Dell Networking and Cables Connectivity Guide 1 Gigabit Ethernet (1GbE) 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) 40 Gigabit Ethernet (40GbE) 100 Gigabit Ethernet (100GbE) Fibre Channel Networking I/O Connectivity Options February 2015 Saleem Muhammad, Product Management Dell and Cables Connectivity Guide Revision Q116-0.1
Contents and Cables Selection by Use Case - Key factors influencing the decision 3 - Server to switch connectivity 4 - Storage to switch connectivity 5 - Switch to switch connectivity 6 - and cables positioning 7 Quick Reference Guide - connectivity 9 - Cables connectivity 11 Frequently Asked Questions - Types of cables and the concept of lanes 14 - Using 10GbE fiber for 40GbE and the appropriate use of DWDM/CWDM optics 15 - Dell services & support for optics 16 Deployment and Technical Guides 17 Revision History 19 2 Dell and Cables Connectivity Guide
and cables selection by use case Key factors* influencing the decision 1 Server Bandwidth Depending on the application load requirements, customers typically decide whether they want 1GbE, 10GbE, or 40GbE. In some cases, the decision may also be dictated by the type of traffic e.g. DCB requires 10GbE or higher. Cost Servers claim the highest share of devices deployed in any data center. Choosing a lower cost connectivity option results in a much lower initial deployment cost. Power In any high density server deployment, a connectivity option which consumes lower power results in much lower OpEx. Distance Servers are typically connected to a switch over a very short distance i.e. typically within the same rack or, in some cases, within the same row. Cabling flexibility Some customer prefer to make their own copper cables due to variable distance requirements. This requirement limits the choice of connectivity to copper cables only. 2 Storage Bandwidth On server facing ports, servers typically dictate the per port bandwidth requirement. However, per port bandwidth requirement for the network facing (switch-to-switch) ports depends on multiple factors including amount of traffic generated by the servers, oversubscription ratios, fiber limitations, etc. Distance An inter-switch or switch to router connection could range from a few inches to tens of kilometers. Generally, the price of optics increases as the distance increases. Latency The network topology and application traffic profile (East-west, HPC, computer clusters, etc.) and influence the minimum latency that can be tolerated in the network. Switch 3 Reliability Typical storage traffic is very sensitive to loss. Even a minor loss of traffic may result in major impact on application performance. Qualification Storage vendor qualification or recommendation plays an important role in this decision due to reasons such as customer support, peace of mind, etc. Latency Any time spent in transition is time taken away from data processing. Reducing transition time results in much faster application performance. The result may have a direct impact on customers bottom line e.g. faster processing of online orders. 3 Dell and Cables Connectivity Guide * This is not an exhaustive list of all potential factors influencing a customers decision. The key factors listed here are more commonly seen as influencing the decision of a customer. However, there could be a number of other factors, not listed here, which could have an impact on the final decision.
How often deployed Bandwidth More often Less often and cables selection by use case Server to switch connectivity 1 Server 1GbE 10GbE 25GbE 40GbE 100GbE Copper Cables (RJ-45) Direct Attach Copper (DAC) Cables SFP+ DAC in various lengths Coming soon Direct Attach Copper (DAC) Cables QSFP+ DAC in various lengths Not commercially available SFP 1G-T SFP SX SFP+ SR Copper Cables (RJ-45) Active Optical Cables (AOC) QSFP+ AOC in various lengths XFP CX4 QSFP+ SR4 4 Dell and Cables Connectivity Guide Commonly used Occasionally used
How often deployed Bandwidth More often Less often and cables selection by use case Storage to switch connectivity 2 Storage FC 1GbE 1 10GbE 1 25GbE 1 40GbE 1 100GbE 1 SFP+ 8Gb, SWL Copper Cables (RJ-45) Direct Attach Copper (DAC) Cables SFP+ DAC in various lengths Not commercially available Not commercially available Not commercially available SFP+ 16Gb, SWL SFP SX SFP+ SR Copper Cables (RJ-45) 1. Represents Ethernet network. In the context of this slide, this implies Ethernet network for iscsi storage. 5 Dell and Cables Connectivity Guide Commonly used Occasionally used
How often deployed Bandwidth More often Less often and cables selection by use case Switch to switch connectivity Switch 3 FC 1GbE 10GbE 25GbE 40GbE 100GbE SFP+ 8Gb, SWL SFP+ 8Gb, LWL SFP SX SFP FX SFP LX SFP ZX Copper Cables (RJ-45) SFP+ SR SFP+ LR SFP+ LRM Direct Attach Copper (DAC) Cables SFP+ DAC in various lengths SFP+ ER SFP+ ZR SFP+ DWDM Coming soon QSFP+ SR4 QSFP+ LR4 QSFP+ LM4 Active Optical Cables (AOC) QSFP+ AOC in various lengths MPO Cables MPO Cables in various lengths Direct Attach Copper (DAC) Cables QSFP+ DAC in various lengths QSFP28 SR4 QSFP28 LR4 QSFP28 PSM4 QSFP28 CWDM CXP SR10 Copper Cables (RJ-45) QSFP+ ESR4 QSFP+ PSM 6 Dell and Cables Connectivity Guide Commonly used Occasionally used
Fibre Channel 1GbE 40GbE 10GbE 100GbE and Cables Positioning Speed QSFP28 SR4* CXP SR10* QSFP28 PSM4* QSFP28 CWDM4* QSFP28 LR4* QSFP+ LM4 QSFP+ QSA QSFP+ SR4 QSFP+ ESR4 QSFP+ PSM QSFP+ LR4 QSFP+ PSM4 XFP CX4 SFP+ LRM XFP SR SFP+ SR SFP+ LR XFP ZR XFP DWDM XFP LR SFP+ DWDM SFP+ ZR XFP ER SFP+ ER SFP 1G-T SFP SX SFP FX SFP LX SFP ZX 7 * Not a shipping product SFP+ SWL Short (e.g. within DC/building) Distance Medium (e.g. between DC/buildings) SFP+ ELWL SFP+ LWL 50m 150m 250m 550m 1km 2km 10km 100km Long (e.g. across metro) Based on maximum supported distance on best grade fiber. See the Quick Reference Guide for additional distances using lower grade fiber
Quick Reference Guide? 8 Dell and Cables Connectivity Guide
Connectivity Quick Reference Guide Models IEEE Standard MSA Receptacle Power Wavelength Distance Fiber Mode SFP-100M-FX 802.3u SFP Duplex LC 1.5W 1310nm 2km (OM1, OM2) SMF 1 1 SFP-1G-T 802.3z SFP RJ-45 1.5W NA 100m Twisted Pair 1 1 100MbE and 1GbE SFP-1G-SX SFP-1G-LX 802.3z SFP Duplex LC 1.5W 850nm 200m (FDDI grade) MMF 1 1 275m (OM1) 550m (OM2, OM3, OM4) 802.3z SFP Duplex LC 1.5W 1310nm 10km SMF 1 1 550m (FDDI grade, OM1, OM2) MMF SFP-1G-ZX 802.3z SFP Duplex LC 1.5W 1550nm 80km SMF 1 1 802.3ae SFP+ Duplex LC 1.5W 850nm 26m (FDDI grade) MMF 1 1 SFP-10G-SR SFP-10G-SR-12 33m (OM1) 82m (OM2) 300m (OM3) 400m (OM4) 10GbE SFP-10G-LRM 802.3ae SFP+ Duplex LC 1.5W 1310nm 220m (FDDI grade, OM1, OM2, OM3, OM4) SFP-10G-LR 802.3ae SFP+ Duplex LC 1.5W 1310nm 10km SMF 1 1 MMF 1 1 SFP-10G-ER 6 802.3ae SFP+ Duplex LC 1.5W 1550nm 40km SMF 1 1 SFP-10G-W17 through N/A SFP+ Duplex LC 1.5W C-Band, 100GHz 80km SMF 1 1 SFP-10G-W61 2 SFP-10G-ZR 6 802.3ae SFP+ Duplex LC 1.5W 1550nm 80km SMF 1 1 802.3ae XFP Duplex LC 1.5W 850nm 26m (FDDI grade) MMF 1 1 33m (OM1) XFP-10G-SR 5 82m (OM2) 300m (OM3) 400m (OM4) XFP-10G-LR 5 802.3ae XFP Duplex LC 1.5W 1310nm 10km SMF 1 1 XFP-10G-ER 5, 6 802.3ae XFP Duplex LC 1.5W 1550nm 40km SMF 1 1 Dell and Cables Connectivity Guide ( in each group are listed in the order of list price i.e. low to high)
Connectivity Quick Reference Guide Models IEEE Standard MSA Receptacle Power Wavelength Distance Fiber Mode 10GbE XFP-10G-ZR 5, 6 802.3ae XFP Duplex LC 1.5W 1550nm 80km SMF 1 1 XFP-10G-W21 through N/A XFP Duplex LC 1.5W C-Band, 100GHz 80km SMF 1 1 XFP-10G-W60 5, 2 QSA-QSFP-SFP+ 802.3ba NA NA 1.5W Varies Varies Varies 1 1 40GbE QSFP-40G-LM4 QSFP-40G-SR4 QSFP-40G-ESR4 802.3ba QSFP+ Duplex LC 3.5W 1310NM 140m (OM3) MMF 1 1 160m (OM4) 802.3ba QSFP+ MPO 1.5W 850nm 100m (OM3) MMF 1 1, 1 4 150m (OM4) 802.3ba QSFP+ MPO 1.5W 850nm 300m (OM3) MMF 1 1, 1 4 400m (OM4) QSFP-40G-PSM-1M 802.3ba QSFP+ MPO Pig-tail 1 1.5W 1490nm 2km SMF 1 1 QSFP-40G-PSM-5M 802.3ba QSFP+ MPO Pig-tail 1 1.5W 1490nm 2km SMF 1 1 QSFP-40G-PSM-15M 802.3ba QSFP+ MPO Pig-tail 1 1.5W 1490nm 2km SMF 1 1 QSFP-40G-PSM4-LR 802.3ba QSFP+ MPO 3.5W 1310nm 10km SMF 1 1, 1 4 QSFP-40G-LR4 802.3ba QSFP+ Duplex LC 3.5W 1310nm 10km SMF 1 1 QSFP28-100G-SR4 3 802.3bm QSFP28 MPO 3.5W 850nm 70m (OM3) MMF 1 1 100m (OM4) 100GbE CXP-100G-SR10 3 802.3ba CXP MPO 3.5W 850nm 100m (OM3) MMF 1 1 150m (OM4) QSFP28-100G-LR4 3 802.3ba QSFP28 Duplex LC 4.5W 1310nm 10km SMF 1 1 QSFP28-100G-PSM4 3 (Note 4) QSFP28 MPO 3.5W 1310nm 500m SMF 1 1 QSFP28-100G-CWDM 3 (Note 4) QSFP28 Duplex LC 3.5W 1310nm 2km SMF 1 1 SFP-8GFC-SWL NA SFP+ Duplex LC 1.5W 770nm 860nm 150m (OM3) MMF 1 1 SFP-8GFC-LWL NA SFP+ Duplex LC 1.5W 1260nm 1360nm 10km SMF 1 1 Fibre Channel SFP-8GFC-ELWL NA SFP+ Duplex LC 1.5W 1260nm 1360nm 25km SMF 1 1 SFP-16GFC-SWL NA SFP+ Duplex LC 0.8W 770nm 860nm 125m (OM4 MMF 1 1 SFP-16GFC-LWL NA SFP+ Duplex LC 1.5W 1295nm 1325nm 10km SMF 1 1 Dell and Cables Connectivity Guide ( in each group are listed in the order of list price i.e. low to high)
Cables Connectivity Quick Reference Guide Models IEEE Standard MSA Power Bend Radius Distance Cable Mode DAC-SFP-10G-0.5M 802.3ae (SFI) SFP+ Passive 35mm 0.5m Copper 1 1 DAC-SFP-10G-1M 802.3ae (SFI) SFP+ Passive 35mm 1m Copper 1 1 10GbE DAC-SFP-10G-3M 802.3ae (SFI) SFP+ Passive 35mm 3m Copper 1 1 DAC-SFP-10G-5M 802.3ae (SFI) SFP+ Passive 45mm 5m Copper 1 1 DAC-SFP-10G-7M 802.3ae (SFI) SFP+ Passive 45mm 7m Copper 1 1 AOC-SFP-10G-15M 802.3ae (SFI) SFP+ 1.5W 30mm 15m Optical 1 1 XFP-10G-CX4 802.3ae XFP 2W NA 15m Copper 1 1 DAC-QSFP-40G-0.5M 802.3ba (CR4) QSFP+ Passive 50mm 0.5m Copper 1 1 DAC-QSFP-40G-1M 802.3ba (CR4) QSFP+ Passive 50mm 1m Copper 1 1 DAC-QSFP-40G-3M 802.3ba (CR4) QSFP+ Passive 50mm 3m Copper 1 1 DAC-QSFP-40G-5M 802.3ba (CR4) QSFP+ Passive 60mm 5m Copper 1 1 DAC-QSFP-40G-7M 802.3ba (CR4) QSFP+ Passive 66mm 7m Copper 1 1 AOC-QSFP-40G-10M 802.3ba (XLPPI) QSFP+ 1.5W 10m Optical 1 1 AOC-QSFP-40G-50M 802.3ba (XLPPI) QSFP+ 1.5W 50m Optical 1 1 DAC-QSFP-4SFP-10G-0.5M 802.3ae (SFI) QSFP+ Passive 70mm/35mm 0.5m Copper 1 4 40GbE DAC-QSFP-4SFP-10G-1M 802.3ae (SFI) QSFP+ Passive 70mm/35mm 1m Copper 1 4 DAC-QSFP-4SFP-10G-3M 802.3ae (SFI) QSFP+ Passive 70mm/35mm 3m Copper 1 4 DAC-QSFP-4SFP-10G-5M 802.3ae (SFI) QSFP+ Passive 80mm/40mm 5m Copper 1 4 DAC-QSFP-4SFP-10G-7M 802.3ae (SFI) QSFP+ Passive 90mm/45mm 7m Copper 1 4 DAC-QSFP-4RJ45-1G-1M 802.3ae (SFI) QSFP+ Passive 1m Copper 1 4 CBL-MPO12-4LC-OM3-1M NA QSFP+ 7 NA 1m Optical 1 4 CBL-MPO12-4LC-OM3-3M NA QSFP+ 7 NA 3m Optical 1 4 CBL-MPO12-4LC-OM3-5M NA QSFP+ 7 NA 5m Optical 1 4 CBL-MPO12-4LC-OM3-7M NA QSFP+ 7 NA 7m Optical 1 4 CBL-MPO12-4LC-SM-5M NA QSFP+ 7 NA 5m Optical 1 4 Dell and Cables Connectivity Guide (Cables in each group are listed in the order of list price i.e. low to high)
Cables Connectivity Quick Reference Guide Models IEEE Standard MSA Power Bend Radius Distance Cable Mode CBL-MPO12-OM3-1M NA QSFP+ 8 Passive 1m Optical 1 1 CBL-MPO12-OM3-3M NA QSFP+ 8 Passive 3m Optical 1 1 CBL-MPO12-OM3-5M NA QSFP+ 8 Passive 5m Optical 1 1 CBL-MPO12-OM3-7M NA QSFP+ 8 Passive 7m Optical 1 1 40GbE CBL-MPO12-OM3-10M NA QSFP+ 8 Passive 10m Optical 1 1 CBL-MPO12-OM3-25M NA QSFP+ 8 Passive 25m Optical 1 1 CBL-MPO12-OM3-50M NA QSFP+ 8 Passive 50m Optical 1 1 CBL-MPO12-OM3-75M NA QSFP+ 8 Passive 75m Optical 1 1 CBL-MPO12-OM3-100M NA QSFP+ 8 Passive 100m Optical 1 1 DAC-QSFP28-100G-1M 802.3bj (CR4) QSFP28 Passive 1m Copper 1 1 DAC-QSFP28-100G-2M 802.3b (CR4) QSFP28 Passive 2m Copper 1 1 DAC-QSFP28-100G-3M 802.3bj (CR4) QSFP28 Passive 3m Copper 1 1 DAC-QSFP28-100G-4M 802.3bj (CR4) QSFP28 Passive 4m Copper 1 1 100GbE DAC-QSFP28-100G-5M 802.3bj (CR4) QSFP28 Passive 5m Copper 1 1 DAC-QSFP28-4SFP28-25G-1M DAC-QSFP28-4SFP28-25G-3M DAC-QSFP28-4SFP28-25G-5M 25GE Consortium QSFP28 Passive 1m Copper 1 4 25GE Consortium QSFP28 Passive 3m Copper 1 4 25GE Consortium QSFP28 Passive 5m Copper 1 4 AOC-QSFP28-100G-10M 802.3bm (CAUI4) QSFP28 3.5W 10m Copper 1 1 ( in each group are listed in the order of list price i.e. low to high) Notes 1. come with attached MPO pigtail cables that are intended to plug into MPO Patch panels at customer site. Specified MPO cable length is different than the distance between two optics on both ends of the connection. 2. Wavelength varies for the optics. Different channels are supported on these optics and every channel provides different wavelength. 3. These optics are currently not shipping. 4. Follows the specification defined in the PSM4/CWDM4 MSAs. 5. XFP is an older technology and is mostly seen in legacy solutions only 6. For short distances, it is recommended that the user add appropriate value of in-line optical attenuation to avoid exceeding the receiver overload threshold (-1dBm for 10G-ER, and -7dBm for 10G-ZR) 7. Requires QSFP+ optics on one end and SFP+ optics on the other end, which are not included with the cables. 8. Requires QSFP+ optics on both ends, which are not included with the cables.
Frequently Asked Questions 13 Dell and Cables Connectivity Guide
Frequently Asked Questions What are the different types of cables? Cables Optical fiber Traffic carried using light over optical fiber Copper cable Traffic carried using electrical signal over copper conductor Single Mode Fiber (SMF) Allows only a single mode of light to propagate Good for long distance transmission OS1 Appropriate for indoor deployments OS2 Appropriate for outdoor deployments, commonly used for switch to switch connection Lanes are used to achieve higher data transmission rates such as 40GbE and 100GbE Multiple lower rate data streams (10GbE or 25GbE) are grouped in lanes Multi Mode Fiber (MMF) Allows multiple modes of light to propagate Good for short distance transmission FDDI grade 62.5µm, found in legacy systems and not common today OM1 62.5µm, found in legacy systems and not common today OM2 50µm; suitable for 1GbE OM3 50µm laser optimized; ideal for 10GbE OM4 50µm laser optimized; ideal for 10GbE, 40GbE, and 100GbE What is a lane? Twisted pair (RJ-45) Multiple pairs of wires in a cable Cat5/Cat5e Appropriate for short distance; ideal for 1GbE and short distance for 10GbE Custom length cables can be created on site Cat6/Cat6a Appropriate for short distance; ideal for 10GbE Custom length cables can be created on site 40GbE Four lanes carrying 10Gb in each direction The lanes can be copper cables, wavelengths, or fibers Twinaxial (DAC) Like Coaxial cables but with two inner conductors Point to point Appropriate for indoor deployments; ideal for 1GbE, 10GbE, or 40GbE Multiple fixed length cables available Breakout Appropriate for indoor deployments; breakout one 40GbE or 100GbE into multiple links Single connector on one end breaks to multiple connectors on the other end Multiple fixed length cables available 100GbE Four lanes carrying 25Gb or ten lanes carrying 10Gb in each direction The lanes can be copper cables, wavelengths, or fibers 14 Dell and Cables Connectivity Guide
Frequently Asked Questions Can existing 10GbE fiber cables be used for 40GbE? Previously, the answer was no since 10GbE fiber cables have two fibers whereas 40GbE fiber cables have eight or more fibers, as shown below. Typical 10GbE fiber Typical 40GbE fiber Optical Module 2 fibers makes a link e.g. 10G-SR Optical Module Optical Module Multiple fibers, typically 8, makes a link. E.g. 40G-SR4, using 10G per fiber Optical Module Dell has recently introduced a 40GbE LM4 optic which provides customers the flexibility of using the existing 10GbE cables for 40GbE connections. This is accomplished by sending data over 4 wavelengths, each capable of carrying 10GbE, over single fiber. This is shown in the example below. QSFP 40G-LM4 4x10G wavelengths 4x10G wavelengths QSFP 40G-LM4 By using Dell s 40GbE LM4 QSFP+ optics on both ends of the connection, customers are able to leverage existing 10GbE cable infrastructure. This approach significantly lowers the cost of deployment while improving the time to deployment over traditional approach to 40GbE deployments. Are DWDM and CWDM optics just like a regular optic? Users of DWDM optical modules are expected to engineer the link to suit their deployment. Choice of appropriate DWDM mux-demux, optical amplification, CD compensation, etc. to meet specific link budget requirements is left to the end user. Both ends of the link must have Dell DWDM optics. Dell can provide detailed optical transceiver data-sheet upon request. Users of CWDM optical modules can simply connect the two optics using a single mode fiber (SMF) cable just like a regular Ethernet optic is connected. It is not absolutely required to use Dell CWDM optics on both ends. 15 Dell and Cables Conneectivity Guide
Frequently Asked Questions Services & Support Is it ok to install a non-dell optic in a Dell switch? Is it ok to install a non-dell DAC cable in a Dell switch? A customer is generally discouraged from installing non-dell optics in Dell switches. In order to ensure that users enjoy the most reliable network experience with Dell switches, Dell goes through a very stringent and lengthy process of optics validation, qualification, and certification. Dell fully stands behind such a solution and, in the unlikely event that a user comes across a problem, Dell s support personnel will help address the issues. If a non-dell optic is plugged into a Dell switch, the switch will continue to perform as well as the optic allows. A warning message might be displayed, indicating that the optics are not supported/tested by Dell Engineering. Dell Support will assist customer in case there is a problem. If Dell Support determines that the reported issue is caused by the use of non- Dell optics then they will recommend that the customer replace the unsupported optics with qualified Dell optics. As a matter of best practice, Dell recommends that end user test non-dell optics appropriately, prior to deploying them in production environment. Are Dell optics covered under the Lifetime Limited Warranty (LLW) for N series products? In order to ensure that users enjoy the most reliable network experience with Dell switches, Dell goes through a very stringent and lengthy process of cables validation, qualification, and certification. Dell fully stands behind such a solution and, in the unlikely event that a user comes across a problem, Dell s support personnel will help address the issues. If a non-dell DAC cable, which is standards compliant, is plugged into a Dell switch, the switch will continue to perform as well as the cable allows. Additionally, since cables are passive components and as long as the cables are standards based, If Dell Support determines that the reported issue is caused by the use of non-dell DAC then they will recommend that the customer replace the unsupported DAC with qualified Dell optics. As a matter of best practice, Dell recommends that end user test non- Dell optics appropriately, prior to deploying them in production environment. Are Dell optics covered under Dell warranty and support options? Dell approved optics are covered by Dell warranty and support options but there are limitations and different terms based on the type of warranty. Please find more detail here: http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/19/campaigns/lifetimewarranty. Typically, the warranty support on the Dell approved optic aligns with the hardware warranty. Dell approved optics are covered as long as the original customer owns the product. 16 Dell and Cables Conneectivity Guide
Frequently Asked Questions Services & Support Is it ok to install an optic from a Dell switch into Dell server NICs? Is it ok to install an optic from a Dell switch into Dell storage? It is very common for customers to use DAC (TwinAx) cables instead of optics to connect server NICs to switches. Customers have the flexibility to use either a switch qualified or a server qualified DAC cable. If a customer chooses to use optics, Dell recommends using a switch qualified optic in a switch and a NIC qualified optic in a server NIC. Fibre Channel (FC) HBAs and FC switches ship with pre-installed FC optics. Customer should use the same optics in both of these products. Please consult your Dell representative to find a list of qualified optics. It is very common for customers to use DAC (TwinAx) cables instead of optics to connect Dell Ethernet based storage ports to switches. Customers have the flexibility to use either a switch qualified or a storage qualified DAC cable. If a customer chooses to use optics, Dell strongly recommends using a storage qualified optic in a storage controller port and a switch qualified optic in a switch port. Fibre Channel (FC) storage and FC switches ship with pre-installed FC optics. Customer should use the same optics in both of these products. Please consult your Dell representative to find a list of qualified optics. Are Dell approved optics covered under ProSupport, ProSupport Plus and ProSupport Flex for Data Center? The Dell approved optics are covered under the same terms and conditions as the ProSupport contract. For example, if a customer purchases a 3 year NBD ProSupport contract then that Dell approved optic will also be covered NBD for 3 years. Is it ok to install an optic from one Dell switch into another? In most cases, the answer is yes. However, it is highly encouraged that the user contact their Dell representative to confirm if there are any specific requirements or exceptions. Dell supplied Fibre Channel (FC) optics must be installed in Dell s FC products. Dell supplied FC optics for Brocade OEM products must be used with Brocade products. Dell FC optics in Brocade switches and Brocade optics in Dell switches are not supported. Dell and Cables Conneectivity Guide
Frequently Asked Questions Services & Support Is it ok to use a Dell DAC cable to connect a Dell device to a non-dell device? Dell DAC should function normally when inter-connecting Dell and non-dell Devices. However, Dell recommends use of optics in multivendor environment because there is always a possibility that a non-dell device may have deviated from the standards based implementation. Dell Support will assist the customer in case of a problem. However, if Dell Support identifies that the reported issue is caused by use of DAC cables, they will likely recommend the use of optics, instead of DAC. As a matter of best practice, Dell recommends that the end user test DAC cables, prior to deploying them in multi-vendor inter-connect environment. Is it ok to use a Dell DAC cable to connect Dell switch to other Dell devices? Dell provides full and complete support for Dell DAC, when deployed between Dell devices. Any issues attributed to the use of Dell DAC on,and, between Dell devices, will be investigated by Dell Support Is it ok to use a DAC cable between a 10bE CNA and a 1GbE switch or 1GbE adapter with 10GbE switch? It is recommended to use optics instead of DAC if connecting at 1GbE speeds. Additionally, please ensure that both the switch and the server adapter support operation at 1GbE because some adapters support 10GbE only. Dell and Cables Conneectivity Guide
Deployment and Technical Guides 19 Dell and Cables Connectivity Guide
Deployment & Technical Guides Detailed guides to help you get connected Infrastructure Product Focus Document Title Tags Z9500 Dell Networking Cable Management Kit Cable management, 40GbE S6000, Z9500 Cable Breakout System for Dell Networking Fabric Switches Patch panel, 40GbE 20 Dell and Cables Connectivity Guide
Feedback We encourage readers of this publication to provide feedback on the quality and usefulness of this information by sending an email to - Saleem Muhammad (Saleem_Muhammad@dell.com) 21 Dell and Cables Connectivity Guide