Cisco QSFP-400G-VR4 Full Official Product Description
1. Part Number & Naming Definition
Official Full Name
Cisco 400GBASE-VR4 QSFP112 Parallel Multi-Mode Optical Transceiver Module with Digital Diagnostic Monitoring Support
SKU:QSFP-400G-VR4
Naming Breakdown
-
QSFP112: Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable 112 hot‑swappable transceiver complying with QSFP112 MSA and CMIS standard
-
400G: Aggregate 425 Gbps raw bandwidth (4 × 106.25 GBd PAM4 electrical lanes for 400 Gigabit Ethernet payload)
-
VR4: Very Short Reach four-lane parallel multi-mode optical standard defined under IEEE 802.3db 400GBASE-VR4
-
No suffix: Standard commercial temperature-grade variant (0°C ~ +70°C operating range)
Core Architecture
Four independent 106.25 GBd PAM4 optical lanes operating at nominal 850 nm wavelength. Parallel optical architecture uses four transmit and four receive multi-mode fiber strands terminated with one MTP/MPO‑12 APC multifiber connector. Adopts VCSEL transmit array and PIN photodiode receiver array.
Breakout Capability: Supports flexible port breakout:4 × 100GBASE-VR1or2 × 200GBASE-VR2when deployed with matched MPO‑12 APC to LC APC fanout cables; native aggregated 400G operation is also available.
Mandatory requirement: Host-side KP4 RS-FEC must be enabled to achieve full rated transmission distance and target BER performance.
Core Product Positioning
The Cisco QSFP-400G-VR4 is a commercial-grade hot‑swappable QSFP112 parallel multi-mode optical transceiver optimized for ultra-short reach 400 Gigabit Ethernet interconnections within AI computing, HPC and cloud data centers. It provides cost-effective high-density parallel MMF connectivity for rack-to-rack server/GPU links, leaf-spine fabric downlinks, and in-pod aggregation interconnections. Multiple breakout modes maximize port flexibility for mixed-speed network designs. 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; high-density Catalyst 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
Multi‑Mode Fiber (MMF) OM3 / OM4 / OM5; incompatible with single-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
-
Operating Wavelength: 842 nm ~ 862 nm (850 nm nominal VCSEL)
-
Electrical Interface: 400GAUI‑4, 4 × 106.25 GBd PAM4
-
Modulation Scheme: PAM4
-
Transmitter: VCSEL array; Receiver: PIN photodiode array
-
Mandatory Function: Host KP4 RS‑FEC activation
-
Operating Modes: Native 400GBASE-VR4, breakout to 4 × 100GBASE-VR1 or 2 × 200GBASE-VR2
Maximum Transmission Distance
-
OM3 MMF: up to30 meters
-
OM4 / OM5 MMF: up to50 meters
Optical Power Budget
-
Average Transmit Optical Power: −4.6 dBm ~ +4.0 dBm
-
Minimum Receiver Sensitivity (OMA): −6.3 dBm
-
Maximum Allowable Received Optical Power: +4.0 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)
-
Operating Temperature:0°C ~ +70°C (32°F ~ 158°F)
-
Storage Temperature: −40°C ~ +85°C (−40°F ~ 185°F)
-
Relative Humidity: 5% – 95%, non‑condensing
-
Maximum Operating Altitude: 3,000 meters
Typical Power Consumption
4. Supported Functional Capabilities
Ethernet Transport
Wire-speed full-duplex 400GBASE-VR4 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
-
Ultra-short reach 400GE leaf-spine fabric downlinks within AI, GPU and HPC data center racks
-
High-density GPU server cluster interconnections within the same equipment rack or adjacent racks
-
Flexible mixed-speed deployments: single QSFP112 port breakout into four independent 100G connections
-
Network upgrades leveraging existing MPO‑12 APC multi-mode trunk cabling infrastructure
-
In-pod server aggregation interconnections inside cloud and enterprise data center pods
6. Regulatory & Compliance Certifications
-
Safety Standards: UL 60950‑1, IEC/EN 60950‑1, CSA C22.2 No.60950‑1
-
EMC Compliance: CE Mark, FCC Part 15 Class A, ICES‑003 Class A
-
Laser Safety: Class 1 Laser Product conforming to IEC 60825‑1
-
Industry Standards: IEEE 802.3db, IEEE 802.3ck, QSFP112 MSA, CMIS Rev4.1, SFF‑8636
-
Environmental Regulation: RoHS compliant, WEEE directive compliant
7. Standard Factory Package Contents
-
Cisco QSFP-400G-VR4 QSFP112 Optical Transceiver
-
Hardware Installation Guide
-
Safety and Regulatory Documentation
MPO‑12 APC multi-mode trunk cables and MPO‑to‑LC APC breakout fanouts sold separately.
Model Comparison Reference
-
QSFP-400G-VR4: QSFP112 MPO‑12 APC parallel MMF, max 50m (OM4), supports native 400G / 4×100G / 2×200G breakout
-
QSFP-400G-DR4: QSFP112 MPO‑12 APC parallel single-mode, max 500m, SMF only
-
QSFP-400G-FR4: QSFP112 Duplex LC CWDM single-mode, max 2km, no breakout capability
-
QDD-400G-VR4: QSFP-DD form factor VR4 module (different hardware footprint)
-
QSFP-200G-SR4-S: QSFP56 200G parallel multi-mode predecessor
UNSPSC Classification Code
43222618 – Cisco QSFP-400G-VR4 ultra-short-reach parallel multi-mode QSFP112 transceiver with DOM and multi-speed breakout capability, hot-swappable 400 Gigabit optical module for AI, HPC, cloud and enterprise data center rack-to-rack networking.
Hardware Warranty
Genuine Cisco transceivers are covered under Cisco limited hardware warranty. Warranty terms for refurbished units follow respective reseller agreements.
|
