NVIDIA Mellanox MSN2100-BB2FC — Spectrum 100GbE Open Ethernet Switch (1U Half-Width, 16x QSFP28)
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox MSN2100-BB2FC is a Spectrum-1 ASIC Open Ethernet switch in a 1U half-width chassis with sixteen QSFP28 ports. Each cage is natively 100GbE and is electrically backward-compatible with 40GbE (QSFP+), with 4-lane breakout to 4x25GbE (SFP28) or 4x10GbE (SFP+) for up to 64 lower-speed ports. The MSN2100-BB2FC ships with Cumulus Linux pre-installed and supports NVIDIA Onyx (MLNX-OS) and the community SONiC NOS, giving operators a true disaggregated, multi-OS data-center switch. Condition supplied: Refurbished Grade A, bench-tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS.
Specifications
- Brand: NVIDIA (Mellanox)
- MPN: MSN2100-BB2FC
- Family: Spectrum / SN2100
- ASIC: Mellanox Spectrum-1
- Switching capacity: 3.2 Tb/s non-blocking, full line-rate
- Packet rate: up to 2.38 Bpps
- Ports: 16 x QSFP28
- Native speed: 100GbE per cage
- Supported speeds: 10 / 25 / 40 / 50 / 100GbE (25/10GbE via breakout)
- Max logical ports: up to 64 x 25GbE or 64 x 10GbE via breakout
- Protocol: Ethernet only (Spectrum-1 has no InfiniBand mode)
- Form factor: 1U half-width, 19" rack-mount (2 units fit side-by-side per 1U with kit)
- Pre-installed NOS: Cumulus Linux (C suffix)
- Other NOS: NVIDIA Onyx / MLNX-OS, SONiC, ONIE-loaded third-party
- Airflow: P2C / back-to-front (BB suffix)
- Power: AC (2F suffix), replaceable PSU
- Management: dedicated 1GbE RJ45 mgmt, RJ45 console, USB
- Latency: ~300 ns port-to-port
- Condition: Refurbished Grade A — bench-tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
What This Is NOT
- NOT an InfiniBand switch. Spectrum-1 is Ethernet-only. For HDR/NDR IB fabrics use Quantum (MQM8700, MQM9700).
- NOT a 200GbE or 400GbE switch. Spectrum-1 tops out at 100GbE per port; for higher speeds choose Spectrum-2 (SN3000), Spectrum-3 (SN4000) or Spectrum-4 (SN5000).
- NOT a NIC, adapter, or transceiver. Rack-mount switch — sold standalone.
- NOT bundled with optics, DAC/AOC cables, breakout cables, rail kit, side-by-side mounting kit, or second PSU unless stated.
- NOT licensed for proprietary Cumulus features needing an active NVIDIA / Cumulus subscription.
Compatibility & Constraints
- Host adapters that pair with this switch: NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-4, ConnectX-4 Lx, ConnectX-5, ConnectX-5 Ex, ConnectX-6, ConnectX-6 Dx, ConnectX-7 (Ethernet mode) and BlueField DPUs. Any QSFP28 100GbE NIC links up over MSA-compliant optics or DACs.
- Switch family neighbors: pairs cleanly into a Spectrum-2/3/4 spine (SN3700, SN4600, SN5600) or another SN2100 as ToR / leaf.
- Cabling — native 100GbE: QSFP28-to-QSFP28 DAC, AOC, SR4 / LR4 / FR / DR. 40GbE: QSFP+ DAC, AOC, SR4, LR4. Breakout: QSFP28-to-4xSFP28 (25GbE), QSFP+-to-4xSFP+ (10GbE), QSFP28-to-2xQSFP28 (2x50GbE).
- OS interoperability: Cumulus Linux 3.x/4.x/5.x ships pre-installed; Onyx and SONiC via ONIE re-image. Subscriptions managed by the customer.
- Rack: 1U half-width — confirm rail kit and side-by-side bracket are present.
- Airflow: P2C (back-to-front, hot aisle at port side). Verify match with hot/cold-aisle plan.
- Power: AC PSU only on BB2FC. For DC plants choose an R-suffix variant (e.g. MSN2100-BB2RC).
- Verify before deploying: NOS version, license state, firmware level, breakout-cable port-group mapping, airflow direction.
Deployment & Use Cases
- Top-of-Rack 100GbE leaf in Ethernet data centers — half-width allows 2 switches per 1U for dense ToR or A/B fabric designs.
- 25GbE server access aggregation via QSFP28-to-4xSFP28 breakout (up to 64 x 25GbE).
- 10GbE consolidation / refresh for legacy SFP+ server fleets via QSFP+-to-4xSFP+ breakout.
- Storage fabric for NVMe-over-Fabrics (RoCEv2), Lustre / GPFS / BeeGFS, S3 object backbones.
- Small / mid HPC and AI clusters on 100GbE Ethernet (RoCEv2), or as management / out-of-band switch alongside an IB fabric.
- Edge / branch DC and telco PoP where rack depth and power budget are constrained.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the NVIDIA Mellanox MSN2100-BB2FC?
The MSN2100-BB2FC is a 1U half-width Spectrum-1 Open Ethernet switch with 16 QSFP28 ports, natively 100GbE per port. Ships with Cumulus Linux pre-installed; also supports NVIDIA Onyx (MLNX-OS) and SONiC. MPN: MSN2100-BB2FC.
Q. What port speeds does the MSN2100-BB2FC support?
Each QSFP28 cage is natively 100GbE and accepts 40GbE QSFP+ optics directly. With breakout cables the switch supports up to 64 x 25GbE (SFP28) or 64 x 10GbE (SFP+). 50GbE per port is also supported. Ethernet-only — no InfiniBand mode on Spectrum-1.
Q. Which network operating systems run on the MSN2100-BB2FC?
The C suffix indicates Cumulus Linux pre-installed at the factory. The platform is ONIE-compliant, so it can be re-imaged to NVIDIA Onyx (MLNX-OS) or SONiC at any time. Subscriptions are the customers responsibility.
Q. Which adapters and switches pair with the MSN2100-BB2FC?
Host side: NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-4, ConnectX-5, ConnectX-6, ConnectX-7, and BlueField DPUs in Ethernet mode, plus any standards-compliant 100GbE QSFP28 NIC. Fabric side: spine into Spectrum-2 (SN3000), Spectrum-3 (SN4000), or Spectrum-4 (SN5000), or build leaf-leaf with another SN2100.
Q. What is the condition supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
Refurbished Grade A. Each unit is bench-tested at T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS: link establishment, port-by-port traffic validation, EEPROM / vendor data verification, full cosmetic inspection. Ships from EU stock in anti-static packaging with global B2B logistics.
Why buy from T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS is a Europe-based NVIDIA Mellanox specialist serving HPC, AI, and enterprise data-center procurement teams since 2007. Every switch is identified by MPN, NVIDIA P/N, and ASIC generation before it ships. Customers receive free pre-sale compatibility advice for switch / adapter / cable pairing, multi-currency B2B invoicing, EU stock with worldwide express options, and direct technical contact with our networking engineers — not a call-center. See tes-itsolutions.com.
