Cisco QSFP-400G-DR4 Full Official Product Description
1. Part Number & Naming Definition
Official Full Name
Cisco 400GBASE-DR4 QSFP112 Parallel Single-Mode Optical Transceiver Module with Digital Diagnostic Monitoring Support
SKU:QSFP-400G-DR4
Naming Breakdown
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QSFP112: Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable 112 hot‑swappable transceiver complying with QSFP112 MSA and CMIS Rev4.1 standard
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400G: Aggregate 425 Gbps raw bandwidth (4 × 106.25 GBd PAM4 optical lanes for 400 Gigabit Ethernet payload)
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DR4: Direct Reach 4-lane parallel single-mode optical standard defined under IEEE 802.3ck 400GBASE-DR4
Critical Clarification: QSFP-400G-DR4 adopts QSFP112 form factor (not QSFP-DD).
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No separate "S" suffix: Standard commercial temperature variant (0°C ~ +70°C)
Core Architecture
Four independent 106.25 GBd PAM4 optical channels operating at nominal 1310 nm wavelength. Parallel optics design uses 4 transmit and 4 receive single-mode fiber strands via one MTP/MPO‑12 APC multifiber connector. Uncooled DML transmitters and PIN receiver arrays.
Breakout Support: Supports flexible port breakout:4 × 100GBASE-DR1or2 × 200GBASE-DR2with matched MPO‑12 APC to LC APC fanout cables; native aggregated 400G operation is also available.
Mandatory Condition: Host-side KP4 RS‑FEC must be enabled to achieve full rated transmission distance.
Core Product Positioning
The Cisco QSFP-400G-DR4 is a commercial-grade hot‑swappable QSFP112 parallel single-mode optical transceiver optimized for short-medium reach 400 Gigabit Ethernet interconnections inside cloud, AI/ML compute and enterprise data centers. It delivers cost-effective parallel SMF connectivity for leaf-spine fabric uplinks, GPU cluster interlinks and data center pod aggregation, offering flexible native 400G or multi-speed breakout deployment models. Integrated digital diagnostics enable continuous real-time monitoring of optical operating parameters to simplify routine maintenance and accelerate fault troubleshooting.
2. Hardware & Software Compatibility
Supported Host Platforms
Cisco Nexus 9000 Series QSFP112-enabled Switches; Catalyst high-density switching platforms; UCS servers and other hardware platforms equipped with QSFP112 ports supporting 400 Gigabit Ethernet.
Verify Cisco official transceiver compatibility matrix and minimum required firmware release prior to deployment.
Supported Operating Systems
NX-OS releases supporting QSFP112 MSA, CMIS Rev4.1 and digital diagnostic interfaces.
Supported Fiber Media
Single‑Mode Fiber (SMF) G.652 (OS2, 9/125μm) only; incompatible with multi-mode fiber.
Connector Type
MTP/MPO‑12 APC multifiber optical connector
Important: APC-terminated trunk cables and fanouts are mandatory; PC-type MPO connectors are not supported.
3. Physical & Optical Performance Specifications
Form Factor
Hot‑swappable QSFP112, compliant with QSFP112 MSA and CMIS Rev4.1
Optical Interface
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Nominal Operating Wavelength: 1304.5 nm ~ 1317.5 nm
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Electrical Interface: 400GAUI‑4, 4 × 106.25 GBd PAM4
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Modulation Scheme: PAM4
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Transmitter: Uncooled DML array; Receiver: PIN photodiode array
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Mandatory Function: Host KP4 RS‑FEC activation
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Operating Modes: Native 400GBASE-DR4, breakout to 4 × 100GBASE-DR1 or 2 × 200GBASE-DR2
Maximum Transmission Distance
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Up to500 metersover standard G.652 OS2 single-mode fiber (RS‑FEC enabled)
Optical Power Budget
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Average Transmit Optical Power: −7.0 dBm ~ +2.0 dBm
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Minimum Receiver Sensitivity (OMA): −10.2 dBm
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Maximum Allowable Received Optical Power: +2.3 dBm
Digital Diagnostics
DOM / DDM (Digital Diagnostic Monitoring) Supported
Monitors internal module temperature, supply voltage, laser bias current, transmit optical power and received optical power via I2C CMIS interface.
Environmental Specifications (Commercial Grade)
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Operating Temperature:0°C ~ +70°C (32°F ~ 158°F)
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Storage Temperature: −40°C ~ +85°C (−40°F ~ 185°F)
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Relative Humidity: 5% – 95%, non‑condensing
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Maximum Operating Altitude: 3,000 meters
Typical Power Consumption
4. Supported Functional Capabilities
Ethernet Transport
Wire-speed full-duplex 400GBASE-DR4 PAM4 Ethernet; supports flexible electrical breakout into 4 × 100G or 2 × 200G Ethernet; requires host KP4 RS-FEC.
Layer 2 Protocol Support
802.1Q VLAN trunking, IEEE 802.3x pause frame flow control, LACP, STP/RSTP/MSTP, EtherChannel link aggregation
Interface Diagnostics
Link status detection, error statistics, DOM real-time optical telemetry, LOS (Loss of Signal) alarm indication, Tx disable control, local loopback testing
High Availability
Supports hot-plug OIR (Online Insertion and Removal) on compatible platforms; supports link redundancy via port-channels and spanning tree protocols
Operations & Management
NX-OS command-line interface, SSH, SNMP v2c/v3, Syslog logging
5. Typical Deployment Scenarios
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Short-medium reach 400GE leaf-spine fabric uplinks within cloud and AI compute data center pods
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GPU cluster and high-performance computing (HPC) interconnections up to 500 meters
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Network migration projects leveraging MPO‑12 APC parallel single-mode trunk infrastructure
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Flexible port density deployments: single QSFP112 port breakout into four independent 100G connections
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Aggregation layer interconnections between high-density server racks and core switching tiers
6. Regulatory & Compliance Certifications
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Safety Standards: UL 60950‑1, IEC/EN 60950‑1, CSA C22.2 No.60950‑1
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EMC Compliance: CE Mark, FCC Part 15 Class A, ICES‑003 Class A
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Laser Safety: Class 1 Laser Product conforming to IEC 60825‑1
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Industry Standards: IEEE 802.3ck, QSFP112 MSA, CMIS Rev4.1, SFF‑8636
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Environmental Regulation: RoHS compliant, WEEE directive compliant
7. Standard Factory Package Contents
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Cisco QSFP-400G-DR4 QSFP112 Optical Transceiver
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Hardware Installation Guide
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Safety and Regulatory Documentation
MPO‑12 APC single-mode trunk cables and MPO‑to‑4×LC APC breakout fanouts sold separately.
Model Comparison Reference
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QSFP-400G-DR4: QSFP112 MPO‑12 APC parallel SMF, max 500m, supports native 400G / 4×100G / 2×200G breakout
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QDD-400G-DR4-S: QSFP-DD form factor parallel single-mode module (different hardware footprint)
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QSFP-400G-FR4: Duplex LC WDM single-mode, max 2 km, no breakout capability
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QSFP-400G-VR4: MPO‑12 UPC multi-mode parallel optics, limited 50m reach
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QSFP-200G-DR4-S: QSFP56 200G parallel single-mode predecessor
UNSPSC Classification Code
43222618 – Cisco QSFP-400G-DR4 short-reach parallel single-mode QSFP112 transceiver with DOM and multi-speed breakout capability, hot-swappable 400 Gigabit optical module for AI, cloud and enterprise data center leaf-spine networking.
Hardware Warranty
Genuine Cisco transceivers are covered under Cisco limited hardware warranty. Warranty terms for refurbished units follow respective reseller agreements.
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