Direct Attach Cables, SFPs, AOC, DAC, Stock in UAE

What is a Direct Attach Copper Cable?

A copper cable with fixed transmission modules

A Direct Attach Copper cable or a DAC cable is a twinax copper cable with factory terminated transmission modules that enable it to connect directly into the ports (or line cards) within active equipment, such as switches, routers, servers or data storage devices, in a data network.

The transmission modules cannot be removed from the cable and so all DAC cables are a fixed length. This is one of the drawbacks of using DAC cables compared to using a combination of fibre cables and optical transceivers.

Four types, all data rates

There are different types of high speed DAC cables; direct and breakout, passive and active. A direct connect DAC cable will connect one port/line card to another. A breakout DAC cable will allow one port to be connected to up to 4 other ports. An active DAC cable will offer slightly longer transmission distance than a passive DAC cable as it uses electronics within the modules at each end to boost the signals.

DAC cables are becoming increasingly popular, not just within data centers but within wider areas of the industry, as they offer a very cost effective, efficient and easy way of making these connections. To further understand their advantages, let’s talk more in detail about what Direct Attach Copper (DAC) cables are and how they are used.