AOC active cables and DAC high-speed cables are used for short-distance server interconnection and server-switch interconnection in data centers, what is AOC, what is DAC, and what are the differences between them?
What is AOC (Active Optical Cable)?
Application:
AOC is composed of integrated optoelectronic devices, applies to high-speed and high-reliability interconnection transmission equipment between data centers, high-performance computers, large-capacity storage devices, etc. It usually meets industrial standard electrical interfaces, Optical-to-electrical conversion, and uses the advantages of optical cables for data transmission.
Structure:
Two optical transceiver+optical jumper=Active optical cable
Classification:
SFP+ to SFP+/SFP28 to SFP28 AOC cable
QSFP+ to QSFP+/QSFP28 to QSFP28 AOC cable
QSFP+ to 4*SFP+ AOC cable
AOC cables normally has 3, 5, 7, 10, 20, 30 meters, SFP-10G-AOC3M, SFP-10G-AOC5M, SFP-25G-AOC-10M
What is DAC (Direct Attach Cable)?
High-speed cable, or direct attach copper cable, its port is non-replaceable, and the module head and copper cable cannot be separated.
Application:
DAC cable normally applies to the switches in the data center, it can be active or passive, while AOC cable only can be active.
Appearance:
SFP+ to SFP+ or SFP28 to SFP28 high-speed cable
QSFP+ to QSFP+ or QSFP28 to QSFP28 high-speed cable
QSFP+ to 4*SFP+ or QSFP28 to 4*SFP28 high-speed cable
Structures:
SFP+ to SFP+ or SFP28 to SFP28 high-speed cable
QSFP+ to QSFP+ or QSFP28 to QSFP28 high-speed cable
QSFP+ to 4*SFP+ or QSFP28 to 4*SFP28 high-speed cable
DAC cables normally has 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 meters.
AOC Cable vs DAC Cable
1, AOC MAX power consumption is lower than DAC high-speed cable
2, AOC transmit distance is longer than DAC, AOC (OM3) can reach 100M, DAC only transmit 10M
3, AOC is made of optical fiber material (insulation), which belongs to optical fiber communication and is not interfered by electromagnetic waves. DAC is made of copper wire, which belongs to electrical communication and will be subject to electromagnetic interference.
4, AOC is more expensive than DAC cable. Material of AOC cable is fiber, and there includes laser device in the two transceivers; DAC is copper, does not include laser.
5, AOC transmits optical signals, DAC transmits low voltage pulse signal.
6, At same length, AOC is 1/4 weight of DAC cable, and 1/2 volume of DAC, convenient for wiring and delivery.
| Contrast Item | AOC | DAC |
| Transmit signal | Optical signal | Low voltage pulse signal |
| Transmission medium | Optical fiber | Copper |
| Laser | Yes | No |
| MAX consumption | AOC<DAC | |
| Transmission distance | AOC>DAC | |
| Price | AOC>DAC | |
| Weight and volume | AOC<DAC | |
| Performance | AOC>DAC | |
| Bending radius | AOC<DAC | |
Conclusion: AOC and DAC have their own advantage and disadvantage, you can choose them according to real and actual application environment. If you want to know more about these cables, please contact Fiberolt.com.
