Dell Mellanox MCX556A-ECAT ConnectX-5 VPI Adapter — EDR IB 100Gb/s & 100GbE Dual-Port QSFP28 PCIe 3.0 x16 — 5J7H2

The Dell 5J7H2 (Mellanox MCX556A-ECAT) is a ConnectX-5 VPI (Virtual Protocol Interconnect) dual-port adapter card supporting both EDR InfiniBand at 100Gb/s and 100GbE Ethernet — in a single PCIe 3.0 x16 card. Designed for high-performance computing (HPC), AI/ML workloads, storage networking, and data center interconnects, it delivers ultra-low latency and maximum throughput for the most demanding enterprise and research environments. The VPI architecture allows each port to be independently configured as either InfiniBand or Ethernet, providing exceptional deployment flexibility.

Key Specifications

• Part Number / MPN: 5J7H2
• OEM: Dell (Mellanox MCX556A-ECAT)
• Adapter Type: VPI (Virtual Protocol Interconnect)
• InfiniBand Speed: EDR — 100Gb/s per port
• Ethernet Speed: 100GbE per port
• Ports: 2x QSFP28
• Host Interface: PCIe 3.0 x16
• Bracket: Full-Height (Long Bracket included)
• RoHS Compliance: R6

Performance

• InfiniBand: EDR — 100Gb/s per port (200Gb/s aggregate)
• Ethernet: 100GbE per port (200GbE aggregate)
• Latency: Sub-microsecond (InfiniBand mode)
• PCIe Interface: PCIe 3.0 x16 (backward compatible with PCIe 2.0)
• RDMA Support: RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) and InfiniBand RDMA
• Offload Engines: Hardware-accelerated transport, MPI, storage, and security offloads

Features

• VPI architecture — each port independently configurable as IB or Ethernet
• EDR InfiniBand at 100Gb/s for HPC, AI/ML, and MPI workloads
• 100GbE for high-speed data center networking and storage
• RDMA support via both InfiniBand and RoCEv2
• Hardware offloads for MPI, storage (NVMe-oF), and security
• QSFP28 connectors for direct-attach copper (DAC) or active optical cable (AOC) connectivity
• Full-height bracket included (low-profile bracket may be required for 1U servers — verify before ordering)
• RoHS R6 compliant

Physical & Environmental

• Form Factor: PCIe 3.0 x16 full-height card
• Ports: 2x QSFP28
• Bracket: Full-Height / Long Bracket (included)
• RoHS: R6 compliant

Compatibility

• Compatible with Dell PowerEdge servers with PCIe 3.0 x16 slots (R740, R740xd, R840, R940, C6420, etc.)
• Compatible with Mellanox/NVIDIA InfiniBand and Ethernet switch fabrics
• Supported on Linux (MLNX_OFED), Windows Server, and VMware ESXi
• Verify slot availability and bracket type (full-height vs. low-profile) before installation
• Requires QSFP28 cables or transceivers (sold separately)