Refurbished IBM passive copper QSFP cable for FDR InfiniBand and VPI fabrics — the 90Y3576 is an IBM-branded 3-meter passive copper Direct Attach Cable (DAC) with QSFP connectors on both ends, rated for up to 56Gb/s FDR InfiniBand and VPI Ethernet/IB. MPN: 90Y3576. This product IS a passive copper QSFP-to-QSFP DAC; it is NOT an active optical cable (AOC), NOT a transceiver with detachable patch cord, NOT a QSFP-to-CX4 hybrid. OEM: IBM (manufactured by Mellanox). Condition: refurbished.
Engineering Context
The 90Y3576 is built around 4 lanes of high-speed serial copper, each lane supporting up to 14.0625Gb/s NRZ for 56Gb/s aggregate FDR throughput. Passive copper requires no power at the cable assembly itself, with all signal conditioning handled by the host SerDes. Insertion loss at 3m is well within FDR-class budgets, supporting BER targets of less than 1E-15 with Forward Error Correction enabled on the link. Latency is sub-microsecond, lower than any AOC or transceiver-based path. The cable carries the IBM FRU 90Y3576 part number and is electrically equivalent to the Mellanox MC2207130-003.
Deployment & Use Cases
Top-of-Rack to server connectivity in IBM/Lenovo System x and Flex System chassis with Mellanox ConnectX-3 or ConnectX-3 Pro VPI HCAs. Switch-to-server links inside Mellanox SwitchX SX6036, SX6025, SX6005, and SX6512 FDR InfiniBand switches. HPC clusters with MPI traffic, RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) workloads, parallel filesystems such as Lustre and GPFS, and NVMe-oF lab deployments. Suitable for in-rack runs where reach does not exceed 3 meters.
Technical Specifications
OEM: IBM (Mellanox manufactured)
IBM FRU / Part Number: 90Y3576
Form Factor: QSFP to QSFP (Point-to-Point)
Data Rate: Up to 56Gb/s FDR (4x 14.0625Gb/s); also 40Gb/s QDR, 10/40GbE
Cable Type: Passive Copper DAC (no power required)
Length: 3 meters
Protocol: InfiniBand FDR/QDR, Ethernet 10/40GbE (VPI)
BER Target: <1E-15 with FEC
Latency: Sub-microsecond (passive copper)
Condition: Refurbished — Tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Compatibility & Constraints
Compatible with Mellanox SwitchX SX6xxx FDR InfiniBand and VPI switches, Mellanox ConnectX-3 and ConnectX-3 Pro VPI adapters, IBM/Lenovo System x and Flex System nodes that ship the 90Y3576 FRU. NOT compatible with QSFP28 100GbE-only ports without VPI mode. NOT compatible with CX4 ports — this is QSFP-to-QSFP, NOT a hybrid cable. NOT an active optical cable, so reach is limited to 3 meters. Fixed 3m length, no breakout support.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the Data Rate of the 90Y3576?
The data rate of the 90Y3576 is 56Gb/s.
Q. Is the 90Y3576 supplied new or refurbished, and who supplies it?
The 90Y3576 is supplied refurbished by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS, lab-tested before dispatch and shipped from EU stock with 1-3 business day handling. Full listing and current pricing at tes-itsolutions.com.

Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS tests all DAC cables for continuity, signal integrity, and connector latch condition prior to dispatch. Lab-verified stock, 1–3 business day handling, global shipping. Technical consultation available for InfiniBand FDR and VPI fabric design. Visit tes-itsolutions.com.