Appendix C: Qsfp Cable; Figure 55: Qsfp Connector-Dimensions - Mellanox Technologies Grid Director 4036 Installation Manual

Appendix C:
QSFP (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable) Key Features:

Small size, high density, hot-pluggable connector with four transmit and four receive
channels

Supports both types of cables:

Copper active or passive cable.

Copper passive cable is equipped with two simple passive connectors and a standard
copper cable.

Copper active cable equipped with an active device to optimize signal quality.

Fibre optic cable delivered as either:

Fibre cable with two separate modules

Active optic cable where cable and optic adaptors are delivered as a single unit
(permanently attached cable)

Data rate: 2.5 Gbps (SDR), 5 Gbps (DDR), and up to 10 Gbps (QDR) per channel

QSFP optic modules use standard MPO parallel 12-fibre jacketed ribbon optical connector

Provide manageability, discovery, and identification capability, such as vendor
identification, module part number, serial number, cable type, using low-speed two-wire
(I2C) interface

Active cables: Integrates digital diagnostic capability to monitor link performance

Latching mechanism

Mechanical Dimensions, as shown:

Figure 55: QSFP Connector-Dimensions

Overview
Each of the 4036/2036 ports on the switch is equipped with a transmit and receive circuit that
can adjust to fit different types of link characteristics and either optical or copper cables.
The QSFP cables, shown previously, transmit and receive up to 10 Gbps per channel (total:
up to 40 Gbps per port) over a single active/passive optical or copper cable, Passive copper
cables do not consume any additional power while active copper and optic cables consume up
to 1.5 Watt.
66
QSFP Cable
NOTE: QSFP to CX4 cables are available to connect 4036/2036 equipped with QSFP
with legacy DDR/SDR systems equipped with CX4 connectors.
Troubleshooting