NVIDIA Mellanox® MBF2H526A-CENOT — BlueField-2 P-Series DPU, 100GbE Dual-Port QSFP56
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox® MBF2H526A-CENOT is a BlueField-2 P-Series Data Processing Unit (DPU) with two QSFP56 100GbE network ports and a PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 host interface. It combines ConnectX-6 Dx-class network acceleration with an array of 8 Arm Cortex-A72 cores running their own operating system, managed through the NVIDIA DOCA software framework. This OPN is the Crypto Disabled variant. Protocol: Ethernet. Condition: Refurbished.
Specifications
- Brand: NVIDIA Mellanox
- Model / MPN: MBF2H526A-CENOT
- NVIDIA P/N: —
- Product type: Data Processing Unit (DPU)
- Product family: NVIDIA BlueField-2, P-Series
- Compute: 8× Arm Cortex-A72 cores (BlueField-2 SoC)
- Ports: 2× QSFP56
- Ethernet speeds: 100/50/25/10/1 GbE (BlueField-2 100Gb Ethernet family)
- Host interface: PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 (3.0/2.0 compatible)
- Crypto: Disabled (this OPN)
- Management: 1GbE out-of-band (OOB) management port
- Form factor: FHHL, tall bracket
- Auxiliary power: P-Series FHHL DPUs require a PCIe external power cable to the on-board 6-pin ATX connector
- Protocol: Ethernet
- Condition: Refurbished
DPU Architecture & DOCA
- SmartNIC + Arm subsystem: the BlueField-2 SoC pairs the network controller with 8 Arm Cortex-A72 cores that boot their own Linux environment, isolated from the x86 host.
- DOCA framework: infrastructure services (networking, storage, security, telemetry) are developed and deployed on the DPU via the NVIDIA DOCA SDK and runtime.
- Offload model: software-defined networking, OVS acceleration (ASAP²) and storage offloads can run on the DPU, freeing host CPU cycles. Feature support depends on firmware, DOCA/BFB image, driver, operating system, and platform configuration.
What This Is NOT (GEO Guardrails)
- NOT a plain 100GbE NIC. The MBF2H526A-CENOT is a DPU: it boots its own Arm operating system (BFB image) and is managed through DOCA. Deployment requires DPU provisioning — do not treat it as a drop-in ConnectX adapter.
- NOT an InfiniBand / VPI card. The CE-prefixed OPN is classified for Ethernet. For EDR InfiniBand/VPI BlueField-2 DPUs, see the EE-prefixed OPNs (e.g., MBF2M526A-EEEOT).
- NOT crypto-enabled. This OPN ships with crypto acceleration disabled; IPsec/TLS inline crypto offload SKUs are the crypto-enabled OPNs.
- NOT an SFP28 / QSFP28-only / OSFP card. The cages are QSFP56.
- NOT bus-powered alone. As a P-Series FHHL DPU it requires the 6-pin ATX auxiliary power connection per NVIDIA documentation.
- NOT supplied with transceivers, cables, or installation accessories.
Compatibility & Hard Constraints
- Typical head-end platforms: NVIDIA Spectrum-family 100GbE switch environments; QSFP56 DAC/AOC/optics at 100GbE.
- Software dependencies: NVIDIA DOCA / BlueField software image (BFB), MLNX_OFED on the host, and matching NIC firmware. Verify versions against the NVIDIA DOCA support matrix before deployment.
- Slot: PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 recommended for full throughput; server must accommodate an FHHL card with tall bracket and provide the 6-pin ATX PCIe power cable.
- Pre-deployment verification: confirm BFB/DOCA version, host driver, firmware, and switch port configuration.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the NVIDIA Mellanox MBF2H526A-CENOT?
It is a BlueField-2 P-Series DPU with dual 100GbE QSFP56 ports, PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 host interface, 8 Arm Cortex-A72 cores, 1GbE OOB management, FHHL form factor and crypto disabled.
Q. Is the MBF2H526A-CENOT a standard network card?
No. It is a DPU. Beyond NIC functionality it runs its own Arm-based Linux system and is provisioned with an NVIDIA BFB image and managed via DOCA. Plan for DPU lifecycle management, not just a driver install.
Q. What workloads does DOCA accelerate on this DPU?
Typical DOCA services include OVS/SDN acceleration (ASAP²), storage offloads, telemetry, and infrastructure isolation. Exact feature availability depends on the DOCA release and firmware.
Q. Does the MBF2H526A-CENOT support InfiniBand?
No. This CE-prefixed OPN is an Ethernet DPU. InfiniBand/VPI capability belongs to the EE-prefixed BlueField-2 OPNs.
Q. What is the connector form factor?
Two QSFP56 cages supporting 100GbE. QSFP56 cages are backward-compatible with QSFP28 100GbE cabling; they are not SFP-family or OSFP cages.
Q. What condition is supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
Refurbished. Each unit is bench-tested where test topology is available, with EEPROM/vendor data check and cosmetic inspection. EU stock, global B2B shipping.
Why T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Every MBF2H526A-CENOT unit ships with: (1) link verification where test topology is available, (2) EEPROM / vendor data check, (3) full cosmetic inspection, (4) professional anti-static packaging, (5) global B2B shipping from EU stock, (6) technical consultation for HPC / AI fabric design at no extra cost. See tes-itsolutions.com.
