1000BASE SFP Transceivers Used in Gigabit Ethernet

Gigabit Ethernet, which is standardized by the IEEE as the 802.3z standard, is a term describing various technologies for transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of a Gigabit per second. The 1000BASE SFP transceiver is an important part in Gigabit Ethernet applications, which is a hot-swappable input/output device that plugs into a Gigabit Ethernet port/slot, linking the port with the network. There is a number of 1000BASE SFP transceivers that are available in accordance with the customer application and distance capability required.

Depending on the cable material, Gigabit Ethernet can be classified into fiber-based Gigabit Ethernet and copper-based Gigabit Ethernet. Different 1000BASE SFP transceivers may used in different kinds Gigabit Ethernet.

1000BASE SFP Transceivers in Fiber-based Gigabit Ethernet

In fiber-based Gigabit Ethernet, 1000BASE-X is used in industry to refer to Gigabit Ethernet transmission over fiber. 1000BASE-X is a group of standards for Ethernet physical layer standards, including 1000BASE-SX, 1000BASE-LX, 1000BASE-LX10, 1000BASE-BX10 or the non-standard 1000BASE-EX and 1000BASE-ZX implementations. Different 1000BASE SFP transceivers may be used in different standards.

• 1000BASE-SX SFP Transceiver for 1000BASE-SX

1000BASE-SX operates over multi-mode fiber using an 850nm laser. 1000BASE-SX SFP transceiver is a high performance module used for 1000BASE-SX. It operates on legacy multi-mode fiber links up to 550m and on Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI)-grade multi-mode fibers up to 220m, supporting up to 1km over laser-optimized multi-mode fiber cable.

• 1000BASE SFP Transceiver for 1000BASE-LX

1000BASE-LX represents the long wave laser version of Gigabit Ethernet over fiber, which can operate over single-mode or multi-mode fiber. The 1000BASE-LX SFP transceiver operates on standard single-mode fiber-optic link spans of up to 10km and up to 550m on any multi-mode fibers.

• 1000BASE SFP Transceiver for 1000BASE-LX10

1000BASE-LX10 is very similar to 1000BASE-LX, but it achieves longer distances over a pair of single-mode fiber. The 1000BASE-LX10 SFP transceiver can operate over single-mode fiber links up to 10km.

• 1000BASE SFP Transceiver for 1000BASE-BX10

1000BASE-BX10 is capable of up to 10 km over a single strand of single-mode fiber. The 1000BASE-BX10 SFP Transceivers operate on a single strand of standard single-mode fiber.

• 1000BASE SFP Transceiver for 1000BASE-EX

1000BASE-EX a industry accepted term to refer to Gigabit Ethernet transmission. The 1000BASE-EX SFP transceivers operate on standard single-mode fiber-optic link spans of up to 40 km in length.

• 1000BASE SFP Transceiver for 1000BASE-ZX

Through the use of single-mode fiber and a long-wavelength laser (1550nm), 1000BASE-ZX obtains a span line of 70km. Operating on standard single-mode fiber-optic link spans of up to approximately 70km in length, the 1000BASE-ZX SFP transceivers are used in long-reach single-mode fibers.

1000BASE SFP Transceivers in Copper-based Gigabit Ethernet

In copper-based Gigabit Ethernet, 1000BASE-CX, 1000BASE-KX, 1000BASE-T and 1000BASE-TX are four standards for Gigabit Ethernet over copper wiring. Similarly, various 1000BASE SFP transceivers are used in these four standard.

• 1000BASE SFP Transceiver for 1000BASE-CX

1000BASE-CX represents the initial IEEE standard for Gigabit Ethernet over copper cabling using 150Ω balanced shielded twisted-pair wire. The 1000BASE-CX SFP transceiver is intended for short cable runs over copper cabling.

• 1000BASE SFP Transceiver for 1000BASE-KX

1000BASE-KX is part of the IEEE 802.3ap standard for Ethernet Operation over Electrical Backplanes. Since it uses electrical signaling speed rather than optical signaling, there is no SFP Transceiver for this standard.

• 1000BASE SFP Transceiver for 1000BASE-T

1000BASE-T defines the transmission of Gigabit Ethernet over four pairs of cable. The 1000BASE-T SFP transceiver operates on standard Category 5 unshielded twisted-pair copper cabling of link lengths up to 100m.

• 1000BASE SFP Transceiver for 1000BASE-TX

1000BASE-TX is similar to 1000BASE-T but uses two pairs of wires rather than four for data transmission. Theoretically, it is design to reduce the cost of the required electronics by only using two unidirectional pairs in each direction instead of 4 bidirectional. But this is proved to be a commercial failure. Therefore, 1000BASE-TX SFP Transceiver is uncommon.

As Gigabit Ethernet has been demonstrated to be a viable solution for increased bandwidth requirements for growing networks, the market is flooded with various 1000BASE SFP transceivers. Fiberstore supplies many kinds of 1000BASE SFP transceivers including the aforesaid 1000BASE-SX SFP, 1000BASE-LX SFP, 1000BASE-ZX SFP, 1000BASE-LH SFP and 1000BASE-T SFP transceivers and so on.

Things to Know Before Selecting CWDM SFP Transceivers

As an extension of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) is a technology that multiplexes a number of optical carrier signals onto a single optical fiber through the use of different wavelengths (i.e., colors) of laser light. A CWDM SFP (Small Form-factor Pluggable) is on the SFP transceivers or socket switch or router port (as shown below). In the following figure, TX represents transmit, RX represents receive. Being a kind of compact optical transceiver, CWDM SFP transceivers are widely used in optical communications for both telecommunication and data communication. It is designed for operations in Metro Access Rings and Point-to-Point networks using Synchronous Optical Network (SONET), SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy), Gigabit Ethernet and Fiber Channel networking equipment.

Three Components of CWDM SFP Transceivers

The CWDM SFP transceiver is consist of an un-cooled CWDM Distributed Feed Back (DFB) laser transmitter, a PIN photodiode integrated with a Trans-impedance Preamplifier (TIA) and a Microprogrammed Control Unit (MCU). The DFB laser used in the CWDM SFP transceiver transmitter is a 18 CWDM DFB wavelengths laser. It is well suited for high capacity reverse traffic. Obeying the standard diode equation for low frequency signals, The PIN photodiode has a 80km transmission distance. And the MCU is a high-speed, executive, input-output (I/O) processor and interrupt handler for the NRL Signal Processing Element (SPE).

Advantages of CWDM SFP transceivers

Using existing fiber connections efficiently through the adoption of active wavelength multiplexing, CWDM SFP transceivers have improved the designs of telecommunications devices and other technologies. Here are some advantages of CWDM SFP transceivers:

• Scalability and Flexibility—CWDM SFP transceivers can support multiple channels. It means that more channels can be activated as demand increases. CWDM SFP transceivers have a wide variety of network configurations that range from the meshed-ring configurations to the multi-channel point-to-point. In point-to-point configurations, the two endpoints will connect directly through a fiber link, allowing users to add or delete as many as eight channels at a time.
• Low Risks in Investment—Most CDWM SFP Transceivers have a low failure rate, which is less likely to be the reason why the user’s solution fails. It helps enterprises increase the bandwidth of the Gigabit Ethernet optical infrastructure without adding any additional fiber strands and can also be used in conjunction with other SFP devices on the same platform. Thus the user will be able to re-invest the capital saved by avoiding prematurely failed devices.

Selecting a Right CWDM SFP Transceiver

There are many kinds of CDWM SFP Transceivers in the market. Their wavelengths are available from 1270 nm to 1610 nm, with each step 20 nm. Different CDWM SFP Transceivers have different color codes, distances, date rates and laser operating wavelengths. For example, the CWDM-SFP-1470, which is colored gray, is one of Cisco CWDM SFP. It is a CWDM SFP transceiver that rates for distances up to 80 km and a maximum bandwidth of 1Gbps, operating at 1470nm wavelength. Customers may choose a CWDM SFP transceiver in accordance with their actual needs.

Applied to the access layer of Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), The CWDM SFP is a low-cost WDM transmission technology. Fiberstore provides the aforesaid CWDM-SFP-1470 and other types of CWDM SFP Transceivers, which are convenient and cost-effective solution for the adoption of Gigabit Ethernet and Fiber Channel (FC) in campus, data center, and metropolitan-area access networks.

Originally published at http://www.fiber-optical-networking.com/