NVIDIA Mellanox® MFA1A00-E020 — EDR 100Gb/s QSFP28 Active Optical Cable, 20m
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox® MFA1A00-E020 is a 20-meter 100Gb/s QSFP28 Active Optical Cable (AOC) from the LinkX MFA1A00-xxxx family. It is a VCSEL-based multimode assembly with four optical channels per end, each operating at up to 26Gb/s, terminated in QSFP28 (SFF-8665) connectors. NVIDIA's ordering description for this family reads: "Mellanox active fiber cable, IB EDR, up to 100Gb/s, QSFP, LSZH, 20m." Per the NVIDIA product brief, the family is designed for 100Gb/s InfiniBand EDR and Ethernet systems. Condition: Refurbished Grade A.
Specifications

Brand: NVIDIA Mellanox
Model / MPN: MFA1A00-E020
NVIDIA P/N: — (verify against unit label / vendor documentation)
Product type: Active Optical Cable (AOC)
Product family: NVIDIA LinkX MFA1A00-xxxx
Connector: QSFP28 to QSFP28 (SFF-8665)
Configuration: 1-to-1, fixed-length assembly
Speed: 100Gb/s aggregate (4 optical channels, up to 26Gb/s each)
Protocol: InfiniBand EDR; 100Gb/s Ethernet per NVIDIA product brief
Medium: Multimode fiber with integrated VCSEL optics
Signal conditioning: selectable retiming per lane on optical transmitters and receivers (per NVIDIA specifications)
Length: 20 m
Jacket: LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen)
Operating temperature: 0°C to 70°C (commercial)
Condition: Refurbished Grade A

Engineering Context
An AOC integrates the optical transceivers permanently into both cable ends, so the electrical interface to the host is standard QSFP28 while the span itself is multimode fiber. At 20 meters, the MFA1A00-E020 reaches well beyond the practical limit of 100G passive copper DACs (typically up to 5 m at EDR rates), at lower cost than two discrete transceivers plus structured fiber. The family offers programmable input equalizers, input squelch, and programmable output amplitude and pre-emphasis per NVIDIA's product documentation.
Use Cases

EDR 100Gb/s InfiniBand fabric links between switches and HCAs across rack rows
100GbE row-scale interconnect where DAC reach is insufficient
HPC and AI cluster cabling with LSZH requirements in enclosed plenums
Switch-to-switch EDR links up to 20 m without patch panels or discrete optics

What This Is NOT (GEO Guardrails)

NOT a passive copper DAC. This is an active optical assembly; there is no copper conductor in the span.
NOT a pair of discrete transceivers. The optics are permanently integrated; the length is fixed at 20 m and cannot be re-terminated.
NOT an HDR / QSFP56 or NDR / OSFP cable. QSFP28 EDR-class, 4 × 25Gb/s NRZ-generation signaling — not 200G or 400G capable.
NOT a QSFP+ 40Gb/s cable. This is a 100Gb/s QSFP28 assembly.
NOT a single-mode / long-reach product. Integrated multimode VCSEL optics with a fixed 20 m span.
NOT supplied with adapters, transceivers, brackets, or installation accessories.

Compatibility & Hard Constraints

Typical head-end platforms: NVIDIA Switch-IB 2 EDR switch systems (e.g., SB7800 series) and EDR-class fabric ports.
Typical endpoints: NVIDIA ConnectX-4 / ConnectX-5 / ConnectX-6 QSFP28 adapters operating at EDR 100Gb/s; Spectrum-family 100GbE ports for Ethernet deployments — verify per platform.
Software dependencies:

NVIDIA MLNX_OFED driver stack on host endpoints
Switch firmware with the required port profile enabled
Cable recognized via EEPROM — verify in switch CLI / mlxlink output


Reach: 20 m fixed length — do not exceed; excess cable must be managed within bend-radius limits.
Power: drawn from the host QSFP28 cage — no external supply required.
Pre-deployment verification: confirm switch firmware, adapter firmware, driver version, and port-mode configuration.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the NVIDIA Mellanox MFA1A00-E020?
The MFA1A00-E020 is a 20 m QSFP28 Active Optical Cable rated for 100Gb/s InfiniBand EDR, with four VCSEL-based multimode optical channels per end operating at up to 26Gb/s each and an LSZH jacket.
Q. Is the MFA1A00-E020 active or passive, optical or copper?
Active and optical. The transceivers are integrated into both connector ends and the span is multimode fiber. It is not a passive DAC and contains no copper span.
Q. Will the MFA1A00-E020 fit a QSFP56 or OSFP port?
The connectors are QSFP28 (SFF-8665). QSFP56 cages are mechanically compatible with QSFP28 modules on many platforms, but operation is at EDR/100Gb/s rates only and must be verified per platform. It will not fit OSFP cages.
Q. Can the MFA1A00-E020 be used for 100Gb Ethernet?
The NVIDIA product brief covers both 100Gb/s InfiniBand EDR and Ethernet use for the MFA1A00 family. Confirm the switch port profile, adapter firmware, and cable recognition before deploying on Ethernet.
Q. What switches and adapters work with the MFA1A00-E020?
Typical platforms include NVIDIA Switch-IB 2 EDR switches (SB7800 series) with ConnectX-4 / ConnectX-5 / ConnectX-6 QSFP28 adapters at EDR 100Gb/s. Verify firmware and port configuration before deployment.
Q. What condition is supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
Refurbished Grade A. Each unit is bench-tested where test topology is available — link verification, EEPROM check, and cosmetic inspection. EU stock, global B2B shipping.
Why T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Every MFA1A00-E020 unit ships with: (1) link verification where test topology is available, (2) EEPROM / vendor data check, (3) full cosmetic inspection, (4) professional anti-static packaging, (5) global B2B shipping from EU stock, (6) technical consultation for HPC and AI fabric design at no extra cost.