Mellanox Technologies ConnectX-6 User manual

www.mellanox.com
Mellanox Technologies Confidential
Mellanox ConnectX®-6 VPI Adapter Cards User Manual for Dell
EMC PowerEdge Servers
OPNs: Y1T43, 7TKND, 1GK7G, CY7GD
Rev 1.1

Mellanox Technologies Confidential
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Mellanox Technologies
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Sunnyvale, CA 94085
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www.mellanox.com
Tel: [phone]
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© Copyright 2019. Mellanox Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Mellanox®, Mellanox logo, Mellanox Open Ethernet®, LinkX®, Mellanox Spectrum®, Mellanox Virtual Modular
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Mellanox Technologies, Ltd.
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All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
NOTE:
THIS HARDWARE, SOFTWARE OR TEST SUITE PRODUCT PRODUCT(S) AND ITS RELATED
DOCUMENTATION ARE PROVIDED BY MELLANOX TECHNOLOGIES AS-IS WITH ALL FAULTS OF ANY
KIND AND SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF AIDING THE CUSTOMER IN TESTING APPLICATIONS THAT
USE THE PRODUCTS IN DESIGNATED SOLUTIONS. THE CUSTOMER'S MANUFACTURING TEST
ENVIRONMENT HAS NOT MET THE STANDARDS SET BY MELLANOX TECHNOLOGIES TO FULLY
QUALIFY THE PRODUCT(S) AND/OR THE SYSTEM USING IT. THEREFORE, MELLANOX TECHNOLOGIES
CANNOT AND DOES NOT GUARANTEE OR WARRANT THAT THE PRODUCTS WILL OPERATE WITH THE
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Table of Contents
1Introduction.................................................................................................................................8
1.1 Product Overview...............................................................................................................8
1.2 ConnectX-6 SNAPI (Single-slot) Configuration..................................................................8
1.2.1 ConnectX-6 Dual-slot Socket Direct Cards 2x PCIe x16.....................................9
1.2.2 ConnectX-6 SNAPI (Single-slot) PCIe 2 x8 in a Row........................................10
1.3 Features and Benefits......................................................................................................11
1.3.1 Operating Systems/Distributions........................................................................12
1.3.2 Connectivity........................................................................................................12
1.3.3 Manageability .....................................................................................................12
2Interfaces...................................................................................................................................13
2.1 InfiniBand Interface ..........................................................................................................13
2.2 Ethernet QSFP56 Interface..............................................................................................13
2.3 PCI Express Interface ......................................................................................................13
2.4 LED Interface ...................................................................................................................14
2.5 Heat Sink Interface...........................................................................................................14
2.6 SMBus Interface...............................................................................................................15
2.7 Voltage Regulators...........................................................................................................15
3Hardware Installation ...............................................................................................................16
3.1 Safety Warnings...............................................................................................................16
3.2 Installation Procedure Overview ......................................................................................17
3.3 System Requirements......................................................................................................17
3.3.1 Hardware Requirements ....................................................................................17
3.3.2 Airflow Requirements.........................................................................................18
3.3.3 Software Requirements......................................................................................18
3.4 Safety Precautions...........................................................................................................18
3.5 Pre-Installation Checklist..................................................................................................18
3.6 Installation Instructions.....................................................................................................19
3.6.1 Installation Instructions for R740 Server ............................................................20
3.6.2 Installation Instructions for C6400 Server ..........................................................23
3.6.3 Installation Instructions for C4140 Server ..........................................................26
3.6.4 Installation Instructions for HDR100 Card..........................................................30
3.7 Cables and Modules.........................................................................................................31
3.7.1 Cable Installation................................................................................................31
3.8 Identifying the Card in Your System.................................................................................31
3.8.1 On Linux.............................................................................................................31
3.8.2 On Windows.......................................................................................................32

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4Driver Installation .....................................................................................................................33
4.1 Linux Driver Installation....................................................................................................33
4.1.1 Prerequisites.......................................................................................................33
4.1.2 Downloading Mellanox OFED............................................................................33
4.1.3 Installing Mellanox OFED...................................................................................34
4.1.4 Installing MLNX_OFED Using YUM...................................................................38
4.1.5 Installing MLNX_OFED Using apt-get Tool........................................................41
4.1.6 Updating Firmware After Installation..................................................................42
4.1.7 UEFI Secure Boot...............................................................................................43
4.1.8 Performance Tuning...........................................................................................45
4.2 Windows Driver Installation..............................................................................................46
4.2.1 Software Requirements......................................................................................46
4.2.2 Downloading Mellanox WinOF-2 Driver.............................................................46
4.2.3 Installing Mellanox WinOF-2 Driver....................................................................47
4.2.4 Uninstalling Mellanox WinOF-2 Driver ...............................................................52
4.2.5 Extracting Files Without Running Installation.....................................................52
4.2.6 Firmware Upgrade..............................................................................................54
5Updating Adapter Firmware ....................................................................................................55
6Troubleshooting .......................................................................................................................56
6.1 General Troubleshooting..................................................................................................56
6.2 Linux Troubleshooting......................................................................................................57
6.3 Windows Troubleshooting................................................................................................58
7Specifications ...........................................................................................................................59
7.1 Y1T43 and 7TKND Specifications....................................................................................59
7.2 1GK7G and CY7GD Specifications..................................................................................60
7.3 Adapter Card and Bracket Mechanical Drawings and Dimensions.................................61
7.3.1 ConnectX-6 Adapter Card Mechanical Drawing and Dimensions .....................61
7.3.2 Auxiliary PCIe Connection Card.........................................................................61
7.3.3 ConnectX-6 Brackets Mechanical Drawing and Dimensions.............................62
8PCIe Express Pinouts Description for SNAPI........................................................................63
9Finding the MAC on the Adapter Card ...................................................................................64

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Document Revision History
Date
Revision
Comments/Changes
Feb. 2020
1.2
•Renamed “Single-slot Configuration” to “SNAPI (Single-slot)
Configuration.”
•
Updated ConnectX-6 SNAPI (Single-slot) PCIe 2 x8 in a Row.
•Renamed section title to Installation Instructions for HDR100
Card.
Aug. 2019
1.1
Added the following OPNs to relevant sections across the document:
•1GK7G
•CY7GD
May. 2019
1.0
First release

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About This Manual
This User Manual describes Mellanox Technologies ConnectX®-6 InfiniBand/VPI adapter cards. It
provides details as to the interfaces of the board, specifications, required software and firmware
for operating the board, and relevant documentation.
Ordering Part Numbers
The table below provides the ordering part numbers (OPN) for the available ConnectX-6
InfiniBand/VPI adapter cards.
Initial release of ConnectX-6 cards is InfiniBand and PCIe Gen 3.0 only. VPI and PCIe Gen 4.0
functionality will be added in a future release.
OPN
Marketing Description
Y1T43
Mellanox ConnectX®-6 Single Port VPI HDR100 QSFP Adapter, Tall Bracket
7TKND
Mellanox ConnectX®-6 Single Port VPI HDR100 QSFP Adapter, Short Bracket
1GK7G
Mellanox ConnectX®-6 Single Port VPI HDR QSFP Adapter, Tall Bracket
CY7GD
Mellanox ConnectX®-6 Single Port VPI HDR QSFP Adapter, Short Bracket
Intended Audience
This manual is intended for the installer and user of these cards.
The manual assumes basic familiarity with InfiniBand and Ethernet network and architecture
specifications.
Technical Support
Dell Support site: http://www.dell.com/support
Firmware Updates
The Mellanox support downloader contains software, firmware and knowledge database
information for Mellanox products. Access the database from the Mellanox Support web page,
http://www.mellanox.com => Support
Or use the following link to go directly to the Mellanox Support Download Assistant page,
http://www.mellanox.com/supportdownloader/

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Related Documentation
Mellanox OFED for Linux User Manual and
Release Notes
User Manual describing OFED features, performance, band diagnostic,
tools content and configuration. See Mellanox OFED for Linux
Documentation.
WinOF-2 for Windows User Manual and
Release Notes
User Manual describing WinOF-2 features, performance, Ethernet
diagnostic, tools content and configuration. See WinOF-2 for Windows
Documentation.
Mellanox Firmware Utility (mlxup) User
Manual and Release Notes
Mellanox firmware update and query utility used to update the firmware.
See http://www.mellanox.com > Products > Software > Firmware Tools >
mlxup Firmware Utility
Mellanox Firmware Tools (MFT) User
Manual
User Manual describing the set of MFT firmware management tools for a
single node. See MFT User Manual.
IEEE Std 802.3 Specification
IEEE Ethernet specification at http://standards.ieee.org
PCI Express 3.0/4.0 Specifications
Industry Standard PCI Express Base and Card Electromechanical
Specifications at https://pcisig.com/specifications
Document Conventions
When discussing memory sizes, MB and MBytes are used in this document to mean size in mega
Bytes. The use of Mb or Mbits (small b) indicates size in mega bits. IB is used in this document to
mean InfiniBand. In this document PCIe is used to mean PCI Express.

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1Introduction
1.1 Product Overview
This is the user guide for Mellanox Technologies Virtual Protocol Interconnect® adapter
cards based on the ConnectX®-6 integrated circuit device. ConnectX-6 connectivity
provides the highest performing low latency and most flexible interconnect solution for
PCI Express Gen 3.0/4.0 servers used in enterprise datacenters and high-performance
computing environments.
ConnectX-6 VPI adapter cards provide up to two ports of 100Gb/s for InfiniBand and
Ethernet connectivity, sub-600ns latency and 215 million messages per second, enabling
the highest performance and most flexible solution for the most demanding High-
Performance Computing (HPC), storage, and datacenter applications.
ConnectX-6 is a groundbreaking addition to the Mellanox ConnectX series of industry-
leading adapter cards. In addition to all the existing innovative features of past ConnectX
versions, ConnectX-6 offers several enhancements that further improve performance and
scalability of datacenter applications.
1.2 ConnectX-6 SNAPI (Single-slot) Configuration
Mellanox Socket Direct® technology offers improved performance to dual-socket servers by
enabling direct access from each CPU in a dual-socket server to the network through its
dedicated PCIe interface. Please note that ConnectX-6 Socket Direct cards do not support
Multi-Host functionality (i.e. connectivity to two independent CPUs).
ConnectX-6 Socket Direct cards are available in two configurations: Dual-slot
Configuration (2x PCIe x16) and SNAPI (Single-slot) Configuration (2x PCIe x8).
Make sure to use a PCIe slot that can supply the required power and airflow to the
ConnectX-6 as stated in Specifications.

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1.2.1 ConnectX-6 Dual-slot Socket Direct Cards 2x PCIe x16
In order to obtain 200Gb/s speed, Mellanox offers ConnectX-6 Socket Direct that enable
200Gb/s connectivity on servers with PCIe Gen 3.0 capability. The adapter’s 32-lane PCIe
bus is split into two 16-lane buses, with one bus accessible through a PCIe x16 edge
connector and the other bus through an x16 Auxiliary PCIe Connection card. The two
cards should be installed into two PCIe x16 slots and connected using two Cabline SA-II
Plus harnesses, as shown in the below figure.
Part Number
1GK7G
CY7GD
Form Factor/Dimensions
Adapter Card: PCIe Half Height, Half Length / 167.65mm x 68.90mm
Auxiliary PCIe Connection Card: 5.09 in. x 2.32 in. (129.30mm x 59.00mm)
Harnesses: two 35cm Cabline CA-II Plus harnesses
Data Transmission Rate
Ethernet: 10/25/40/50/100/200 Gb/s
InfiniBand: SDR, DDR, QDR, FDR, EDR, HDR100, HDR
Network Connector Type
Single-port QSFP56
PCIe x16 through Edge Connector
PCIe Gen 3.0 / 4.0 SERDES @ 8.0GT/s / 16.0GT/s
PCIe x16 through Auxiliary Card
PCIe Gen 3.0 SERDES@ 8.0GT/s
Adapter Card Bracket
Tall Bracket
Short Bracket
The PCIe Auxiliary Connection card and two Cabline CA-II Plus harnesses are
ordered and shipped seperately from Dell.
Silicom PCIe Auxiliary card and harness DPN: 2FR79
PCIe Auxiliary Connection card DPN: TFM86

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1.2.2 ConnectX-6 SNAPI (Single-slot) PCIe 2 x8 in a Row
The PCIe x16 interface comprises two PCIe x8 in a row, such that each of the PCIe x8 lanes
can be connected to a dedicated CPU in a dual-socket server. In such a configuration,
Socket Direct brings lower latency and lower CPU utilization as the direct connection from
each CPU to the network means the interconnect can bypass a QPI (UPI) and the other
CPU, optimizing performance and improving latency. CPU utilization is improved as each
CPU handles only its own traffic and not traffic from the other CPU.
A system with a custom PCI Express x16 slot that includes special signals is required for
installing the card. Please refer to PCIe Express Pinouts Description for Single-Slot Socket
Direct Card for pinout definitions.
Part Number
Y1T43
7TKND
Form Factor/Dimensions
PCIe Half Height, Half Length / 167.65mm x 68.90mm
Data Transmission Rate
Ethernet: 10/25/40/50/100 Gb/s
InfiniBand: SDR, DDR, QDR, FDR, EDR, HDR100
Network Connector Type
Single-port QSFP56
PCIe x16 through Edge Connector
PCIe Gen 3.0 / 4.0 SERDES @ 8.0GT/s / 16.0GT/s
SNAPI (Single-slot) PCIe 2x8 in a row
Adapter Card Bracket
Tall Bracket
Short Bracket

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1.3 Features and Benefits
NOTE: Make sure to use a PCIe slot that is capable of supplying the required power
and airflow to the ConnectX-6 cards as stated in Specifications.
PCI Express (PCIe)
Uses the following PCIe interfaces:
PCIe x16 configurations:
PCIe Gen 3.0 (8GT/s) and Gen 4.0 (16GT/s) through an x16 edge connector.
2x PCIe x16 configurations:
PCIe Gen 3.0/4.0 SERDES @ 8.0/16.0 GT/s through Edge Connector
PCIe Gen 3.0 SERDES @ 8.0GT/s through PCIe Auxiliary Connection Card
InfiniBand Architecture
Specification v1.3
compliant
ConnectX-6 delivers low latency, high bandwidth, and computing efficiency for performance-
driven server and storage clustering applications. ConnectX-6 is InfiniBand Architecture
Specification v1.3 compliant.
Up to 100 Gigabit
Ethernet
Mellanox adapters comply with the following IEEE 802.3 standards:
100GbE / 50GbE / 40GbE / 25GbE / 10GbE / 1GbE
- IEEE 802.3bj, 802.3bm 100 Gigabit Ethernet
- IEEE 802.3by, Ethernet Consortium25, 50 Gigabit Ethernet, supporting all FEC modes
- IEEE 802.3ba 40 Gigabit Ethernet
- IEEE 802.3by 25 Gigabit Ethernet
- IEEE 802.3ae 10 Gigabit Ethernet
- IEEE 802.3ap based auto-negotiation and KR startup
- IEEE 802.3ad, 802.1AX Link Aggregation
- IEEE 802.1Q, 802.1P VLAN tags and priority
- IEEE 802.1Qau (QCN)
- Congestion Notification
- IEEE 802.1Qaz (ETS)
- IEEE 802.1Qbb (PFC)
- IEEE 802.1Qbg
- IEEE 1588v2
- Jumbo frame support (9.6KB)
InfiniBand HDR100
A standard InfiniBand data rate, where each lane of a 2X port runs a bit rate of 53.125Gb/s
with a 64b/66b encoding, resulting in an effective bandwidth of 100Gb/s.
Memory Components
•SPI Quad - includes 256Mbit SPI Quad Flash device
•FRU EEPROM - The EEPROM capacity is 128Kbit.
Overlay Networks
In order to better scale their networks, datacenter operators often create overlay networks
that carry traffic from individual virtual machines over logical tunnels in encapsulated formats
such as NVGRE and VXLAN. While this solves network scalability issues, it hides the TCP
packet from the hardware offloading engines, placing higher loads on the host CPU.
ConnectX-6 effectively addresses this by providing advanced NVGRE and VXLAN hardware
offloading engines that encapsulate and de-capsulate the overlay protocol.
RDMA and RDMA over
Converged Ethernet
(RoCE)
ConnectX-6, utilizing IBTA RDMA (Remote Data Memory Access) and RoCE (RDMA over
Converged Ethernet) technology, delivers low-latency and high-performance over InfiniBand
and Ethernet networks. Leveraging datacenter bridging (DCB) capabilities as well as
ConnectX-6 advanced congestion control hardware mechanisms, RoCE provides efficient low-
latency RDMA services over Layer 2 and Layer 3 networks.
Mellanox PeerDirect®
PeerDirect®communication provides high efficiency RDMA access by eliminating unnecessary
internal data copies between components on the PCIe bus (for example, from GPU to CPU),
and therefore significantly reduces application run time. ConnectX-6 advanced acceleration
technology enables higher cluster efficiency and scalability to tens of thousands of nodes.

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CPU Offload
Adapter functionality enabling reduced CPU overhead allowing more available CPU for
computation tasks.
•Flexible match-action flow tables
•Open VSwitch (OVS) offload using ASAP2- Accelerated Switch and Packet Processing®
•Tunneling encapsulation / decapsulation
Quality of Service (QoS)
Support for port-based Quality of Service enabling various application requirements for
latency and SLA.
Hardware-based I/O
Virtualization
ConnectX-6 provides dedicated adapter resources and guaranteed isolation and protection
for virtual machines within the server.
Storage Acceleration
A consolidated compute and storage network achieves significant cost-performance
advantages over multi-fabric networks. Standard block and file access protocols can leverage:
•RDMA for high-performance storage access
•NVMe over Fabric offloads for target machine
•Erasure Coding
•T10-DIF Signature Handover
SR-IOV
ConnectX-6 SR-IOV technology provides dedicated adapter resources and guaranteed
isolation and protection for virtual machines (VM) within the server.
High-Performance
Accelerations
•Tag Matching and Rendezvous Offloads
•Adaptive Routing on Reliable Transport
•Burst Buffer Offloads for Background Checkpointing
1.3.1 Operating Systems/Distributions
ConnectX-6 Socket Direct cards 2x PCIe x16 (OPNs 1GK7G andCY7GD) are not
supported in Windows and WinOF-2.
•RHEL/CentOS
•Windows
•SLES
•OpenFabrics Enterprise Distribution (OFED)
•OpenFabrics Windows Distribution (WinOF-2)
1.3.2 Connectivity
•Interoperable with 1/10/25/40/50/100/200 Gb/s Ethernet switches
•Passive copper cable with ESD protection
•Powered connectors for optical and active cable support
1.3.3 Manageability
ConnectX-6 technology maintains support for manageability through a BMC. ConnectX-6
adapter card can be connected to a BMC using MCTP over SMBus or MCTP over PCIe
protocols as if it is a standard Mellanox adapter card.

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2Interfaces
2.1 InfiniBand Interface
The network ports of the ConnectX®-6 adapter cards are compliant with the InfiniBand
Architecture Specification, Release 1.3 and Vol. 2, Release 1.4. InfiniBand traffic is
transmitted through the card’s QSFP56 connector.
2.2 Ethernet QSFP56 Interface
The adapter card includes special circuits to protect from ESD shocks to the card/server
when plugging copper cables.
The network ports of the ConnectX-6 adapter card are compliant with the IEEE 802.3
Ethernet standards listed in Features and Benefits. Ethernet traffic is transmitted through
the QSFP56 connector on the adapter card.
2.3 PCI Express Interface
Initial release of ConnectX-6 cards is InfiniBand and PCIe Gen 3.0 only. VPI and PCIe
Gen 4.0 functionality will be added in a future release.
ConnectX®-6 adapter cards support PCI Express Gen 3.0/4.0 (1.1 and 2.0 compatible)
through x16 edge connectors. The device can be either a master initiating the PCI Express
bus operations, or a slave responding to PCI bus operations.
The following lists PCIe interface features:
•PCIe Gen 3.0 and 4.0 compliant, 2.0 and 1.1 compatible
•2.5, 5.0, 8.0, or 16.0 GT/s link rate x16
•Auto-negotiates to x16, x8, x4, x2, or x1
•Support for MSI/MSI-X mechanisms

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2.4 LED Interface
There are two I/O LEDs per port:
LED 1: A bi-color I/O LED which indicates link status. LED behavior is described below for
Ethernet and InfiniBand port configurations.
LED 2: Reserved for future use.
LED1 Link Status Indications (Physical and Logical) - Ethernet Protocol:
LED Color and State
Description
Off
A link has not been established
Blinking Amber a
1 Hz Blinking Amber occurs due to running a beacon command for locating the adapter
card.
4 Hz blinking Amber indicates a problem with the link
Solid Green
Indicates a valid link with no active traffic
Blinking Green
Indicates a valid logical link with active traffic
a 1 Hz Blinking Amber occurs due to running a beacon command for locating the adapter card.
LED2 Link Status Indications (Physical and Logical) - InfiniBand Protocol:
LED Color and State
Description
Off
A physical link has not been established
Solid Amber
Indicates an active physical link
Blinking Amber a
4 Hz blinking Amber indicates a problem with the physical link
Solid Green
Indicates a valid logical (data activity) link with no active traffic
Blinking Green
Indicates a valid logical link with active traffic
a1 Hz Blinking Amber occurs due to running a beacon command for locating the adapter card.
2.5 Heat Sink Interface
The heatsink is attached to the ConnectX-6 IC to dissipate the heat from the ConnectX-6
IC. It is attached either by using four spring-loaded push pins that insert into four
mounting holes, or by screws.
ConnectX-6 IC has a thermal shutdown safety mechanism which automatically shuts
down the ConnectX-6 card in cases of high-temperature event, improper thermal
coupling or heatsink removal.
For the required airflow (LFM) per OPN, please refer to Specifications.

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2.6 SMBus Interface
ConnectX-6 technology maintains support for manageability through a BMC. ConnectX-6
PCIe stand-up adapter can be connected to a BMC using MCTP over SMBus or MCTP over
PCIe protocols as if it is a standard Mellanox PCIe stand-up adapter. For configuring the
adapter for the specific manageability solution in use by the server, please contact
Mellanox Support.
2.7 Voltage Regulators
The voltage regulator power is derived from the PCI Express edge connector 12V supply
pins. These voltage supply pins feed on-board regulators that provide the necessary
power to the various components on the card.

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3Hardware Installation
Installation and initialization of ConnectX-6 adapter cards require attention to the
mechanical attributes, power specification, and precautions for electronic equipment.
3.1 Safety Warnings
Safety warnings are provided here in the English language. For safety warnings in other
languages, refer to the Adapter Installation Safety Instructions document available on
mellanox.com.
Please observe all safety warnings to avoid injury and prevent damage to system
components.
General Installation Instructions
Read all installation instructions before connecting the equipment to the power source.
Jewelry Removal Warning
Before you install or remove equipment that is connected to power lines, remove jewelry such as
bracelets, necklaces, rings, watches and so on. Metal objects heat up when connected to power and
ground and can melt down, causing serious burns and/or welding the metal object to the terminals.
Over-temperature
This equipment should not be operated in an area with an ambient temperature exceed-ing the maximum
recommended: 55°C (131°F). An air flow of 200LFM at this maximum ambient temperature is required for
HCA cards and NICs. To guarantee proper airflow, allow at least 8cm (3 inches) of clearance around the
ventilation openings
During Lightning - Electrical Hazard
During periods of lightning activity, do not work on the equipment or connect or disconnect cables.
Copper Cable Connecting/Disconnecting
Some copper cables are heavy and not flexible, as such they should be carefully attached to or detached
from the connectors. Refer to the cable manufacturer for special warnings and instructions.
Equipment Installation
This equipment should be installed, replaced, or serviced only by trained and qualified personnel.
Equipment Disposal
Disposal of this equipment should be in accordance to all national laws and regula-tions.
Local and National Electrical Codes
This equipment should be installed in compliance with local and national electrical codes.
Hazardous Radiation Exposure
•Caution –Use of controls or adjustment or performance of procedures other than those specified
herein may result in hazardous radiation exposure for products with optical ports.
•CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT and reference to the most recent laser standards:
IEC 60 825-1:1993 + A1:1997 + A2:2001 and EN 60825-1:1994+A1:1996+ A2:20

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3.2 Installation Procedure Overview
The installation procedure of ConnectX-6 adapter cards involve the following steps:
Step
Procedure
Direct Link
1
Check the system’s hardware and software requirements.
System Requirements
2
Pay attention to the airflow consideration within the host
system
Airflow Requirements
3
Follow the safety precautions
Safety Precautions
4
Follow the pre-installation checklist
Pre-Installation Checklist
5
Install the ConnectX-6 adapter card in the system
ConnectX-6 Installation Instructions
6
Connect cables or modules to the card
Cables and Modules
7
Identify ConnectX-6 in the system
Identifying Your Card
3.3 System Requirements
3.3.1 Hardware Requirements
Unless otherwise specified, Mellanox products are designed to work in an environmentally controlled
data center with low levels of gaseous and dust (particulate) contamination.
The operation environment should meet severity level G1 as per ISA 71.04 for gaseous contamination
and ISO 14644-1 class 8 for cleanliness level.
For proper operation and performance, please make sure to use a PCIe slot with a corresponding bus
width and that can supply sufficient power to your card. Refer to the Specifications section of the
manual for more power requirements.
ConnectX-6 Configuration
Hardware Requirements
SNAPI (Single-slot) PCIe 2x8 in a row
A system with a custom PCI Express x16 slot (four special pins) is required
for installing the card. Please refer to PCIe Express Pinouts Description for
SNAPI for pinout definitions.
Socket Direct 2x PCIe x16 (dual slot)
A system with two PCIe x16 slots is required for installing the cards.

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3.3.2 Airflow Requirements
ConnectX-6 adapter cards are offered with two airflow patterns: from the heatsink to the
network ports, and vice versa, as shown below.
Please refer to the Specifications section for airflow numbers for each specific card model.
Airflow from the heatsink to the network ports
Airflow from the network ports to the heatsink
All cards in the system should be planned with the same airflow direction.
3.3.3 Software Requirements
▪See Operating Systems/Distributions section under the Introduction section.
▪Software Stacks - Mellanox OpenFabric software package MLNX_OFED for Linux
and WinOF-2 for Windows. See the Driver Installation section.
3.4 Safety Precautions
The adapter is being installed in a system that operates with voltages that can be lethal.
Before opening the case of the system, observe the following precautions to avoid injury
and prevent damage to system components.
▪Remove any metallic objects from your hands and wrists.
▪Make sure to use only insulated tools.
▪Verify that the system is powered off and is unplugged.
▪It is strongly recommended to use an ESD strap or other antistatic devices.
3.5 Pre-Installation Checklist
1. Unpack the ConnectX-6 Card; Unpack and remove the ConnectX-6 card. Check against
the package contents list that all the parts have been sent. Check the parts for visible
damage that may have occurred during shipping. Please note that the cards must be
placed on an antistatic surface.
Please note that if the card is removed hastily from the antistatic bag, the plastic ziplock may
harm the EMI fingers on the networking connector. Carefully remove the card from the antistatic
bag to avoid damaging the EMI fingers.

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2. Shut down your system if active; Turn off the power to the system and disconnect the
power cord. Refer to the system documentation for instructions. Before you install
the ConnectX-6 card, make sure that the system is disconnected from power.
3.6 Installation Instructions
This section provides detailed instructions on how to install your adapter card. Choose the
installation instructions according to the card OPN, PCIe auxiliary card and server.
OPNs
Server
PCIe Auxiliary Card and cable
Installation Instructions
IGK7G
R740
FTR4J (Mellanox PCIe Auxiliary card
and cable)
Error! Reference source not found.
CY7GD
C6400
2FR79 (Silicom PCIe Auxiliary card and
cable)
Installation Instructions for C6400 Server
CY7GD
C4140
TFM86 (Mellanox PCIe Auxiliary card
and cable)
Installation Instructions for C4140 Server
Y1T43,
7TKND
NA
NA
Installation Instructions for HDR100 Card
Please note that the following figures are for illustration purposes only.
Please make sure to install the ConnectX-6 cards in a PCIe slot that can supply the required
power and airflow as stated in Specifications.

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3.6.1 Installation Instructions for R740 Server
Applies to R740 only.
1. Connect the adapter card with the Auxiliary connection card using the supplied
Cabline CA-II Plus harnesses. The cable and card connectors are labeled for easier
installation. Cables labeled “Main White” and “Main Black” should be connected
to the adapter card.
1. Open the plastic connector lock and insert both main and secondary cable
through the slot. Repeat the step to install a second connector lock to other
ends of the cable.
WARNING: Orientation of cable and connector lock is important.
2. Carefully, open the connector cover on the “Main Cable”connector (White
cable connector), as seen in the below figure.