What is SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cable?

SFP+ direct attach copper cable, also known as Twinax Cable, is a SFP+ cable assembly used in rack connections between servers and switches. It consists of a high speed copper cable and two copper SFP+ modules. The Plus SFP module allow hardware manufactures to achieve high port density, configurability and utilization at a very low cost and reduced power budget.

Direct Attach Cable assemblies are a high speed, cost-effective alternative to fiber optic cables in 10Gb Ethernet, 8Gb Fibre Channel and InfiniBand applications. They are suitable for short distances, making them ideal for highly cost-effective networking connectivity within a rack and between adjacent racks. They enable hardware OEMs and data center operators to achieve high port density and configurability at a low cost and reduced power requirement.

FiberStore SFP+ copper cable assemblies meet the industry MSA for signal integrity performance. The cables are hot-removable and hot-insertable: You can remove and replace them without powering off the switch or disrupting switch functions. A cable comprises a low-voltage cable assembly that connects directly into two SFP+ ports, one at each end of the cable. The cables use high-performance integrated duplex serial data links for bidirectional communication and are designed for data rates of up to 10 Gbps. Similar to the fiber patch cables, the SFP+ direct attach cables are made up of a cable and two connectors, with the difference that connectors are the SFP+ transceivers instead.

Types of SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cables

SFP+ Copper Cable assemblies generally have two types which are Passive and Active versions.

1. SFP+ Passive Copper Cable
SFP+ passive copper cable assemblies offer high-speed connectivity between active equipment with SFP+ ports. The passive assemblies are compatible with hubs, switches, routers, servers, and network interface cards (NICs) from leading electronics manufacturers like Cisco, Juniper, etc..

2. SFP+ Active Copper Cable
SFP+ active copper cable assemblies contain low power circuitry in the connector to boost the signal and are driven from the port without additional power requirements. The active version provides a low cost alternative to optical transceivers, and are generally used for end of row or middle of row data center architectures for interconnect distances of up to 15 meters.

Applications of SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cables

~ Networking – servers, routers and hubs
~ Enterprise storage
~ Telecommunication equipment
~ Network Interface Cards (NICs)
~ 10Gb Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet (IEEE802.3ae)
~ Fibre Channel over Ethernet: 1, 2, 4 and 8G
~ InfiniBand standard SDR (2.5Gbps), DDR (5Gbps) and QDR (10Gbps)
~ Serial data transmission
~ High capacity I/O in Storage Area Networks, Network Attached Storage, and Storage Servers
~ Switched fabric I/O such as ultra high bandwidth switches and routers
~ Data center cabling infrastructure
~ High density connections between networking equipment

FiberStore SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cables Solution

Our SFP+ twinax copper cables are avaliable with custom version and brand compatible version. All of them are 100% compatible with major brands like Cisco, HP, Juniper, Enterasys, Extreme, H3c and so on. If you want to order high quality compatible SFP+ cables and get worldwide delivery, we are your best choice.

For instance, our compatible Cisco SFP+ Copper Twinax direct-attach cables are suitable for very short distances and offer a cost-effective way to connect within racks and across adjacent racks. We can provide both passive Twinax cables in lengths of 1, 3 and 5 meters, and active Twinax cables in lengths of 7 and 10 meters. (Tips: The lengths can be customized up to the customers' requirements.)

Features of FiberStore SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cables

~ 1m/3m/5m/7m/10m/12m available
~ RoHS Compatible
~ Enhanced EMI suppression
~ Low power consumption
~ Compatible to SFP+ MSA
~ Hot-pluggable SFP 20PIN footprint
~ Parallel pair cable
~ 24AWG through 30AWG cable available
~ Data rates backward compatible to 1Gbps
~ Support serial multi-gigabit data rates up to 10Gbps
~ Support for 1x, 2x, 4x and 8x Fibre Channel data rates
~ Low cost alternative to fiber optic cable assemblies
~ Pull-to-release retractable pin latch
~ I/O Connector designed for high speed differential signal applications
~ Temperature Range: 0~ 70°C
~ Passive and Active assemblies available (Active Version: Low Power Consumption: < 0.5W Power Supply: +3.3V)

FAQ of FiberStore SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cables

1. What are the performance requirements for the cable assembly?
Our SFP+ copper passive and active cable assemblies meet the signal integrity requirements defined by the industry MSA SFF-8431. We can custom engineer cable assemblies to meet the requirements of a customer’s specific system architecture.

2. Are passive or active cable assemblies required?
Passive cables have no signal amplification in the assembly and rely on host system Electronic Dispersion Compensation (EDC) for signal amplification/equalization. Active cable assemblies have signal amplification and equalization built into the assembly. Active cable assemblies are typically used in host systems that do not employ EDC. This solution can be a cost savings to the customer.

3. What wire gauge is required?
We offer SFP+ cable assemblies in wire gauges to support customers' specific cable routing requirements. Smaller wire gauges results in reduced weight, improved airflow and a more flexible cable for ease of routing.

4. What cable lengths are required?
Cable length and wire gauge are related to the performance characteristics of the cable assembly. Longer cable lengths require heavier wire gauge, while shorter cable lengths can utilize a smaller gauge cable.

5. Are there any special customer requirements?
Examples of special customer requirements include: custom cable lengths, EEPROM programming, labeling and packaging, pull tab length and color, company logo, signal output de-emphasis, and signal output amplitude. We can custom engineer cables to specific customer system architecture.

SFP Media Converter is a Fiber to Ethernet Media Converter with Fast Ethernet ports, dual-rate Fast/Gigabit Ethernet ports, or Gigabit Ethernet ports. The ports allow for flexible network configurations using SFP transceivers. And the Fast Ethernet SFP Media Converter uses Fast Ethernet SFPs.

According to the types of Fast Ethernet SFPs, there are corresponding kinds of Fast Ethernet SFP Media Converters. We should know the Fast Ethernet standards to understand this device.

Fast Ethernet is a collective term for a number of Ethernet standards that carry traffic at the nominal rate of 100Mbps, against the original Ethernet speed of 10Mbps. There are several Fast Ethernet standards including 100Base-T, 100Base-TX, 100Base-FX, 100Base-SX, 100Base-BX, etc.. Obviously, the "100" means 100Mbps rate.

100Base-T is an initial Fast Ethernet standard for twisted pair cables. The segment length for a 100Base-T cable is limited to 100m. 100Base-TX is the predominant form of Fast Ethernet, and runs over two wire-pairs inside a CAT5 or above cable. Since a typical CAT5 cable contains 4 pairs, it can support two 100Base-TX links with a wiring adaptor. Of the Fast Ethernet standards, 100Base-TX is by far the most widespread and is supported by the vast majority of Ethernet hardware currently produced.

100Base-FX is a version of Fast Ethernet over optical fiber. It uses a 1300nm NIR light wavelength transmitted via two strands of optical fiber, one for receive(RX) and the other for transmit(TX). 100Base-FX should use SC, ST, LC, MTRJ or MIC connectors with SC being the preferred option. However, it is not compatible with 10Base-FL, the 10Mbps version over optical fiber. A 100Base-FX SFP operates on ordinary MMF (multimode fiber) link spans up to 2km.

100Base-SX is another version of Fast Ethernet over optical fiber. It uses two strands of multimode optical fiber for RX and TX. It is a lower cost alternative to using 100Base-FX, because it uses short wavelength optics which are significantly less expensive than the long wavelength optics used in 100Base-FX. 100Base-SX can operate at distances up to 550m. It uses the same wavelength as 10Base-FL. Unlike 100Base-FX, this allows 100Base-SX to be backwards compatible with 10Base-FL. Because of the shorter wavelength used (850nm) and the shorter distance it can support, 100Base-SX uses less expensive optical components (LEDs instead of lasers) which make it an attractive option for those upgrading from 10Base-FL and those who do not require long distances.

100Base-BX is a version of Fast Ethernet over a single strand of optical fiber, while 100Base-FX uses a pair of fibers. Single-mode fiber is used along with a special multiplexer which splits the signal into TX and RX wavelengths. The two wavelengths used for TX and RX are 1310/1550nm. The terminals on each side of the fiber are not equal, as the one transmitting downstream uses the 1550nm wavelength, and the one transmitting upstream uses the 1310nm wavelength. Its transfer distances can be 10, 20 or 40 km. A 100Base-BX SFP operates on ordinary SMF (single mode fiber) single-strand link spans up to 10km.

Contraposing to these different standards, Fast Ethernet SFP Media Converters are designed with different SFP ports to support the 100Base-T SFP, 100Base-FX SFP, 100Base-SX SFP, 100Base-BX SFP and even 100Base-FX to 100Base-TX SFP transceiver which is used in the converter with two SFP ports (100Base-FX and 100Base-TX).

FiberStore supplies not only 100Base SFP Media Converters for Fast Ethernet, but also 1000Base SFP Media Converters for Gigabit Ethernet. These SFP Media Converters extend copper to fiber, multimode to multimode and multimode to single mode fiber by working with the SFP module. An extensive range of SFP Media Converters are in stock to meet every fiber conversion need.

Here are some features of FiberStore's Fast Ethernet SFP Media Converters

1. Extend Fast Ethernet network distances up to 120km

2. Support multimode and single mode fiber

3. Support SC, LC and ST fiber connectors

4. Special functions like Link Pass-Through, Far-End Fault, Auto-MDIX and Loopback

Tips: Link Pass Through is a troubleshooting feature that allows the media converter to monitor both the fiber and copper RX ports for loss of signal. Auto-MDIX is a function automatically detects and configures the twisted pair port on the converter to the correct MDI-X configuration.

As we all know, SFP-OC48-LR2 is a type of Cisco SFP modules. But do you really know the meaning of the words in the SFP-OC48-LR2? I think the “SFP” and “LR2″ are known as SFP modules with 80km transfer distance by most people, while the “OC48″ is not understood by them including myself before today. And after searching on the internet, I write this article to talk about it.

In fact, many network engineers and IT managers are not up to speed on just what OC really means, although they have used the 2.5G SFP 80km or 1550 SFP 80km. And what all is available to enahnce their company’s applications within this bandwidth category. The first that we should know is, the OC is short for Optical Carrier (fiber optic based broadband network) with speed hierarchy starting with OC1 on optical facilities and going as follows.

OC1 = 51.840Mbps (the basic rate)

OC3 (3 times of OC1) = 155.52Mbps (about 155Mbps)

OC9 (9 times of OC1) = 466.56Mbps (not commonly used)

OC12 (12 times of OC1) = 622.08Mbps (about 622Mbps)

OC18 (18 times of OC1) = 933.12Mbps (not commonly used)

OC24 (24 times of OC1) = 1.244Gbps (not commonly used)

OC36 (36 times of OC1) = 1.866Gbps (not commonly used)

OC48 (48 times of OC-1s) = 2.488Gbps (about 2.5Gbps)

OC192 (192 times of OC1s) = 9.953Gbps (about 10Gbps)

OC48 is among the most used bandwidth that has applications including large enterprise or ISP backbone. Let’s discuss its specific advantages.

The utilisation of the internet by consumers and businesses is definitely an incredible market through which optical carriers are starting to supply the most leading edge appeal. With this particular facet of the internet world in your mind, any business or perhaps consumer should consider the incredible advantages offered in the OC48.

OC48 is used by larger businesses and corporations because they allow for an incredibly fast and dependable source of internet. They are currently equipped to handle probably the most amounts of data in the industry as well as offer the fastest speeds. As such, businesses that current operate on a much grander scale and would like to keep growing are the ones that help the most from this technique.

Within the optical carrier realm of data connection, there are quite a few ranges of speed and capability which are numerically labeled. The OC48 is really the mid-range source of data which allows to have an incredible fast rate of internet connection overall. It is probably the most popular carriers to replace T-Carrier lines. The T carriers of web connection for businesses was discovered and implemented in the 1960s for people who needed the fastest and more reliable data sources on the market for that time. This form of internet sourcing actually led the way for intranets and broad area networks that kept businesses connected all the time.

OC48 is really within the mid range of connection and strength. This range is complete with a processing capacity for 2.5Gbps which is actually quite robust. This really is perfect in strength for just about any larger business to expand within too. This optical carrier system could be quite expensive to establish for just about any business that often ranges in beginning costs of 30 to 40 thousand dollars. The monthly rates are quite steep as well yet many companies feel the costs are justified. As such, this is often from range for smaller to medium-sized businesses.

In order to operate an OC48 connection, there must be an amazing strong telecommunications source operating it. Some of the more reputable isps are beginning to come on line with this particular strength of the system. This, in turn, makes it more readily available for those that wish to use it.

What is really a SFP transceiver?
SFP transceiver is a hot-pluggable fiber transceiver, of which the SFP stands for Small Form-factor Pluggable. The mechanical, electronic, and optical design and gratifaction derive from a Multi-source Agreement (MSA) within the fiber telecom industry. It is a pluggable form of SFF. SFP may be the interface between a network device mother board and a fiber optic or copper network cable.

Where is a SFP transceiver used?
SFP transceiver is able to support most of the fiber networking standards for example Gigabit Ethernet, Fiber Channel, SONET, along with a quantity of other communications standards. As a compact and hot-pluggable optical transceiver, it is utilized in optical communications for telecommunication and data communication applications. It connects a switch, router, or any other network devices to a fiber cabling plant. SFP transceivers can be found in Metro Access Network, Metro Core Network, Wide Area Networks (WANs), etc.

What types will the SFP transceiver have?
SFP transceiver has an immense variation available, each with different transmitters or receivers. This enables the user to configure and customize the transceiver to get the proper optical reach with either a multimode fiber (multi mode SFP) or single-mode fiber type.

The SFP module commonly is available in four categories which are SX (850nm), LX (1310nm), ZX (1550nm) and DWDM (DWDM wavelengths). All of them have an interface of a copper cable which permits a mother board to speak via UTP (unshielded twisted-pair) network cable. Click here for a good example of 1550 SFP 80km. There also exist a CWDM and single-mode bi-directional fiber optic cables which are 1310/1490nm upstream and downstream.

Tips: FYI, the industry has developed enhancements to the SFP MSA, known as SFP Plus (SFP+), that is designed for higher data rates, lower cost and better thermal performance. By using SFP+ transceivers, data rate at 10 Gbps could be achievable, including the 8 Gigabit Fiber Channel. When compared with XENPAK or XFP type of modules that have all of their circuitry inside, an SFP+ module leaves some of its circuitry to be implemented on the host board.

What benefits will the SFP transceiver have?
Firstly, SFP transceiver is pluggable that makes it easy to alter the optical interface in the last step of card manufacturing. It's also easy to accommodate different connector interfaces or a mix of SX and LX SFP.

Practically available, the SFP transceiver has the capability transfer rates as high as 4.25 Gbps. XFP, a form factor that is virtually identical to the SFP type, increases this amount by nearly three times, at 10 Gbps. The SFP transceiver is specified making compatible through the MSA between manufacturers, to ensure that different users who may use equipment from various manufacturers and providers can function effectively and smoothly without having to worry about errors and inconveniences.

Digital optical monitoring (DOM) or digital diagnostics monitoring (DDM) functions are based on the modern optical SFP transceiver according to the industry specifications of the SFF-8472 MSA. The consumer has the ability to constantly monitor real-time parameters of the SFP, for example optical input/outp power, supply voltage and laser bias current due to this feature.

A SFP cage is surface mounted to the PCB board to simply accept the transceiver. This not just provides easy replacement and reconfiguration, but additionally eliminates extra manufacturing steps and reduces cost. Because the optical component is taken away from soldering process, SFP transceivers have high optical reliability and permits the use of higher soldering temperatures.

SFP transceiver is a very popular format that's recommended by a large number of fiber optic component providers. These businesses carry SFP transceivers for those Cisco devices along with transceiver modules for many other manufacturers. So, if you want technology solutions for the networking applications, at this point you know what to consider. Here is a nice web store you can purchase Cisco SFP modules.

The utilization of fiber optic cables for communication has opened up gates for communication multiplexing technologies that increase the capabilities at minimum costs. Coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) modulates different wavelength laser beams with multiple signals. Essentially, what this means is maximized utilization of a single fiber optic to deliver and get a large number of signals, minimizing costs for telecom companies. Companies simply employ the right optical amplifiers, multiplexers and demultiplexers to boost capacity from the fiber optic using CWDM technology.

In CWDM technology, it comes with an increase in channel space. This means requirement of less sophisticated and less costly transceiver devices. Operating in the same window of 1550 nm and making use of OH-free silica fibers, maximum efficiencies are achieved in channels 31, 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 and 61. The channels are spaced 20 nm apart. DWDM spaces them 0.4 nm apart. Less precision optics minimizing cost, uncooled lasers with lower maintenance requirements can therefore be used in CWDM devices, operating in the region of 1470, 1490, 1510, 1530, 1550, 1570, 1590 and 1660nm. 18 different channels can be used with wavelengths as much as 1270 nm. For instance, a 8 channel CWDM includes 8 different CWDM channels. In addition to being economical, power consumption for laser devices used in CWDM technology is also far less.

CWDM signals cannot be transmitted long term but are ideal for applications inside a range of 60 km for example in a city as well as for cable tv networks allowing upstream and downstream signals. CWDM product is usually considered a low-cost alternative which is now widely used to replace the DWDM system. Due to the benefit of CWDM technology uses low cost lasers that don't need cooling and low-cost passive filter. Moreover, if using CWDM technology, we can use low-cost and smaller transceivers such as CWDM 10Gig SFP+. However, because of relatively large CWDM channel spacing, so the system will reduce the number of available wavelengths, this also limits the system's transmission capacity.

Related technologies are dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) and conventional WDM. Conventional WDM use the 3rd transmission window with a wavelength of 1550nm, accommodating as much as 8 channels. DWDM is identical however with a higher density channel. Systems could use 40 channels, each at 100 GHz spacing or 80 channels spaced 50 GHz apart. A technology, the ultra dense WDM is capable of doing working in a spacing of just 12.5 GHz, allowing more channels. However, DWDM and WDM are much more expensive in contrast to CWDM.

A quantity of manufacturers offer all related CWDM multiplexer, demultiplexer and optical amplifier. Networking solution providers would be the right individuals to seek guidance for use of CWDM, DWDM or WDM technology. They perform entire installation and commissioning from the right, integrated devices for error-free high speed, high data transmissions over fiber optic cables. Cost and gratifaction optimized CWDM solutions with built-in expansion capabilities can be found from reliable and trusted online network solution companies. Choose the best one with years of experience and technological expertise to provide the best CWDM solution and use the CWDM technology to construct your cost-effective fiber optic networks.

What is an Optical Switch?

Optical Switch is a switch that enables signals in optical fibers or integrated optical circuits (IOCs) to be selectively switched from one circuit to another in telecommunication. Away from telecom, an optical switch is the unit that actually switches light between fibers, and a photonic switch is one that does this by exploiting nonlinear material properties to steer light (i.e., to switch wavelengths or signals within a given fiber).

An optical switch may operate by mechanical means, such as physically shifting an optical fiber to drive one or more alternative fibers, or by electro-optic effects, magneto-optic effects, or other methods. Slow optical switches, such as those using moving fibers, may be used for alternate routing of an optical switch transmission path, such as routing around a fault. Fast optical switches, such as those using electro-optic or magneto-optic effects, may be used to perform logic operations; also included in this category are semiconductor optical amplifiers, which are optoelectronic devices that can be used as optical switches and be integrated with discrete or integrated microelectronic circuits.

(Reference: WIKIPEDIA)

Optical Switching Technology

Optical switching technology as an important foundation for all-optical communication network technology, its development and application will greatly affect the development direction of future optical communication networks. So, how does it work?

Optical signals are multiplexed in three ways, space division, time division, and WDM. The corresponding optical switching methods space division switching, time division switching and wave division switching to complete the three multiplexed channels.

FiberStore's Optical Switch Solution

FiberStore's optical switches are based on Opto-Mechanical technology with proven reliability and available as optical switch 1x1, 1x2, 2x2 Non-Latching, Latching, Single-mode, Multimode versions. Besides these high performance Opto-Mechanical switch solutions, if you want to buy the other types such as thermo-optic and electro-optic ones, please contact the sales for special Custom Service.

Available Configuration

Non-lantching

Optical transceiver module consists of optoelectronic devices, circuits and optical interface and other components. It can be divided into various kinds, respectively according to rates, applications, working modes and packages.

Rates: 100Base, 1000Base, 10GE in the application of Ethernet; 155M, 622M, 2.5G, and 10G in the application of SDH.

Applications: SDH/SONET, Ethernet, Fiber Channel, CWDM, DWDM etc..

Working Modes: Continuous and Burst (OLT/ONU).

Packages: 1 x 9, 2 x 9, SFF, SFP, GBIC, 300-PIN, XENPAK, X2，XFP, and SFP+, all kinds of packages are showing as below.

1 × 9 and 2 × 9 packages are welded type optical module, the general speed is less than 1000m, using SC interface.

SFF (Small Form Factor) is welded small package optical module, with the general speed of less than 1000Mbps and using LC interface. SFF small package optical module adopts advanced precision optics and integrated circuit process, size only ordinary duplex SC (1x9) half type optical fiber transceiver module. Optical port number in the same space can be increased one times, which can increase the line port density, reducing the system cost per port. And because the SFF small package module uses MT-RJ interface similar to the copper wire network, and the size of the common computer network wire interface is the same, it is conducive to the existing network devices in a copper based transition to optical fiber network high speed to meet the rapid growth of network bandwidth demand.

SFF transceiver modules are designed for a range of data rates up to 4 Gbps and offer physical compactness and pin-thru hole soldering onto a host board. They are available in several configurations including industry standard 2x5 / 2x10, and de-facto 2x7 pinout.

GBIC (giga bitrate interface converter) is hot pluggable Gigabit interface optical module, using SC interface. GBIC is the device that converts Gigabit electrical signal into optical signal interface. GBIC design can be used for hot plug. GBIC is an international standard interchangeable product. Switches with GBIC interface design are flexible and get a large market share in the market.

GBIC transceiver module is a hot-swappable input/output device that plugs into a Gigabit Ethernet port or slot, linking the port with the network by fiber optic cable or copper networking cable. It is an interface device used to convert Gigabit electrical signal to optical signal. By offering a standard, hot swappable electrical interface, one Gigabit port can support a wide range of physical media, from copper to long-wave single-mode optical fiber, at lengths of hundreds of kilometers.

SFP (small form factor pluggable) is a hot plug small package module, using the LC interface. SFP can be simply understood as an upgraded version of GBIC. Some switch manufacturers called SFP module for Mini GBIC. SFP module volume is reduced by half than the GBIC module, and can be set with double the number of ports in the same panel than GBIC. Other functions of SFP module are the same as GBIC.

SFP transceiver modules are hot-swappable in industry-standard cages and connectors, and offer high-speed performance in a compact package. SFP is used for data rates up to 4 Gbps and DWDM, including tunable versions. The electrical interface to the host board is a serial interface. Cisco GLC-T is one of the most popular SFP modules. Click to get Cisco GLC-T price.

300-PIN is a standardized MSA fiber pigtailed form factor for 10 and 40 Gbps fiber optic transponders used primarily in Telecom and DWDM applications. For 10 Gbps applications, SONET OC-192, SDH STM-64 and DWDM (including tunable) versions are available. For 40 Gbps applications, multiple standards are supported for 2km short reach optical links: SONET OC-768/SDH STM-256, 40GBASE-FR and OTU/OTU3e. For long-haul DWDM applications, OTU3 and OTU3e data rates are supported based on tunable advanced phase modulation formats.

XENPAK (10G Ethernet transceiver package) is a transponder used in Gigabit Ethernet, using the SC interface. It is a standardized form factor for 10 Gbps fiber optics transponders. XENPAK transponders are used in datacom optical links, primarily 10G Ethernet. The electrical interface to the host board is also standardized and is called XAUI (4 x 3.125 Gbps).

X2 (X-wavelength two ports) is a transponder used in Gigabit Ethernet, using the SC interface. It is a standardized form factor for 10 Gbps fiber optics transponders. X2 transponders are used in datacom optical links, primarily 10G Ethernet. The electrical interface to the host board is also standardized and is called XAUI (4 x 3.125 Gbps). X2-10G-LR modules are used very often in the fiber optic networks. X2 DWDM Cisco buy, plz come to FiberStore.

XFP (10 gigabit small form factor pluggable) is available in the 10G optical modules, Gigabit Ethernet, SONET and other system, using the LC interface. It is used for serial modules in 10GbE field, and is the optical module for next generation. XFP is a standardized form factor for serial 10 Gbps fiber optic transceivers. It is protocol-independent and fully compliant to the following standards: 10G Ethernet, 10G Fiber Channel, SONET OC-192, SDH STM-64 and OTN G.709, supporting bit rate from 9.95G through 11.3G. XFP transceiver modules are used in datacom and telecom optical links and offer a smaller footprint and lower power consumption than other 10 Gbps transponders. The electrical interface to the host board is a standardized serial 10 Gbps interface called XFI. Force10 XFP is one of the most popular XFP modules.

SFP+ (SFP plus) is the transceiver module that gigabit network used most commonly. It is used for 10Gbps Ethernet and 8.5Gbps system (Fiber Channel) with the new pluggable optical module size. SFP+ transceiver module has a shape more compact than the X2 and XFP packages, and its power consumption is less than 1W. In addition, it provides a installation density which is higher than the other 10G transceivers. SFP+ has the same volume as SFP industry standard due to a new design. SFP+ is a standardized form factor for fiber optic transceivers and is used in datacom and telecom optical links, offering a smaller footprint and lower power consumption than XFP transceivers. Initial standard applications focused on 8G Fiber Channel, 10G Ethernet and 10G Fiber Channel, where the electrical interface to the host board is a standardized serial interface called SFI. The applications have expanded to include SONET OC-192, SDH STM-64, OTN G.709, CPRI wireless, 16G Fiber Channel, and the emerging 32G Fiber Channel application. Click to buy CWDM 10Gig SFP+.

From 300-PIN to XENPAK, X2, and XFP, the 10G modules finally realizes the transmission of 10G signal with the same size as SFP, which is the SFP+ transceiver module. With the miniaturization, low cost and other advantages, SFP+ module meets the demand for high density optical modules. Since SFP+ standard was released in 2002, it has now replaced XFP and become the mainstream of 10G market.