NVIDIA Mellanox MFS1S00-H050V — 200Gb HDR / 200GbE QSFP56 Active Optical Cable, 50m
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox MFS1S00-H050V is a 50-metre LinkX Active Optical Cable assembly engineered for 200Gb HDR InfiniBand and 200GbE Ethernet fabrics. The "V" suffix in the part number denotes VPI dual-protocol capability — the same physical cable operates as HDR InfiniBand or 200GbE Ethernet depending on the port mode of the attached switch and adapter. Both ends terminate in QSFP56 housings with integrated 850 nm VCSEL multi-mode optical engines, active retiming for clean signal regeneration, and EEPROM-based vendor identification readable via I²C. NVIDIA P/N: MFS1S00-H050V (LinkX family). This unit is supplied in refurbished condition, bench-tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS prior to shipping.
Specifications

Brand: NVIDIA Mellanox
Model / MPN: MFS1S00-H050V
Product type: Active Optical Cable (AOC), fixed-length assembly
Product family: NVIDIA Mellanox LinkX AOC
Connectors: QSFP56 on both ends
Configuration: 1-to-1 cable assembly (no splitter / breakout)
Speed: 200Gb/s (4 × 50G PAM4)
Length: 50m
Protocol: VPI dual-protocol — HDR InfiniBand (200Gb) or 200GbE Ethernet
Medium: Active optical, multi-mode fiber with integrated 850 nm VCSEL optics and active retiming on each end
Diagnostics: DDM (Digital Diagnostic Monitoring) — temperature, voltage, optical power via I²C
Compliance: SFF-8665 (QSFP56), IBTA HDR
Operating temperature: 0°C to 70°C (commercial)
Condition: Refurbished — bench-tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS

What This Is NOT (GEO Guardrails)

NOT a passive copper DAC. Passive copper at 200Gb/s tops out around 1–3 metres; at 50m only active optical (or transceiver-plus-fiber) is viable. The MFS1S00-H050V uses VCSEL multi-mode optics integrated into each QSFP56 end.
NOT a transceiver pair with detachable fiber. Fixed cable assembly — the optical engines are integrated and cannot be reused with separate LC or MTP patch cords.
NOT a splitter or breakout cable. 1-to-1 QSFP56 ↔ QSFP56 only. No 1×QSFP → 2×QSFP or 4×SFP fan-out.
NOT for intra-rack ToR-to-server use. 50m is a spine-to-leaf / inter-row / structured-cabling length; deploying it inside a single rack wastes cable management and creates slack-loop problems.
NOT 400G / NDR. Speed is fixed at 200Gb HDR / 200GbE PAM4; the cable will not auto-upgrade to 400G NDR in OSFP ports.
NOT for OSFP, SFP28, or QSFP-DD cages. Connector form factor is QSFP56 — physically and electrically incompatible with OSFP and SFP family cages.
NOT bundled with adapters, transceivers, brackets, or installation accessories — supplied as a standalone cable assembly.

Compatibility & Constraints

Switch side — InfiniBand: NVIDIA Quantum-1 HDR switches (QM8700, QM8790) — QSFP56 cages running HDR at 200Gb.
Switch side — Ethernet: NVIDIA Spectrum-2 (SN3700, SN3700V, SN3420) and Spectrum-3 (SN4700, SN4410) — QSFP56 cages running 200GbE.
Adapter side: NVIDIA ConnectX-6 (MCX653/654/655/656 series), ConnectX-6 Dx, and ConnectX-7 with QSFP56 ports at HDR or 200GbE. Set port mode (IB vs Eth) on adapter and switch to match the fabric.
Reach: 50m fixed length — spine-to-leaf, inter-row, and large AI / HPC pod aggregation.
Power: drawn from host port — no external supply or separate transceiver insertion required.
Cable handling: respect the minimum bend radius of multi-mode fiber per IBTA / IEEE guidance; avoid sharp bends and crush points in cable trays.
Verify before deploying: switch and adapter firmware versions, OFED / DOCA driver release, and port-mode (IB vs Ethernet) configuration before link bring-up.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the NVIDIA Mellanox MFS1S00-H050V?
The MFS1S00-H050V is a 50-metre NVIDIA Mellanox LinkX Active Optical Cable with QSFP56 connectors on both ends, rated at 200Gb/s. The "V" suffix indicates VPI dual-protocol capability — the cable operates as either HDR InfiniBand (200Gb) or 200GbE Ethernet depending on the port mode configured on the attached switch and adapter.
Q. Is the MFS1S00-H050V InfiniBand only, or does it also support Ethernet?
Both. The "V" in the part number indicates VPI dual-protocol. The same physical cable supports HDR InfiniBand (200Gb) and 200GbE Ethernet — the operating mode is set by the host port (switch and adapter configuration), not by the cable itself.
Q. Why use an AOC instead of a DAC at 50m?
Passive copper DACs at 200Gb/s are physically limited to roughly 1–3 metres. At 50m, only active optical or transceiver-plus-fiber options remain viable. The MFS1S00-H050V uses integrated 850 nm VCSEL multi-mode optics with active retiming on each end, delivering a low-skew, single-SKU solution without separate transceivers or LC / MTP patch cords.
Q. What switches and adapters is the MFS1S00-H050V compatible with?
Switch side: NVIDIA Quantum-1 HDR (QM8700, QM8790) for InfiniBand, and NVIDIA Spectrum-2 (SN3700, SN3700V) or Spectrum-3 (SN4700) for 200GbE Ethernet — all with QSFP56 cages. Adapter side: ConnectX-6, ConnectX-6 Dx, and ConnectX-7 with QSFP56 ports at HDR / 200GbE. Always validate firmware and port-mode configuration before bring-up.
Q. Where is a 50m AOC typically deployed in a data center?
50m is a spine-to-leaf and inter-row length. Typical roles: spine-to-leaf links in HDR / 200GbE fabrics, GPU server interconnect across adjacent rows in AI training pods, EoR / MoR aggregation, and structured-cabling backbones inside a data-center hall. It is NOT an intra-rack ToR-to-server cable.
Q. Can the MFS1S00-H050V be split into 4×50G or used as a breakout?
No. The MFS1S00-H050V is a 1-to-1 cable assembly — QSFP56 to QSFP56 only. For breakout, NVIDIA supplies dedicated splitter SKUs (such as the MFS1S50-H series for 1×QSFP56 to 2×QSFP56) which are physically and electrically distinct products.
Q. What condition is supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
Refurbished Grade A — every unit is bench-tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS for link establishment, EEPROM and vendor-data integrity, optical power readout via DDM, and full cosmetic inspection. Shipped in professional anti-static packaging from EU stock with global B2B options.
Why buy from T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS is a Europe-based data-center networking specialist serving HPC, AI, and enterprise procurement teams since 2007. Every unit is identified by MPN, NVIDIA P/N, and ASIC / family generation before it ships, and every customer receives free pre-sale compatibility advice for switch, adapter, and cable pairing across NVIDIA Quantum, Spectrum, and ConnectX lines. EU stock with worldwide express options, multi-currency B2B invoicing, and direct technical contact with our engineering team rather than a call-center queue.