What is an SPF Transceiver?
Transceivers and their benefits.
Compact transceivers are a type of small form factor pluggable(SFP) transceivers. SFP are transceivers used to receive data communication. They are small metal plug that are plugged in a special slot which would help support communication between fibers and cables. Transceivers are exchangeable media connectors. They help to connect a network device to numerous types of cable types or distances. SPF is used by the Multisource Agreement which was developed by manufacturers and was used to receive several transceivers. These transceivers all have a detachable interface and this allows users to choose the type of transceivers they think is suitable for their optical range of network. It is used in communication devices such as switches, routers or cables and it performs certain conversions between optical or electrical signals. Transceivers also helps to support the standard of communications which includes SONET, SDH or CPRI. Transceivers are used for the customizations of several converters such as OmniConverter, Miconverter, iConverter, etc. and other 3rd party products that would meet the network protocols and the media requirements. They support several fibers such as dual fibers such as dual fiber, single dual fiber, single mode fiber and several copper cabling. Transceivers can also be called mini-GBIC and the reason is that it an enhanced version of GBIC module but it comes with smear dimensions which also means modern type of transceivers.
These transceivers helps to reduce equipment inventories and this is done by removing the urgent need for the maintenance of different modules of different media types for the several network types or upgrades. It also helps to enable upgrades of network and growth by exchangeable fiber or copper connectors that find it very easy to adapt of to modify any network that is existing. SFP transceivers usually comes with LC connector which is unlike the GBIC that comes with standard connector(SC). For clarification sake, LC and SC connectors are connectors with fiber cable and the only difference is the size.
Transceivers usually support capabilities of digital diagnostics and it provides diagnostic information which would help to assist the administration of network and network maintenance. Transceivers are used when iConveter modules is managed by software and it makes it possible for the transceivers to collect any diagnostic information. When compact size and exchangeability is easy, this would make transceivers more cost-effective and it provide a suitable solution for network designs.
Types of Transceivers
There are different types of transceivers and so to select the right one, you would need to have knowledge on the different cable types you should use either copper or fibre. To have fibre cables, you would need to get a matching transceiver that is similar to the slot bandwidth and the speed if the drive you want to connect to and the type of your cable connector. If you want to use a copper cable for communication, you should select a transceiver that has a RJ-45 port. These transceivers sometimes support specially application like infiniband. However, it is important that you understand the application requirements first before you choose a transceiver.
There are several transceiver options such as:
- GBIC- This was originally called Gigabit interconnect. It is used for Cisco 2900 and 3900 models with 10/100 megabit.
- SFP- it was known originally as Small Form Factor Pluggable and was used for Cisco catalyst 3560 and 3760 series plus other switches. The SPF support gigabit connection.
SFP+ - This is an enhanced version that would give about 10G capability and it is used for 3560x and 3750x series plus other types.
Difference between SPF and SPF+
You might be wondering what is the difference between SPF and SPF+.
Well, the thing is that SFP supports about 4.25 Gbps while SPF+ supports up to 16 Gbps. SFP+ is just an advanced version of SFP. The SFP+ is based on SFF-8431. SFP+ supports about 8Gbits/s fibre, 10 Gigabit Ethernet and Optical Network. In comparison to the earlier versions of modules, SFP+ is quite smaller and has become more popular and it is the new thing in the market. When plugged in SFP port, SFP module of the switch and SFP+ modules plugs into the SFP+ plug. On rare occasions, you can plug SPF modules on SPF+ port. The time of SFP or SFP+ module that you would use solely depends on your type of switch.
The single mode fiber comes with a smaller core and a narrower wavelength. This implies that SMF has a higher BW and it is possible for it to reach longer distances. SMF primarily works in 1310 and 1550nm wavelength and it can reach distances within 2km to 120km. It is usually blue, yellow or purple and it has a colour with a clasp.
The multi mode fiber makes use of a larger core with a light wavelength. It is usually used for shorter distances and the optics are much cheaper. The MMF works in about 850nm wavelength. It can transport to several optical signals even though it is unable to transport longer distances.
So, a notable difference between the single mode fiber and the multi mode fiber is that one is used for longer distances while one is used for shorter distances.
Benefits of transceivers
There are different benefits of transceivers and also different reason why you need these transceivers.
- These transceivers are swappable and they can allow modifications. These modifications can be added even after purchase.
- These transceivers can be put in different environments for different uses. They can be used as single mode or multiple mode transceivers and different hardware which would provide a flexible solution.
- If you looking for ways to have your switches communicate faster, make sure you install an SPF because it can be useful. If you want more speed so that your transfer rates can be transferred faster, you should switch to the model that supports 10Gbe and to support SFP+ transceivers. You should note that not all models can support the 10GbE.
- These SFP+ is just suitable for your bills is suitable for all the switches or routers as it would help in the communication of switches. When looking for SPF transceivers, ask for Cisco models because they are least expensive.