PAN-QSFP28-AOC-10M-BCC | Palo Alto Compatible QSFP to QSFP Active Optical Cable, 100GBASE-AOC | 10M

Q: Will this work in place of the Palo Alto PAN-QSFP28-AOC-10M?
A: Yes. This cable is designed as a direct replacement for the PAN-QSFP28-AOC-10M. It provides the same QSFP28 form factor, 100Gb/s aggregate data rate, and 100GBASE-AOC standard compliance. The cable is plug-and-play compatible with Palo Alto equipment that accepts the original part.

Q: Which Palo Alto platforms support this cable?
A: This cable works with any Palo Alto Networks platform that has 100G QSFP28 ports and supports active optical cables. The cable follows the QSFP28 MSA specification, so compatibility is determined by the port type rather than specific platform models. Confirm your equipment has 100GBASE QSFP28 AOC support.

Q: How does the four-lane architecture affect data transmission?
A: The cable uses four independent 25Gb/s channels in each direction, totalling 100Gb/s full-duplex. Each lane operates independently through separate fibres in the internal ribbon cable. This parallel architecture allows the cable to support multiple applications including 100G Ethernet at 103.125Gbps line rate and InfiniBand EDR at 4 x 25Gb/s.

Q: What is the difference between this AOC and a 100G DAC cable?
A: This active optical cable converts electrical signals to light using integrated VCSEL lasers and photodiode receivers, allowing 10 metre reach with lower power consumption than copper. A passive DAC uses copper twinax with no active components, limiting reach to typically 3-5 metres. AOCs are lighter, more flexible, and immune to electromagnetic interference.

Q: Can I monitor the optical performance of this cable?
A: Yes. The cable supports digital diagnostic monitoring via the I2C interface defined in the QSFP28 MSA. You can read real-time optical transmit and receive power levels, supply voltage, temperature, and alarm/warning thresholds from both cable ends using compatible network management software or CLI commands on your host equipment.