Cisco QSFP-4SFP10G-CU2M Cisco SFP/SFP+/QSFP/XFP transceiver

Brand: Cisco | Category: Transceivers & Cables

SKU: CSC-QSFP-4SFP10G-CU2M | Part #: QSFP-4SFP10G-CU2M | MPN: QSFP-4SFP10G-CU2M

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Passive direct-attach copper breakout cables serve a specific and essential role in enterprise data centre architecture: they enable 40 Gbps QSFP+ ports to break out into four independent 10 Gbps SFP+ connections without active signal regeneration or external power consumption. The Cisco QSFP-4SFP10G-CU2M embodies this principle at 2 metres, delivering the aggregate 40 Gbps throughput that network engineers have come to expect from Cisco's QSFP+ ecosystem while maintaining zero power draw at the transceiver level. In environments where rack-level power budgets are already stretched—particularly in hyper-scale deployments or GPU-dense AI labs—the absence of active electronics means no additional thermal load, no DOM (Digital Optical Monitoring) power overhead, and no firmware version mismatches to troubleshoot. This matters more than it appears at first glance: when you multiply this cable across hundreds of ports in a 100G or 400G migration path, the cumulative power and cooling savings become tangible line items in your TCO calculations.

Cisco manufactured this breakout cable to the QSFP+ Multi-Source Agreement standard (SFF-8436) at the source connector and the SFP+ MSA specification (SFF-8431) at the breakout ends, ensuring interoperability across the entire Cisco Nexus and Catalyst portfolio. The QSFP-4SFP10G-CU2M operates across the 40GBASE-CR4 protocol standard (40 Gigabit Ethernet over copper, aggregate), with each of the four lanes supporting 10GBASE-CR at 10 Gbps. The cable uses 64b/66b line encoding per lane, a proven standard that balances error detection with throughput efficiency. Network architects and systems administrators responsible for spine-and-leaf fabric upgrades commonly specify this part when decommissioning legacy 10 Gbps leaf switches and consolidating north-south traffic onto Cisco Nexus 9000 or 7000 series platforms with QSFP+ density. The 2-metre length sits in the sweet spot for intra-rack cabling—long enough to route cleanly through cable trays without excessive slack, short enough that passive copper signal integrity remains robust across the entire run.

Cisco's implementation of this breakout architecture means you avoid the compatibility friction that sometimes accompanies third-party optics. The QSFP-4SFP10G-CU2M passes Cisco IOS firmware integrity checks without generating unsupported transceiver warnings, a small but important detail that keeps your change control process clean and your NOC alerting from false positives. Storage architects and infrastructure teams evaluating 40G access ports to external storage arrays, NVMe-over-Fabrics (NVMe-oF) deployments, or east-west cluster traffic will find this cable particularly relevant when their legacy 10 Gbps SFP+ optics and DACs still have useful life left but their switching infrastructure has moved to QSFP+. The passive design means no latency injection—useful for sub-millisecond SAN requirements—and no clock domain jitter that sometimes accompanies active regeneration. The operating temperature range of 0°C to 70°C covers standard data centre conditioning; the cable itself generates no heat that would narrow that window further.

Deployment scenarios for the Cisco QSFP-4SFP10G-CU2M fall into several recurring patterns. Network engineers use it as a transitional stepping stone during multi-phase fabric upgrades, where new QSFP+ capable switches must interoperate with existing 10 Gbps infrastructure for 12 to 24 months. AI infrastructure teams building out training clusters with heterogeneous networking (some hosts on 40G, some still cabled at 10G) use this cable to maintain wire-speed performance on the QSFP+ side while avoiding premature SFP+ port replacement across hundreds of GPU servers. Financial services and telecommunications operators in the GCC and broader Asia region frequently maintain breakout cabling pools because their service provider SLAs demand predictable MTTR on core fabric components; a shelf of passive DAC breakouts costs less to stock and requires zero power inventory management compared to active modules. The cable's age and maturity also mean that every hyperscaler and major enterprise IT vendor has validated it against their reference architectures, eliminating the engineering uncertainty that surrounds newer form factors.

Omnixon Global stocks the Cisco QSFP-4SFP10G-CU2M as a core inventory item across our Dubai hub and regional distribution network serving the UAE, broader GCC, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. We understand that network modernisation projects operate on compressed timelines—your fabric upgrade cannot wait for international shipments or procurement delays. Whether you are planning a data centre refresh, scaling an AI lab, or executing a scheduled infrastructure rotation, we can fulfil orders quickly and support your validation testing before deployment. If you require technical cross-reference, compatibility confirmation against your specific platform mix, or volume pricing for multi-site rollouts, our technical sales team is available to review your requirements. Please submit your RFQ with platform details, cable quantities, and your target deployment date, and we will respond with availability and logistics support tailored to your location and timeline.

Cisco QSFP Breakout Cable Specifications and Compatibility

• Breakout configuration: one QSFP+ port to four independent SFP+ ports; 40 Gbps aggregate (10 Gbps per lane) using 64b/66b line encoding
• Passive copper DAC design: zero power consumption, zero latency injection, operates 0°C to 70°C without thermal derating
• Cisco-native compliance: SFF-8436 QSFP+ MSA and SFF-8431 SFP+ MSA; passes Cisco IOS firmware validation; no unsupported transceiver warnings
• Supported platforms: Cisco Nexus 3000, 5000, 6000, 7000, 9000 series; Cisco Catalyst 9500 series and later (QSFP+ breakout-capable ports required)
• Cable length and routing: 2 metres passive copper; suitable for intra-rack and top-of-rack switching integration with standard cable management
• Protocol standards: 40GBASE-CR4 aggregate mode per IEEE 802.3ba; 10GBASE-CR per individual lane
• Applications: fabric upgrades, transitional multi-speed deployments, NVMe-oF clusters, hyper-scale and AI infrastructure with heterogeneous 10G/40G connectivity