PRODUCT BRIEF
Intel® Ethernet QSFP+ Cables
Network Connectivity
Intel® Ethernet QSFP+ Cables
QSFP+ Passive Copper Cables for Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapters
Key Features
•Zinc die-cast SFP+ and QSFP+ connec-
tors with pull-to-release latching
•1m (3.3 ft), 3m (9.8 ft), and 5m (16.4
ft) QSFP+ 40GbE direct attach passive
copper cables
•Low cross-talk and pair-to-pair skew
maintains signal integrity
•QSFP+ Direct Attach cables offer a
highly cost effective way to connect
within racks and across adjacent racks
•3x the port density of standard SFP+
product – saves rack space and power
•Fully compatible with Intel® Ethernet
Converged Network Adapters
•Reduced power budget and lower port
cost compared to optical solutions
•Supports 10-Gigabit Ethernet and
802.3ba 40-Gigabit Ethernet standards
•Conforms to environmental stan-
dards as described in the Product
Environment Content Report
•QSFP+ MSA (Multi-Source-Agreement)
compliant
•One year warranty
•QSFP+ to QSFP+ 30 AWG SFF-8436
compliant cable and connector design
Overview
Intel offers Intel® Ethernet QSFP+ passive
copper cables for customers who would
like to deploy Intel® Ethernet Converged
Network Adapters with a QSFP+ direct
attach cable. Intel® Ethernet Converged
Network Adapters with QSFP+ connectiv-
ity deliver proven, reliable solutions for
deployments of high density Ethernet
for unified 10GbE network connections.
These QSFP+ adapters use the latest PCI
Express* v3.0 bus technology for maxi-
mum bandwidth and address the increas-
ing capability of the latest Intel® Xeon*
processor E5/E7 based platforms.
Intel® Ethernet QSFP+ Breakout Cables
offer IT professionals a cost-effective
interconnect solution for merging 40GbE
QSFP+ and 10GbE SFP+ adapters, switch-
es, and servers. Each cable features a
single QSFP+ connector (SFF-8436) rated
for 40-Gbps on one and (4) SFP+ connec-
tors (SFF-8431), each rated for 10-Gbps,
on the other. This cable type allows cus-
tomers to bridge the gap between 10GbE
and 40GbE cables, switches and adapters,
and economically links a QSFP+ port with
an upstream 10GbE SFP+ switch.
bandwidth application requirements such
as content distribution, high-end virtu-
alization using multiple CPUs, network
appliances, and Applications Delivery
Controllers (ACD) used for content cach-
ing, load balancing, and compression. To
ensure maximum flexibility, Intel supports
the ability to use any combination of Intel®
Ethernet QSFP+ Optic, Intel® Ethernet
QSFP+ Twinaxial Cable, or Intel® Ethernet
QSFP+ Breakout Cable.
This enables customers to create the
configuration that best meets the needs
of their data center environment, while
ensuring compatibility between adapter
and accessories.
Intel® Ethernet QSFP+ Cables provide a
high density, high bandwidth solution
at low cost and reduced power budget.
Available in 1 meter, 3 meter, and 5
meter lengths, both cable types are fully
compliant with MSA standards. Custom-
ers can move efficiently to 40GbE for high
Intel® Ethernet QSFP+ Twinaxial Cables
are 40GBASE-CR4 802.3ba qualified pas-
sive copper cables that provide next gen-
eration performance by combining four
10Gb/s SFP+ channels into one affordable
high-density QSFP+ package.