Introduction
When the things comes in terms of Telecommunication and Data Communication then SFP module are implemented. We have seen SFP module in the back panel of Digital Headend Equipments like QAM , Switches and Media Converters etc. It is small Electronic expansive device.
There are various kind of SFP module available in the market. We will cover all these SFP modules in this article.
What Is SFP Module
SFP Module stands for Small Form Factor Pluggable Module. It is compact device used for both Telecom and Datacom applications. SFP module have two ports which are transmitter port and Receiver port. Since it supports transmit and receive we call it SFP Tranceivers.
Design of SFP is based on GBIC interface. It is small that is why, it also known as mini-GIBIC. Traditionally we were using the SFP modlues supports 4.2 Gbps. While New SFP Module named as SFP Plus Modules supports 10 Gbps for ethernet and 8 Gbps for the fiber channel. SFP plus slot have its backward compatibility like it supports standard SFP module.
SFP Module Classification
SFP modules are classified according to working wavelength and working distance as,
Multi mode Fiber
SX = Used For Short Distance
550 meter For Gigabit Ethernet 1.2 GBps
150 meter For Fiber 4.25 GBps
Single mode Fiber
Used For Long Distance,
LX Module = 1310 nm For 10 Kilometer
ZX Module = 1550 nm For 80 Kilometer
EX Module = 1550 nm For 120 Kilometer
Copper Twisted Pair Cabling
It supports only Gigabit Ethernet
1000Base-T = Gigabit Ethernet
We can easily gets confused by seeing different SFP modules that is why manufactures used different color rings to distinguish them,
(1) Black Ring defines the Wavelength of 850 nm For multi mode fiber.
(2) Blue color defines 1310 nm SFP module
(3) Yellow color defines the 1550 nm SFP module
(4) Purple color defines the 1490 nm SFP module
Small Form Factor Pluggable Module Applications
(1) Switches
(2) Network Interface Cards or NIC
(3) Media Converters
(4) Storage Area Networks or SAN
Conclusion
As we have discussed above a SFP Module is small physical device mounted on PCB (Printed Circuit Board) used for fiber channel and copper too. Wavelength and distance are the two factors on which SFP modules categories are defined. SFP + is the new version of standard SFP Module.
Know More About What Is OFC Or Optical Fiber Cable
