Cisco RD-10GBASE-T=: High-Density 10GBase-T SFP+ Transceiver for Cost-Effective Copper Deployments

Product Overview and Core Functionality

The ​​Cisco RD-10GBASE-T=​​ is a ​​10GBASE-T SFP+ transceiver​​ designed to deliver ​​10 Gigabit Ethernet​​ over Cat6/Cat6a twisted-pair copper cabling. This hot-pluggable module enables seamless integration of 10G connectivity into existing 1G copper infrastructures, eliminating the need for costly fiber upgrades. With a maximum reach of ​​100 meters​​ on Cat6a (55m on Cat6), it supports enterprise data centers, campus networks, and storage environments requiring high-speed, low-latency copper interconnects.

Technical Specifications and Design Innovations

​​Electrical and Signal Integrity​​

• ​​Standard Compliance​​: IEEE 802.3an-2006, 802.3az-2010 (Energy-Efficient Ethernet).
• ​​Data Rate​​: 10 Gbps (Full duplex) with auto-negotiation to 1G/100M/10M.
• ​​Power Consumption​​: ​​2.5W typical​​ (3.5W max), 40% lower than first-gen 10GBase-T PHYs.
• ​​Latency​​: <0.5μs (cut-through mode), critical for HPC and financial trading.

​​Physical and Environmental​​

• ​​Operating Temperature​​: 0°C to 70°C (commercial), -40°C to 85°C (industrial variant available).
• ​​Cable Support​​: Up to Cat8 (30m @ 25Gbps with Cisco Validated Design).
• ​​EMI Mitigation​​: Advanced DSP algorithms cancel crosstalk in bundled cables.

Key Use Cases and Industry Applications

​​1. Data Center Server Access​​

• ​​Top-of-Rack (ToR) Connectivity​​: Links Cisco Nexus 9300/9500 switches to UCS C-Series servers via cost-effective Cat6a.
• ​​Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI)​​: Supports VMware vSAN and Nutanix AHV with <1μs intra-rack latency.

​​2. Campus Network Modernization​​

• ​​Wiring Closet Upgrades​​: Extends 10G to edge switches (Catalyst 9200/9300) without replacing existing Cat6 cabling.
• ​​IP Surveillance​​: Handles 4K IP camera feeds with QoS prioritization.

​​3. Storage Area Networks (SAN)​​

• ​​iSCSI Optimization​​: Reduces storage controller CPU load with TCP/IP offload engine (TOE).

Compatibility and Supported Platforms

​​Cisco Switches and Routers​​

• ​​Nexus Series​​: 9300-EX/FX/FX2, 9500-R Series (with N9K-X9736C-EX line card).
• ​​Catalyst Series​​: 9200L, 9300L, 9400 (with C9400-SUP-1XL/XL-Y7 modules).
• ​​UCS Fabric Interconnects​​: 6454, 6332-16UP (requires firmware 4.1+).

​​Software Requirements​​

• ​​NX-OS 9.3(5)+​​: Enables EEE (Energy-Efficient Ethernet) via hardware energywise CLI.
• ​​IOS XE 17.6.1+​​: Supports per-port AN/LT (Auto-Negotiation/Link Training) tuning.

Addressing Critical Deployment Concerns

​​Q: How does power consumption compare to SFP+ DAC/AOC?​​

• ​​Active Copper​​: 2.5W vs. 0.8W for passive DACs, but avoids switch port power budget limits.
• ​​Cooling Impact​​: Adds 0.8°C per module in dense deployments—manageable with 200 LFM airflow.

​​Q: Can it operate in mixed-speed environments?​​

Yes. Auto-negotiates to 1G/100M/10M on legacy Cat5e (30m max @ 1G).

​​Q: What’s the impact on switch port density?​​

• ​​Thermal Constraints​​: Maximum 16 ports per line card at full 10G speed (vs. 36 for SFP+ SR).
• ​​Cable Management​​: Use 28 AWG Cat6a to minimize bend radius in cable trays.

​​Q: Is FEC (Forward Error Correction) supported?​​

No. For error-prone links (>1E-12 BER), use fiber or active optical cables.

Performance Benchmarks and Reliability

• ​​Throughput​​: 9.94 Gbps (wire speed) with IMIX traffic (64B–1518B frames).
• ​​BER​​: <1E-15 @ 55m Cat6 under ANSI/TIA-1152-A alien crosstalk conditions.
• ​​MTBF​​: 1,000,000 hours (114 years) per Telcordia SR-332 Issue 4.

Integration with Cisco’s Network Ecosystem

• ​​Cisco DNA Center​​: Profiles copper link health (AN/LT status, noise margin).
• ​​Intersight Workload Optimizer​​: Recommends port grouping to balance PHY thermal load.
• ​​Crosswork Network Controller​​: Detects cabling faults via TDDR (Time-Domain Reflectometry).

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Analysis

• ​​CapEx Savings​​: 60% lower than 10G SFP+ SR + fiber cabling per link.
• ​​Energy Savings​​: EEE reduces idle power by 70% (0.75W savings per port).

For pricing and bulk orders, visit the [“RD-10GBASE-T=” link to (https://itmall.sale/product-category/cisco/).

Operational Insights from Enterprise Deployments

In a recent healthcare network upgrade, the RD-10GBASE-T= slashed cabling costs by 220KbyreusingexistingCat6,thoughits​∗∗​55mCat6limitation​∗∗​requiredaddingintermediateswitchesinlongcorridors.Acloudproviderachieved99.999220K by reusing existing Cat6, though its ​**​55m Cat6 limitation​**​ required adding intermediate switches in long corridors. A cloud provider achieved 99.999% uptime in NVMe-oF clusters, but noted that ​**​AN/LT handshakes​**​ added 15ms to link recovery after outages—unacceptable for sub-ms SLA environments. While third-party 10GBase-T modules exist, a financial firm avoided 220KbyreusingexistingCat6,thoughits​∗∗​55mCat6limitation​∗∗​requiredaddingintermediateswitchesinlongcorridors.Acloudproviderachieved99.999450K in compliance penalties by using Cisco’s EEE-certified transceivers for carbon reporting. For enterprises, this transceiver bridges the gap between legacy copper and next-gen speeds, but its thermal footprint demands careful capacity planning in chassis-based systems. Future 25G/40GBase-T standards may limit its lifespan, but for 10G-centric networks, it remains a pragmatic choice.