Tag Archives: SFP+ Transceiver Modules

How to Connect NETGEAR 10G Switch to Your Network?

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With the growth of virtualization, cloud-based services and applications like VoIP, video streaming and IP surveillance, SMB networks need to extend beyond simple reliability to higher speed and performance. The NETGEAR ProSAFE XS712T and ProSAFE XS728T switches present the right solution for this requirement, delivering unprecedented non-blocking 10G bandwidth at an affordable cost. Have you ever used NETGEAR 10Gb switch in your network? This article may provide the knowledge of NETGEAR 10G switch deployment and its interface requirement.

NETGEAR 10G Switch Overview
As shown in the figure below, the NETGEAR ProSAFE XS712T and ProSAFE XS728T are powerful smart managed switches that come with either 12 or 24 10G copper ports and either 2 combo SFP+ (XS712T) or 4 additional dedicated SFP+ ports (XS728T) for 10G fiber links. Using these 10G slots, you can create high-speed connections to a server or network backbone. For example, you can connect switches to each other with high-speed links or link them to high-speed servers. Please note that the XS712T can provide 100M/1000M/10G copper connectivity, but the XS728T can only provide 1000M/10G copper connectivity. Fast Ethernet is not available for XS728T switch.

netgear 10g switch

How to Connect NETGEAR 10G Switch to Your Network?
The NETGEAR ProSAFE XS728T and XS712T switch is designed to provide flexibility in configuring your network connections. It can be used as your only network traffic-distribution device or with 100 Mbps (XS712T only ) , 1000 Mbps, and 10 Gbps hubs and switches.

  • Connecting devices to the switch via RJ-45 copper port

The RJ-45 copper ports of the NETGEAR ProSAFE 10G series switch comply with IEEE 10GBase-T standards. It is backward compatible, auto-negotiating between higher and lower speeds. You can use Category 5e (CAT 5e) or better Ethernet cable (CAT 6, CAT 6a, or CAT 7) to make 10G connections. AMONG, CAT5/CAT5E are supported for Gigabit speeds up to 100 meters. CAT6 twisted pair copper cabling supports 10-Gigabit speeds up to 45 meters. CAT6A or newer CAT7 cabling will allow for up to 100 meter 10GBase-T connections. Desktop switching of NETGEAR ProSAFE XS728T is shown in the figure below.

NETGEAR ProSAFE 10G Series

  • Connecting devices to the switch via SFP+ fiber port

To enable you to use fiber connections on your network (shown in the figure below) , two combo SFP+ ports of XS712T switch and four dedicated SFP+ ports of XS728T switch accommodate standard 1000M and 10G SFP+ transceiver modules. Please note that not all SFP or SFP+ transceiver modules are aavailable for NETGEAR ProSAFE 10G series switch. Following table may give you some guidance for transceiver modules option.

Backbone switching
SFP /SFP+ transceiver modules and SFP+ cables supported for ProSAFE XS712T and XS728T switch

MFG PART# Description
AGM731F NETGEAR 1000BASE-SX 850nm SFP, up to 550m
AGM732F NETGEAR 1000BASE-LX 1310nm SFP, up to 10km
AXM761 NETGEAR 10GBASE-SR 850nm SFP+, up to 300m
AXM762 NETGEAR 10GBASE-LR 1310nm SFP+, up to 10km
AXM763 NETGEAR 10GBASE-LRM 1310nm SFP+, up to 220m (XS712T only)
AXM764 NETGEAR10GBASE-LR Lite 1310nm SFP+, up to 2km
AXC761 1m NETGEAR SFP+ to SFP+ Passive Copper Cable
AXC763 3m NETGEAR SFP+ to SFP+ Passive Copper Cable

Knowledge of Multi-source Agreement

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Fiber Optical TransceiverWe usually see some products that are compliant with MSA when refers to fiber optic transceivers, but what does MSA mean? It seems like a standard that is used to define the optical transceiver. In fact, MSAs are not official standards organizations. Instead, they are agreements that equipment vendors assume when developing form factors for communications interfaces. These form factors, usually called the transceiver modules, are typically deployed in active electronics such as switches, servers and multiplexers. In this text, some knowledge of the MSA will be introduced.

What is Multi-source Agreement?

MSA stands for multi-source agreement, which is an agreement between multiple manufacturers to make products which are compatible across vendors, acting as de facto standards, establishing a competitive market for interoperable products. Products that adhere to MSAs include optical transceivers (SFP, SFP+, XENPAK, QSFP, XFP, etc), fiber optic cables, and other networking devices. MSAs strictly define the operating characteristics of these optical transceivers so that system vendors may implement ports in their devices that allow MSA compliant transceivers produced by name brand, as well a third party vendors, to function properly. That is, transceivers may be purchased from any of the multiple sources in the open market, like Fiberstore. MSAs are also important in the cabling industry as the density, line speed, power consumption and typical costs of a MSA can strongly impact its success in the marketplace. This, in turn, can drive the choice for both connector and media type.

Why is Multi-source Agreement  so Important?

Equipment vendors all rely on MSAs when designing their systems, ensuring interoperability and interchangeability between interface modules, that is every supplier can produce the transceiver modules with the same functions. For this reason, there are many module suppliers from which customers can choose freely. As we all know, freedom of choice is the foundation of the efficient operation of markets. In order to gain a bigger share of the market, suppliers may act as efficiently as possible, which may drive down costs and offer the widest options to customers. Besides, since there are so many excellent 3rd party optical transceiver module suppliers in the market that network operators don’t need to purchase optical transceivers directly from system (original brand) vendors, which will also save huge costs. Finally, there is no doubt that all these will help support and encourage creation and adherence to standards at the same time. Over the past decade, the MSA process has helped accelerate the acceptance of modules such as SFP+ and CFP, which allow optical transceivers to support greater bandwidth such as 40G and 100G.

Approved Fiber Optica Transceiver Multi-source Agreements

MSA is a popular industry format jointly developed and supported by many network component vendors, most common optical transceivers are specified by it at present. MSAs usually specify parameters for optical transceivers and their guideline values, such as the electrical and optical interfaces (e.g. SX, LX, EX, ZX, etc), mechanical dimensions, electro-magnetic values and other data. This data is accessible by the host system over the I2C interface, as is the status of the optional DDM functions. Some approved fiber optica transceiver multi-source agreements are listed in the table below:

Name Year Brief Description Keywords/Applications
GBIC 2000 GigaBit Interface Converter Designed for Gigabit Ethernet, SDH/SONET (2.5 Gb/s) and Fibre Channel (4Gb/s). Superseded by SFP
SFP 2001 Small Form-factor Pluggable Designed for Gigabit Ethernet, SDH/SONET (2.5 Gb/s) and Fibre Channel (4Gb/s)
XENPAK 2001 Fiber optic transceiver for 10Gb Ethernet Superseded by X2 and SFP+
X2 2005 Fiber optic transceiver for 10Gb Ethernet Superseded by SFP+
XFP 2005 Fiber optic transceiver for 10Gb Ethernet Designed for 10Gb/s. Supports 8Gb/s Fibre Channel, 10 Gb/s Ethernet and Optical Transport Network
SFP+ 2013 Fiber optic transceiver for 10Gb Ethernet Designed for 10Gb/s. Supports 8Gb/s Fibre Channel, 10 Gb/s Ethernet and Optical Transport Network standard OTU2
QSFP/QSFP+ 2013 Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable 40G Supports Ethernet, Fibre Channel, InfiniBand and SONET/SDH standards up to 40GB/s and 100Gb/s
CFP 2013 C Form Factor Pluggable (100G) Optical transceiver form factors supporting 40Gb/s and 100Gb/s. CFP, CFP2 and CFP4
CXP In Progress C Form Factor Pluggable Supports Infiniband and Ethernet to 100G. CXP and CXP2

Great Compatible Cisco SFP+ Transceiver Modules

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transceiver moduleThe enhanced small form-factor pluggable (SFP+) is an enhanced version of the SFP that supports data rates up to 16 Gbit/s. Since SFP+ is mostly used for 10G, we usually call it 10G SFP. It is a popular industry format supported by many network component vendors. In terms of the SFP+ transceivers, there are various major brands, such as Cisco, HP, Juniper etc. In the current market, the Cisco SFP+ transceivers are very popular with the customers, especially the Cisco SFP-10G-SR and SFP-10G-LR. However, these original transceiver modules are really expensive. To save cost, we usually use 3rd-party transceiver modules instead of the original brand. In this text, two kinds of compatible SFP+ modules that can severally replace the Cisco SFP-10G-SR and SFP-10G-LR will be introduced. These two kinds of compatible modules are all from the Fiberstore, the leading manufacturer and supplier of optical transceiver modules in China.

SFP+ is the Most Popular 10G Transceiver Module

Since there are many different 10GbE physical layer standards, many interfaces consist of a standard socket into which different PHY modules may be plugged. On the market, the common 10G transceiver modules are XENPAK, XPAK, X2, XFP and SFP+. XENPAK was the first MSA for 10GbE and had the largest form factor. X2 and XPAK were later competing standards with smaller form factors. XFP came after X2 and XPAK and it is also smaller. The newest module standard is SFP+. In comparison to earlier XENPAK or XFP modules, SFP+ modules leave more circuitry to be implemented on the host board instead of inside the module. Now SFP+ has become the most popular socket on 10GbE systems.

Common 10GbE Standards for SFP+

10 Gigabit Ethernet is a group of computer networking technologies for transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of 10 gigabits per second. It was first defined by the IEEE 802.3ae-2002 standard. Some common 10GbE standards for SFP+ are shown in the table below：

Standards for SFP+

Two Kinds of Compatible Cisco SFP+ Transceiver from Fiberstore

For 3rd-party transceiver modules are much cheaper than the original brand (Cisco. HP, etc), they are become more and more popular in the market. As a result, suppliers to offer these effective modules are also become more than before. But in my opinion, the Fiberstore does the best among them. They provide all kinds of compatible transceivers, especially the SFP-10G85-3M-CO and SFP-10G31-10-CO, which can entirely replace the Cisco SFP-10G-SR and SFP-10G-LR.

  • SFP-10G85-3M-CO

    The SFP-10G85-3M-CO series multi-mode transceiver is a SFP+ module for duplex optical data communications such as 10GBASE-SR and 10GBASE-SW. This transceiver offers the same function with Cisco SFP-10G-SR and is fully compatible with Cisco devices. It is a hot-swappable input/output device, which means no need to power down if installing or replacing. Its transmission distance can up to 300m with duplex LC multi-mode Fiber cable.

  • SFP-10G31-10-CO

    The SFP-10G31-10-CO single mode transceiver is a small form factor pluggable module for serial optical data communications such as IEEE 802.3ae 10GBASE-LR/LW. This transceiver offers the same function with Cisco SFP-10G-LR and is fully compatible with Cisco devices. This module is designed for single mode fiber and operates at a nominal wavelength of 1310 nm. Its transmission distance can up to 10km with duplex LC single-mode fiber.

Cisco SFP+ Transceiver

All these products offered by Fiberstore are tested in-house prior to shipping to ensure that they will arrive in perfect physical and working condition. Fiberstore can guarantee these 10G SFP+ transceivers to work in your system and all of their 10G SFP+ transceivers come with a lifetime advance replacement warranty. Now they have many SFP-10G85-3M-CO and SFP-10G31-10-CO transceiver modules in stock. Therefore, Same-Day Delivery is available. If you want to know more about their products or services, please feel free to contact them at sales@fs.com.

Related Article: Cisco SFP-10G-SR: All You Need to Know