Cisco 100G QSFP28 Active Optical Cable, 3 m

Active optical cables combine transceivers and fiber in a single assembly, and the Cisco 100G QSFP28 Active Optical Cable, part number QSFP-100G-AOC3M, is a 3 m example. Each end carries a QSFP28 connector, and the link runs at 100GbE.

Compared with passive copper, an optical cable is thinner and lighter, which helps with cable management in dense racks. You cannot pull the fiber out of the assembly or swap modules; the cable is a fixed unit, so choose the length carefully. Three meters suits short in-rack and adjacent-rack connections.

Because the optics are built in, you do not source separate transceivers or worry about connector cleaning at the ends. The tradeoff is that a damaged cable means replacing the whole assembly.

Verify that both devices accept this cable. Some platforms limit which active cables they support, so check the host documentation.

The QSFP-100G-AOC3M is offered new and refurbished, each with a choice of 1 year or 3 years of warranty. No used offer is listed. Send your quantity and the platforms you are connecting for pricing.