MCX623106AS-CDAT Mellanox QSFP56 100Gbe 2-port Ethernet Adapter

Mellanox MCX623106AS-CDAT QSFP56 PCIe Adapter Outline

The Mellanox MCX623106AS-CDAT ConnectX-6 Dx EN Adapter Card is a high-performance 100Gb Ethernet network adapter engineered for enterprise data centers, cloud computing platforms, virtualization environments, AI infrastructure, high-performance computing (HPC), and modern storage networking. Built with advanced ConnectX-6 Dx architecture, this dual-port QSFP56 PCIe adapter delivers exceptional throughput, ultra-low latency, enhanced security, and reliable connectivity for demanding workloads.

Supporting Ethernet speeds from 1GbE to 100GbE, the MCX623106AS-CDAT offers outstanding flexibility for organizations migrating from legacy networking to next-generation high-speed Ethernet infrastructures. Its PCI Express Gen 4.0 x16 interface maximizes bandwidth between the server and network while maintaining backward compatibility with PCIe Gen 3.0 and earlier standards.

Product Specifications of Mellanox MCX623106AS-CDAT

• Manufacturer: Mellanox
• Part Number: MCX623106AS-CDAT
• Product Type: Ethernet Network Adapter
• Series: ConnectX-6 Dx EN

Physical Dimensions

• Dimensions: 5.59 inches × 2.71 inches (142.00 mm × 68.90 mm)
• Enterprise-grade low-profile adapter architecture

Dual QSFP56 Ethernet Connectivity

Flexible High-Speed Networking

• Dual QSFP56 Ethernet ports
• Copper cable support
• Optical module compatibility
• Scalable network expansion
• Reliable high-speed communication

Broad Network Compatibility

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

Extensive Ethernet Protocol Compatibility

Comprehensive Protocol Support

• 100GBASE-CR2
• 100GBASE-CR4
• 100GBASE-KR4
• 100GBASE-SR4
• 100GBASE-KR2
• 100GBASE-SR2
• 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-CR
• 10GBASE-KR
• 10GBASE-CX4
• SGMII
• 1000BASE-CX
• 1000BASE-KX

Maximum Server Performance

• PCI Express Gen 4.0 support
• PCI Express Gen 3.0 compatibility
• PCI Express Gen 2.0 compatibility
• PCI Express Gen 1.1 compatibility
• 16 PCIe lanes
• 16.0 GT/s signaling rate

Secure Enterprise Deployment

• Secure Boot enabled
• Crypto disabled configuration
• Reliable platform authentication
• Enhanced infrastructure security

Power Efficiency

Typical Power Consumption

• 18.7 Watts using passive cables with PCIe Gen 3.0
• 19.52 Watts using passive cables with PCIe Gen 4.0

Maximum Power Consumption

• 25.28 Watts using passive cables with PCIe Gen 3.0
• 26.64 Watts using passive cables with PCIe Gen 4.0

QSFP56 Port Power

• Maximum available power per QSFP56 port: 5 Watts
• Auxiliary voltage: 3.3V
• Maximum auxiliary current: 100mA

Optimized Thermal Management

• Passive cables require 550 LFM airflow
• 2.5W active cables require 700 LFM airflow
• Hot aisle airflow direction from heatsink to port
• Designed for enterprise server cooling systems

Environmental Specifications

Operating Temperature

• Operational temperature: 0°C to 55°C
• Storage temperature: -40°C to 70°C

Humidity Range

• Operational humidity: 10% to 85% relative humidity
• Non-operational humidity: 10% to 90% relative humidity

Ideal Enterprise Applications

Recommended Deployment Scenarios

• Enterprise data centers
• Cloud service providers
• Artificial intelligence clusters
• Machine learning platforms
• High-performance computing environments
• Software-defined networking
• Hyper-converged infrastructure
• Virtual desktop infrastructure
• Network-attached storage
• Distributed storage systems
• Large database servers
• High-speed Ethernet backbone deployments

Key Features of Mellanox MCX623106AS-CDAT Network Adapter

• Dual-port QSFP56 Ethernet connectivity
• 100GbE maximum network throughput
• PCI Express Gen 4.0 x16 host interface
• Backward compatible with PCIe Gen 3.0 and PCIe Gen 2.0
• Supports copper and optical QSFP56 transceivers
• Secure Boot enabled for enhanced platform security
• Optimized for cloud computing and enterprise networking
• Designed for AI, machine learning, virtualization, and HPC environments
• Low latency packet processing
• High bandwidth for demanding network applications

Mellanox MCX623106AS-CDAT 100GbE Dual-Port Adapter Card

The Mellanox MCX623106AS-CDAT ConnectX-6 Dx EN Adapter Card 100GbE Dual-Port QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 x16 is engineered to meet the growing demand for high-speed Ethernet connectivity across modern enterprise infrastructures, cloud computing environments, artificial intelligence clusters, software-defined data centers, high-performance computing platforms, virtualization deployments, and storage networking architectures. Built on the advanced ConnectX-6 Dx Ethernet controller, this network adapter delivers exceptional bandwidth, ultra-low latency, intelligent acceleration capabilities, and enterprise-grade reliability for mission-critical networking applications. Organizations requiring consistent 100 Gigabit Ethernet performance benefit from its optimized architecture that enhances workload efficiency while minimizing CPU utilization.

Designed for next-generation networking environments, this Ethernet adapter supports dual 100GbE ports through QSFP56 interfaces while leveraging the bandwidth capabilities of PCI Express 4.0 x16. This combination enables servers to achieve outstanding throughput for demanding workloads involving virtualization, distributed storage, cloud orchestration, machine learning, big data analytics, media processing, financial computing, and large-scale enterprise applications. The adapter integrates advanced hardware acceleration technologies that reduce bottlenecks and improve network responsiveness across various deployment scenarios.

ConnectX-6 Dx Ethernet Architecture

Advanced Network Processing Engine

The ConnectX-6 Dx architecture represents a significant advancement in Ethernet networking technology by integrating intelligent packet processing, enhanced traffic management, programmable networking capabilities, and efficient hardware offloads into a single high-performance adapter. These capabilities allow servers to process increasing amounts of network traffic without overwhelming processor resources, enabling better scalability and predictable performance under demanding workloads.

Its sophisticated hardware engine accelerates networking operations while maintaining compatibility with existing Ethernet infrastructures. This allows organizations to modernize server networking without redesigning their entire network architecture, making deployment more cost-effective and operationally efficient.

Optimized Performance for Modern Data Centers

As enterprise data centers continue evolving toward software-defined infrastructure, containerized applications, hybrid cloud platforms, and distributed computing environments, networking hardware must support increasing throughput requirements while maintaining operational efficiency. The Mellanox MCX623106AS-CDAT fulfills these requirements through intelligent traffic acceleration, enhanced packet handling, and low-latency communication mechanisms that maximize server utilization.

100GbE Dual-Port QSFP56 Connectivity

Dual-Port Ethernet Flexibility

The inclusion of two independent 100 Gigabit Ethernet QSFP56 ports provides outstanding flexibility for enterprise deployments. Organizations can configure the adapter for redundant networking, storage traffic isolation, virtualization clusters, cloud connectivity, high-availability architectures, or bandwidth aggregation depending on operational requirements.

Dual-port networking also improves infrastructure resilience by allowing continuous connectivity during maintenance windows or network failures. This redundancy minimizes downtime while supporting business continuity across mission-critical enterprise applications.

High-Speed QSFP56 Interfaces

QSFP56 technology enables extremely high data transmission rates while maintaining signal integrity across modern optical and direct attach cable infrastructures. The adapter supports interoperability with compatible switches, routers, storage systems, and networking appliances commonly deployed within enterprise and hyperscale environments.

The high-density QSFP56 interface also contributes to efficient rack utilization by reducing cable complexity and simplifying high-bandwidth server deployments.

PCI Express 4.0 x16 Interface Advantages

Maximized Host Bandwidth

PCI Express 4.0 x16 delivers significantly greater bandwidth than previous PCIe generations, ensuring that the Ethernet controller communicates efficiently with modern server processors. The expanded PCIe bandwidth prevents internal data transfer bottlenecks that could otherwise limit network performance during peak workloads.

Servers equipped with PCIe Gen4 platforms fully leverage the capabilities of the ConnectX-6 Dx controller, allowing simultaneous high-speed communication across both 100GbE ports while maintaining low latency and consistent throughput.

Compatibility with Enterprise Servers

The Mellanox MCX623106AS-CDAT is designed for compatibility with a wide range of enterprise rack servers, storage appliances, virtualization hosts, GPU servers, and cloud computing platforms supporting PCI Express 4.0 x16 expansion slots. This broad compatibility simplifies hardware standardization across multiple server generations and deployment environments.

Low Latency Networking Performance

Real-Time Data Processing

Ultra-low latency communication is essential for applications requiring immediate response times. Financial trading platforms, AI model training clusters, distributed databases, cloud-native microservices, scientific simulations, and high-performance computing workloads all benefit from minimized network latency.

The ConnectX-6 Dx controller reduces communication delays through hardware acceleration, intelligent packet scheduling, optimized buffering mechanisms, and efficient transport processing. These enhancements improve application responsiveness while maintaining consistent performance during intensive network activity.

Reduced CPU Utilization

One of the key advantages of hardware-based network acceleration is reduced processor overhead. Instead of relying exclusively on server CPUs to process networking operations, many functions are handled directly by the adapter hardware. This allows processor resources to remain focused on business applications, virtual machines, container workloads, and analytics processes.

Virtualization and Cloud Infrastructure Support

Optimized for Virtual Machines

Modern enterprise environments frequently deploy virtualization platforms hosting hundreds or even thousands of virtual machines. High-speed networking becomes increasingly important as virtual workloads communicate across clustered infrastructure. The ConnectX-6 Dx Ethernet adapter supports virtualization acceleration technologies that improve bandwidth allocation, network isolation, and traffic efficiency for virtualized workloads.

Organizations implementing VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, KVM, OpenStack, and other virtualization ecosystems benefit from improved networking scalability and consistent application performance.

Container Networking Acceleration

Container orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes continue driving digital transformation initiatives. High-performance networking adapters play an important role in supporting container communication, service mesh deployments, microservice architectures, and cloud-native application delivery. The Mellanox adapter accelerates networking operations that enable faster communication between containerized workloads while reducing infrastructure overhead.

Enterprise Security Enhancements

Advanced Hardware Security Features

The ConnectX-6 Dx family incorporates advanced security capabilities designed to protect modern enterprise networks against evolving threats. Hardware-assisted security functions improve trustworthiness by protecting networking operations while supporting secure infrastructure deployments.

Organizations implementing zero-trust networking strategies, secure cloud platforms, and isolated application environments benefit from enhanced security mechanisms integrated directly into the network adapter hardware.

Reliable Data Integrity

Enterprise networking requires dependable packet delivery with minimal errors. Advanced error detection, packet validation, and transmission optimization help maintain data integrity across high-speed Ethernet links while supporting uninterrupted communication between servers, storage systems, and networking equipment.

Storage Networking Performance

High-Speed Storage Connectivity

Modern storage infrastructures increasingly rely on high-bandwidth Ethernet connectivity for distributed storage platforms, NVMe over Fabrics environments, software-defined storage, and enterprise backup systems. The MCX623106AS-CDAT provides sufficient bandwidth to accelerate storage communication while minimizing latency between compute and storage resources.

High-throughput Ethernet networking enables storage administrators to consolidate infrastructure while supporting increasing application performance requirements across enterprise environments.

Efficient Data Movement

Large-scale datasets require efficient movement between servers, storage arrays, backup systems, and analytics clusters. The dual-port 100GbE architecture allows simultaneous data transfers across multiple network paths, improving storage efficiency and reducing backup windows.

Scalability for Growing Enterprise Networks

Supporting Infrastructure Expansion

Enterprise networking requirements continue expanding as organizations adopt digital transformation initiatives, hybrid cloud strategies, edge computing, artificial intelligence, and increasingly data-intensive business operations. The Mellanox MCX623106AS-CDAT provides scalable Ethernet connectivity capable of supporting future infrastructure growth without requiring immediate hardware replacement.

Its advanced controller architecture enables organizations to deploy networking infrastructure capable of accommodating increasing bandwidth requirements while maintaining operational efficiency.

Future-Ready Ethernet Investment

Investing in high-performance Ethernet adapters helps organizations prepare for evolving networking demands over multiple hardware refresh cycles. The combination of PCIe Gen4, dual 100GbE QSFP56 connectivity, intelligent acceleration technologies, virtualization optimization, and enterprise security capabilities ensures long-term value across diverse deployment scenarios.

Reliability for Mission-Critical Deployments

Continuous Enterprise Availability

Mission-critical business operations require dependable networking infrastructure capable of maintaining uninterrupted connectivity throughout demanding operational conditions. The ConnectX-6 Dx platform is engineered for enterprise reliability, supporting continuous operation within cloud environments, financial institutions, telecommunications providers, healthcare organizations, educational institutions, manufacturing facilities, government agencies, and hyperscale data centers.

Its robust engineering supports consistent performance during sustained high-bandwidth workloads while minimizing packet loss and maintaining reliable communication across connected systems.

Operational Efficiency

Hardware acceleration, intelligent traffic management, optimized PCIe bandwidth utilization, advanced Ethernet processing, and enterprise-grade reliability collectively reduce operational complexity while improving overall infrastructure efficiency. Organizations deploying the Mellanox MCX623106AS-CDAT benefit from simplified network management, improved server utilization, enhanced application responsiveness, scalable connectivity, and consistent high-speed Ethernet performance suitable for modern enterprise computing environments.