NVIDIA Mellanox MSN4700-WS2FO Spectrum-3 400GbE Open Ethernet Switch

NVIDIA Mellanox MSN4700-WS2FO — Spectrum-3 400GbE Open Ethernet Switch, 32 × QSFP-DD, 1U, P2C Airflow

Technical Identity

The NVIDIA Mellanox MSN4700-WS2FO is a 1U top-of-rack / leaf-spine Ethernet switch built on the Spectrum-3 (SN4700) ASIC. It delivers 32 ports of 400 GbE over QSFP-DD cages with a non-blocking 12.8 Tb/s switching capacity and 8.33 Bpps packet-forwarding rate. The "WS2FO" suffix indicates the Open Ethernet variant: power-supply-to-port (P2C, front-to-back) airflow with the ONIE bootloader pre-installed, ready for NVIDIA Onyx (MLNX-OS), SONiC, Cumulus Linux, or another supported network OS. Refurbished Grade A — bench-tested for link integrity and per-port traffic by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS.

Specifications

• OEM / Brand: NVIDIA (Mellanox)
• Part Number (MPN): MSN4700-WS2FO
• Platform: Spectrum-3 SN4700
• Ports: 32 × 400 GbE (QSFP-DD)
• Switching Capacity: 12.8 Tb/s, non-blocking
• Forwarding Rate: 8.33 Bpps
• Latency: ~300 ns port-to-port (cut-through)
• Buffer: 64 MB fully-shared, fair packet buffer
• Breakout: 2 × 200 GbE, 4 × 100 GbE, or 8 × 50 GbE per port (cable-dependent)
• Protocol: Ethernet only (Spectrum-3 is not InfiniBand)
• Airflow (F): Power-Side-to-Connector-Side (P2C, "front-to-back" from PSU intake)
• Software (O): Open Ethernet — ONIE pre-installed; ships ready for Onyx / MLNX-OS, SONiC, Cumulus Linux, DENT
• Management: Out-of-band 1GbE RJ-45, RS-232 console, USB
• Power: 1+1 redundant hot-swap PSUs
• Cooling: N+1 hot-swap fan trays
• Form Factor: 1U, 19" rack-mount
• Condition: Refurbished Grade A — bench-tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS

What This Is NOT

• NOT an InfiniBand switch. Spectrum-3 is Ethernet-only — for InfiniBand HDR/NDR fabrics use the Quantum series (MQM87xx / MQM97xx).
• NOT a Spectrum-4 (800 GbE / SN5xxx) switch. Maximum native port speed is 400 GbE; QSFP-DD does not natively run 800 G on this platform.
• NOT a 64-port platform. 32 physical cages — 64 logical ports are available only when running 2 × 200 GbE breakout.
• NOT bundled with transceivers, DAC/AOC cables, or rail kit unless explicitly stated in the listing.
• NOT C2P (reverse) airflow. "F" in WS2FO denotes P2C — verify hot/cold-aisle orientation before installation.

Compatibility

• Host adapters: NVIDIA ConnectX-6 / ConnectX-6 Dx (200 GbE) and ConnectX-7 (400 GbE) for line-rate end-to-end. ConnectX-5 (100 GbE) connects via 4× breakout.
• DPUs: NVIDIA BlueField-2 / BlueField-3 for offload, security and storage acceleration.
• Cabling (400 GbE direct): QSFP-DD DAC (MCP1660-Wxxxx), QSFP-DD AOC (MFA1A00-Cxxx) and QSFP-DD-to-2×QSFP56 / 4×QSFP28 breakout DAC / AOC (MCP7Y series, MFA7U series).
• Transceivers: 400G-DR4 / FR4 / LR4 QSFP-DD optics; QSA-DD adapters accept lower-speed QSFP56/QSFP28/QSFP+ modules.
• Backward modules: QSFP-DD cages mechanically accept QSFP56 (200 GbE) and QSFP28 (100 GbE / 40 GbE) modules with the appropriate breakout cable or single-lane optic.
• Multi-vendor: MSA-compliant Ethernet — interoperates with Cisco Nexus, Arista 7060X/7280, Juniper QFX, Dell Z9332, HPE/Aruba CX 10000.
• Operating systems: NVIDIA Onyx / MLNX-OS, SONiC (community + Enterprise SONiC), Cumulus Linux, DENT.

FAQ

Q: What does the suffix "WS2FO" mean?
A: W = standard SKU, S2 = Spectrum-3 SN4700 platform, F = P2C (power-to-connector / "front-to-back") airflow, O = Open Ethernet (ONIE bootloader, no preloaded NOS — install Onyx, SONiC, Cumulus or DENT).

Q: Can the MSN4700-WS2FO run InfiniBand?
A: No. Spectrum-3 is an Ethernet-only ASIC. For InfiniBand HDR/NDR fabrics, the equivalent platform is the NVIDIA Quantum-2 (MQM9700-series).

Q: Can I use 100 GbE or 200 GbE modules in the 400 GbE cages?
A: Yes. Each QSFP-DD port supports breakout to 2 × 200 GbE (QSFP56) or 4 × 100 GbE (QSFP28) using a NVIDIA-branded breakout DAC, AOC, or splitter optic. Lower-speed single-port modules also seat mechanically in QSFP-DD cages.

Q: Does the unit ship with a NOS installed?
A: The "O" variant ships as Open Ethernet — ONIE-only. Customers install Onyx / MLNX-OS, SONiC, Cumulus Linux, or DENT post-deployment. Onyx images are available from the NVIDIA Networking portal with a valid support contract or, for refurbished units, via the included community release for evaluation.

Q: What airflow direction does "F" denote and why does it matter?
A: P2C — air enters from the PSU/fan side and exhausts out the port side. In a standard hot-aisle/cold-aisle rack this means PSUs face the cold aisle. If your switches face port-side to the cold aisle, you require the C2P ("R") airflow variant instead.

Q: Is this unit covered by NVIDIA support?
A: Refurbished units carry T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS warranty and bench-test guarantee. OEM transferable support depends on serial-number eligibility — contact us for verification before purchase if an NVIDIA support contract is mandatory.

Why T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS

Every MSN4700-WS2FO sold by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS undergoes a documented bench-test cycle: 32-port link-up verification at 400 GbE, per-port packet integrity check, fan and PSU health diagnostic, and full cosmetic grading. Anti-static, foam-cradled OEM-equivalent packaging. EU stock with global B2B shipping, customs documentation, and pre/post-sale consultation for HPC, AI cluster, and hyperscale Ethernet leaf-spine deployments. See tes-itsolutions.com.