NVIDIA Mellanox MCP1600-E02A QSFP28 EDR Passive Copper Cable, 2.5m, Lot of 5: This is a 2.5-meter QSFP28-to-QSFP28 passive copper Direct Attach Cable (DAC) engineered for InfiniBand EDR fabrics at 100Gb/s aggregate (4x 25Gb/s NRZ). This is a passive copper assembly with integrated EEPROM, not an active optical cable or a transceiver-plus-patch-cord pairing. The MCP1600-E02A draws zero link power from the host port. This listing is for five (5) refurbished units.
Engineering Context
At 2.5 meters, the MCP1600-E02A sits in the sweet spot for intra-rack and adjacent-rack EDR connectivity, where copper remains the most cost-effective and lowest-latency option. Passive copper carries no powered SerDes; signal integrity is preserved end-to-end via shielded twin-axial pairs. The QSFP28 connectors are mechanically backward-compatible with QSFP+ host cages, with the link auto-negotiating to the lowest common rate (FDR/QDR). An integrated EEPROM exposes cable identity and length per SFF-8636 so the host can validate the link. Power draw on each end is 0 W.
Deployment & Use Cases
InfiniBand EDR HPC clusters built on NVIDIA Quantum (QM87xx) or Switch-IB 2 (SB78xx) switches. ConnectX-4, ConnectX-5, and ConnectX-6 host-adapter to top-of-rack switch links inside a single rack. Storage cluster interconnect for NVMe-oF over InfiniBand within tight rack geometries. RDMA-heavy workloads (MPI, NCCL, GPUDirect) where the lower latency of passive copper versus AOC matters at sub-3 m runs.
Technical Specifications
- OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
- Part Number: MCP1600-E02A
- Form Factor: QSFP28 to QSFP28
- Data Rate: EDR InfiniBand 100Gb/s (4x 25Gb/s NRZ)
- Cable Type: Passive Copper Direct Attach (DAC)
- Length: 2.5 m
- Jacket: LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen)
- Power Draw: 0 W (passive)
- Identity EEPROM: SFF-8636 compliant
- Condition: Refurbished — tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
- Quantity: Lot of 5 cables
Compatibility & Hard Constraints
Compatible with NVIDIA Quantum and Switch-IB 2 EDR switches and ConnectX-4 / ConnectX-5 / ConnectX-6 host adapters. Backward-compatible with FDR and QDR ports via auto-negotiation, but full 100Gb/s requires EDR-capable ports on both ends. Not compatible with 100GbE Ethernet ports unless the switch supports VPI (Virtual Protocol Interconnect) and the port is explicitly configured for Ethernet — verify with your switch firmware. This is not a breakout cable; QSFP28-to-QSFP28 only, fixed 2.5 m. Passive construction means it will not extend beyond the EDR passive copper distance budget (typically up to 3 m).
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS tests every passive copper cable for continuity, EEPROM integrity, and connector condition before shipment. We provide expert consultation on InfiniBand EDR fabric design, global shipping with 1–3 day handling, and a comprehensive warranty. Visit www.tes-itsolutions.com for our full networking portfolio.