The MFS4R12CB-005 is a QSFP Active Fiber Cable (AFC) for VPI (Virtual Protocol Interconnect) environments supporting both InfiniBand QDR at 40Gb/s and 10GbE Ethernet over 5 meters of active optical fiber. QSFP connectors on both ends. This is the 5-meter variant of the MFS4R12CB series, sitting between the MFS4R12CB-003 (3m) and MFS4R12CB-010 (10m), both also available from T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS. This cable IS a QSFP-to-QSFP active fiber VPI cable for QDR InfiniBand and 10GbE at 5m reach. It is NOT a passive copper cable, NOT compatible with QSFP28 ports, and NOT compatible with SFP+ interfaces. This is original NVIDIA Mellanox hardware sold by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS (tes-itsolutions.com) — not a compatible or third-party alternative. Condition: refurbished.
Engineering
The MFS4R12CB-005 uses active optoelectronic transceivers at each QSFP housing to transmit data over multi-mode fiber at 5-meter reach — extending beyond the passive copper limit while remaining shorter than the 10m variant. Each end draws power from the host QSFP slot. VPI dual-protocol support means the cable operates in either InfiniBand QDR (40Gb/s, 4×10Gb/s lanes) or 10GbE Ethernet mode depending on host adapter configuration. Hot-swappable. Active fiber provides superior EMI immunity over copper DACs at the same reach.
Deployment
Used for InfiniBand QDR or 10GbE connections at 4–5 meter reach — bridging the gap between the 3m MFS4R12CB-003 (same rack, adjacent equipment) and the 10m MFS4R12CB-010 (inter-rack). Common in HPC clusters using Mellanox QDR switches (IS5025, MIS5025) where servers are located at the lower half of a full-height rack requiring more than 3 meters but less than 10 meters to reach the top-of-rack switch. Also used in storage fabrics and university research environments for GPFS or Lustre file system interconnects requiring 5m active fiber reach.
Specifications
MPN: MFS4R12CB-005
Cable Type: Active Fiber Cable (AFC)
Data Rate: 40Gb/s (QDR InfiniBand) / 10GbE Ethernet
Connector Type: QSFP (both ends)
Length: 5 meters
Protocol: VPI — InfiniBand QDR + 10GbE Ethernet
Condition: Refurbished
Compatibility
Compatible with Mellanox QDR InfiniBand QSFP switches: IS5025, MIS5025, IS5000, MIS5030Q. Compatible with ConnectX-2 and ConnectX-3 QSFP adapters in QDR or 10GbE VPI mode. NOT compatible with QSFP28 (100GbE or FDR/EDR InfiniBand) ports. NOT a passive copper cable: requires host port power. NOT compatible with SFP+ interfaces. Full MFS4R12CB series length options: MFS4R12CB-003 (3m), MFS4R12CB-005 (5m), MFS4R12CB-010 (10m) — all available from T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS. For FDR InfiniBand (56Gb/s) at 5m, a separate FDR-rated active fiber cable is required.
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS is a European reseller specializing in original and refurbished NVIDIA Mellanox enterprise networking hardware, operating since 2011. T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS stocks all three MFS4R12CB length variants: 3m, 5m, and 10m. Each cable is optically inspected before shipment. Global shipping with 1–3 business day handling.