SFP+ Direct Attach Cable
With an increasing demand for cables which can provide a lower-power means for operation on short fiber optic links or short copper connections, SFP+ direct attach cable is tremendously popular in the market. This article will give you a comprehensive introduction to SFP+ direct attach cable (DAC).
SFP+ direct attach cable is a fixed assembly that is purchased at a given length, with the SFP+ connector modules permanently attached to each end of the cable. SFP+ direct attach cable provides high performance in 10 Gigabit Ethernet network applications, using an enhanced SFP+ connector to send 10 Gbps data through one paired transmitters and receivers over a thin twinax cable or fiber optic cable. The 10G SFP+ direct attach cable is designed to use the same port as an optical transceiver, but compared with optical transceivers, the connector modules attached to the cable leave out the expensive optical lasers and other electronic components, thus achieving significant cost savings and power savings in short reach applications.
SFP+ DAC is a low cost alternative to traditional fiber and twisted-pair copper cabling in data center deployments. It provides better cable management for high-density deployments and enhanced electrical characteristics for the most reliable signal transmission. SFP+ DAC is RoHS compliant with excellent EMI performance and high reliability. It offers the smallest 10 gigabit form factor and a small overall cable diameter for higher density and optimized rack space in 10G Ethernet uplinks and Fibre Channel. The biggest advantage of SFP+ DAC is that it costs up to three times less than fiber optic solutions, while offering lower latency and consuming up to 50% less power per port than current copper twisted-pair cabling systems. What's more, it offers enhanced scalability and flexibility as well as higher density for today's data centers and storage area networks.
Broadly speaking, SFP+ direct attach cable can be divided into active and passive versions. Active SFP+ direct attached cable is used in active optical system which includes electrically powered switching equipment, such as a router or a switch aggregator, to manage signal distribution and direct signals to specific customers. While passive SFP+ direct attached cable is used in passive optical network which does not include electrically powered switching equipment, but uses optical splitters instead, to separate and collect optical signals as they move through the network. Powered equipment is required only at the source and receiving ends of the signal. Passive cables are cheaper than active cables but have shorter range than active cables, which means that the subscribers must be geographically closer to the central source of the data.
As the main professional fiber optic products manufacturer in China, Fiberstore provides three types of 10G SFP+ cable assemblies: 10G SFP+ passive copper twinax cable (PCC), 10G SFP+ active copper twinax cable (ACC), and 10G SFP+ active optical cable (AOC). Various lengths can be customized according to customers' requirements.