Data Communication

Nowadays, data center managers are looking for cost-effective methods to provide more bandwidth, while reducing power consumption and supporting scalability. To meet these requirements, SFP+ direct attach copper cable is available on the market. This passage will focus on SFP+ direct attach copper cable and the content is divided into five parts. Now, let’s move on to the first part: Overview of SFP+ DAC.

SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cable, also known as Twinax Cable, is a high speed copper directly connected with two SFP+ housings on either end. This kind of cable is designed as a cost-effective and lower-power alternative to optical modules for short reach links in high-speed interconnect applications such as high-performance computing (HPC), enterprise networking including top-of-rack switching and network storage markets. In addition, SFP+ direct attach copper cable is a popular choice for 10G Ethernet with cable length up to 10 meters due to low latency and low cost. Here is a figure of SFP+ direct attach copper cable.

SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cable assemblies generally have two types which are Passive and Active versions.

Passive SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cable is mainly just a straight "wire" and the connectors contains few components. It has higher reliability and can offer high-speed connectivity between active equipment with SFP+ ports. The passive SFP+ direct attach cables are compatible with hubs, switches, routers, servers, and network interface cards (NICs) from leading electronics manufacturers like Cisco, Juniper, etc. And SFP+ passive copper cable is much less expensive but requires the host to do the work of driving it properly.

Active SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cable contains low power circuitry in the connectors to enhance signal integrity and can be driven from the port without additional power requirements. The active version provides a low cost alternative to optical transceivers, and is generally used for end of row (EoR) or middle of row (MoR) data center architectures for interconnect distance up to 15 meters.

One of SFP+ direct attach cable’s major applications includes Brocade, Arista, Cisco and others' network hardware with SFP+ interfaces. Also, SFP+ direct attach cable is commonly used for higher density networking equipment, Fiber Channel SAN and NAS input/output connections. Being able to provide enhanced scalability and flexibility, SFP+ direct attach cable is becoming increasingly popular for short distance top-of-rack (ToR) and middle-of-row (MoR) Data Center deployments. What’s more, SFP+ direct attach cable can be found in the applications of telecommunication equipment, data center cabling infrastructure, enterprise storage, InfiniBand SDR, DDR, and QDR, Ethernet 1G and 10G, Fiber Channel 8G and 10G, FCoE 10G, Networking, Storage, and hubs, switches, routers, servers, and NICs.

• For overhead cable routing, place the switches near the top of the racks.
• For under floor cable routing, place the switches near the bottom of the racks.
• Do not route SFP+ Cable Assemblies parallel to power cables, they should only cross at right angles.
• Do not route cables in front of fans or air ventilation areas of the rack.
• Do not kink cables.
• Do not twist connectors.
• To help manage the weight of bundled cable and ensure they do not bend over time, a cable manager or strain relief bar should be installed to support SFP+ Copper Cable Assemblies and help keep cables routed clear.

As the optimal solution for short reach 10G interconnects for high density in-rack and rack to rack equipment in data centers and wiring closets, SFP+ direct attach cable becomes more and more popular with data center managers. And I hope this passage can help you have a better understanding of the cost-effective fiber optic patch cable.