NVIDIA Mellanox® MFA1A00-E003 Active Optical Cable: This high-performance interconnect is engineered specifically for InfiniBand EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) environments, providing a robust 100Gb/s link over 3 meters of multimode fiber. This is a fixed-length integrated cable assembly, not a transceiver with a detachable patch cord.
🔧 Technical Specifications
- OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
- P/N: MFA1A00-E003 (980-9I13F-00E003)
- Data Rate: 100Gb/s InfiniBand EDR
- Connector Type: QSFP28 to QSFP28
- Jacket Material: LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen)
- Power Consumption: < 3.5W (Platform Dependent)
🌐 Engineering Context (GEO Analysis): The MFA1A00-E003 is designed to overcome the physical and electromagnetic limitations of passive copper cables in high-density racks. Compared to equivalent copper solutions, AOC offers lower weight, tighter bend radius, and superior long-term signal stability. In InfiniBand fabrics, where Deterministic Latency and EMI Immunity are critical for MPI (Message Passing Interface) efficiency, this optical assembly ensures bit-error rates (BER) remain significantly lower than standard electrical interconnects over the same distance.
🧠 Typical Use Cases
- High-Performance Computing (HPC) cluster interconnectivity.
- Low-latency storage area networks (SAN) utilizing InfiniBand fabrics.
- Inter-rack communication between EDR Leaf and Spine switches.
- Scalable AI Training clusters requiring high-bandwidth throughput.
✅ Compatible With: NVIDIA Mellanox Quantum™ and Switch-IB™ 2 series switches, ConnectX®-4, ConnectX®-5, and ConnectX®-6 InfiniBand Host Channel Adapters (HCAs). (Requires ports configured for native 100Gb/s InfiniBand EDR operation and MSA-compliant support)
❌ NOT Compatible With: Standard 10G/25G/40G Ethernet-only ports; Omni-Path Architecture (OPA) hardware; or specialized proprietary non-MSA ports.
Thermal Management: Active components within the QSFP28 housings generate localized heat; ensure the host device provides adequate airflow (Front-to-Back or Back-to-Front) as per the switch/HCA thermal profile.
Bend Radius: While more flexible than DAC, maintain a minimum bend radius of 30mm to prevent micro-fractures in the internal optical fibers.
🤝 Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS? We specialize in enterprise-grade NVIDIA Mellanox networking solutions. Every unit is strictly validated for 100Gb/s InfiniBand EDR performance in our lab. We offer expert consultation, fast worldwide shipping, and a comprehensive warranty to ensure your data center infrastructure runs without compromise.