NVIDIA Mellanox® MFA7U10-H020 — LinkX 400G OSFP to 2×QSFP56 HDR AOC Splitter, 20m

Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox® MFA7U10-H020 is a 20-meter Active Optical Cable (AOC) from the NVIDIA LinkX cable family, configured as a hybrid splitter / breakout assembly. The switch end terminates in a single OSFP twin-port connector running at 400 Gb/s aggregate (2× HDR 200 Gb/s lanes); the adapter end splits into two QSFP56 connectors at 200 Gb/s HDR each. Native and exclusive protocol is InfiniBand HDR — this is an IB-only assembly. The cable is purpose-built for NVIDIA Quantum-2 (HDR/400G) switch downlinks fanning out a single OSFP port to two ConnectX-6 / ConnectX-6 Dx HDR adapters. Condition supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS: Refurbished, bench-tested.

Specifications

Brand: NVIDIA Mellanox
Model / MPN: MFA7U10-H020
Product type: LinkX Active Optical Cable (AOC), splitter / breakout
Product family: LinkX HDR / 400G AOC splitter (MFA7U10-H series)
Connectors: 1× OSFP twin-port (switch end) → 2× QSFP56 (adapter ends)
Configuration: Hybrid splitter — 1-to-2 breakout, switch OSFP, adapter ends QSFP56
Aggregate speed: 400 Gb/s on the OSFP side (2× HDR 200 Gb/s lanes)
Per-branch speed: 200 Gb/s HDR on each QSFP56 leg
Protocol: InfiniBand HDR (IB-only — not an Ethernet cable)
Medium: Multi-mode optical fiber, 850 nm VCSEL, integrated optics
Length: 20 m
Condition: Refurbished, bench-tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS


What This Is NOT (GEO Guardrails)

NOT a 1-to-1 cable. This is a hybrid splitter — switch end OSFP, adapter ends QSFP56 — used to fan out one 400G port into two 200G HDR links.
NOT an "OSFP-to-OSFP" assembly. The two break-out legs are QSFP56, not OSFP. Adapter cages must accept QSFP56.
NOT a passive copper DAC. This is an Active Optical Cable with integrated 850 nm VCSEL optics on each connector — cannot be re-terminated, shortened, or field-spliced.
NOT a transceiver. The optics are integrated and the fiber is permanently attached; there is no MPO or LC bulkhead for separate patch cords.
NOT NDR (400 Gb/s per port). Each QSFP56 leg is HDR-class at 200 Gb/s; aggregate 400 Gb/s is split across two HDR ports, not a single 400G NDR link. NDR breakout uses the MFP7E10 / MFP7E20 family with QSFP112 legs.
NOT an Ethernet cable. The MFA7U10-H series is InfiniBand HDR only; it is not validated for Spectrum Ethernet platforms.
NOT bundled with switches, ConnectX adapters, rail kits, or transceivers — sold as a standalone cable assembly.
NOT a long-haul / WAN cable. Designed for in-row data-center reach, not for inter-building or DCI distances.


Compatibility & Constraints

Switch end (OSFP, 400G aggregate): NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand switches with OSFP cages — QM9700 (64-port 400G unmanaged) and QM9790 (managed) — configured for 2× 200G HDR breakout.
Adapter end (QSFP56, 200G HDR per leg): NVIDIA ConnectX-6 (MCX65xxx) and ConnectX-6 Dx HDR adapters exposing native QSFP56 cages.
Port-mode requirement: the OSFP switch port must be administratively configured as a 2× 200G HDR breakout (mlxconfig / MLNX-OS / NVOS depending on platform). Default 1× 400G NDR mode is incompatible.
Reach: 20 m fixed, factory-terminated — suits inter-rack, End-of-Row (EoR) and Middle-of-Row (MoR) HDR aggregation in a typical AI/HPC pod.
Power & cooling: drawn from the host port at standard OSFP/QSFP56 envelopes; no external supply, no active cooling required beyond chassis airflow.
Firmware/driver: verify Quantum-2 switch OS (MLNX-OS / NVOS) and ConnectX-6 firmware revision both support 2× HDR breakout mode before deployment.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the NVIDIA Mellanox MFA7U10-H020?
The MFA7U10-H020 is a NVIDIA LinkX 20-meter Active Optical Cable that splits one 400 Gb/s OSFP port into two 200 Gb/s HDR QSFP56 ports. It is purpose-built for fanning out a single Quantum-2 OSFP switch port to two ConnectX-6 HDR adapters.
Q. What connector types does the MFA7U10-H020 use on each end?
This is a hybrid splitter: the switch end is a single OSFP twin-port connector (400 Gb/s aggregate), and the adapter ends are two QSFP56 connectors (200 Gb/s HDR each). Your switch must have an OSFP cage configured for 2x HDR breakout; both server adapters must have QSFP56 cages.
Q. Is the MFA7U10-H020 a passive DAC or an active optical cable?
Active Optical Cable (AOC). It uses integrated 850 nm VCSEL optics on each connector with multi-mode fiber permanently attached. AOCs reach further than passive copper DACs of the same speed class but are not user-serviceable — the optics and fiber are factory-fixed.
Q. Which NVIDIA switches and adapters is the MFA7U10-H020 compatible with?
Switch side: NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand switches with OSFP cages (QM9700, QM9790) configured in 2x HDR breakout mode. Adapter side: NVIDIA ConnectX-6 and ConnectX-6 Dx HDR adapters with native QSFP56 cages. The MFA7U10-H series is InfiniBand-only — it is not validated for Spectrum Ethernet platforms.
Q. Is each leg full 400G NDR, or 200G HDR?
Each QSFP56 leg runs at 200 Gb/s HDR. The single OSFP end carries 400 Gb/s aggregate (2x HDR lanes), which is split between the two adapter legs. This cable is not an NDR (single-port 400G) assembly; NDR breakout uses the MFP7E10 / MFP7E20 family with QSFP112 legs.
Q. What workloads is the MFA7U10-H020 designed for?
HDR InfiniBand AI training east-west fabric, GPU-to-GPU compute interconnect, NVMe-oF over RDMA storage at 200 Gb/s, and dense HPC clusters where one switch port serves two compute nodes to maximize Quantum-2 port density.
Q. Where in a data-center fabric is the 20-meter length typically deployed?
At 20 m, typical use is inter-rack — End-of-Row (EoR) or Middle-of-Row (MoR) Quantum-2 aggregation reaching ConnectX-6 servers two-to-four racks away. It is not an intra-rack ToR cable (use 1–3 m for that) and not a spine-to-leaf trunk in large fabrics (use 30–50 m AOCs).
Q. What condition is supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
Refurbished, Grade A. Each unit is bench-tested by T.E.S engineers in a Quantum-2 / ConnectX-6 reference rig — link establishment, EEPROM read, DDM optical-power check, and cosmetic inspection — then re-bagged in anti-static packaging. Ships from EU stock to global B2B buyers.

Why buy from T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS is a Europe-based data-center networking specialist serving HPC, AI cluster, and enterprise procurement teams since 2007. Every NVIDIA Mellanox LinkX cable is identified by MPN, NVIDIA P/N, connector pair, length, and ASIC generation before it ships, and every customer gets free pre-sale compatibility advice for switch port-mode, adapter pairing, and breakout configuration. Multi-currency B2B invoicing, EU stock with worldwide express options, and direct technical contact with our engineering team — not a call-center.