Reichle & De-Massari AG (R&M) has introduced a line of direct-attach SFP+ twinaxial copper cable assemblies that accommodate top-of-rack-configured 10-Gbit/sec transmission. The company says the “new family of SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cables has been designed to perfectly meet … data center requirements of higher speeds, design flexibility and a cost-effective migration path.”
R&M pointed out that although the configuration in which these cables are used is called “top of rack,” it really accommodates “networking connectivity within a single rack and between adjacent racks.” The portfolio includes eight cable-assembly lengths, from a half-meter to seven meters. The assemblies are offered in different wire gauges depending on length.
“The cables have been designed with practical installation and network management in mind,” R&M said. “They can be removed and replaced without powering off the switch or server. A programmed EEPROM [Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory] signature allows the host to differentiate between a copper cable assembly and fiber-optic module, and provides length and serial-number data for traceability, which can lead to considerable time and cost saving when patching and repatching systems. Thanks to the low power consumption, the passive copper cable can make a significant contribution to energy savings and sustainability.”
R&M has published a list of the switches, servers and adapter cards with which its direct-attach cables comply. They include switches from Arista, Cisco, Dell, Extreme Networks, Flextronics, IBM, Juniper and Mellanox; servers from Dell, IBM, Intel and Qlogic; and adapter cards from Dell, Emulex, IBM, Intel and Qlogic.