NVIDIA 1.6 Tbps Networking Arrives in Linux 6.19 Kernel via Mellanox MLX5
NVIDIA is preparing a series of patches for inclusion in the Linux 6.19 kernel, paving the way for 1.6-terabit-per-second networking on NVIDIA-Mellanox adapters.
Last week, a patch was merged into the RDMA for-next branch, adding support for a 1600-Gbps link mode to the NVIDIA-Mellanox MLX5 driver. This mode utilizes eight lanes, each operating at 200 Gbps.
In parallel, a set of changes was merged this week into the net-next branch of the networking subsystem, introducing 1600-Gbps / 1.6-Tbps support within Mellanox code and implementing accompanying adjustments. NVIDIA’s patches extend ethtool to properly display the new mode, update the Mellanox MLX5E driver so it can advertise and handle a 1600-Gbps link over eight 200-Gbps lanes, and revise the 802.3ad link aggregation implementation to accommodate and effectively use such ultra-high-speed connections.
With these updates, Linux 6.19 will enable ethtool to correctly manage 1600-Gbps modes and MLX5-series devices. The patch series notes that NVIDIA is currently validating link initialization on simulated MLX5 hardware — an expected step, given the company’s months-long push to bring 1.6-Tbps networking to AI-driven data-center workloads and other next-generation applications.
The patches enabling 1.6-Tbps networking are now present in the various -next trees and are expected to land in the mainline Linux 6.19 kernel once the merge window opens in early December. The stable release of Linux 6.19 is anticipated in February.
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