I have two boxes running Windows Server 2019. Both servers have the same Mellanox MCX354A-FCBT ConnectX-3 card which have been updated to the latest firmware (2.42.5000) and latest driver (5.50.51000).
At this point, I'd like to directly connect these cards (ie no switch) so I can use the 40/56GBs connection to copy files between the servers. I'm not that familiar with these cards, or their connection options, so I was hoping for some guidance on the easiest way to get this up and running. Does someone have a link to a guide or a list of steps I need to complete. For context, here are some of the questions I have:
1) What cable/transceiver should I be using?
2) Do I need to connect both ports on these cards to achieve the highest speed or is only one port needed?
3) How does one choose between the InfiniBand or Ethernet connection options on these cards?
4) Is there a connection option preference when running these cards in Windows Server?
5) Is there any software configuration I need to setup for a direct connection? What about for using technology like RoCE?
6) Once everything is configured, how do I ensure certain network activity (eg copying files between servers) uses the Mellanox cards rather than the built in Intel Ethernet NIC?
At this point, I'd like to directly connect these cards (ie no switch) so I can use the 40/56GBs connection to copy files between the servers. I'm not that familiar with these cards, or their connection options, so I was hoping for some guidance on the easiest way to get this up and running. Does someone have a link to a guide or a list of steps I need to complete. For context, here are some of the questions I have:
1) What cable/transceiver should I be using?
2) Do I need to connect both ports on these cards to achieve the highest speed or is only one port needed?
3) How does one choose between the InfiniBand or Ethernet connection options on these cards?
4) Is there a connection option preference when running these cards in Windows Server?
5) Is there any software configuration I need to setup for a direct connection? What about for using technology like RoCE?
6) Once everything is configured, how do I ensure certain network activity (eg copying files between servers) uses the Mellanox cards rather than the built in Intel Ethernet NIC?