Overview of SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cable

SFP+ direct attach copper cable assembly is a high speed and cost-effective alternative to fiber optic cables in 10G Ethernet applications. 10g copper SFP is suitable for short distances, and ideal for highly cost-effective networking connectivity within a rack and between adjacent racks. It enables hardware OEMs and data center operators to achieve high port density and configurability at a low cost and reduced power requirement. SFP+ direct attach copper cable has been a good solution. This post will provide you with some basic information about SFP+ direct attach copper cable.

 

Introduction

SFP+ direct attach copper cable, also known as twinax cable, is an SFP+ cable assembly used in rack connections between servers and switches. It consists of a high speed copper cable and two SFP+ copper modules. SFP+ copper modules allow hardware manufactures to achieve high port density, configurability and utilization at a very low cost and reduced power budget. SFP+ copper cable assemblies meet the industry MSA for signal integrity performance. The cables are hot-removable and hot-insertable, which means that you can remove and replace them without powering off the switch or disrupting switch functions. A cable comprises a low-voltage cable assembly that connects directly into two SFP+ ports, one at each end of the cable. The cables use high-performance integrated duplex serial data links for bidirectional communication and are designed for data rates of up to 10 Gbps. The following picture shows a Cisco SFP-H10GB-ACU7M compatible 10G SFP+ direct attach copper twinax cable.

 

Cisco SFP-H10GB-ACU7M Compatible SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Twinax Cable

 

Types of SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cables

Generally, SFP+ direct attach copper cable assemblies have two types, SFP+ active direct attach copper cable and SFP+ passive direct attach copper cable.

 

SFP+ Active Copper Cable: SFP+ active direct attach copper cable assemblies contain low power circuitry in the connector to boost the signal and are driven from the port without additional power requirements. The active version provides a low cost alternative to optical transceivers, and are generally used for end of row or middle of row data center architectures for interconnect distances of up to 15 meters.

 

SFP+ Passive Copper Cable: SFP+ passive direct attach copper cable assemblies offer high-speed connectivity between active equipment with SFP+ ports. The passive assemblies are compatible with hubs, switches, routers, servers, and network interface cards (NICs) from leading electronics manufacturers like Cisco, Juniper, etc.

 

Applications of SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cables

Serial data transmission

Network Interface Cards (NICs)

Data center cabling infrastructure

Fibre Channel over Ethernet: 1, 2, 4 and 8G

10Gb Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet (IEEE802.3ae)

High density connections between networking equipment

High capacity I/O in storage area networks, and storage servers

InfiniBand standard SDR (2.5Gbps), DDR (5Gbps) and QDR (10Gbps)

Switched fabric I/O such as ultra high bandwidth switches and routers

 

FAQs of SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cables

1. Whether active or passive cable assemblies are required?

 

Active cable assemblies have signal amplification and equalization built into the assembly. They are typically used in host systems that do not employ EDC. Passive cables have no signal amplification in the assembly and rely on host system Electronic Dispersion Compensation (EDC) for signal amplification/equalization.

 

2. What are the performance requirements for the cable assembly?

 

Both SFP+ active and passive copper cable assemblies should meet the signal integrity requirements defined by the industry MSA SFF-8431.

 

3. What cable length and wire gauge are required?

 

Cable length and wire gauge are related to the performance characteristics of the cable assembly. Longer cable lengths require heavier wire gauge, while shorter cable lengths can utilize a smaller gauge cable. Smaller wire gauges results in reduced weight, improved airflow and a more flexible cable for ease of routing.

 

4. Are there any special customer requirements?

 

Examples of special customer requirements include: custom cable lengths, EEPROM programming, labeling and packaging, pull tab length and color, company logo, signal output de-emphasis, and signal output amplitude. You can order custom cables to your specific system architecture.

 

Conclusion

fiber-mart.com SFP+ twinax copper cables are available with custom version and brand compatible versions. All of them are 100% compatible with major brands like Cisco, HP, Juniper, Enterasys, Extreme, H3C and so on. Both passive twinax cables in lengths of 1, 3 and 5 meters, and active twinax cables in lengths of 7 and 10 meters are available. And the lengths can be customized up to the your requirements. You can get high quality compatible SFP+ cables and worldwide delivery from fiber-mart.com.