MCX623106AN-CDAT Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx EN 100GbE QSFP 56 Dual Optical Ports PCIe4.0 x 16

Mellanox MCX623106AN-CDAT Dual Ports PCIe Adapter Outline

The Mellanox MCX623106AN-CDAT ConnectX-6 Dx EN Network Adapter is a high-performance 100Gb Ethernet PCI Express adapter designed for modern enterprise data centers, cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence platforms, virtualization environments, high-performance computing (HPC), storage networking, and large-scale business applications. Equipped with dual QSFP56 optical and copper compatible ports, this advanced Ethernet adapter delivers outstanding bandwidth, ultra-low latency, reliable connectivity, and exceptional network efficiency for demanding workloads. The ConnectX-6 Dx architecture enables organizations to maximize server performance while supporting next-generation networking technologies and scalable infrastructure deployments.

General Information of Mellanox MCX623106AN-CDAT

• Manufacturer: Mellanox 
• Part Number: MCX623106AN-CDAT 
• Product Type: PCI-E Network Adapter 

Product Highlights

• Mellanox MCX623106AN-CDAT ConnectX-6 Dx EN Network Interface Card
• Dual QSFP56 Ethernet ports supporting both copper and optical connectivity
• Maximum Ethernet speed up to 100GbE
• PCI Express Gen4 x16 interface with backward compatibility
• Supports multiple Ethernet transmission speeds from 1GbE to 100GbE
• Secure Boot enabled for enhanced hardware protection
• Designed for enterprise networking, cloud computing, virtualization, AI, and HPC environments
• Compact PCIe expansion card for high-density server deployments

Supported Ethernet Speeds

• 1 Gigabit Ethernet
• 10 Gigabit Ethernet
• 25 Gigabit Ethernet
• 40 Gigabit Ethernet
• 50 Gigabit Ethernet
• 100 Gigabit Ethernet

Advantages of Dual QSFP56 Ports

• Supports both fiber optic and direct attach copper cables
• High-density network connectivity
• Ideal for top-of-rack switch deployments
• Simplifies cable management
• Provides redundancy for critical applications
• Supports load balancing and failover configurations

PCI Express Features

• PCI Express Gen4 x16 interface
• 16 GT/s signaling rate
• 16 PCIe lanes
• Backward compatible with PCIe Gen3
• Compatible with PCIe Gen2 and Gen1 platforms
• Optimized for high-bandwidth enterprise servers

Supported Network Standards

• 100GBASE-CR2
• 100GBASE-CR4
• 100GBASE-KR2
• 100GBASE-KR4
• 100GBASE-SR2
• 100GBASE-SR4
• 50GBASE-R2
• 50GBASE-R4
• 40GBASE-CR4
• 40GBASE-KR4
• 40GBASE-SR4
• 40GBASE-LR4
• 40GBASE-ER4
• 40GBASE-R2
• 25GBASE-R
• 20GBASE-KR2
• 10GBASE-SR
• 10GBASE-LR
• 10GBASE-ER
• 10GBASE-KR
• 10GBASE-CR
• 10GBASE-CX4
• 1000BASE-KX
• 1000BASE-CX
• SGMII

Security Benefits

• Secure Boot enabled
• Enhanced platform integrity
• Improved hardware security
• Supports secure enterprise deployments
• Crypto functionality disabled according to hardware configuration

Power Specifications

• Typical power (PCIe Gen3 with passive cables): 18.7W
• Typical power (PCIe Gen4 with passive cables): 19.52W
• Maximum power (PCIe Gen3): 25.28W
• Maximum power (PCIe Gen4): 26.64W
• Maximum QSFP56 port power: 5W per port
• 3.3V auxiliary voltage
• Maximum auxiliary current: 100mA

Cooling Requirements

• Passive cable airflow: 550 LFM (Hot aisle, heatsink to port)
• Active 2.5W cable airflow: 700 LFM (Hot aisle, heatsink to port)
• Designed for continuous high-performance operation
• Supports efficient rack-mounted server cooling

Operating Conditions

• Operating temperature: 0°C to 55°C
• Storage temperature: -40°C to 70°C
• Operating humidity: 10% to 85% relative humidity
• Storage humidity: 10% to 90% relative humidity
• Maximum operating altitude: 3,050 meters

Mechanical Dimensions

• Length: 5.59 inches (142 mm)
• Height: 2.71 inches (68.9 mm)
• Dual-port PCI Express adapter form factor
• Designed for enterprise rack servers

Mellanox MCX623106AN-CDAT Dual Optical Ports PCIe Adapter

The Mellanox MCX623106AN-CDAT ConnectX-6 Dx EN Fiber Optic NIC 100GbE QSFP56 Dual Optical Ports PCIe 4.0 x16 Bus Interface represents a new generation of enterprise-class networking technology engineered to satisfy the increasing bandwidth requirements of modern data centers, cloud infrastructures, virtualization platforms, high-performance computing clusters, and artificial intelligence environments. Built upon the advanced ConnectX-6 Dx architecture, this Ethernet network interface card delivers exceptional throughput, ultra-low latency, and highly efficient packet processing capabilities that allow organizations to maximize server utilization while reducing communication bottlenecks. As businesses continue adopting software-defined networking, network function virtualization, edge computing, and cloud-native applications, the need for dependable high-speed Ethernet adapters has become increasingly important. The MCX623106AN-CDAT provides an ideal balance between performance, efficiency, scalability, and enterprise reliability for mission-critical workloads.

Designed for High-Speed Ethernet Networking

The ConnectX-6 Dx EN adapter is purpose-built to support demanding Ethernet networking environments where bandwidth-intensive applications require consistent, uninterrupted communication between servers, storage systems, and networking equipment. Equipped with dual QSFP56 optical interfaces supporting up to 100 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, this adapter enables organizations to significantly improve network performance while maintaining low latency and outstanding reliability. The dual-port configuration allows flexible deployment across redundant network topologies, high-availability infrastructures, and scalable cloud architectures where continuous uptime is essential.

Organizations deploying virtualization clusters, distributed databases, machine learning frameworks, financial trading systems, media production workflows, or scientific computing applications benefit from the adapter's ability to deliver reliable high-bandwidth communication while minimizing processor overhead. The combination of intelligent packet acceleration technologies and advanced Ethernet capabilities allows network administrators to optimize infrastructure utilization without sacrificing application responsiveness.

Enterprise-Class PCI Express Gen4 Architecture

The PCI Express 4.0 x16 interface significantly increases available host bandwidth compared to previous PCIe generations, allowing the network adapter to fully utilize dual-port 100GbE connectivity. This high-speed bus architecture eliminates internal communication bottlenecks between the server and network interface while supporting demanding workloads involving massive datasets, virtualization traffic, storage networking, and real-time analytics.

The enhanced bandwidth provided by PCIe Gen4 ensures that modern multicore processors, high-performance memory subsystems, NVMe storage arrays, and GPU-accelerated computing environments receive sufficient network throughput for continuous high-speed operation. As enterprise servers evolve toward increasingly parallel computing architectures, the PCIe 4.0 interface provides a future-ready foundation capable of supporting next-generation networking requirements.

Dual QSFP56 Optical Connectivity for Flexible Deployment

Reliable Fiber Optic Networking

The inclusion of dual QSFP56 optical ports enables organizations to deploy reliable fiber optic Ethernet connectivity across enterprise campuses, hyperscale data centers, cloud facilities, and carrier-grade infrastructures. Fiber optic communication offers superior signal integrity, electromagnetic interference immunity, extended transmission distances, and enhanced security compared to conventional copper networking solutions.

QSFP56 interfaces support advanced Ethernet standards while maintaining compatibility with modern switching platforms, optical transceivers, structured cabling systems, and high-density network deployments. The flexibility of optical connectivity allows organizations to build scalable network architectures capable of supporting both current operational requirements and future expansion initiatives.

Redundant Network Architecture

The dual optical interfaces enable implementation of redundant networking strategies designed to maximize infrastructure availability. Organizations can configure independent network paths for fault tolerance, traffic balancing, failover protection, and service continuity. This redundancy becomes especially valuable within mission-critical environments where application downtime may result in financial losses, operational disruption, or compromised customer experiences.

Load balancing across both ports also improves aggregate bandwidth availability while distributing network traffic more efficiently throughout the infrastructure. High-performance computing clusters, enterprise storage networks, and cloud environments frequently utilize dual-port configurations to optimize both resilience and performance.

Advanced ConnectX-6 Dx Architecture

Intelligent Hardware Acceleration

The ConnectX-6 Dx controller integrates numerous hardware acceleration technologies that reduce CPU utilization by offloading networking tasks directly to dedicated processing engines located on the adapter itself. This intelligent offloading minimizes processor overhead while improving application performance, enabling servers to dedicate additional computing resources toward business applications rather than network processing.

Hardware acceleration supports various networking functions including checksum calculations, segmentation, packet classification, receive-side scaling, virtualization acceleration, and transport processing. These capabilities contribute to lower latency, improved throughput, and enhanced server efficiency across diverse enterprise workloads.

Low Latency Communication

Ultra-low latency communication remains one of the defining strengths of the ConnectX-6 Dx family. Applications requiring real-time responsiveness, including financial services, artificial intelligence inference, cloud gaming, media streaming, distributed storage, telecommunications, and industrial automation, benefit from minimized communication delays between servers and networking infrastructure. Reduced latency improves overall application responsiveness while supporting highly synchronized computing environments.

Optimized Packet Processing

The adapter processes large volumes of Ethernet traffic efficiently through advanced packet scheduling, intelligent buffering, adaptive flow control, and optimized data movement techniques. These technologies ensure predictable network performance even during peak utilization periods while maintaining excellent throughput across multiple simultaneous workloads.

Virtualization and Cloud Computing Optimization

Modern enterprise data centers increasingly rely on virtualization platforms to consolidate workloads, improve resource utilization, and simplify infrastructure management. The MCX623106AN-CDAT supports advanced virtualization technologies that enable efficient communication between virtual machines, containers, hypervisors, and physical network infrastructure.

Virtualized workloads often generate significant east-west traffic between servers. The ConnectX-6 Dx adapter accelerates this communication while maintaining low latency and high throughput across virtual environments. By reducing networking overhead, organizations achieve greater virtual machine density, improved workload mobility, and enhanced infrastructure scalability.

Containerized Application Support

Cloud-native applications deployed through container orchestration platforms require network adapters capable of supporting dynamic traffic patterns and rapidly changing workloads. The ConnectX-6 Dx architecture enables efficient packet processing for container environments while maintaining consistent performance during workload scaling, migration, and orchestration activities.

Microservices architectures benefit from the adapter's ability to efficiently manage high volumes of internal application communication, supporting responsive application delivery and improved service reliability.

Storage Networking Performance

Enterprise storage infrastructures continue evolving toward all-flash arrays, distributed storage platforms, software-defined storage, and hyperconverged infrastructure. These storage technologies require consistent high-bandwidth Ethernet connectivity to maintain application responsiveness and efficient data access.

The dual-port 100GbE configuration enables rapid movement of backup data, database transactions, virtual machine storage traffic, and enterprise file transfers across storage networks. Reduced network congestion contributes to improved storage performance while supporting increasingly data-intensive enterprise applications.

Efficient Data Center Traffic Management

Large enterprise environments frequently experience substantial volumes of east-west and north-south traffic generated by cloud services, virtualization platforms, storage arrays, and distributed applications. The ConnectX-6 Dx controller incorporates sophisticated traffic management capabilities that improve bandwidth utilization while maintaining stable network performance under varying workloads.

Scalability for Future Infrastructure Growth

Organizations investing in long-term infrastructure modernization require networking components capable of supporting future bandwidth requirements without frequent hardware replacement. The MCX623106AN-CDDAT offers enterprise scalability by combining 100GbE connectivity with PCIe Gen4 performance, allowing businesses to expand compute resources, storage capacity, virtualization density, and cloud services while maintaining consistent networking performance.

The adapter integrates smoothly into evolving enterprise environments where increasing application complexity demands higher network throughput and more intelligent packet processing capabilities. Its advanced architecture ensures compatibility with future infrastructure expansion initiatives while protecting existing technology investments.

Energy-Efficient Network Operation

Enterprise data centers increasingly prioritize energy efficiency alongside performance. The ConnectX-6 Dx architecture incorporates intelligent power management technologies designed to optimize electrical consumption without compromising networking capabilities. Improved efficiency contributes to lower operating costs while supporting environmentally responsible data center initiatives.

Compatibility Across Enterprise Platforms

Broad Operating System Support

The MCX623106AN-CDAT network adapter supports a broad range of enterprise operating systems commonly deployed throughout modern IT infrastructures. Compatibility with Linux distributions, Microsoft Windows Server environments, VMware virtualization platforms, cloud operating systems, and enterprise networking frameworks simplifies deployment across heterogeneous infrastructures while reducing integration complexity.

Comprehensive driver support, management utilities, firmware updates, and monitoring capabilities enable administrators to maintain consistent network performance while simplifying lifecycle management throughout the adapter's operational lifespan.

Integration with Modern Data Centers

The adapter integrates efficiently with enterprise rack servers, blade servers, hyperconverged platforms, GPU servers, storage appliances, cloud computing nodes, and high-density compute clusters. Its standard PCI Express form factor simplifies installation while allowing organizations to standardize networking infrastructure across multiple server generations.

Long-Term Enterprise Investment

The Mellanox MCX623106AN-CDAT ConnectX-6 Dx EN Fiber Optic NIC 100GbE QSFP56 Dual Optical Ports PCIe 4.0 x16 Bus Interface provides an enterprise-grade networking solution that combines advanced Ethernet technology, intelligent hardware acceleration, scalable architecture, exceptional throughput, low latency communication, and outstanding infrastructure compatibility. Whether deployed within cloud computing platforms, virtualization environments, enterprise storage networks, artificial intelligence clusters, high-performance computing systems, or mission-critical business applications, this high-speed Ethernet network interface card delivers the performance, flexibility, reliability, and scalability required by modern digital infrastructures while supporting future networking evolution.