NVIDIA Mellanox MSX6012T-2BFS 12-Port FDR InfiniBand Switch: This is a 1U SwitchX-2 based InfiniBand switch with 12 QSFP+ ports running FDR at 56 Gb/s per port. It is an unmanaged FDR InfiniBand switch (requires an external subnet manager such as OpenSM running on a fabric host). This is a fixed-port InfiniBand switch, not an Ethernet switch and not a VPI dual-protocol unit. This is a refurbished unit.
Engineering Context
The MSX6012T-2BFS is built around the SwitchX-2 ASIC. Each QSFP+ port aggregates 4 lanes of 14 Gb/s NRZ signaling for 56 Gb/s FDR per port, with an aggregate non-blocking switching capacity of 1.344 Tb/s (12 ports × 56 Gb/s, full-duplex). FDR is backward-compatible with QDR (40 Gb/s) and DDR (20 Gb/s) at the link layer. The chassis uses P2C (Power-to-Connector / forward) — connector airflow out for thermal management. Switching is performed by an on-board PowerPC 460 management processor handling control-plane functions. Power is delivered by two redundant hot-swappable AC power supplies.
Deployment & Use Cases
Top-of-Rack InfiniBand aggregation in small HPC clusters, GPU-to-GPU interconnect for compute pods up to 12 endpoints, edge fabric for storage building blocks, and fabric expansion within a single rack.
Technical Specifications
- OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
- Part Number: MSX6012T-2BFS
- Switch ASIC: SwitchX-2
- Ports: 12 × QSFP+ (FDR)
- Per-Port Data Rate: 56 Gb/s FDR (4 × 14 Gb/s NRZ)
- Aggregate Switching Capacity: 1.344 Tb/s (full-duplex)
- Backward Compatibility: FDR / QDR (40 Gb/s) / DDR (20 Gb/s)
- Management: Unmanaged (external subnet manager required)
- Management CPU: PowerPC 460 (PPC460)
- Form Factor: 1U short depth, 19-inch rack-mountable
- Power Supply: Dual redundant AC PSU (hot-swappable, N+1 redundant)
- Airflow: P2C (Power-to-Connector / forward) — connector airflow out
- Compliance: RoHS6
- Condition: Refurbished — Tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Compatibility & Hard Constraints
Compatible with NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-3 / ConnectX-3 Pro / ConnectX-4 / ConnectX-5 InfiniBand HCAs at FDR speed, and with QSFP+ FDR copper (DAC) and active optical (AOC) cables. Requires an external subnet manager (OpenSM on a Linux host or another managed switch in the fabric) to bring up the InfiniBand subnet. This is an InfiniBand-only switch — it does not run Ethernet on these ports and is not a VPI (Virtual Protocol Interconnect) unit. Does not support EDR (100 Gb/s) or HDR (200 Gb/s) speeds; FDR is the maximum link rate. No on-board MLNX-OS, no embedded subnet manager, no in-band management interface. Rail kit and console cable are not guaranteed; confirm accessories at order time.
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS power-tests every InfiniBand switch, verifies all QSFP+ ports for link integrity at FDR, and inspects PSU function and chassis condition before shipment. We provide expert consultation on InfiniBand fabric design, global shipping, and a 1–3 day handling window. Visit tes-itsolutions.com for the full refurbished NVIDIA Mellanox catalog.
Frequently Asked Questions
What per-port data rate does the MSX6012T-2BFS have?
The MSX6012T-2BFS per-port data rate is 56 Gb/s FDR (4 × 14 Gb/s NRZ), as listed in the specifications for MSX6012T-2BFS.
What is the MSX6012T-2BFS NOT compatible with?
This is a fixed-port InfiniBand switch, not an Ethernet switch and not a VPI dual-protocol unit. Confirm fitment against your platform before ordering MSX6012T-2BFS.
What condition is the MSX6012T-2BFS supplied in, and who sells it?
The MSX6012T-2BFS 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/refurb-mellanox-msx6012t-2bfs-12qsfp-ports-fdr-56-gb-s-infiniband-support.
