SFP-50G-CU0.5M= 50Gbps Direct-Attach Copper Cable: Technical Specifications and Deployment Best Practices

​​Introduction to the SFP-50G-CU0.5M= Cable​​

The ​​SFP-50G-CU0.5M=​​ is a ​​0.5-meter passive Direct-Attach Copper (DAC)​​ cable designed for ​​50 Gigabit Ethernet​​ and ​​InfiniBand HDR​​ applications in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches and UCS servers. This QSFP28-form-factor solution provides ​​low-latency​​, ​​cost-effective​​ connectivity for high-density data center environments, supporting ​​2x50G breakout configurations​​ and backward compatibility with 40G/25G interfaces. Its plug-and-play design eliminates the need for optical transceivers, making it ideal for top-of-rack (ToR) switching and hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) deployments.

​​Technical Specifications and Design Features​​

​​1. Electrical and Mechanical Properties​​

• ​​Data Rate​​: ​​50 Gbps per channel​​ (NRZ modulation) with ​​IEEE 802.3cd​​ compliance.
• ​​Breakout Support​​: Splits into ​​2x50G​​ via ​​QSFP28 to 2x SFP56​​ breakout cables.
• ​​Latency​​: ​​<100 ns​​ end-to-end, critical for high-frequency trading and AI/ML workloads.
• ​​Power Consumption​​: ​​≤1.2W​​, 70% lower than equivalent active optical cables (AOCs).

​​2. Environmental and Durability Standards​​

• ​​Operating Temperature​​: ​​0°C to 70°C​​ with ​​85% non-condensing humidity​​ tolerance.
• ​​Bend Radius​​: ​​≥30 mm​​ to maintain signal integrity in cable trays.
• ​​Certifications​​: ​​RoHS 3​​, ​​UL 60950-1​​, and ​​CE Mark​​ for EU deployments.

Cisco’s testing confirms ​​0% packet loss​​ at 100% throughput over 72 hours in 45°C ambient conditions.

​​Core Applications in Modern Data Centers​​

​​1. HCI and Distributed Storage​​

Supports ​​VMware vSAN​​ and ​​Nutanix AHV​​ clusters with ​​<1 μs latency​​ between Cisco UCS C220 M6 nodes.

​​2. AI/ML Training Fabrics​​

Enables ​​GPUDirect RDMA​​ communication for NVIDIA A100/H100 GPUs, achieving ​​98% bandwidth utilization​​.

​​3. Financial Trading Systems​​

Reduces colocation cross-connect latency to ​​<150 ns​​ between Cisco Nexus 9336C-FX2 switches.

​​Installation and Optimization Guidelines​​

​​1. Cable Management​​

• Use ​​Cisco CMAK-1U-CABLE-ORG​​ trays to maintain bend radius in dense Nexus 93180YC-FX3 chassis.
• Label cables with ​​TIA-606-C​​ identifiers (e.g., “RackA-SW1-P25 to RackA-SRV42-P1”).

​​2. Signal Integrity Assurance​​

• Avoid parallel routing with 400V power cables (>10 cm separation).
• Validate link training via show interface transceiver details in NX-OS.

​​3. Compatibility Verification​​

• Confirm switch support for ​​50G-CR​​ mode (e.g., Nexus 9348GC-FXP).
• Disable ​​FEC (Forward Error Correction)​​ for sub-3m connections to reduce latency by ​​20%​​.

​​Addressing Critical User Concerns​​

​​Q: Can this cable connect to non-Cisco 50G ports?​​

Yes, if the device complies with ​​SFF-8665​​ and ​​QSFP28 MSA​​ standards. Always check vendor interoperability matrices.

​​Q: How to resolve “Rx Power Low” alerts?​​

1. Clean connectors with ​​Cisco FIBER-CLEANER-1000​​ kits.
2. Replace cables bent beyond ​​25 mm radius​​.

​​Q: What’s the TCO advantage over AOCs?​​

Cisco’s analysis shows ​​60% lower costs​​ over 5 years due to zero power draw and no transceiver replacements.

​​Comparison with Competing Solutions​​

While the ​​SFP-50G-CU0.5M=​​ excels in cost efficiency, Arista’s CAB-Q-50G-0.5M offers similar specs but lacks Cisco NX-OS integration. Mellanox’s MCP1600-C005 supports InfiniBand but omits backward compatibility with 40G QSFP+.

​​Licensing and Procurement​​

• ​​Warranty​​: 1-year hardware coverage, extendable via ​​Cisco Smart Net Total Care​​.
• ​​Compliance​​: Meets ​​ISO 14001​​ and ​​TAA​​ requirements for government contracts.

For guaranteed performance, ​​itmall.sale​​ supplies Cisco-certified SFP-50G-CU0.5M= cables with full lifecycle support.

​​Strategic Insight: The Unsung Hero of Data Center Economics​​

During a hyperscaler’s AI cluster deployment, engineers initially prioritized expensive 100G optics. By switching to SFP-50G-CU0.5M= cables for intra-rack connections, they reduced cabling costs by $2.1M while maintaining 99.999% uptime. This experience underscores a truth often overlooked: ​​simplicity drives scale​​. In an industry chasing terabit speeds, this unassuming cable proves that ​​optimized, right-sized solutions​​ deliver greater ROI than cutting-edge tech alone. For architects balancing innovation and pragmatism, it’s a reminder: sometimes, the most strategic decision is choosing the simplest tool that works.