Category Archives: SFP Transceiver

Cisco Single Mode SFP VS Cisco Multimode SFP

SFP (shorts for Small Form-Factor Pluggable) is a compact, hot-pluggable transceiver used for both telecommunication and data communications applications. It interfaces to motherboard, router, switch or optical media converter. There are two types of SFP, single mode SFP and multimode SFP. And this articles will focus on Cisco SFP  and make a comparison of Cisco single mode SFP and Cisco multimode SFP.

alt Cisco Single Mode SFP

What Is Cisco Single Mode SFP?

Cisco single mode SFP works over single mode fiber whose typical core diameter is 9µm. And the cladding diameter of a single mode fiber is 125µm. Cisco single mode SFP operates mainly at 1310nm and 1550nm wavelengths and is used in long-haul transmission environments of 2km, 10km, 40km, 60km, 80km, and 120km. Cisco single mode SFP consists of 1000BASE-EX SFP, 1000BASE-ZX SFP, 1000BASE-BX10-D SFP, 1000BASE-BX10-U SFP, and 1000BASE-LX/LH SFP. For detailed information, please check the chart below.

Cisco Single Mode SFP Part Number Description
1000BASE-EX SFP GLC-EX-SMD Operates on single mode fiber over a wavelength of 1310nm for 40km
1000BASE-EX SFP GLC-EX-SM1550-40 operates on single mode fiber over a wavelength of 1550nm for 40km
1000BASE-ZX SFP GLC-ZX-SM/GLC-ZX-SMD/GLC-ZX-SM-RGD Operates on single mode fiber over a wavelength of 1550nm for 80km
1000BASE-BX10-D SFP GLC-BX-10D Operates on single mode fiber over a wavelength of 1550nm for 10km
1000BASE-BX10-U SFP GLC-BX-10U Operates on single mode fiber over a wavelength of 1310nm for 10km
1000BASE-LX/LH SFP GLC-LX-SM-RGD/GLC-LH-SM/GLC-LH-SMD Operates on single mode fiber over a wavelength of 1310nm for 10km
1000BASE-LX/LH SFP GLC-LH-SM-20 Operates on single mode fiber over a wavelength of 1310nm for 20km

What Is Cisco Multimode SFP?

Cisco multimode SFP works over multimode fiber with the core diameter of 50 µm and 62.5 µm, and the cladding diameter is 125µm as well. The common multimode SFP operates at 850nm wavelength and is only used for short distance transmission of 100m and 500m. For detailed information, please check the chart below.

Cisco Single Mode SFP Part Number Description
1000BASE-SX SFP GLC-SX-MMD/GLC-SX-MM-RGD/GLC-SX-MM Operates on multimode fiber over a wavelength of 850nm for 550m
1000BASE-LX/LH SFP SFP-GE-L/GLC-LX-SM-RGD/GLC-LH-SM/GLC-LH-SMD Operates on multimode fiber over a wavelength of 1310nm for 550m

Cisco Single Mode SFP VS Cisco Multimode SFP

Cisco single mode  and multimode SFP modules can both server for transmitting and receiving optical signals and facilitate communication. However, the differences between them are also apparent. Here we will compare them from several aspects.

Connected Fibers

Cisco single mode SFP will work with single mode fiber in order to perform both transmission and reception of data. Whereas Cisco multimode SFP will work with multimode fiber to provide higher speed at shorter distance.

Transmission Distance

Cisco single mode SFP can support distance value as high as 80km or even 120km and mostly used in long distances (up to 10km) transmission environment. Whereas Cisco multimode SFP supports distance up to 550m, more used in a small area or within the building.

Supported Wavelength

Cisco single mode SFP works mainly on 1310nm and 1550nm wavelength, while Cisco multimode SFP works mainly on 850nm wavelength.

Preferential Usage

Cisco single mode SFP is mostly required on WAN connectivity. Whereas Cisco multimode SFP is used inside LAN for the switch, router and server connectivity inside building or data center.

Cost

Generally speaking, Cisco single mode SFP is costly and Cisco multimode SFP is cheaper. That’s because Cisco single mode SFP requires a laser source for transmission and it typically uses a laser diode (LD) as the light source, which is expensive. While Cisco multimode SFP uses a light emitting diode (LED) as the light source.

Conclusion

Now we learn a lot about Cisco single mode SFP and multimode SFP. Before you choose the SFP transceiver, you have to confirm the transmission distance and the wavelength you need and also the cables you already have. Remember that single mode and multimode are not interchangeable. So you have to take into account your actual situation and budget. To save more, you can choose a compatible transceiver module from FS.COM to match all your devices without sacrificing any quality or reliability but only at a lower cost. FS.COM offers various SFPs with a great offer that may be a good choice for you.

Related Articles:
Comparing Single Mode and Multimode Fibers From Distance, Speed, and Wavelength
Single Mode vs Multimode Fiber: What’s the Difference?

Fiber SFP Module VS Fiber Media Converter

Many devices in the optical communication field are sharing similar functions, such as fiber SFP module and fiber media converter. They are designed as the equipment for photoelectric conversion. Some of you may get confused about the two seemingly similar devices. Don’t worry, in this article, we are going to reveal the secret between SFP fiber module and fiber media converter. In the beginning, let’s go over the definitions of them.

What Is the Fiber SFP Module

The SFP (small form-factor pluggable) module, also called mini GBIC (gigabit interface converter), is a compact, hot-pluggable optical transceiver used for both telecommunication and data communication applications. It converts electrical signals to optical signals and vice versa. Usually, the SFP module consists of optical SFP and copper SFP. And the type depends on whether their SFP ports connect with fiber optic cables or copper cables. The fiber SFP module can support SONET, Gigabit Ethernet, Fiber Channel, and other communication standards.

Figure 1: SFP Copper RJ45 100m Transceiver

Figure 1: SFP Copper RJ45 100m Transceiver

What Is Fiber Media Converter?

Similar to the working mode of optical transceivers, the fiber media converter receives data signals from one media and transmits them to another. Conventionally, fiber media converters can support two kinds of conversion: copper-to-fiber and fiber-to-fiber. Copper-to-fiber media converters are devices designed to connect two dissimilar media types, such as the twisted pair with fiber optic cabling. They will be chosen when the transmission distance of two network devices with copper ports need to be extended via fiber optic cabling. When it comes to the fiber-to-fiber conversion, it supports a connectivity not only between multimode fiber and single mode fiber but also a dual fiber link and single fiber using Bi-directional (BIDI) flow. Conversions between different wavelengths can also be achieved by some fiber-to-fiber media converters.

Figure 2: 1*SFP and 2*RJ45 Ports Mini Gigabit Ethernet Media Converter

Figure 2: 1*SFP and 2*RJ45 Ports Mini Gigabit Ethernet Media Converter

Connection: Fiber SFP Module vs Fiber Media Converter

A fiber SFP module has a much smaller size than a fiber media converter. Before catching the connection between fiber SFP modules and fiber media converters, we had better know the media converter’s physical structure in advance. So far, copper-to-fiber media converters cover two types of ports. One is for copper (usually the RJ45 port) and the other is for fiber. As for fiber ports, two kinds can also be found. One is designed to insert fiber optic transceivers (SFP, XFP and etc), and the other to connect fiber optic patch cables (SC, LC and etc). As for fiber-to-fiber media converters, both the input ports and output ports are for fiber link. It can be a fiber optic connector for fiber patch cables or an SFF connector for optical modules. After knowing the media converter’s physical structure, it will be easier for us to grasp how does it coordinate with the SFP fiber module. Therefore, if you want to make an SFP module and a media converter both into use at the same time, you need to choose a fiber media converter with fiber ports for an optical transceiver. That is to say, you can insert you SFP module into one side and connect an RJ45 copper cable with the copper port on the other.

Figure 3: 1SFP+1RJ45 Ports Mini Gigabit Ethernet Media Converter

Figure 3: 1SFP+1RJ45 Ports Mini Gigabit Ethernet Media Converter

Conclusion

To sum up, in this article, we introduce what the fiber SFP module and the media converter are. Then after studying the media converter’s physical structure and how it coordinates with the fiber SFP module, we can understand the connection between the fiber SFP module and the media converter.

How to Solve the Problems When Using SFP Optical Transceiver

The small form-factor pluggable (SFP) optical transceiver is one of the protagonists of modern networking, which is a hot-swappable, compact media connector used for telecommunication and data communications. It is designed to provide instant fiber connectivity for your networking devices, such as routers and switches. It is a cost-effective way to connect a single network device to a wide variety of fiber cable for different distances and fiber types, including Ethernet, SONET, single-mode fiber, and multi-mode fiber. Therefore, most people are using SFP optical transceivers for their 1G transmission, especially Cisco SFP optical transceiver. At the same time, there are many problems when using these SFP optical transceivers. This article may summary the problems that may occur and provide the guided solutions for you, as well as give you some notes for maintaining the quality of SFP optical transceivers.

SFP Transceiver

Problems & Solutions

Some problems may appear when we are using SFP optical transceiver. Now let’s talk about why these problems happen and how to solve these problems. The problems are classified as transmitting failure and receiving failure. The problems and solutions are as follows:

Optical Interface Is Polluted and Damaged

Owing to the pollution and damage of the optical interface, its optical link loss become higher, resulting in the optical link fails.

Solutions
  • Testing the environment of the exposed optical interface, some dust and pollution may enter into the structure.
  • Testing the link ending of optical fibers, because the optical interface may experience second pollution.
  • Testing the interface of the optical connector with pigtail, it may have some improper uses.
  • Testing the quality of fiber optic connectors, you could use the inferior optical fiber connectors.
Damage of ESD(Electro Static Discharge)

Static electricity will absorb dust, which may change impedance line and affect the life and function of the product. The ESD will damage components, which may work in short-term, but their life is still affected.

Solutions
  • Avoiding the dry environment, for which easily produce the ESD.
  • Avoiding the abnormal operation. For example, operating the non-hot-swappable optical modules with electricity; directly touching the pin of transceiver module by hand without ESD protection; there is not anti-static packaging during the transport and storage process.
  • Avoiding non ground-connection or bad ground connection.
  • Improving the ESD immunity of electronic components, because the ESD is inevitable.
Incompatibility

While SFP transceivers are fully-compliant with IEEE 802.3 and the SFP multi-source agreement (MSA), they may not be compatible with some network switch equipment. Because some switch manufacturers program their equipment to accept only their own brand of SFPs.

Solutions

Each SFP module holds its own memory in Electrically Erasable Programmable Read – Only Memory (EEPROM). This memory is coded with unique identifiers. The firmware of the host device will check the memory for the correct information to confirm compatibility. A SFP transceiver will work in any host device as long as it has the correct coding. Advance transceivers are coded specifically to suit each host device to avoid this problem.

Notes for Maintaining the Quality of SFP Optical Transceiver

Quality is also very important for SFP optical transceiver, for which is the top priority of customers. Here are some notes:

  • Finding the failure product in advance before shipment
  • Prohibiting the faulty module to leave the factory
  • Decreasing reject rate
  • Guaranteeing the working stability of the products after leaving the factory
Summary

SFP optical transceiver provides a cost-effective and flexible solution for network designs. I hope this article can help you solve the problems when you are using the products and learn how to avoid these problems.

Things You Need to Know About DWDM Transceiver

In optical communications, DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) technology enables a number of different wavelengths to be transmitted on a single fiber, which makes it a popular choice among many different areas such as local area networks (LANs), long-haul backbone networks and residential access networks. In these transmission processes, DWDM transceivers play an important role. Here is a brief introduction to them.

Basics of DWDM Transceiver

DWDM transceiver, as its name shows, is a kind of fiber optic transceiver based on DWDM technology. As mentioned above, it enables different wavelengths to multiplex several optical signals on a single fiber without requiring any power to operate. And these transceivers are designed for high-capacity and long-distance transmissions, supporting to 10 Gbps and spanning a distance up to 120 km. Meanwhile, the DWDM transceivers are designed to Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) standards in order to ensure broad network equipment compatibility.

The basic function of DWDM transceiver is to convert the electrical signal to optical and then to electrical signal, which is as same as other optical transceivers. However, based on DWDM technology, DWDM transceiver has its own features and functions. It’s intended for single-mode fiber and operate at a nominal DWDM wavelength from 1528.38 to 1563.86 nm (Channel 17 to Channel 61) as specified by the ITU-T. And it is widely deployed in the DWDM networking equipment in metropolitan access and core networks.

Common Types of DWDM Transceiver

There are different types of DWDM transceiver according to different packages such as DWDM SFP transceiver, DWDM SFP+ transceiver, DWDM XFP transceiver, DWDM XENPAK transceiver and DWDM X2 transceiver. Here is a simple introduction to them.

DWDM SFP Transceiver

DWDM SFP transceiver is based on the SFP form factor which is an MSA standard build. This transceiver provides a signal rate range from 100 Mbps to 2.5 Gbps. Besides, DWDM SFP transceiver meets the requirements of the IEE802.3 Gigabit Ethernet standard and ANSI fibre channel specifications, and are suitable for interconnections in Gigabit Ethernet and fibre channel environments.

dwdm-sfp

DWDM SFP+ Transceiver

DWDM SFP+ transceiver, based on the SFP form factor, is designed for carriers and large enterprises that require a flexible and cost-effective system for multiplexing and transporting high-speed data, storage, voice and video applications. The maximum speed of this transceiver is 11.25G. It’s known to all that DWDM enables service providers to accommodate hundreds of aggregated services of sub-rate protocol without installing additional dark fiber. Therefore, DWDM SFP+ transceiver is a good choice for 10G highest bandwidth application.

dwdm-sfp-plus

DWDM X2 Transceiver

DWDM X2 Transceiver is a high performance serial optical transponder module for high-speed 10G data transmission applications. The module is fully compliant to IEEE 802.3ae standard for Ethernet, which makes it ideally suitable for 10G rack-to-rack applications.

dwdm-x2

DWDM XFP Transceiver

DWDM XFP transceiver is based on the XFP form factor which is also an MSA standard build. The maximum speed of this transceiver is 11.25G and it is usually used in 10G Ethernet. This transceiver emits a specific light. And there are different industry standards and the 100Ghz C-band is the most used one which has a spacing of 0.8 nm. What’s more, DWDM XFP supports SONET/SDH, 10GbE and 10 Gigabit fibre channel applications.

dwdm-xfp

DWDM XENPAK Transceiver

DWDM XENPAK transceiver is SC duplex receptacle module and is designed for backbone Ethernet transmission systems. It is the first 10GbE transceiver ever to support DWDM. And it can support 32 different channels for transmission distance up to 200 km with the aid of EDFAs. DWDM XENPAK transceiver allows enterprise companies and service providers to provide scalable and easy-to-deploy 10 Gigabit Ethernet services in their networks.

dwdm-xenpak

Applications of DWDM Transceiver

As the growing demand of bandwidth, DWDM technology is becoming more and more popular. And DWDM transceivers are commonly used in MANs (metropolitan area networks) and LANs. Different types of DWDM transceiver have different applications. For example, DWDM SFP transceivers are applied in amplified DWDM networks, Fibre Channel, fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet and other optical transmission systems, while DWDM XFP transceivers are usually used in the fields which meet the 10GBASE-ER/EW Ethernet, 1200-SM-LL-L 10G Fibre Channel, SONET OC-192 IR-2, SDH STM S-64.2b, SONET OC-192 IR-3, SDH STM S-64.3b and ITU-T G.709 standards.

Conclusion

In summary, DWDM transceiver is an essential component in DWDM systems. Fiberstore offers various DWDM transceivers and is able to provide the advanced technology and strong innovative capability to produce the best optical components for DWDM systems. If you are interested in our products, please visit FS.COM for more detailed information.

The Basics of 1000BASE-SX and 1000BASE-LX SFP

Gigabit Ethernet has been regarded as a huge breakthrough of telecom industry by offering speeds of up to 100Mbps. Gigabit Ethernet is a standard for transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of a gigabit per second. There are five physical layer standards for Gigabit Ethernet using optical fiber (1000BASE-X), twisted pair cable (1000BASE-T), or shielded balanced copper cable (1000BASE-CX). 1000BASE-LX SFP and 1000BASE-SX SFP are two common types of optical transceiver modules in the market. Today’s topic will be a brief introduction to 1000BASE-LX and 1000BASE-SX SFP transceivers.

1000BASE in these terms refers to a Gigabit Ethernet connection that uses the unfiltered cable for transmission. “X” means 4B/5B block coding for Fast Ethernet or 8B/10B block coding for Gigabit Ethernet. “L” means long-range single- or multi-mode optical cable (100 m to 10 km). “S” means short-range multi-mode optical cable (less than 100 m).

1000BASE-SX
1000BASE-SX is a fiber optic Gigabit Ethernet standard for operation over multi-mode fiber using a 770 to 860 nanometer, near infrared (NIR) light wavelength. The standard specifies a distance capability between 220 meters and 550 meters. In practice, with good quality fiber, optics, and terminations, 1000BASE-SX will usually work over significantly longer distances. This standard is highly popular for intra-building links in large office buildings, co-location facilities and carrier neutral internet exchanges. 1000BASE-SX SFP transceiver works at 850nm wavelength and used only for the purposed of the multimode optical fiber with an LC connector. 1000BASE-SX SFP traditional 50 microns of multimode optical fiber link is 550 meters high and 62.5 micron fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) multimode optical fiber is up to 220 meters. Take EX-SFP-1GE-SX as an example, this SX fiber transceiver supports DOM function and the maximum distance of the SX SFP is 550 m. The 1000Base-SX standard supports the multimode fiber distances shown in table 1.

1000Base-SX standard

1000BASE-LX
Specified in IEEE 802.3 Clause 38, 1000BASE-LX is a type of standard for implementing Gigabit Ethernet networks. The “LX” in 1000BASE-LX stands for long wavelength, indicating that this version of Gigabit Ethernet is intended for use with long-wavelength transmissions (1270–1355 nm) over long cable runs of fiber optic cabling. 1000BASE-LX can run over both single mode fiber and multimode fiber with a distance of up to 5 km and 550 m, respectively. For link distances greater than 300 m, the use of a special launch conditioning patch cord may be required. 1000BASE-LX SFP is intended mainly for connecting high-speed hubs, Ethernet switches, and routers together in different wiring closets or buildings using long cabling runs, and developed to support longer-length multimode building fiber backbones and single-mode campus backbones. E1MG-LX-OM is Brocade 1000BASE-LX SFP, this LX single-mode transceiver operates over a wavelength of 1310nm for 10 km.

1000BASE-LX-SFP

Difference Between LX, LH and LX/LH
Many vendors use both LH and LX/LH for certain SFP modules, this SFP type is similar with the other SFPs in basic working principle and size. However, LH and LX/LH aren’t a Gigabit Ethernet standard and are compatible with 1000BASE-LX standard. 1000BASE-LH SFP operates a distance up to 70km over single-mode fiber. For example, Cisco MGBLH1 1000BASE-LH SFP covers a link length of 40km that make itself perfect for long-reach application. 1000BASE-LX/LH SFP can operate on standard single-mode fiber-optic link spans of up to 10 km and up to 550 m on any multimode fibers. In addition, when used over legacy multimode fiber type, the transmitter should be coupled through a mode conditioning patch cable.

Conclusion
1000BASE-LX SFP and 1000BASE-SX SFP are the most commonly used components for Gigabit Ethernet application. With so many types available in the market, careful notice should be given to the range of differences, both in distance and price of multimode and single-mode fiber optics. FS.COM offers a large amount of in-stock 1000BASE SFP transceivers which are compatible for Cisco, Juniper, Dell, Finisar, Brocade, or Netgear in various options. If you have any requirement of our products, please send your request to us.

Related Article: How to Solve the Problems When Using SFP Optical Transceiver
A Quick Overview of Cisco 1000BASE-T GLC-T SFP Copper Module

40 Gigabit Ethernet Solution

40 Gigabit Ethernet is a standard that enables the transfer of Ethernet frames at speeds of up to 40 gigabits per second (Gbps), allowing 40 Gigabit Ethernet-enabled equipment to handle traffic at the aggregation and core layers. It satisfies the greater demands for faster data transmission and higher bandwidths. Thus, the business case for 40 Gigabit Ethernet is becoming inescapably compelling although 10 Gigabit Ethernet is still making its way into data center. A right and cost-effective solution for 40 Gigabit Ethernet is very necessary for all users who want to migrate to 40G.

40 Gigabit Ethernet Solution

The picture above is the summary about 40 Gigabit Ethernet, explaining significantly that cables and transceivers are the basis of the whole solution. And actually, they are also the main cost of the item. Next some types of 40 Gigabit Ethernet cables and 40g qsfp transceiver will be introduced in details.

40 Gigabit Ethernet Cables

The cable applied in 40 Gigabit Ethernet can be optical fiber or copper cable. The copper cable for 40 Gigabit Ethernet is designed for short reach, up to at least 7 m. As to optical cable, there are two types: singlemode cable and multimode cable. The transmission distance of multimode cable for 40 Gigabit Ethernet can be up to 150 m, which is much shorter than the transmission distance of singlemode cable (It can be up to 10 km). Generally, the common used types are OM3 and OM4 multimode cables in that its reach supports a wider range of deployment configurations compared to copper solutions, and the cost is lower compared to singlemode solutions.

What is more, the MPO cable (Multi-Fiber Push On)/MTP (Multi-fiber Termination Push-on) cable is considered the best solution for 40GbE. It can connect the multimode transceivers to support the multifiber parallel optics channels. For 40 Gigabit Ethernet, we can use 8 fibers MPO/MTP harness cables or 12 fibers MPO/MTP trunk cables. The former is to directly connect a QSFP port to other 4 SFP+ ports. The latter is to directly connect one QSFP port to another QSFP port. Here is a picture to help you know it clearly.

MTP Cable

40G QSFP Transceiver

According to different standard form factors, 40g qsfp transceivers can be divided into different types, such as CFP transceiver, CXP transceiver and QSFP transceiver, ect.

CFP transceiver, which has 12 transmit and 12 receive 10-Gbps lanes, can support one 100 Gigabit Ethernet port, or up to three 40 Gigabit Ethernet ports. This module is used for 40GBASE-SR4, 40GBASE-LR4. The former is based on 850nm technology and supports transmission over at least 100m OM3 parallel fibers and at least 150m OM4 parallel fibers, while the latter is based on 1310nm , coarse wave division multiplexing (CWDM) technology and supports transmission over at least 10km on singlemode fiber.

CXP transceiver also has 12 transmit and 12 receive 10-Gbps lanes as well as CFP transceiver, supporting one 100 Gigabit Ethernet port or up to three 40G qsfp ports. Compared with CFP transceiver, the size of it is much smaller. And it is mainly designed for the high-density requirements of the data center, serving the needs of multimode optics and copper.

QSFP transceiver provides four transmit and four receive lanes to support 40 Gigabit Ethernet applications for multimode fiber and copper today. The size of it is the same with CXP transceiver. It is mainly designed to support Serial Attached SCSI, 40G Ethernet, PCIe, 20G/40G Infiniband, and other communications standards.

Fiberstore 40 Gigabit Ethernet Solution

Fiberstore can offer customers 40 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity options for data center networking, enterprise core aggregation, and service provider transport applications. Since the products are all in good quality and low price, it may be the best choice for you to deploy the network.

A Cost-effiective Solution – Cisco Compatible SFP

According to the report of Gartner, Cisco has taken up almost half of the global network equipment market share (totally $38 billion), ahead of other competitors in the telecommunication industry. To a large extend, it is the switches’ market share that attributes to this success. Cisco SFP is the small form factor pluggable module that is usually plugged into the switch. But its price is very high, even up to thousands of dollars. The highly cost is the reason why many customers hesitate to buy it. So in this case, in order to offer a cost-effective solution for you, Cisco compatible SFP in Fiberstore comes around.

Why Choose Fiberstore

Cisco compatible SFP offered by Fiberstore are the most cost-effective standards-based SFP modules fully compatible with Cisco switches & routers. The main advantage of Cisco compatible SFP over Cisco SFP is its cost, which makes it become the cost-effective solution. Here we are going to give a price comparison by taking some examples.

Model Number Price of Cisco compatible SFP Price of Cisco SFP
GLC-T $16.00 $ 395.00
GLC-LH-SMD $7.00 $ 995.00
GLC-LH-SM $7.00 $ 995.00
GLC-SX-MM $6.00 $ 500.00

With this great advantage, Fiberstore has become one of the best-sellers in this industry. What is more, besides the above kinds, various kinds of Cisco Compatible SFPs with good quality and service are also offered here.

Features & Applications of Fiberstore Cisco Compatible SFP

The capacity of Fiberstore Cisco compatible SFP modules is as good as Cisco SFP. They are both of low-power consumption, operating on Cisco switches steady. Generally, there are three kinds of Cisco compatible SFP modules designed to used for three main applications. They are Fast Ethernet SFP, Cisco Gigabit Ethernet SFP and WDM SFP. Next, each application will be given a brief description.

Fast Ethernet SFP – Fast Ethernet SFP comes in six configurations which can be described as the Cisco 100BASE-X SFP. It is a hot-swappable input/output device that plugs into Fast Ethernet ports, dual-rate Fast/Gigabit Ethernet ports, or Gigabit Ethernet ports of a Cisco switch or router, linking the port with the fiber cabling network. One of its configuration is 100BASE-FX SFP, operating on ordinary multimode fiber optic (MMF) link spans up to 2 kilometers long. But there is a point you should note that Cisco offers two products for 100BASE-FX. One is GLC-FE-100FX is for 100Mbps Ethernet ports, and the other one is GLC-GE-100FX is for Gigabit Ethernet ports. Both products can be found in Fiberstore with compatible solution.

100BASE-FX SFP

Gigabit Ethernet SFP – SFP for Gigabit Ethernet can be described as Cisco 1000BASE-X SFP, which plugs into a Gigabit Ethernet port or slot. Compared with Fast Ethernet SFP, its speed and capacity are better. And currently, it still plays an important part in the telecommunication networks. For example, 1000BASE-SX SFP, which is a cost effective module with high performance, can support dual data-rate of 1.25 Gbps/1.0625 Gbps and 550m transmission distance with MMF.

1000BASE-SX SFP

CWDM & DWDM SFP – The speed of CWDM & DWDM SFP can be up to 10 Gbps, with a full options of wavelength for both CWDM and DWDM applications. They both allow enterprises, companies and service providers to provide scalable and easy-to-deploy Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel services in their networks.

Nowadays, Fiberstore has become one of the leaders in compatible optical transceiver modules global manufacturer and supplier trade. At present, there are a lot of discounts for bulk orders in Fiberstore. For more information, please contact us directly over e-mail sales@fs.com.

The application of DWDM integration systems in MSPP

Traditionally, SONET platforms have been dedicated to services that could be encapsulated within SONET frames. Today vendors not only can deliver SONET services from MSPPs, but they also can hand off these services in a DWDM wavelength service.

DWDM can be implemented with an MSPP in two ways. Most often when you think about DWDM systems. However, the multiplexing of multiple light source is always a “passive” activity. Wavelength conversion and amplification is always the “active” DWDM activity.

MSPP chassis with integrated DWDM optics in which the optics cards (in this case, OC-48s) use one of the ITU wavelengths and interfaces to an external filter. This filter multiplexes the wavelengths from various optics cards within multiple chasses and transports them over the fiber, where they are demultiplexed on the MSPP because the filter is a separate device.

This inefficient use of the rack and shelf space has led to the development of active DWDM from the MSPP. With active DWDM, the transponding of the ITU wavelength to a standard 1550-nm wavelength is performed by converting the MSPP shelf into various components required in a DWDM system. This conversion has greatly increased the density of wavelengths within a given footprint. For example the kind of passive DWDM, only 16 wavelengths could be configured within a bay, 4 per chassis. With today’s multiport, multiport optical cards, this density can be doubled to 8 wavelengths per shelf and 32 per rack.

With the integrated active DWDM solution, one MSPP chassis can be converted into a 32-channel multiplexer/demultiplexer using reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) technology. Other chassis can be converted into a multiplexer (OADM), which can receive and distribute multiple wavelengths per shelf. The implication of this is that up to 32 wavelengths can be terminated within a bay or rack, a factor of eight times the density of even early MSPPs using a passive external filter. The traffic from within each wavelength dropped into an MSPP shelf from the ROADM hub shelf can be groomed or extracted from the wavelengths carrying it, as needed, and dropped out of the OADM shelves. ROADM is an option that can be deployed in place of fixed-wavelength OADMs. Cisco Systems ROADM technology, for example, consists of two modules: 32-channel reconfigurable multiplexer (two-slot module), 32-channel reconfigurable demultiplexer (one-slot module). Use of software-provisionable, small form-factor pluggable(SFP)client connectors, and wavelength tunability for reduced card inventory requirements. Multilever service monitoring: SONET/SDH, G.709 digital wrapper, and optical service channel for unparalleled service reliability.

MSPP chassis

With so many advantages, one of the disadvantages is that parading shift is required to move the market toward MSPP-based DWDM. This slow migration is keeping vendors at bay in terms of development as they try to balance investment in the future with today’s revenue. The widespread introduction of this technology, however, DWDM price also should be considered. The price of DWDM transceivers is typically four to five times more expensive than that of their CWDM counterparts. The higher DWDM transceiver costs are attributed to a number of factors related to the lasers.

Several ways exist for protecting an MSPP-based DWDM system in the event of a fiber cut or signal degradation. Such protection options include client protection, Y-cable protection, and wavelength splitting.

Reliability for these options varies, depending on the client network architectures and service-level agreements (SLA) provided to the client. Thus, there is no “one size fits all” approach to protection.

Related websites: http://www.fs.com

Discussion of DWDM Technology Development Oppotunity

We all have a knowledge of fiber CWDM multiplexer. but how to choose suitable solution is what we need to know. As we know, because of its costs, DWDM is more suited to longer-reach applications if developers begin to value the real requirements are in the metro access/metro core space. DWDM is a useful solution for high-growth routes that have an immediate need for additional bandwidth. According to vendors, carrying that are building or expanding their long distances networks could find DWDM to be an economical way to incrementally increase capacity, rapidly provision needed expansion, and “future-proof” their infrastructure against unforeseen bandwidth demand.

DWDM is well suitable for long-distance telecommunications operators when we use either point-to-point or ring topologies. The availability of 16, 32, or 64 new transmission channels, where there used to be one, improves an operator’s ability to expand capacity and simultaneously set aside backup bandwidth without installing new fiber. Proponents make the case that this large amount of capacity is critical to the development of self-healing rings. By deploying DWDM terminals, an operator can construct a protected 40 Gbps ring with 16 separate communication signals using only two fibers. However, unless there is a major underlying engine continuously driving the demand through the roof, this kind of technology is a “one-time (in a long time) upgrade,” with obvious market-sizing implications.

There has been a lot of hype in the recent past about metro 10gbase DWDM, Some supporters of DWDM claim that the acceptance of the technology will drive the expansion of the optical layer throughout the whole telecommunications network and allow service providers to exploit the bandwidth capacity that is inherent in optical fiber,But at present there are still a lot to be exploited. The widespread introduction of this technology, however, could at the same time will appear a lot of problems, it will lead to a long distances bandwidth glut and price disruptions, and set expectations for price points at the metro access/metro core that may or may not be achievable. Finally, one finds with some satisfaction the following quotes:”With so much unused fiber, when will metro nets really need WDM? What are the requirements for 40 Gbps systems? What are the new economic trade-offs between transparency and grooming. And which of the new service providers will succeed?”.

The related question for the current discussion is whether DWDM has practical application to the metro access/metropolitan environments, probably for a handful of POP-to-POP rings. If DWDM systems now in the market were redesigned to be optimized according to the requirements for metropolitan environments,  there could be increased applicability. If the systems were redesigned to meet specific price points, then their applicability would be enhanced. When the long distances industry saw major retrenchments at the turn of the decade, a number of optical vendors took the easy course of relabeling the equipment that had been developed by them for long distances applications and pasted a “metro DWDM” label onto the equipment while at the same time generating new marketing collaterals, rather than redeveloping, as would have been more appropriate equipment that is optimized and right -sized for metro access/metro core applications from both density and cost points of view. It appears that, at least for the next few years, the opportunity for metro DWDM is somewhat limited. As noted earlier, this technology may see some penetration in a metro core application of POP-to-POP rings, but extremely limited application in the metro access segment.

Systems with DWDM technology have been used extensively in the long distances space and typically cos from 100 thousands to 1000 thousands dollars or more. There are economic advantages in using DWDM when the transmission costs are high, such as in long distances applications. Such use is justified by standard transmission -versus-multiplexing cost calculations. For example, to transmit 40 Gbps over 600 km using a traditional system would require 16 separate fiber pairs with regenerators placed every 35 km for a total of 272 regenerators. dense wavelength division multiplexing equipment, on the other hand, uses a single fiber pair and four amplifiers positioned every 120 km for a total of 600 km. At the same time, new Extended Wavelength Band (EWB) fiber is being introduced that allows a wider range of operation for the transmission system; some Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing equipment (which is more ideal for metropolitan environment) will make use of the E-band.

Even in long distances applications, design considerations aimed at optimizing the cost profile are not always straightforward. In particular, TDW-only solutions supporting increasing speed have kept pace with a number of advantage in the WDM technology during the mid-to-late 1990s, at least for medium-size trunking application (up to 10Gbps). For example, a TDM-based solution has only one 10 Gbps SONET terminal. A WDM system that transports an aggregate capacity of 10 Gbps requires four 2.5 Gbps terminals in addition to a WDM terminal per end. Because TDM technology has typically quadrupled its capacity for a cost multiplier of 2.2, the 10 Gbps solution appears to be more cost-effective. However, if the TDM system also requires four 2.5 Gbps terminals to provide the first stage of multiplexing, the 10 Gbps solution might actually be more costly, and but we have to note that if the 2.5 Gbps terminals are already in the network, they represent a sunk cost and might not be included in the cost analysis.

Before optical line amplifiers were developed and deployed, high-speed TDM-based systems were more cost-effective than WDM because the TDM systems allowed multiple lower-speed electronic regenerators at a point in the network to be replaced with a single higher-speed regenerator at that point in the network; originally, this was not the case with the WDM design. The introduction of optical line amplifiers with the ability to amplify the entire ITU grid frequencies simultaneously allows multiple lower-speed electronic regenerators at a site to be replaced with one optical amplifier, making WDM more cost-effective.

Fiberstore designs, manufactures, and sells a broad portfolio of optical communication products, including passive optical network, or PON, subsystems, optical transceivers used in the enterprise, access, and metropolitan segments of the market, as well as other optical components, modules, and subsystems. In particular, Fiberstore products include DWDM related professional components. Welcome to visit our online store to know more about DWDM information anytime.

Cisco GLC-SX-MM/GLC LH SM Transceiver Compatible 1000BASE-SX SFP Transceiver Module

SFP (Small Form-Factor Pluggable Plus) fiber transceiver modules make the fiber optic network or fiber-Ethernet network easier to upgrade or maintain, users can replace a single SFP module during the process instead of replace the whole board with many modules on it. SFP transceiver are different types working with different wavelength for various kinds of distances. SX SFP use 850nm for max 550 meters, LX SFP use 1310nm for max 10km, ZX SFP could reach 80km. There is also copper SFP that use a RJ45 interface. DOM function for SFP is optional, it help users detect real time SFP working status SFP transceiver is an innovative, next-generation transceiver module.

Cisco SFP Modules is also hot plugable, it is an upgraded version fiber optic transceiver, it represents the trend to be smaller and more flexibility. Cisco Compatible SFP includes a wide range of the transceivers with different working wavelength and distance. In the following list I will introduce you some information about GLC SX MM Transceiver and GLC LH SM Transceiver.

GLC SX MM Transceiver

Cisco GLC-SX-MM is 1000Base-SX SFP fiber optic transceiver for multimode fiber and it works at 850nm wavelength. GLC SX MM SFP is hot swappable module that fit for Gigabit Ethernet port or slot and link the port with the network, whose interface is dual LC for optical. GLC SX MM is about 1.3 cm x 5.7 cm x 0.9 cm in dimension, and 75g in weight. The GLC SX MM transceivers are compatible with SFP Multi-Source Agreement (MSA), 1000Base SX standard for Gigabit Ethernet and SFF-8472.

The GLC SX MM transceiver consists of three sections: a VCSEL laser transmitter, a PIN photodiode integrated with a trans-impedance preamplifier (TIA) and MCU control unit. All modules satisfy class I laser safety requirements. The GLC SX MM SFP transceivers are high performance, cost effective modules supporting data-rate of 1.25Gbps and 550m transmission distance with MMF.

GLC LH SM Transceiver

Cisco GLC-lH-SM SFP fiber optic transceiver working at 1300nm wavelength, GLC LH SM is suit for both multimode optical fiber and single mode optical fiber, it is small size transceiver with LC interface and it is hot swappable, easy to use, no need further configuration. GLC LH SM is used in Gigabit network and its max working distance is 10km over SMF or 550meters over MMF, data transfer rate at 1Gbps and it works based on IEEE 802.3z standards.
The GLC LH SM transceiver consists of three sections: a FP laser transmitter, a PIN photodiode integrated with a trans-impedance preamplifier (TIA) and MCU control unit. All modules satisfy class I laser safety requirements.
SFP fiber optic transceivers are upgraded version of its former GBIC transceivers, Cisco SFP transceiver adopt LC interface and its size is only about half of GBIC, thus Cisco SFP fiber transceivers fit for dense installations.