Cisco SFP-10G-SR VS. Cisco SFP-10G-LR

The 10G SFP+ modules allow a wide variety of 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity options for enterprise, data center, and service provider transport applications. A single piece of hardware can accommodate a wide variety of cable and connection types, simply by substituting transceiver for the connector being used. Unfortunately, this also means that finding the right SFP+ transceiver for your application can sometimes be confusing and difficult, because many connection types exist: SFP-10G-SR, SFP-10G-LR, SFP-10G-LRM, SFP-10G-ER, SFP-10G-ZR, SFP-10G-T-S, CVR-XENPAK-SFP10G and CVR-X2-SFP10G. This article mainly talks about the difference between Cisco SFP-10G-SR and Cisco SFP-10G-LR.

Overview of SFP+

The SFP+ is the enhanced small form-factor pluggable. It is also called SFP 10G to avoid confusion with the 1G version (SFP). It has the same shape as the SFP, but SFP+ can support data rates up to 10 Gbit/s. Specifically, it can support 8 Gbit/s on Fibre Channel and 10 Gbit/s on Gigabit Ethernet and optical transport network standard OTU2. As usual, it is a popular industry format because of the smallest 10G form factor for greatest density per chassis. The buyers for SFP+ are typically storage vendors and private data center operators. Other customers with large data center requirements may make the same decision and move forward with the SFP+.

SFP-10G-SR: Cisco 10GBASE-SR SFP+ transceiver module for MMF, 850-nm wavelength

Cisco SFP-10G-SR is designed for use with Cisco networking equipment. This transceiver module is the multimode 10G fiber optical transceiver with duplex LC connector, and it can support a link length of up to 26m on standard FDDI MMF and 300m link length when using 2000MHz KM MMF (OM3). In addition, it supports data transfer rates up to 10 Gbps with 850nm wavelength signaling. The hot-swappable supported feature has no need to power off the device when plugging into an Ethernet SFP+ port of a Cisco switch. It is manufactured to meet or exceed the specifications of the original Cisco unit, and to comply with MSA standards. It is electrical interface-compliant with SFF-8431 specification, and supports DDM.

SFP-10G-LR: Cisco 10GBASE-LR SFP+ transceiver module for SMF, 1310-nm wavelength

The Cisco SFP-10G-LR is a 10GBase SFP+ Optical Transceiver with duplex LC connector. The 10GBase SFP+ optical transceiver supports distances up to 10 kilometers on standard single-mode fiber optic cables. It is also designed to operate with Cisco networking equipment. It also meets or exceeds the original specifications and complies with MSA standards. This 10GBase-LR transceiver is fully hot-pluggable, so you can install it without shutting down the network or rebooting your device. Furthermore, it supports data transfer rates up to 10 Gbps with 1310nm wavelength signaling. Its metallic housing allows low EMI. It also supports DDM, so you can monitor optical output power, optical input power, temperature, laser bias current and transceiver supply voltage. It is electrical interface-compliant with SFF-8431 specification, and supports up to 11.1 Gbps bi-directional communication.

Cisco SFP-10G-SR VS. Cisco SFP-10G-LR

SR stands for short reach, and LR stands for long reach. SR transceivers are almost always multimode, and optimized for high speeds over relatively short distances, while LR transceivers are designed for long-range communications, such as wiring buildings together on a large campus.

Table 1: Cisco SFP-10G-SR

Table 2: Cisco SFP-10G-LR

From these two tables, we can see the main differences are wavelenghth and cable type. SFP-10G-LR can reach up to 10km over single-mode fiber, which is designed for storage, IP network and LAN. At the same time, SFP-10G-SR is the original multimode optics specification, and it is still by far the most commonly used. As it uses a single, low cost solid state laser assembly, it is also the least expensive fiber optical modules available for a 10GbE platform. All in all, both SFP-10G-LR and SFP-10G-SR can ensure 10G transmission.

Similar Models

Except SFP-10G-LR and SFP-10G-SR, there are other similar Cisco compatible transceivers, including the: SFP-10G-LRM, SFP-10G-ER and SFP-10G-ZR. Each of these models is an SFP+ 10 Gigabit transceiver with digital optical monitoring capabilities. The table below outlines some of the key differences between these popular transceivers: