Juniper 10-Gigabit Ethernet Optical Transceivers – EX-SFP-10GE-SR and XFP-10G-L-OC192-SR1

From the emergence of 10G Ethernet, 10G optical transceivers have been developed along the way to meet the increasing requirement for high performance. From the old XENPAK to X2, XFP, SFP+, optical transceiver becomes smaller, more affordable and less power hungry, which might be a good news for 10G deployment. But with so many options available on the market, it is difficult for users to select a matching transceiver for their given application and hardware.

In fact, as the first 10G optical transceiver, XENPAK gradually exits the stage. Few people today would choose to use XENPAK and X2 for 10G connectivity. At the same time, XFP and SFP+ are offered by many vendors with different specifications. Of which Juniper XFP and SFP+ win a large market share. Today’s post will go on to talk about Juniper XFP and SFP+ transceiver module.

SFP+ Transceiver
The enhanced small form-factor pluggable (SFP+) is an upgraded version of the former SFP. SFP+, compared with the XENPAK and X2, possesses more compact size with data rates up to 10 Gbit/s. And it can also support 8Gbps/10Gbps/16Gbps Fibre Channel, 10 Gigabit Ethernet and Optical Transport Network standard OTU2. The SFP+ product family includes cages, connectors, and copper cable assemblies. In addition, they have the ability to connect to a variety of different types of optical fiber and are highly flexible. That’s why they are so desirable to designers.

Juniper EX-SFP-10GE-SR
Take Juniper EX-SFP-10GE-SR as an example, this SFP+ transceiver module is designed for use with Juniper network equipment and is fully compatible with Juniper switch and routers. This Juniper EX-SFP-10GE-SR is 10GBASE-SR SFP+ that operates over a wavelength of 850nm. It combines quality with low cost and gives you an ideal alternative except for the high price transceivers. Here are some key features of the optical transceiver.

Feature

• Functionally identical to Juniper Networks EX-SFP-10GE-SR
• LC ports designed for use with multimode fiber
• Includes Digital Optical Monitoring (DOM)
• 850nm wavelength signaling
• Supports up to 300 meters of cabling

XFP Transceiver
XFP transceiver is a hot-pluggable and protocol-independent 10 Gbit/s optical transceiver designed to help drive cost and power consumption out of 10 Gbit/s optical networking applications. This particular XFP specification was developed by the XFP Multi-Source Agreement Group. XFP transceivers are capable of operating at wavelengths of 850 nm, 1310 nm, and 1550 nm at a single wavelength or through the use of dense wavelength-division multiplexing techniques. There are a variety of transceiver types available, but the most popular ones include: SR (850 nm and can transmit up to 300 m), LR, ER, and ZR. LR is 1310 nm and can transmit distances up to 10 km.

Juniper XFP-10G-L-OC192-SR1
XFP-10G-L-OC192-SR1 is Juniper 10GBASE-LR XFP transceiver. It operates at a wavelength of 1310nm with a link length of up to 10km links. ER is characterized by 1550 nm and can transmit distances of 40 km. ZR can transmit distances up to 80 km. Designers prefer to use XFP packaging because it has a smaller footprint than other devices. And this XFP-10G-L-OC192-SR1 is fully compatible with all Juniper series switches and modules which support XFP transceivers. The following are some detailed information about this product.

Technical Performance
Module model: XFP
Device Type: Transceiver module
Interface (Bus) Type: Plug in module
Connectivity Technology: Wired
Application: 10GBASE SR1
Product working data rate: 10Gbps
Wavelength: 1310nm
Max Distance: 10km
Fiber Type: SMF
Connector: Duplex LC
DDM: With DDM
Operating Temperature: 0~70 °C
Compliant with MSA XFP Specification

3rd-party Optical Transceiver Recommendation
For your limited budget, 3rd-party optical modules may be good choice. Just remember to find a reliable vendor. Fiberstore has a large quantity in stock transceivers and can ship in very short time. You will find the cost-effective and high-quality Juniper XFP-10G-L-OC192-SR1 and EX-SFP-10GE-SR beyond your expectation. Additionally, customize optical transceivers to fit your specific requirements are available. Contact us today to save the time and cost by buying from us directly.

10GBASE-T – Will It be the Best Media Options for 10G Data Center?

Ratified in 2006, 10GBASE-T is the standard to provide 10Gbqs connections over balanced twisted-pair copper, including Category 6A unshielded and shielded cabling. It provides great flexibility in network design due to its 100-meter reach capability. An immediate use for 10GBASE-T is to build the data center access-layer network that connects servers to access switches. But is it the best options for 10G data center? Understanding this requires an examination of the pros and cons of current 10GbE media options.

10GBASE-CX4
10GBASE-CX4 was the first favorite for 10GbE deployments, however its adoption was limited by the bulky and expensive cables, and its reach is limited to 15 meters. The large size of the CX4 connector prohibited higher switch densities required for large scale deployment. Larger diameter cables like 10GBASE-CX4 are purchased in fixed lengths resulting in challenges to manage cable slack. As a result, pathways and spaces may not be sufficient to handle this larger cable.

SFP+ 
SFP+’s support for both fiber optic cables and DAC which makes it a better solution than CX4. SFP+ is commonly used for 10G today, but it has limitations that will prevent itself from moving to every server. The following image shows a SFP+ nodule, SFP+ DAC cable and a 10GBASE-T SFP+ port media converter.

10GBASE-SR—10GBASE-SR (SFP+ fiber) fiber is great for its low latency and longer distance (up to 300 meters), but it is expensive. SFP+ fiber offers low power consumption, but the cost of laying fiber networking everywhere in the data center is prohibitive. The SFP+ fiber electronics can be four to five times more expensive than their copper counterparts, meaning that ongoing active maintenance, typically based on original equipment purchase price, is much more expensive. In addition, replacing a copper connection that is readily available in a server to fiber creates the need to purchase not only the fiber switch port, but also a fiber NIC for the server. EX-SFP-10GE-SR is compatible Juniper SFP+ transceiver that requires a OM3 cable to realize its 10G connectivity, which is an indispensable component for a 10G network.

10GBASE-SFP+ DAC—DAC is a lower cost alternative to fiber, but it can only reach 7 meters and it is not backward-compatible with existing GbE switches. Take MA-CBL-TA-1M as an example, it is designed to cover a distance of 1m for 10G connectivity. The DAC cables are much more expensive than structured copper channels, and cannot be field terminated. This makes DAC more expensive than 10GBASE-T. The adoption rate of DAC will be low since it does not have the flexibility and reach of 10GBASE-T.

10GBASE-T
The major benefit of 10GBASE-T is that it offers the most flexibility, the lowest cost media, and is backward-compatible with existing 1GbE networks. Like all BASE-T implementations, 10GBASE-T covers a lengths up to 100 meters, which gives network designers a far greater level of flexibility in connecting devices in the data center and the most flexibility in server placement since it will work with existing structured cabling systems. For higher grade cabling plants (category 6A and above), 10GBASE-T operates in low power mode on channels under 30 m. This means a further power savings per port over the longer 100m mode. And because 10GBASE-T is backward-compatible with 1000BASE-T, it can be deployed in existing 1GbE switch infrastructures in data centers that are cabled with CAT6 and CAT6A (or above) cabling, enabling network designers to keep costs down while offering an easy migration path to 10GbE.

One challenge with 10GBASE-T is that the early physical layer interface chips (PHYs) consumed too much power for widespread adoption. But there comes a good news with 10GBASE-T is that the PHYs benefit greatly from the latest manufacturing processes. The newer process technologies will reduce both the power and cost of the latest 10GBASE-T PHYs. The latest 10GBASE-T adapters require only 10 W per port. Further improvements will reduce power even more. In 2011, power dropped below 6 W per port, making 10GBASE-T suitable for motherboard integration and high-density switches.

Conclusion
Of all the media options offered above, 10GBASE-T breaks through important cost and power consumption barriers in 10GbE deployment as well as its backwards compatibility with 1GbE networks. Deployment on 10GBASE-T will simplify data center infrastructures, making it easier to manage server connectivity while delivering the bandwidth needed for heavily virtualized servers and I/O-intensive applications. I must say, 10GBASE-T will be the best option for 10GbE data center cabling in the near future.