| NO. | Brand | Compatible P/N | Remarks |
| 1 | Cisco | QSFP-4SFP25-CU5M | |
| 2 | Arista Networks | CAB-Q28-S28-5M | |
| 3 | Brocade | 100G-Q28-S28-C-0501 | |
| 4 | Huawei | QSFP-4SFP25G-CU5M | |
| 5 | Juniper | QFX-Q-S-DAC-5M |
This 5-meter breakout cable connects one 100G QSFP28 port to four 25G SFP28 ports.
It is fully compatible with Cisco equipment and replaces the Cisco QSFP-4SFP25G-CU5M.
Designed for short distances, the passive breakout DAC cable offers a highly cost-effective interconnect solution for data centers with zero power and low latency.
It seamlessly merges 100G switches with 25G host adapters, switches, and high-speed enterprise servers.
Compatibility and Supported DevicesThis breakout dac cable is widely compatible with Cisco Nexus switching lines, high-performance routers, and major third-party enterprise server network cards.
Cisco Nexus 9000 Series (Data Center Leafs/Spines): * Nexus 93180YC-FX, 93240YC-FX2, 9336C-FX2, 9364C
Cisco Nexus 3000 Series (Low-Latency ToR): * Nexus 3132Q-V, 3232C, 34180YC
Cisco Catalyst 9000 Series (Enterprise Core): * Catalyst 9500 Series (e.g., C9500-32C), Catalyst 9600 Series (with 100G supervisor modules)
Cisco UCS Servers: UCS VIC 1440 / 1480 / 1457 (25G configurations)
NVIDIA / Mellanox: ConnectX-4 Lx, ConnectX-5, ConnectX-6 Lx (25G SFP28 Ports)
Intel: Ethernet Network Adapter E810-XXVDA2 / XXVDA4 (25G)
Broadcom: NetXtreme-E BCM57414 / BCM57454 25G SFP28 PCIe Adapters
The 3-meter DAC breakout cable is designed for tight, intra-rack architectures. Its primary use cases include:
Top-of-Rack (ToR) Aggregation: Connecting a high-density 100G core/leaf switch at the top of the rack down to four individual 25G servers or storage arrays located directly adjacent or within a few units (RU) of the switch.
High-Density Server Provisioning: Seamlessly upgrading data center compute nodes from 10G to 25G by utilizing the maximum capacity of 100G switch ports.
Enterprise Storage Area Networks (SAN): Connecting next-generation, high-throughput NVMe flash storage pools to the networking fabric with minimal packet processing delay.
Network Edge Migration: Bridging older 25G legacy systems into newer 100G network fabrics without requiring hardware-level upgrades across the board.
| Cisco Compatible | QSFP-4SFP25-CU5M | Vendor Name | HYTOPTODEVICE |
| Connector | QSFP28 to 4xSFP28 | Max Data Rate | 100Gbps |
| Cable Length | 5m (16ft) | AWG | AWG 26 |
| Jacket Material | PVC(OFNR) | Minimum Bend Radius | 30mm |
| Operation Temperature | 0~ 70 °C (32 to 158°F) | Protocols | 100 Gigabit Ethernet |
Q1: What does the part number "QSFP-4SFP25-CU5M" mean? A1: It decodes as: QSFP indicates the 100G QSFP28 master connector; 4SFP25 means it splits into four 25G SFP28 connectors; CU stands for copper (passive twinax); and 5M defines its 5-meter length.
Q2: Can I use this DAC cable to connect a Cisco switch to a switch from another brand? A2: Yes, but you need a "dual-compatible" version where one end is coded for Cisco and the other end is coded for the other brand (e.g., Arista, Dell, or HPE).
Q3:Will Cisco NX-OS flag this as an unsupported transceiver? A3: No. Our compatible cable features a precisely mirrored Cisco signature embedded in its firmware. The switch interprets it as an original Cisco QSFP-4SFP25-CU5M, allowing regular initialization without needing the service unsupported-transceiver command.
Q4: What is the maximum distance supported by the QSFP-4SFP25-CU5M? A4: The maximum physical length of this model is 5 meter (16 feet). It is specifically designed for intra-rack connections where devices are located directly above or below each other.
Q5:Can I use this Cisco-coded DAC cable to connect a Cisco switch to a Arista or HPE switch?A5:If you use a standard Cisco-coded cable, the Arista/HPE end might reject it due to vendor locking. For cross-vendor environments, it is highly recommended to order a Dual-Vendor Coded Cable (Cisco-coded on End A, and Arista/HPE-coded on End B) to ensure seamless plug-and-play compatibility on both sides.
Q6: Can I use this cable for a 40G port breaking down to 4x10G? A6: No. The internal electrical layout, wire tuning, and physical EEPROM configurations are optimized strictly for 100G-to-4x25G signaling. For 40G-to-10G applications, you must use a dedicated QSFP-4SFP10G-CU5M cable.
Q7: Why should I choose a 5-meter cable over a 1-meter cable? A7: A 1-meter cable is typically restricted to connections within the same server rack (Top-of-Rack). A 5-meter length provides the necessary physical span to route cables neatly through cable trays to reach devices located in adjacent or nearby racks (Middle-of-Row or inter-rack patching).
Q8: Does this passive DAC breakout cable consume a lot of power? A8: Not. our Direct Attach Copper (DAC) cables are passive and consume near-zero power (<0.1W per end), that is far more energy-efficient than fiber optical transceivers or AOCs.
Q9: What should I do if my Cisco switch shows an "unsupported transceiver" error? A9: Ensure your switch is running updated firmware. If the message persists, you can bypass it on Cisco IOS by entering the global configuration commands: service unsupported-transceiver and no errdisable detect cause gbic-invalid.
Q10:Does this cable support hot-swapping? A10: Yes. it is hot-pluggable.The cable is fully compliant with SFF-8665 and SFF-8402 standards. you can plug it in or remove it while switches and servers are live and running without risking electrical damage.
HYTOPTODEVICE has supplied over 200,000 passive Direct Attach Copper(DAC) cable to data centers and enterprise networks across 100+ countries since 2011. Every passive DAC cable undergoes comprehensive 100% performance, signal integrity, and compatibility testing before shipment。
"We replaced 100 Cisco-branded DACS with HYTOPTODEVICE equivalents across our spine layer — zero compatibility issues, 40% cost reduction."— Network Architect, Tier-2 ISP, England
Quality Certification & Compliance：
At HYTOPTODEVICE, our quality commitment is backed by industry-standard validations. From passive DAC cable manufacturing to final inspection, our processes ensure global compliance and reliability.
We adhere to rigorous standards for our passive DAC cable and network solutions:
ISO 9001: Certified quality management and production consistency.
CE & FCC: Fully compliant for seamless Global Market Access.
RoHS: Committed to environmental responsibility and hazardous material control.
Proven Reliability: Rigorous testing to reduce compliance risk and ensure safety.
Certified Quality. Global Standards. Guaranteed Performance.
