port FDR 56Gb/s InfiniBand Director Switch: This is a director-class modular InfiniBand chassis from the Mellanox SX6518 series, populated with 288 active FDR 56Gb/s ports. The system is a fully managed non-blocking InfiniBand switch built around a leaf/spine internal fabric, and supports the InfiniBand Trade Association FDR specification. This is a chassis switch with installed leaf and spine modules, not a 1U pizza-box switch and not a bare empty chassis. This is a refurbished unit.
Engineering Context
The MSX6518 chassis is engineered as a director-class FDR switch. As shipped, this unit has 288 FDR ports active. Each port runs at 56Gb/s (4x 14Gb/s lanes) over QSFP+ optics or copper, delivering aggregate fabric bandwidth in the multi-Tb/s range. Power is delivered via 6 N+N redundant power supplies and cooling via 4 fan trays, both serviceable from the rear. Management is single-management-module configuration. The chassis is designed for HPC and large enterprise InfiniBand fabrics requiring centralized aggregation rather than distributed leaf-spine pizza-box topologies.
Deployment & Use Cases
Core/aggregation switch in HPC clusters running MPI workloads over FDR InfiniBand. Centralized fabric for storage backends using SRP, iSER, or NVMe-oF over InfiniBand. Large enterprise data center InfiniBand consolidation where a single director chassis replaces multiple top-of-rack edge switches. Universities and research labs running CFD, molecular dynamics, and weather modeling on FDR-class compute nodes.
Technical Specifications
- OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
- Part Number: MSX6518-6R
- Chassis Family: SX6518 Director Switch
- Active Ports: 288 (of chassis maximum)
- Port Speed: FDR 56Gb/s per port (4x 14Gb/s)
- Connector Type: QSFP+
- Protocol: InfiniBand FDR
- Switching: Non-blocking (with all required spines populated)
- Management: Fully Managed, single management module
- Power Supplies: 6x N+N redundant
- Fan Trays: 4 included
- Compliance: RoHS6
- Condition: Refurbished — Tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Compatibility & Hard Constraints
Pairs with Mellanox ConnectX-3 FDR HCAs and other FDR-capable host adapters. Interoperable with Mellanox SX6000-series edge switches in mixed director-and-edge fabrics. QSFP+ ports accept Mellanox FDR DACs (e.g., MC2207130 series), FDR AOCs, and FDR optical transceivers. Not an EDR (100Gb/s) or HDR (200Gb/s) switch — port speed is fixed at FDR 56Gb/s. Requires data-center-grade rack space, three-phase or appropriately rated AC input, and structured cooling. Non-blocking operation depends on having all spine modules populated; verify spine module count if non-blocking is required for the target workload. Heavy chassis (112 kg shipping weight) — site survey for rack capacity and lifting equipment is required.
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS powers up and tests every director chassis end-to-end before shipment, including PSU redundancy, fan operation, and port link training. Visit www.tes-itsolutions.com for the full Mellanox director switch inventory. We offer global shipping with 1–3 day handling and pre-sale fabric design consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What port speed does the MSX6518-6R have?
The MSX6518-6R port speed is FDR 56Gb/s per port (4x 14Gb/s), as listed in the specifications for MSX6518-6R.
What is the MSX6518-6R NOT compatible with?
This is a chassis switch with installed leaf and spine modules, not a 1U pizza-box switch and not a bare empty chassis. Confirm fitment against your platform before ordering MSX6518-6R.
What condition is the MSX6518-6R supplied in, and who sells it?
The MSX6518-6R is supplied in Refurbished condition by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS from EU stock, with 1-3 business day handling and worldwide B2B shipping. See https://www.tes-itsolutions.com/product-page/mellanox-msx6518-nr-with-288-ports-56gb-s-infiniband-director-sdn-switch-system.
