The Mellanox MCX516A-CCAT SmartNIC is a high performance network interface card that is designed to improve network throughput, reduce latencies and deliver exceptional efficiency. This SmartNIC has an embedded 16.28.2006 firmware that provides unparalleled speed and low packet loss. It doesn't only accelerate ethernet and IP protocols, but also has the ability to offload virtualization, containerization and security services.

List of Features

• Single or Dual 25/50/100Gb/s ports
• Low latency and high packet processing performance per port (up to 200 Gb/s)
• SmartNIC design to offload virtual switch, security, and network processing from host CPU
• PCIe Gen4 and Gen3 supported host systems (including Mellanox InfiniBand over PCIe)
• RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) direct and tunneling support
• Full hardware offload for overlay networks (including VXLAN, GENEVE and NSH)
• Low power consumption using a RJ45 connector

Specifications

Common issues and Troubleshooting

Although the Mellanox MCX516A-CCAT SmartNIC is designed to work seamlessly out-of-the-box, sometimes things go awry. If you face any issues with your device, these basic troubleshooting tips may help:

• Ensure that your rig is correctly connected
• Upgrade or replace the firmware if the current version is old or incompatible
• Verify compatibility with the host hardware by checking test reports
• Ensure that the device driver is installed, damaged or the corrupted may cause the device to malfunction
• Inspect and flatten bent pins or blockages on the card connector
• Reduce configurations to bare essentials to isolate the problem

Device Driver

The Mellanox MCX516A-CCAT driver is an essential component that helps the operating system to communicate with the hardware. We recommend that online instructions or Linux documentation is consulted during installation, but you can also follow the below steps:

1. Run a system suspension command and turn off the machine. Disconnect power from the computer and then open the case.
2. Find an available PCI Express (PCIe) slot horizontally aligned usaligner occupied slots, preferable PCIe Generation 4 (PCIe Gen4).
3. Insert the MCS516A-CCAT SmartNIC into the PCIe slot an even in alignment. Make sure it's securely sits adapterifcallyposition settledinto the socket.
4. Boot the operating system from the hard drive, and wait until you log in as root user.
5. Navigate to Mellanox Technologies Online Store and click on the driver associated with your media access controllers (MAC).
6. Download the driver installation package and install it to the local drive according to the supplier's steps. Centos/redhat example can be this yum command: yum install mlxfw_manager.
7. Reboot the computer for the changes to take an effect in full.