What is SFP transceiver? - FO4SALE.COM

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This slide shows a typical SFP transceiver module in different views. The first picture is a front view, which shows SFP module has two ports, one port has laser inside, which is the transmitter side. The other port has a photodetector inside, which is the receiver side.

So basically, SFP is a transceiver module, since it has transmitter and receiver in a single unit.

The second picture shows how SFP modules are used on PCB board.

The right picture shows a perspective view of SFP module, so you can clearly see its mechanical outlines.

SFP stands for Small Form-Factor Pluggable. It is a compact, hot-pluggable transceiver used for both telecom and datacom applications.

SFP module's mechanical interface and electrical interface are specified by a multi-source agreement, also called MSA.

MSA is an industrial group composed of many network component vendors, such as Finisar, Fujikura, Lucent, Molex, Tyco, etc.

Engineers from these major vendors came together and made a design that everybody agreed upon. So based on this MSA specification agreement, these companies can make products that can work together in a system without compatibility issues. It is almost like an industrial standard.

SFP was designed based on the bigger GBIC interface, but SFP has a much smaller footprint in order to increase port density. That is why SFP is also called mini-GBIC.

SFP modules are classified based on the working wavelength and its distance reach. Let's take a look at the list here.

For multimode fibers, the SFP module is called SX. SX modules use 850nm wavelength. The distance that SX module supports depends on the network speed. For 1.25 Gbps, the reach is 550 meters. For 4.25 Gbps, SX modules support 150 meters.

For single mode fibers, there are a lot of choices. I am listing the most common types here.

LX modules use 1310nm wavelength laser, and supports up to 10km reach. ZX modules use 1550nm wavelength laser, and supports reach up to 80km. ZX modules also use 1550nm laser, but supports up to 120km reach.

There are also CWDM and DWDM SFP modules, which use multiple wavelengths in the module to support even more bandwidth and distance.

And don't forget, the MSA also defined a SFP module based on the UTP twisted pair copper cables. But this SFP module currently only supports Gigabit Ethernet.

Traditional SFP modules supports speed up to 4.25 Gbps. But an enhanced version, which is called SFP+, supports up to 10 Gbps, and is becoming more popular on 10 Gigabit Ethernet and 8 Gbit Fibre Channel.

SFP transceivers are used on all types of network applications, including telecommunication, data communication, Storage Area Network.

On the protocol side, there are SFP modules that support SONET/SDH, Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel, Optical Supervisory Channel, and more.

As a network engineer, it is always a good idea to familiar yourself with all these types of SFP modules to facilitate your own work.

Don't forget to visit http://www.fiberoptics4sale.com for more free fiber optic tutorials.