PCIe Auxiliary Card Kit
Socket Direct or Multi-Host SuperNIC, which cost-effectively integrates a single SuperNIC and an auxiliary PCIe connection card and MCIO cable connecting the two. Socket Direct enables direct access from each CPU to the network through its dedicated PCIe interface as the card'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 an MCIO cable.
The PCIe auxiliary kit can be purchased separately to operate in a dual-socket server. The below table lists the available PCIe auxiliary kit ordering part number.
Model | Ordering Part Number | Description |
C8180X | 930-9XAX6-0025-000 | NVIDIA SocketDirect/MultiHost Auxiliary Kit for Additional PCIe Gen6x16 Connection, 250mm MCIO Harness |
Category | Qty | Item |
Cards | 1 | PCIe x16 Gen5 Auxiliary Connection Card |
Cable | 1 | 250mm MCIO cable |
Accessories | 1 | PCIe Auxiliary card short bracket |
1 | PCIe Auxiliary card tall bracket (shipped assembled on the Auxiliary card) |
There are two available PCIe auxiliary kit functionalities:
Utilizing the Socket-Direct/Multi-Host capability, where the PCIe extension card is connected to the BlueField-3 DPU, used as an end-point.
Utilizing the Down Stream Port (DSP) extension option, where the PCIe extension card is connected to the BlueField-3 DPU, used as a root complex for storage devices.
The 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. Utilizing the Socket-Direct or the Multi-Host capability, the PCIe extension card is connected to the SuperNIC and is used as an end-point extension.
NVIDIA offers ConnectX-8 Socket Direct, which enables 800Gb/s or 400Gb/s connectivity for servers with PCIe Gen5 or Gen4 capability, respectively. The SuperNIC'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 an MCIO harness.
Please order the additional PCIe Auxiliary Card kit to use the SuperNIC in the Socket-Direct configuration. SuperNICs that support Socket Direct can function as separate x16 PCIe cards.
The ConnectX-8 SuperNIC with downstream port extension option provides connectivity to the server backplane or PCIe switch through the MCIO connector.
The default PCI interface is x4 x 4 to manage four SSD devices.