835028-001 HPE Infiniband QSFP 3 Meter Copper Cable

Performance Specifications

Performance-centric deployments demand accurate specifications. The 835028-001 cable is engineered to exceed minimum InfiniBand EDR electrical specifications and is tested for signal integrity, crosstalk, insertion loss, and return loss across its length. Typical performance characteristics include:

• Aggregate throughput up to 100 Gbps (EDR).
• Four differential lanes carrying 25 Gbps each.
• Minimal insertion loss across the 3-meter copper channel.
• Compliance with QSFP electrical and mechanical specifications.
• Operational temperature range suitable for standard data center environments.

Electrical and Mechanical Compliance

The cable assembly adheres to industry-standard QSFP mechanical dimensions and electrical margins, maintaining compatibility with QSFP28 and QSFP+ ports when used within supported configurations. Electrical compliance ensures the cable meets or exceeds requirements for:

• Eye-diagram performance and jitter specifications.
• Channel return loss and insertion loss allowances.
• Skew between differential lanes to preserve timing integrity.
• Mechanical durability for repeated mating cycles.

Use Cases and Application Scenarios

This HPE 835028-001 InfiniBand EDR QSFP copper cable serves a broad range of use cases across enterprise, cloud, and research environments. The most common applications include:

High-Performance Computing (HPC) Clusters

HPC clusters require predictable, low-latency interconnects to support parallel applications and distributed memory operations. The 3-meter DAC enables direct, short-run connectivity between compute nodes and leaf/spine switching fabrics, minimizing latency and preserving bandwidth for MPI, scientific simulations, and large-scale modeling tasks.

Machine Learning and AI Infrastructure

GPU clusters used for model training benefit from high-throughput, low-latency links for parameter synchronization and distributed training. Using the 835028-001 cable to link GPU servers or top-of-rack switches reduces communication bottlenecks and supports faster model iteration cycles.

Storage and Database Fabrics

Storage back-ends and NVMe-oF fabrics can utilize InfiniBand EDR’s high throughput and RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access) capabilities to accelerate I/O operations. The cable’s reliability and consistent performance make it suitable for connecting storage arrays, storage controllers, and front-end switches within a rack or between adjacent racks.

Data Center Topologies

For leaf-spine or flat network architectures, the 3-meter length is often ideal for intra-rack or adjacent-rack links. It simplifies cable management while maintaining signal fidelity for high-density deployments.

Comparisons: Copper DAC vs. Active Optical Cables

Choosing between direct-attach copper and active optical cables hinges on distance, cost, power, and performance trade-offs. The 835028-001 DAC offers compelling advantages for short-reach links:

Advantages of the 835028-001 DAC

• Cost-effective: Lower per-link cost compared to active optical transceivers plus separate fiber cabling.
• Lower power: No need for on-cable optical transmitters — reduced energy consumption for density deployments.
• Simplicity: Pre-terminated, no additional transceiver installation steps required.

Technical Deep Dive: Pinout, Signaling and RDMA

For engineering teams, understanding the signaling and RDMA implications of InfiniBand EDR over copper is essential. The QSFP interface carries four electrical lanes; each lane transmits and receives differential signals at approximately 25 Gbps. InfiniBand EDR supports native RDMA operations, minimizing CPU overhead and enabling direct memory transfers with predictable latencies.

Channel Topology and Lane Mapping

• Each QSFP connector contains four high-speed transmit and receive lanes; lane mapping adheres to QSFP electrical specification.
• ERP/EDR signaling uses PAM-4 or NRZ depending on the generation; EDR uses advanced encoding to balance throughput and noise tolerance.
• Maintaining lane skew within specified tolerances is crucial for proper deserialization and data alignment at the receiver.

RDMA and Application-Level Benefits

RDMA over InfiniBand reduces context switching and memory copies, improving throughput for distributed storage, database replication, and HPC messaging layers. Applications tuned to RDMA achieve lower tail latencies and better scaling on cluster fabrics using the 835028-001 cable.

Content Suggestions for Category Pages

• Include model number and common aliases in the page meta-title and meta-description.
• Provide clear compatibility tables listing HPE switches, adapters, and firmware requirements.
• Offer downloadable resources such as datasheets, pinout diagrams, and quick-install guides.
• Present high-quality product images and labeled close-ups of QSFP connectors to assist visual identification.
• Offer SKU cross-references and recommended spare quantities for rack deployments.

Inventory Planning and Deployment Recommendations

Effective inventory strategies ensure uninterrupted operations. Recommendations for stocking and deployment of 835028-001 cables include:

• Maintain spare cables equal to at least 5–10% of deployed links for rapid replacement.
• Label both cable ends with unique identifiers and record endpoints in your CMDB or network inventory system.
• Buy from authorized HPE channels to preserve warranty and traceability.
• Keep a small stock of alternate lengths (1m, 5m) for flexible reconfiguration and to cover diverse topologies.