# Socket Direct Adapters Maximize Data Center Performance and Increase ROI An innovative network adapter architecture—NVIDIA® Mellanox® Socket Direct®—enables direct PCIe access to multiple CPU sockets, eliminating the need for network traffic having to traverse the inter-process bus. This optimizes overall system performance and maximum throughput for the most demanding applications and markets. ### Eliminate Traffic Bottlenecks Based on NVIDIA Mellanox  Multi-Host® technology, NVIDIA Mellanox Socket Direct technology enables several CPUs within a multi-socket server to connect directly to the network, each through its own dedicated PCIe interface. Through either a connection harness that splits the PCIe lanes between two cards or by bifurcating a PCIe slot for a single card. This results in eliminating the network traffic traversing over the internal bus between the sockets, significantly reducing overhead and latency, in addition to reducing CPU utilization and increasing network throughput. Mellanox Socket Direct also improves Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning application performance, as it enables native GPU-Direct® technologies. [**LEARN MORE ›**](https://www.mellanox.com/files/doc-2020/wp-mellanox-socket-direct.pdf) ## Highlights LATENCY IMPROVEMENT 80% Reduction CPU UTILIZATION 50% Less THROUGHPUT 16-28% improvement NETWORK PROTOCOLS Ethernet/InfiniBand ## Benefits ### Flexible Form Factors Across Multiple Data Speeds * ConnectX-6 Dx Multi-Host OCP 3.0 cards can connect a 200GbE port to up to 4 PCIe Gen4 x4 slots * ConnectX-6 Socket Direct cards provide HDR 200Gb/s or 200GbE ports over two PCIe Gen3 x16 slots * ConnectX-6 OCP3.0 cards provide HDR 200Gb/s or 200GbE ports to up to 4 PCIe Gen4 x4 slots * ConnectX-5 Socket Direct cards provide EDR 100Gb/s or 100GbE transmission rate over two PCIe Gen3 x8 slots ### Enhanced Performance That is Easy to Manage Socket Direct adapters can be connected to a BMC using MCTP over SMBus, or MCTP over PCIe, similar to a standard NVIDIA PCIe stand-up adapter. The chosen management interface facilitates communication between the platform management and subsystem component and the Socket Direct adapters can then be configured transparently by the chosen server management solution. ### Socket Direct Removes the Load on the Inter-processor Bus Socket Direct technology utilizes the same underlying technology that enables Multi-Host, only to different CPUs within the same server. When comparing the servers’ external throughput while applying the inter-processor load compared to when Socket Direct is implemented, throughput is improved by 16%-28% compared to the standard adapter connection to a single CPU. ## Multi-Host and Socket Direct Comparison | | | | | --- | --- | --- | | | MULTI-HOST | SOCKET DIRECT | | Motivation | Reduces CAPEX / OPEX | Improve performance | | Server Config | Individual servers; each with its own OS instance | Single server running single OS | | PCIe Signals | Individual PCIe Reset, Clock, etc. | Common PCIe Reset, Clock, etc. | | BMC | Supports individual BMCs | Single BMC | | Pre-boot | Individual pre-boot instance | Single pre-boot instance | ## ConnectX Comparison | | | | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | ORDERING PART NO. | MAX. SPEED | PORTS | CONNECTORS | ASIC & PCI DEV ID | PCI | LANES | | ConnectX-6 Dx | MCX623435MN-CDAB | 100GbE | 1 | QSFP56 | ConnectX-6 Dx | OCP3.0, Multi Host or Socket Direct, PCIe 4.0 x16 | 1x16/2x8/4x4 | | Contact NVIDIA | 100GbE | 1 | DSFP | ConnectX-6 Dx | OCP3.0, Multi Host or Socket Direct, PCIe 4.0 x16 | 1x16/2x8/4x4 | | Contact NVIDIA | 100GbE | 1 | QSFP56 | ConnectX-6 Dx | Socket Direct PCIe 4.0 x16, split into two x8 | 2x8 in a row | | Contact NVIDIA | 200GbE | 1 | QSFP56 | ConnectX-6 Dx | OCP3.0, Multi Host or Socket Direct, PCIe 4.0 x16 | 1x16/2x8/4x4 | | | | | | | | | | | ConnectX-6 VPI | MCX653105A-EFAT | HDR100, EDR IB (100Gb/s) and 100GbE | 1 | QSFP56 | ConnectX-6 | Socket Direct 3.0/4.0 x16, split into two x8 | 2x8 in a row | | MCX653106A-EFAT | HDR100, EDR IB (100Gb/s) and 100GbE | 2 | QSFP56 | ConnectX-6 | Socket Direct 3.0/4.0 x16, split into two x8 | 2x8 in a row | | MCX653106A-EFAT | HDR IB (200Gb/s) and 200GbE | 1 | QSFP56 | ConnectX-6 | Socket Direct PCIe3.0 x16 + PCIe3.0x16 auxiliary card | 2x16 | | MCX654106A-HCAT | HDR IB (200Gb/s) and 200GbE | 2 | QSFP56 | ConnectX-6 | Socket Direct PCIe3.0 x16 + PCIe3.0x16 auxiliary card | 2x16 | | | | | | | | | | | ConnectX-5 VPI | MCX556M-ECAT-S25 | EDR IB (100Gb/s) and 100GbE | 2 | QSFP28 | ConnectX-5 | Socket Direct PCIe3.0 x8 + PCIe3.0x8 auxiliary card, 25cm harness | 2x8 | | MCX556M-ECAT-S35A | EDR IB (100Gb/s) and 100GbE | 2 | QSFP28 | ConnectX-5 | Socket Direct PCIe3.0 x8 + PCIe3.0x8 auxiliary card, 35cm harness | 2x8 | *\*For Socket Direct Ethernet virtualization or Socket Direct dual-port use cases please contact NVIDIA Mellanox Customer support* ## Resources * **Product Documents** * **White Paper** [**ConnectX-5 Product Brief**](https://www.mellanox.com/sites/default/files/doc-2020/pb-connectx-5-en-card.pdf) [**ConnectX-6 Product Brief**](https://www.mellanox.com/files/doc-2020/pb-connectx-6-dx-en-card.pdf) [**VPI Socket Direct Product Brief (supports Ethernet)**](https://www.mellanox.com/sites/default/files/doc-2020/pb-connectx-5-vpi-card-socket-direct.pdf) [**ConnectX-5 Socket Direct User Manual**](https://docs.mellanox.com/display/cx5vpisd) [**ConnectX-6 User Manual**](https://docs.mellanox.com/display/connectx6vpi) [**Maximizing Server Performance with Mellanox Socket Direct Adapters**](https://www.mellanox.com/files/doc-2020/wp-mellanox-socket-direct.pdf) We're here to help you build the most efficient, high performance network. 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