Optical transceivers are the core components of optical communication links. Currently, the most widely used optical transceivers on the market are 10 Gigabit optical transceivers and Gigabit optical transceivers.
10G optical transceiver refers to an optical transceiver with a transmission rate of 10Gbps, also known as 10G optical transceiver. It can achieve high-speed, stable and reliable data transmission. There are two commonly used packages, SFP+ and XFP, of which SFP+ is the most common. 10G optical transceivers are mainly used in servers, network equipment and other fields. According to their types, 10G optical transceivers can be divided into many types.
1. According to the different interfaces, it is mainly divided into 10G electrical port optical transceiver and 10G optical port optical transceiver. The 10G electrical port transceiver transmits through cables, and the 10G optical port transceiver transmits through optical fiber. Strictly speaking, the electrical transceiver is not an optical transceiver because it does not have photoelectric conversion function.
2. According to the optical transmission form, it can be divided into: dual-fiber bidirectional optical transceiver (MSA), single-fiber bidirectional optical transceiver (BiDi). The 10G single-fiber optical transceiver achieves bidirectional transmission through fiber core multiplexing technology, effectively reducing the number of optical fibers used and saving costs.
3. According to the mode, it can be divided into single mode fiber transceiver and multi-mode optical transceivers. 10G multi-mode optical transceiver is suitable for short-distance communication, with a communication distance of 300 meters.
This optical transceiver uses multi-mode optical fiber for transmission and has a large bandwidth. 10 Gigabit single-mode optical transceivers are suitable for long-distance communications, and common communication distances can reach more than ten kilometers or even dozens of kilometers. This optical transceiver uses single-mode optical fiber for transmission, which has smaller loss and higher transmission distance. It should be noted that optical transceivers require peer use. The rate, transmission distance, transmission mode, and working wavelength of the transmitter and receiver optical transceivers must be consistent.
Gigabit optical transceivers, like 10G optical transceiver transceivers, are also photoelectric conversion equipment, used to convert electrical signals into optical signals to achieve data transmission in optical fiber networks.
Regarding 10 Gigabit optical transceivers and Gigabit optical transceivers, the editor has collected some common questions from netizens and answered them.
1. How to distinguish between Gigabit optical transceivers and 10 Gigabit optical transceivers?
The biggest difference between Gigabit optical transceivers and 10 Gigabit optical transceivers is the speed. The transmission rate of Gigabit optical transceiver is 1Gbps, and the transmission rate of 10G optical transceiver is 10G. In appearance, Gigabit optical transceivers and 10 Gigabit optical transceivers are roughly the same size, but the shell materials are different. 10G optical transceivers are heavier than Gigabit optical transceivers and have better anti-interference performance. Another relatively niche way to distinguish is to look at the shape of the optical transceiver label. Gigabit optical transceivers usually use pointed labels, and 10G optical transceivers usually use rectangular labels. Of course, the most accurate and intuitive way is to read the description on the label or check the transceiver DDM information on the switch.
2. Can a Gigabit optical transceiver be inserted into the 10 Gigabit port? Can a 10G optical transceiver be inserted into a Gigabit port?
There are differences in port protocols between Gigabit and 10 Gigabit ports. Pure 10G ports and pure Gigabit ports cannot be interconnected. However, in fact, major and small switch manufacturers generally make the ports internally compatible in order to have a smooth transition with previous-generation networks. 10 Gigabit and Gigabit are not transitioned all at once. There are two standards in between, 2.5G Ethernet port and 5G Ethernet. There are a total of 4 port protocols. When designing a switch, the switch manufacturer determines which ones are compatible and which ones are incompatible. This is done based on the manufacturer's own product positioning.
For each additional compatible version, there will be hardware and software costs. The more complex the compatibility is, the higher the cost will be. Therefore, there is no standard answer to the question of whether a Gigabit port can be plugged into a 10G optical transceiver and whether a 10G port can be plugged into a Gigabit optical transceiver. Look at the design of the specific equipment. If the port is clearly marked as compatible with Gigabit or 10 Gigabit ports, then both transceivers can be used.
10G transceivers are used on Gigabit ports, as long as the device does not specifically control the port. For example, after reading that the transceiver code information is 10 Gigabit specifications, the connection is rejected. Then it is a normal Gigabit port, and there is no problem in shaking hands and communicating with the peer according to the Gigabit network protocol.
The Gigabit transceiver is plugged into a Gigabit/10G compatible device port. When the device reads that the transceiver is Gigabit, it stipulates that this port will only adapt to Gigabit signals from the opposite end. If the request from the peer is a 10G link, it will be rejected or not responded.
The Gigabit transceiver is plugged into a pure 10G or other single function port higher than Gigabit. The device forcibly transmits signals at 10 Gigabit or 5G or 8G rate. The Gigabit transceiver transmits all bit errors, the other end will alarm, and the line is equivalent to being disconnected.
3. Can the 10G optical fiber transceiver be used as Gigabit?
OK. The hardware (main chip/optical device) speed of the optical transceiver itself is backward compatible.
4. Can Gigabit optical transceivers and 10 Gigabit optical transceivers communicate?
Gigabit optical transceivers do not have the ability to send and receive 10G rate signals. Using Gigabit to transmit 10G will result in all bit errors, making it impossible to pass through and cannot be used. The 10G transceiver itself can handle signals at any rate between 1G~10G (or even 12G), and can be transmitted normally within an appropriate distance. Therefore, it is absolutely no problem to use 10 Gigabit as Gigabit to transmit signals. In other words, if you want two transceivers to communicate, the Gigabit optical transceiver and the 10G optical transceiver, it is possible to reduce the speed of 10G to Gigabit.
On the premise that the signal can be transmitted, the device needs to establish a mutually recognized identity for the two ports according to the network protocol to be considered "communicable". The transceiver reports its own specification category to the switch through its own code, and the switch determines which links the port of the inserted transceiver can or cannot establish in the future based on the category reported by the transceiver.
