mcli

View documentation for the original command

$ tldr mc.cli

mcli <command> [<options>] [<arguments>]

The mcli command acts as a dispatcher for various subcommands, each with its own set of specific options and arguments.

query
    Used to retrieve detailed information about Mellanox devices, their drivers, capabilities, and current operational states. For example, mcli query device or mcli query firmware.

config
    Allows modification of various configuration settings for Mellanox network adapters and their associated drivers. Examples include setting port speeds, VFs, or other hardware parameters.

fw
    Dedicated to firmware management tasks, including querying the current firmware version of a device (mcli fw query) and performing firmware updates (mcli fw update).

diag
    Provides diagnostic capabilities to test the functionality and health of Mellanox devices and drivers, helping to identify and troubleshoot potential issues.

help
    Displays general help for the mcli utility or specific help for a subcommand when followed by the subcommand name (e.g., mcli help query).

version
    Outputs the version information of the mcli command-line utility itself.

The mcli command is the Mellanox Command Line Interface, a crucial utility for managing and configuring Mellanox (now NVIDIA) InfiniBand and Ethernet network adapters. It is typically distributed as part of the MLNX_OFED (Mellanox OpenFabrics Enterprise Distribution) or MLNX_EN (Mellanox Ethernet) driver packages. mcli provides a comprehensive set of tools for tasks such as querying device status and capabilities, modifying hardware and software configurations, managing firmware versions, and performing diagnostic checks. It allows administrators to fine-tune network performance, troubleshoot issues, and maintain the operational integrity of Mellanox-based networking infrastructure directly from the command line.

mcli is a proprietary utility specific to Mellanox (NVIDIA Networking) hardware and requires the installation of the MLNX_OFED or MLNX_EN driver packages. It is not a standard part of most Linux distributions and will not be available without the specific vendor driver installation. Functionality depends entirely on the presence and proper configuration of Mellanox network adapters.

The mcli command relies on the presence of Mellanox/NVIDIA network adapters and the corresponding MLNX_OFED (Mellanox OpenFabrics Enterprise Distribution) or MLNX_EN (Mellanox Ethernet) driver packages. These drivers must be correctly installed and loaded for mcli to function.

The mcli utility was developed by Mellanox Technologies as a core component of their network adapter software stack. Following NVIDIA's acquisition of Mellanox in 2020, mcli continues to be maintained and evolved as part of the NVIDIA Networking software offerings, supporting their ConnectX series of InfiniBand and Ethernet adapters.

ibv_devinfo(1), ofed_info(8), mstflint(8), ethtool(8)