QSFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cables for EX Series Switches

Quad small form-factor pluggable plus (QSFP+) direct attach copper (DAC) cables are suitable for in-rack connections between QSFP+ ports of EX Series switches. They are suitable for short distances of up to 16.4 ft (5 m), making them ideal for highly cost-effective networking connectivity within a rack and between adjacent racks. This article will introduce EX Series switches and QSFP+ DAC for EX Series switches.

Introduction to EX Series Switches

EX Series switches deliver scalable port densities and carrier-proven high availability features that consolidate legacy switch layers, helping to reduce capital and operational expenses and advance the economics of networking. For example, the EX 4200 series Ethernet switches with Virtual-Chassis technology, deliver the same Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and 10GbE port densities as traditional chassis-based switches, but at one-eighth the footprint and less than one third the cost. The EX Series switches are right-sized for campus, data center and remote office environments and feature many of the same carrier-class hardware and software architectures found in core routers that were purpose-built to support the convergence of data, voice, and video onto a single always-on network.

By alleviating the cost, complexity and risk associated with legacy switch infrastructures, the EX Series switches enable high-performance businesses to deploy a high-performance network infrastructure based on three key tenets – operational simplicity, carrier-class reliability, and integration and consolidation – to enable ubiquitous access to strategic assets, reduce network downtime and enhance overall security to shared assets across the extended enterprise.

Cable Specifications of QSFP+ DAC

QSFP+ direct attach copper (DAC) cable is hot-removable and hot-insertable. QSFP+ DAC mainly has two kinds. One is a cable that connects directly into two QSFP+ modules, one at each end of the cable. The cables use integrated duplex serial data links for bidirectional communication and are designed for data rates up to 40 Gbps. The other is a breakout cable consisting of a QSFP+ transceiver on one end and four SFP+ transceivers on the other end. The QSFP+ transceiver connects directly into the QSFP+ access port on the QFX Series device. The cables use high-performance integrated duplex serial data links for bidirectional communication on four links simultaneously. The SFP+ links are designed for data rates up to 10 Gbps each.

The following table describes the software support for QSFP+ passive DAC cable lengths on EX Series switches for Junos OS releases.

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Switch	Software Support Added	DAC Model Number
EX44300 switches	Junos OS for EX Series switches, Release 13.2X51-D15 or later	EX-QSFP-40GE-DAC-50CM QFX-QSFP-DAC-1M QFX-QSFP-DAC-3M JNP-QSFP-DAC-5M
EX4300 switches	EX4300-24T, EX4300-24P, EX4300-48T, EX4300-48T-AFI, EX4300-48P, EX4300-48T-DC, and EX4300-48T-DC-AF switches—Junos OS for EX Series switches, Release 13.2X50-D10 or later EX4300-32F switches—Junos OS for EX Series switches, Release 13.2X51-D15 or later EX4300-24T-S, EX4300-24P-S, EX4300-32F-S, EX4300-48T-S, and EX4300-48P-S switches—Junos OS for EX Series switches, Release 13.2X51-D26 or later	EX-QSFP-40GE-DAC-50CM QFX-QSFP-DAC-1M QFX-QSFP-DAC-3M JNP-QSFP-DAC-5M
EX4550 switches	EX4550-32T-AFI, EX4550-32T-AFO, EX4550-32T-DC-AFI, EX4550-32T-DC-AFO, EX4550-32F-AFI, EX4550-32F-AFO, EX4550-32F-DC-AFI, and EX4550-32F-DC-AFO switches—Junos OS for EX Series switches, Release 13.2X50-D10 or later EX4550-32F-S switches—Junos OS for EX Series switches, Release 12.3R5 or later	EX-QSFP-40GE-DAC-50CM QFX-QSFP-DAC-1M QFX-QSFP-DAC-3M JNP-QSFP-DAC-5M

Conclusion

QSFP+ direct attach copper cables can provide cost-effective and reliable 40G speed connections for EX Series switches with distances reaching up to 10 meters. As the leading fiber optical manufacturer in China, FS.COM offers a wide selection of QSFP+ DAC with low cost but high performance. In addition, 10G SFP+ to SFP+ DAC (eg. HP JD096C), 25G SFP28 to SFP28 DAC, 40G QSFP+ to 4 XFP DAC, 100G QSFP28 to QSFP28 DAC, 100G QSFP28 to 4 SFP28 DAC are also available for your choice. All these DACs are with 100% compatibility and can be customized according to your special requirements.