Cisco Direct-Attach Active Optical Cable - Direct attach cable - SFP+ to SFP+ - 3 m - SFF-8431 - active - for Catalyst 3560, 3850, Nexus 93XX, X9464, ONE Nexus 93XX, UCS 5108 Blade Server Chassis

Product Overview

AI-generated summary

At £143 ex‑VAT for a 3m SFP+ direct‑attach active optical cable, this is the kind of “easy button” purchase you make when you want clean, supported optics without playing roulette with compatibility. Cisco-branded active DAC/AOC-style links are typically reliable in the exact ecosystems they’re listed for, and on switches like the 3560/3850 and Nexus lines you’ll usually avoid those annoying edge cases around optics support, transceiver vendor whitelisting, or weird link negotiation behaviour. If your priority is “it just works” in a managed datacentre or lab where you don’t want surprises, it’s a sensible buy.

That said, I wouldn’t stock a load of these unless you’ve already confirmed your exact chassis/switch model and transceiver requirements in advance. Active optical cables can be pricey compared with standard copper DACs at short distances, and at this price you’re paying for Cisco validation more than raw performance—so if budget matters and you’ve got flexibility to use third-party optics that are confirmed compatible, you may get better value. Who should buy: teams with standardised Cisco hardware, tight change-control, and a need for predictable support. Who should not: cost-pressured users with lots of spares to buy, or anyone still figuring out compatibility details.