HPE P25960-B21 - HPE Mellanox MCX623106AS-CDAT Ethernet 100Gb 2-port QSFP56 Adapter

Brand: HPE | Category: Network Adapters & NICs

SKU: HPE-P25960-B21 | Part #: P25960-B21 | MPN: P25960-B21

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The HPE P25960-B21 is a dual-port 100 Gigabit Ethernet adapter built on the NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx ASIC, designed to deliver sustained 200 Gbps aggregate throughput across PCIe 4.0 x16 connectivity. That PCIe 4.0 x16 interface is the critical foundation here—it provides 64 GB/s of bidirectional bandwidth to the host, which means both 100 Gbps ports can run at full line rate simultaneously without bottlenecking. This makes the P25960-B21 a practical choice for environments where sustained, parallel flows matter: distributed machine learning clusters, high-frequency trading platforms, and data lakes that demand real-time ingestion from multiple sources. The half-height, low-profile form factor fits into standard single-slot PCIe slots in HPE ProLiant Gen10, Gen10 Plus, and HPE Synergy systems, so network engineers do not need to redesign server chassis or worry about competing for physical space with storage adapters.

QSFP56 optics have become the standard for 100 Gbps deployments in the last three years, and the two QSFP56 transceiver slots on this adapter support both DAC (direct-attach copper) cables and active optical modules. That flexibility matters when you are building out a data centre—DACs cost less and work well for top-of-rack and end-of-row fabric, while CWDM4 or LR4 optics let you reach farther across campus or to secondary facilities. The P25960-B21 integrates RoCEv2 (RDMA over Converged Ethernet v2) at the silicon level, which means latency-sensitive workloads—containerized databases, AI model serving, real-time analytics—can bypass the TCP stack entirely and achieve sub-10-microsecond latencies. That is not a marginal improvement; it is the difference between viable and non-viable for certain workload classes. HPE has qualified this adapter across Windows Server, RHEL, SLES, and VMware ESXi, and HPE-signed drivers are available through the iLO firmware interface, which simplifies lifecycle management for infrastructure teams.

Offload capabilities embedded in the ConnectX-6 Dx reduce CPU load in the host processor, a practical advantage for data-centre operators running dense, multi-tenant environments. TCP and UDP checksum offload, large send offload (LSO), and large receive offload (LRO) work transparently; network engineers often overlook these features in the specification sheet, but they directly improve throughput per CPU core and reduce power consumption per gigabit. VXLAN and GENEVE tunnel offload support enables hybrid and multi-cloud deployments without forcing software encapsulation overhead onto the host CPUs. SR-IOV virtualization allows a single physical adapter to present itself as multiple virtual functions to guest operating systems or containers, which is essential for hosting providers and enterprises running KVM or OpenStack infrastructure at scale. HPE iLO integration and HPE OneView support mean you can monitor and troubleshoot the P25960-B21 through the same management plane as the rest of the server—no separate network monitoring tool, no fragmented dashboard.

The choice between a ConnectX-6 Dx adapter and older 25 Gbps or 40 Gbps options typically comes down to total cost of ownership in a three- to five-year window. A network architect evaluating the P25960-B21 for a new AI lab or data centre refresh should factor in not just the adapter cost but optics, switch port licensing, and the cost of CPU cycles spent on network processing. In many cases, the higher upfront price of 100 Gbps technology yields faster payback because it reduces the number of servers needed to saturate a given application workload. This adapter is built for platforms that are already two or more generations into their lifecycle—Gen10 and later—which means you are deploying into mature, battle-tested server architectures with solid firmware and driver support from HPE.

Omnixon Global holds the HPE P25960-B21 in stock across our Dubai distribution hub and can supply it to data centres, AI infrastructure teams, and enterprises across the GCC, Asia-Pacific, and Europe. We work directly with system integrators and procurement teams to validate compatibility, arrange trial deployments, and expedite delivery to your lab or production environment. If you are designing a 100 Gbps fabric, evaluating HPE Synergy composability for a new workload tier, or consolidating multiple older network adapters onto newer servers, contact us for a formal quotation or technical consultation.

Interface, Connectivity & Performance Specifications

• Dual QSFP56 ports delivering 100 Gbps per port, 200 Gbps aggregate full-duplex throughput over PCIe 4.0 x16
• NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx ASIC with hardware RoCEv2 support for latency-critical workloads and in-network computing
• Stateless TCP/UDP/IP checksum offload, large send offload (LSO), and large receive offload (LRO) reduce host CPU overhead
• VXLAN and GENEVE tunnel offload for hybrid cloud and multi-tenant virtualization with minimal software encapsulation cost
• SR-IOV virtualization support enabling multiple virtual functions per physical adapter for cloud and container deployments
• Qualified drivers and management integration via HPE iLO and HPE OneView across Windows Server, RHEL, SLES, and VMware ESXi
• Compatible with HPE ProLiant Gen10, Gen10 Plus, and HPE Synergy; half-height, low-profile form factor for standard single-slot PCIe deployment