YC5N8 - Dell Mellanox SX6012 12-Port FDR InfiniBand Switch

Dell/Mellanox SX6012 SwitchX-2 based 1U managed FDR InfiniBand switch with 12 QSFP+ ports and 1.3Tb/s non-blocking switching capacity.

The YC5N8 (Dell part number 0YC5N8) is a Dell-branded Mellanox SX6012 switch system. Built around Mellanox's 6th generation SwitchX-2 InfiniBand switch ASIC, it is a 1U half-width, short-depth managed switch offering 12 QSFP+ ports, each capable of delivering up to 56Gb/s full bi-directional FDR InfiniBand bandwidth. The switch provides up to 1.3Tb/s of non-blocking switching capacity with very low port-to-port latency, making it suitable for high-performance computing (HPC), storage, database, and GPGPU cluster environments. It supports Virtual Protocol Interconnect (VPI), onboard subnet management for fabrics of up to 648 nodes, and can be mounted side-by-side with another unit in the same 1U rack space using a special rail kit. The unit has no field-replaceable units, simplifying maintenance, and all cabling/power connectors are located on a single side of the chassis.

• Manufacturer: Dell (OEM of Mellanox SX6012)
• Product Family: Mellanox SX6000 Series
• Product Series: SX6012
• Model / Dell SKU: 0YC5N8 / YC5N8
• Product Type: Managed InfiniBand Switch
• Switch ASIC: Mellanox SwitchX-2 (6th generation)
• Ports: 12 x QSFP+ ports
• Link Speed: Up to 56Gb/s FDR InfiniBand per port
• Switching Capacity: Up to 1.3Tb/s (1.344Tb/s) non-blocking
• Latency: Approximately 170–200ns port-to-port (source-dependent)
• Form Factor: 1U, half-width, short-depth chassis
• CPU: PPC460
• Management: Managed; onboard subnet manager supporting up to 648 nodes
• Protocol Support: Virtual Protocol Interconnect (VPI)
• Power Supply: AC power supply (1 or 2 PSU configurations available)
• Fan Redundancy: Not available (per Dell product listing)
• PSU Redundancy: Optional
• Airflow: Connector airflow in or out (P2C) configuration options
• Mounting: 19-inch rack; rail kit required (sold separately); supports side-by-side dual-switch mounting
• Field Replaceable Units: None (simplified maintenance design)
• Compliance: RoHS-6 compliant
• Use Case: Storage, database, and GPGPU cluster interconnect
• Condition (as sold): Available as OEM refurbished part per distributor listings

• 12 QSFP+ ports delivering up to 56Gb/s FDR InfiniBand bandwidth per port
• Up to 1.3Tb/s non-blocking aggregate switching capacity
• Built on Mellanox's 6th generation SwitchX-2 switch ASIC
• Low port-to-port latency suitable for latency-sensitive HPC workloads
• Onboard subnet manager supporting fabrics of up to 648 nodes
• Virtual Protocol Interconnect (VPI) for flexible I/O consolidation
• 1U half-width, short-depth chassis for space-efficient rack deployment
• Side-by-side dual-switch rail mounting kit option
• No field-replaceable units, simplifying long-term maintenance
• All cabling and power connectors located on a single chassis side
• FDR-10 link speed support for 20% more bandwidth than QDR
• Suitable for storage, database, and GPGPU cluster back-end networking

Designed for high-performance departmental and back-end cluster interconnect scenarios.

• Interconnect fabric for smaller HPC compute clusters
• Back-end storage cluster networking requiring high throughput
• Database cluster interconnect for low-latency transactional workloads
• GPGPU cluster fabric for accelerated computing environments
• Departmental InfiniBand fabric deployments
• Dual-switch high-availability rack configurations using side-by-side mounting
• Scale-out data center fabric for FDR/FDR-10 InfiniBand environments

• High 56Gb/s per-port InfiniBand bandwidth
• Non-blocking 1.3Tb/s aggregate switching capacity
• Low-latency design for performance-sensitive clusters
• Space-saving 1U half-width form factor
• Simplified maintenance with no FRUs
• Flexible I/O via VPI support

• Form Factor: 1U, half-width, short-depth chassis
• Weight: Approximately 12 lbs (per third-party distributor listing)
• Mounting: 19-inch rack mount; rail kit sold separately
• Airflow Design: Connector-side airflow in or out configuration

Per available documentation, this product is validated for:

• Mellanox ConnectX InfiniBand host channel adapters
• FDR InfiniBand fabric environments
• FDR-10 InfiniBand link speed environments (backward compatible)
• QDR InfiniBand (backward compatible at reduced speed)
• DDR InfiniBand (backward compatible at reduced speed)
• Mellanox Unified Fabric Manager (UFM) software
• OpenFabrics/OpenSM subnet manager software
• Mellanox rail mounting kit (MSX60-DKIT) for rack installation

Note: Some features such as 56GbE Ethernet gateway operation require an additional Mellanox license (e.g., UPGR-6012F-GW), and a rail kit must be purchased separately as it is not included with the switch.

• SX6012 switch unit (Dell part 0YC5N8/YC5N8)
• Power supply unit(s) (AC, quantity depending on configuration)

Q: What product does the Dell part number YC5N8 correspond to?

A: YC5N8 (also listed as 0YC5N8) is a Dell part number for a Mellanox SX6012 SwitchX-2 based FDR InfiniBand switch, confirmed by multiple distributor listings including hardwarestorm.com and switchparts.com.

Q: How many ports does the SX6012 switch have?

A: The SX6012 provides 12 QSFP+ ports, each capable of delivering up to 56Gb/s FDR InfiniBand bandwidth, as documented in the Mellanox product brief.

Q: What is the switching capacity of this device?

A: The SX6012 switch system provides the highest performing fabric solution in a 1U half-width form factor by delivering up to 1.3Tb/s of non-blocking bandwidth.

Q: Is this switch managed or unmanaged?

A: Per Dell's product listing, the SX6012 configuration referenced by this part number is a managed switch with onboard subnet management supporting up to 648 nodes.

Q: What is the typical port-to-port latency of the SX6012?

A: Documentation from Mellanox indicates port-to-port latency figures ranging between approximately 170ns and 200ns depending on the specific datasheet revision.

Q: Is this product still available for purchase from Dell?

A: Dell's own product page for Mellanox InfiniBand FDR Switches notes that this item is not available anymore for purchase online and recommends a replacement product.

Q: Does the switch require additional hardware for rack mounting?

A: Yes, per the Mellanox product brief, a rail mounting kit must be purchased separately, and it also enables two SX6012 switches to be mounted side-by-side in the same 1U rack space.

Q: What protocols and features does the SX6012 support?

A: The switch supports Virtual Protocol Interconnect (VPI) to simplify data center I/O design, enabling standard networking, clustering, and storage protocols to operate over a converged network.