The network ports of the ConnectX®-4 adapter card are compliant with the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standards listed in Features and Benefits. Ethernet traffic is transmitted through the SFP28/QSFP28 connectors on the adapter card.
The adapter card includes special circuits to protect from ESD shocks to the card/server when plugging copper cables.
The ConnectX®-4 adapter card supports PCI Express Gen 3.0 (1.1 and 2.0 compatible) through an x8 or x16 edge connector. The device can be either a master initiating the PCI Express bus operations, or a subordinate responding to PCI bus operations. The following lists PCIe interface features:
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Supported PCIe Interface |
Features |
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PCIe Gen 3.0 (1.1 and 2.0 compatible) through x8/x16 edge connectors |
Link Rates: 2.5. 5.0 or 8.0GT/s. |
There is one bicolor (Yellow and Green) I/O LED per port to indicate speed and link status.
Link Indications
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State |
Bi-color LED (Yellow/Green) - Link speed |
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Beacon command for locating the adapter card |
1Hz blinking Yellow |
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Error |
4Hz blinking Yellow Indicates an error with the link. The error can be one of the following:
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Link Activity |
• A constant Green indicates a link with the maximum networking speed. |
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Link Up |
• A constant Green indicates a link with the maximum networking speed. |
Heatsink Interface
A heatsink is attached to the ConnectX-4 IC in order to dissipate the heat from the ConnectX-4 IC. It is attached either by using four spring-loaded push pins that insert into four mounting holes or by screws.
ConnectX-4 IC has a thermal shutdown safety mechanism that automatically shuts down the ConnectX-4 card in cases of high-temperature event, improper thermal coupling or heatsink removal.
ConnectX-4 technology maintains support for manageability through a BMC. ConnectX-4 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.
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.