NVIDIA Mellanox MFA1A00-E005 InfiniBand EDR 100Gb/s QSFP28 Active Optical Cable, 5m LSZH: This is a 5-meter active optical cable (AOC) engineered for InfiniBand EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) at 100Gb/s. The cable is QSFP28-to-QSFP28 with a Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH) jacket. This is NOT a passive copper DAC, NOT an Ethernet-tuned AOC (use the MFA1A00-Cxxx series for 100GbE), and NOT a breakout cable.
Engineering Context: The MFA1A00-E005 carries 4x25Gb/s NRZ lanes encoded for InfiniBand EDR per the IBTA specification, with maximum power consumption of 3.5W per QSFP28 end. The integrated VCSEL transceivers are factory-coupled to the multi-mode fiber, eliminating connector cleaning issues. EEPROM identity is set for InfiniBand EDR, ensuring firmware-validated link bring-up on Mellanox HCAs and switches. At 5m, the AOC weight and bend radius are significantly better than equivalent passive copper.
Deployment & Use Cases: Compute-node to leaf-switch links in HPC clusters running MPI, GPU-to-switch links for NVIDIA DGX and HGX systems with ConnectX-5/6 HCAs, intra-rack and adjacent-rack EDR fabric for AI/ML training jobs, NVMe-over-Fabrics over InfiniBand storage front-ends, and Lustre/GPFS parallel filesystem clients.
Model: MFA1A00-E005 (NVIDIA P/N: 980-9I13J-00E005)
Data Rate: InfiniBand EDR 100Gb/s (4x25Gb/s NRZ)
Connectors: QSFP28 to QSFP28
Cable Type: Active Optical Cable (AOC), point-to-point
Length: 5 meters
Fiber: Multi-mode (OM3/OM4 equivalent), VCSEL 850nm
Jacket: LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen)
Power Draw: ≤3.5W per end
Protocol: InfiniBand EDR (IBTA)
Condition: Refurbished
Compatibility & Constraints: Validated with NVIDIA Mellanox Switch-IB 2 (SB7700/SB7800) and Quantum CS7500/QM8700 HDR switches running at EDR rates, plus ConnectX-4/5/6 EDR HCAs. The EEPROM is set for InfiniBand — this cable is NOT recommended for 100GbE Ethernet links; use the MFA1A00-Cxxx series for Ethernet. Fixed-length: cannot be shortened or re-terminated in the field.
Why TES: Functionally tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS engineers prior to shipment. T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS ships within 1–3 business days from European stock with documented testing results.