Fiber Optical Networking

In the early stage of optical fiber communication, one optical fiber can only transmit signals of one wavelength. This is known as conventional two-fiber Bi-Directional communication - at least two fibers are needed to accomplish the full-duplex communication with TX and RX optical signals. With the development of WDM technology, transmitting and receiving of optical signals on separate wavelength can be achieved through only one single fiber. This single fiber BiDi transmission gradually becomes a popular and cost-effective solution for today’s data center and IT infrastructure, because it helps to maximize the capacity and usage of optical fibers. Consequently, BiDi optical transceiver as the basic component plays an irreplaceable role in the WDM BiDi transmission application. This article will generally introduce Cisco BiDi SFP transceivers, including GLC-BX-U, GLC-BX-D, GLC-BX-20U, GLC-BX-20D, GLC-BX40-D-I, GLC-BX40-U-I, GLC-BX80-D-I, GLC-BX80-U-I, GLC-BX120-U, GLC-BX120-D, etc.

SFP-GE-S-2 and GLC-SX-MM are Cisco 1000BASE-SX SFP multimode fiber transceivers. Since there are similar specifications for these two multimode modules, many end users may be confused when choosing a multimode fiber SFP LC connector SX transceiver for their Cisco switches. So, are they the same one? This post intends to give a simple explanation of SFP-GE-S-2 vs. GLC-SX-MM. SFP-GE-S-2 Module Cisco SFP-GE-S-2 is a 1 GbE SFP SX fiber transceiver that supports the maximum data rate of 1Gbps. It’s compatible with the IEEE 802.3z 1000BASE-SX standard, and can operate on standard multimode fiber optic link spans of up to 2 km. Module/Specs Cisco SFP-GE-S-2 Interface LC duplex Wavelength 1310nm Tx power -9.5 ~ -3dBm Receiver Sensitivity < -17dBm DOM Support Yes Temperature Range 32℉to 158℉ (0℃ to 70℃) Data Rat 1G Fiber Mode MMF GLC-SX-MM Module GLC-SX-MM transceiver is also a Cisco 1000BASE-SX fiber transceiver that designed for Gigab

Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) is a compact, hot-pluggable transceiver used for both telecommunication and data communications applications. It is also called mini-GBIC for its smaller size, which is the upgraded version of GBIC transceiver. These 1Gb SFP modules are capable of supporting speeds up to 4.25 Gbps. And they are most often used for Fast Ethernet of Gigabit Ethernet applications. It interfaces a network device motherboard (for a switch, router, media converter or similar device) to a fiber optic or copper networking cable. SFP modules are commonly available in several different categories: 1000BASE-T SFP, 1000BASE-EX SFP, 1000BASE-SX SFP, 1000BASE-LX/LH SFP, 1000BASE-BX SFP, 1000BASE-ZX SFP, CWDM SFP and DWDM SFP. These modules support different distance according to the different Gigabit Ethernet standard. Today’s main subject will discuss SFP 40 km vs. DWDM SFP. SFP 40 km SFP 40 km transceiver is designed for highly reliable fiber optic network links up to