Mellanox MFA1A00-Cxxx are QSFP28 VCSEL-based (Vertical Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser) active optical cables designed for use in 100Gb/s Ethernet systems.

MFA1A00-Cxxx AOC offers high port density and configurability, and a much longer reach than passive copper cables in the data centers. Since the AOC is hot pluggable, it is easy to install and replace.

MFA1A00-Cxxx has a standard SFF-8665 compliant QSFP28 port on the electrical side towards the host system. It contains four multi-mode fibers (MMF) optic transceivers per end, each operating at data rates of up to 25Gb/s.

MFA1A00-Cxxx offers selectable retiming per lane for both its optical transmitters and receivers for the 25Gbp/s rates, but the AOC also supports lower bit rates without retiming. The transmitters have programmable input equalizers and input squelch function, while the receivers have programmable output amplitude and pre-emphasis.