Transceiver Interop Use Cases
The following use cases reflect real-world deployment topologies. These setups were validated on the NetScaler MPX and SDX 17000 platform using Mellanox ConnectX-7 200G NICs (FW 28.43.3608) with industry-standard data center peer switches. All QSFP-class use cases apply exclusively to the 17000 series. The MPX and SDX 9200 platform do not feature QSFP56 ports.
Citrix MPN: 9530409 (200G QSFP56 SR4 MPO-12)
Use Case: Native 200G to Mellanox SN3700
MPX/SDX 17000 (200G NIC) >> 9530409 <--- MPO-12 (Type B) ---> 9530409 << Mellanox SN3700 (QSFP56 port)
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Negotiation: Auto-negotiation at 200G PAM4 (4 x 50G), RS-FEC (544,514).
Citrix MPN: 9530410 (100/40G QSFP28 SR4 MPO-12)
Use Case 1: 100G Native Link to Cisco Nexus N9K
MPX/SDX 17000 (200G NIC) >> 9530410 <--- MPO-12 (Type B) ---> 9530410 << Cisco N9K-C93180YC-FX (QSFP28 port)
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Customer scenario: Data-center deployment uplinking the NetScaler appliance into a Cisco Nexus 100G port using Citrix-branded optics on both host and switch ends.
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Negotiation: Auto-negotiation establishes the link at 100G (4 x 25G NRZ) with RS-FEC (528,514). No manual configuration required.
Use Case 2: 40G Forced Link to Cisco Nexus N9K (Mixed-Speed Interop)
MPX/SDX 17000 (200G NIC) >> 9530410 <--- MPO-12 (Type B) ---> Cisco QSFP-40G-SR4 or Intel FTL410QE2C-IT << Cisco N9K-C93180YC-FX (QSFP+ port)
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Customer scenario: Migration or mixed-generation environments where the appliance must connect to an existing 40G Nexus port using a legacy QSFP-40G-SR4 transceiver on the switch side.
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Negotiation: Auto-negotiation is not possible. Speed must be set manually to 40G on both the host and the switch.
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IEEE 802.3 architectural constraint: The host QSFP28 SerDes initializes at 4 x 25G. The switch QSFP-40G-SR4 runs 4 x 10G. These are incompatible lane rates that require a common forced rate first.
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On the Nexus 9000, enable
service unsupported-transceiverto allow the non-Cisco-branded QSFP-40G-SR4 on the switch side. -
Per-lane DDM may show N/A on the N9K side at 40G. This is expected and has no impact to link health.
Use Case 3: 100G Native Link to Mellanox SN3700 (Spectrum-2)
MPX/SDX 17000 (200G NIC) >> 9530410 <--- MPO-12 (Type B) ---> 9530410 << Mellanox SN3700 (QSFP28 port)
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Customer scenario: Data-center deployment uplinking the NetScaler appliance into a Mellanox/NVIDIA SN3700 100G switch.
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Negotiation: Auto-negotiation establishes 100G with RS-FEC. No manual configuration required.
Key takeaway for 9530410: Native 100G works automatically on both N9K and SN3700. The 40G path requires forced speed on both ends and applies only when the peer switch port carries a QSFP-40G-SR4 module.
MPN: 9530411 (40G QSFP+ BiDi SR LC)
Use Case 1: BiDi Link with 9530411 on Both Ends (Stable)
MPX/SDX 17000 (200G NIC) >> 9530411 <--- LC duplex MMF ---> 9530411 << Cisco N9K or Mellanox SN3700 (QSFP+ port)
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Result: Link is stable, no flap observed when the same Citrix MPN 9530411 is installed at both host and switch ends. Forced 40G speed required on peer switch sides (no auto-negotiation at 40G).
Use Case 2: Mixed BiDi Pairing (Link Flap Observed)
9530411 on host, Cisco-branded 40G-BiDi (for example, AFBR-79EBPZ-CS2) on switch side.
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Symptom: Intermittent link flaps when the switch side uses a Cisco-branded 40G-BiDi module while the host uses 9530411.
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Status: Not recommended. For supported BiDi deployments, use the Citrix MPN 9530411 on both ends.
Key takeaway for 9530411: Use the same Citrix-branded BiDi MPN on host and switch ends. Cross-vendor BiDi pairings (Citrix host + Cisco-branded switch) are known to flap and are not supported.
Citrix MPN: 9530413 (100G QSFP28 LR4 LC, 10 km)
Use Case 1: 100G LR4 to Cisco Nexus N9K
MPX/SDX 17000 (200G NIC) >> 9530413 <--- OS2 LC-LC duplex SMF ---> 9530413 << Cisco N9K-C93180YC-FX (QSFP28 port)
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Negotiation: Auto-negotiation at 100G (4 x 25G NRZ), no FEC (LR4 SMF link has sufficient SNR margin to operate without FEC).
Use Case 2: 100G LR4 to Mellanox SN3700
MPX/SDX 17000 (200G NIC) >> 9530413 <--- OS2 LC-LC duplex SMF ---> 9530413 << Mellanox SN3700 (QSFP28 port)
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Negotiation: Auto-negotiation at 100G (4 x 25G NRZ), no FEC.
Key takeaway for 9530413: Native 100G LR4 links auto-negotiate cleanly with no FEC between host and both validated interop switches over OS2 SMF.
Citrix MPN: 9530416 (QSFP28-to-SFP28 Adapter)
Use Case 1: 25G SFP28 SR Uplink via QSFP56 Port
MPX/SDX 17000 (200G NIC) >> 9530416 adapter >> 9530402 (25G SFP28 SR) <--- LC duplex MMF ---> Cisco SFP-25G-SR-S << Cisco Nexus (25G port)
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Customer scenario: The MPX/SDX 17000's eight native SFP56 ports are already fully utilized. The customer needs an additional 25G uplink and uses a QSFP56 port through the 9530416 adapter + a 9530402 SFP28 SR optic on the host side, matched against a Cisco SFP-25G-SR-S on a Cisco Nexus 25G switch port.
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Negotiation: Standard 25G auto-negotiation behavior. Link comes up at 25G with FC-FEC.
Use Case 2: 10G SFP+ SR Uplink via QSFP56 Port
MPX/SDX 17000 (200G NIC) >> 9530416 adapter >> 9530403 (10G SFP+ SR) <--- LC duplex MMF ---> Cisco SFP-10G-SR << Cisco Nexus (10G port)
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Customer scenario: The customer needs an additional 10G uplink from a 17000 QSFP56 port and uses a 9530416 adapter + 9530403 SFP+ SR optic against a Cisco SFP-10G-SR on a Nexus 10G port.
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Negotiation: Standard 10G operation. The link comes up at 10G with no FEC.
Key takeaway for 9530416: The adapter enables a 200G QSFP56 port to operate as a single-lane 25G or 10G port using a standard SFP28 / SFP+ optic. Configure the host and switch for the matching lower speed. For 10G or 25G deployments, prefer the native SFP56 cages on the MPX/SDX 17000 (or any port on the MPX/SDX 9200) as they require no adapter.
Citrix MPN: 9530513 (40G QSFP+ DAC, 5 m)
Use Case 1: 40G QSFP+ DAC to Cisco Nexus N9K
MPX/SDX 17000 (200G NIC, host end labeled CITRIX/9530513) >> 9530513 <--- 5 m passive copper ---> 9530513 << (switch end labeled CISCO-CITRIX/C-QCIQMX-PDAC5M) << Cisco N9K-C93180YC-FX (QSFP+/QSFP28 port)
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Customer scenario: Short-reach 40G uplink (within a rack or adjacent rack) from the NetScaler appliance to a Cisco Nexus 40G port using a passive copper DAC.
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Cable end labeling (by design): The host end is labeled "CITRIX / 9530513". The switch end is labeled "CISCO-CITRIX / C-QCIQMX-PDAC5M". The asymmetric labeling is intentional so each end is recognized natively by the peer it faces.
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Negotiation: Auto-negotiation at 40G (4 x 10G NRZ), no FEC.
Use Case 2: 40G QSFP+ DAC to Mellanox SN3700
MPX/SDX 17000 (200G NIC, host end labeled CITRIX/9530513) >> 9530513 <--- 5 m passive copper ---> 9530513 << (switch end labeled CISCO-CITRIX/C-QCIQMX-PDAC5M) << Mellanox SN3700 (QSFP+/QSFP28 port)
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Customer scenario: Short-reach 40G uplink (within a rack or adjacent rack) from the NetScaler appliance to a Mellanox SN3700 switch port using a passive copper DAC.
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Negotiation: Auto-negotiation at 40G (4 x 10G NRZ), no FEC.
Key takeaway for 9530513: The 40G QSFP+ DAC is a passive copper alternative to the 9530411 BiDi optic for short (5 m or less) 40G links. Unlike the 9530411 BiDi case, mixed-end labeling (CITRIX on host / CISCO-CITRIX on switch) is the expected design for the 9530513, not a constraint.
Citrix MPN: 9530517 (100G QSFP28 AOC, 20 m)
Use Case 1: 100G AOC to Cisco Nexus N9K
MPX/SDX 17000 (200G NIC, CITRIX end) >> 9530517 <--- 20 m AOC ---> 9530517 (CISCO-CITRIX end / Vendor PN Q100GBAOC20MCMXC) << Cisco N9K (QSFP28 port)
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EEPROM programming asymmetry: Host end is labeled "CITRIX / 9530517" (Vendor OUI: 00:00:00); switch end is labeled "CISCO-CITRIX / Q100GBAOC20MCMXC" (Vendor OUI: 00:00:00). Vendor Rev: End A = A1, End B = D1. The asymmetric labeling is intentional so each end is recognized natively by the peer it faces. No anomalies observed against intended host/switch role mapping.
Use Case 2: 100G AOC to Mellanox SN3700
MPX/SDX 17000 (200G NIC, CITRIX end) >> 9530517 <--- 20 m AOC ---> 9530517 (CISCO-CITRIX end / Vendor PN Q100GBAOC20MCMXC) << Mellanox SN3700 (QSFP28 port)
Key constraint for 9530517: This module also advertises 40G capability in EEPROM, but does not link in a QSFP+ peer-switch port (the AOC end-electronics are QSFP28-only). For 40G interop, use 9530411 (BiDi) or 9530513 (40G QSFP+ DAC, 5 m) instead.