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Splitting QSFP Ports to SFP+ Ports
The Z9500 supports splitting a single 40G QSFP port into four 10G SFP+ ports without reload using a
supported breakout cable. (For the link to a list of supported cables, refer to the Z9500 Installation Guide
or the Z9500 Release Notes).
To split a single 40G port into four 10G ports, use the following command.
• Split a single 40G port into 4-10G ports.
CONFIGURATION mode
linecard {0–2} port {0–188} portmode quad
– The range of Z9500 line-card numbers is 0 to 2.
– The range of port numbers on a 40G port to be split is 0 to 188.
To verify port splitting, use the show system linecard {0–2} fanout {count | configure}
command.
• The quad port must be in a default configuration before you can split it into 4x10G ports. The 40G
port is lost in the configuration when the port is split; be sure that the port is also removed from other
L2/L3 feature configurations.
Converting a QSFP or QSFP+ Port to an SFP or SFP+ Port
You can convert a QSFP or QSFP+ port to an SFP or SFP+ port using the Quad to Small Form Factor
Pluggable Adapter (QSA).
QSA provides smooth connectivity between devices that use Quad Lane Ports (such as the 40 Gigabit
Ethernet adapters) and 10 Gigabit hardware that uses SFP+ based cabling. Using this adapter, you can
effectively use a QSFP or QSFP+ module to connect to a lower-end switch or server that uses an SFP or
SFP+ based module.
When connected to a QSFP or QSFP+ port on a 40 Gigabit adapter, QSA acts as an interface for the SFP
or SFP+ cables. This interface enables you to directly plug in an SFP or SFP+ cable originating at a 10
Gigabit Ethernet port on a switch or server.
You can use QSFP optical cables (without a QSA) to split a 40 Gigabit port on a switch or a server into
four 10 Gigabit ports. You must enable the fan-out mode in order for this mechanism to work.
Similarly, you can enable the fan-out mode to configure the QSFP port on a device to act as an SFP or
SFP+ port. As the QSA enables a QSFP or QSFP+ port to be used as an SFP or SFP+ port, Dell Networking
OS does not immediately detect the QSA after you insert it into a QSFP port cage.
After you insert an SFP or SFP+ cable into a QSA connected to a 40 Gigabit port, Dell Networking OS
assumes that all the four fanned-out 10 Gigabit ports have plugged-in SFP or SFP+ optical cables.
However, the link UP event happens only for the first 10 Gigabit port and you can use only that port for
data transfer. As a result, only the first fanned-out port is identified as the active 10 Gigabit port with a
speed of 10G or 1G depending on whether you insert an SFP+ or SFP cable respectively.
NOTE: Although it is possible to configure the remaining three 10 Gigabit ports, the Link UP event
does not occur for these ports leaving the lanes unusable. Dell Networking OS perceives these ports
to be in a Link Down state. You must not try to use these remaining three 10 Gigabit ports for actual
data transfer or for any other related configurations.
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