QSA Adapter Update
There are now three versions of QSA adapters available with Flexoptix.
| 100G to 1x 25G | 40G to 1x 10G | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Q.1HG.PCT | Q.PCT Q.1HG.PCT |
Mellanox QSA Adapters (not supported by Cisco and Aruba) |
| Q.1HG.PCT.M | Q.1HG.PCT.M | Mellanox Compatible QSA Adapter |
| Q.1HG.PCT.U | Q.1HG.PCT.U |
Configurable adapter with EEPROM, that will emulate a QSFP+/QSFP28 transceiver for devices that natively don't support QSA-Adapters or require special HW e.g. Cisco and Aruba ATTENTION: Works only in ports that can be split into 4x10G or 4x25G links. |
What does this mean for you?
The Q.PCT, Q.1HG.PCT and Q.1HG.PCT.M is simply passing through the SFP+/SFP28 information to the QSFP+/QSFP28 port. Some devices can handle this because they identify that the EEPROM content was read on a QSFP+ port and set the port to breakout, bringing it up.
On the other hand, some devices only read the SFP+/SFP28 content on a QSFP+/QSFP28 port and attempt to identify the QSFP+/QSFP28 with it. This approach doesn't work because SFP+/SFP28 and QSFP+/QSFP28 have different memory maps.
With Q.1HG.PCT.U, FLEXOPTIX can create a configuration, that makes the device work with the plugged-in adapter, by emulating "normal" QSFP+/QSFP28 transceivers (capable of 40G/100G). This requires a breakout to be configured on the interface to get the links up and running.
If you'd like to give it a try, just let us know!
