Create a direct 100 Gigabit Ethernet optical connection between equipment requiring Cisco-compatible QSFP28 coding at one end and Mellanox-compatible QSFP28 coding at the other. AddOn Networks ADD-Q28CIQ28MX-O3M is a 3 m active optical cable with permanently attached QSFP28 ends, providing one integrated assembly instead of separate transceiver modules and a fiber patch cable. The cable supports 100GBASE connectivity over active optical media at 850 nm. Its fixed 3 m length suits short point-to-point links within a rack, between adjacent racks, or between network equipment positioned close together in a data center row. The attached QSFP28 connections reduce the number of optical interfaces that must be separately installed and mated for the link. What separates this cable from same-vendor QSFP28 AOCs is its mixed-end compatibility: one end is coded for Cisco-compatible equipment and the other for Mellanox-compatible equipment. That distinction matters where the two platforms must be interconnected directly. Verify that each target device presents a QSFP28 port and requires the corresponding compatible cable end before installation.