Application of Fiber Transceivers in Data Center Communication

Fiber optical transceiver is the most common component in today’s data center communications. But few people realize it. By converting electronic signals into optical signals as transmitters at one end and then converting optical signals into electronic signals at the other end as receivers, it is an indispensable part in data transmission. Different types of transceivers have different applications in reality. Some are used together with singlemode fiber cables in singlemode applications while others are for multimode.

Use Optical Transceivers Rather Than Copper for Shorter Distance Applications

Copper SFPs provide a high-speed RJ45 data connector interface for unshielded, twisted-pair copper cable. The 1000BASE-T copper SFP allows a maximum link distance of up to 100 m. For 1Gbps Cisco SFP modules, if the optical transmission distance is less than 275 meters, multimode or single-mode optical fiber and any type of transceiver can be used. If the transmission distance is between 275 and 500 meters, 50/125-micron multimode or single-mode optical fiber and any type of transceiver can be used.

Use Single- module SFP Transceivers for Long Distance Fiber Network Applications

If the transmission distance exceeds 500 meters, only single-mode optical fiber and a long wave laser transceiver can be used. With the IEEE802.3ae standard, seven new media types were defined for LAN, metropolitan area network and wide area network connectivity:

• 1000BASE-SX SFP for Multimode Fiber Only – link lengths up to 550m
• 1000BASE-LX/LH SFP for Both Multimode and Single-Mode Fibers - link lengths up to 10km on SMF and up to 550m on MMF.
• 1000BASE-EX SFP for Long-Reach Single-Mode Fibers - link lengths up to 40km.
• 1000BASE-ZX SFP for Long-Reach Single-Mode Fibers - link lengths up to 70km.

Use Dual-rate Optical Transceivers for Long-Reach Fiber Network Applications

The dual-rate fiber SFP is interoperable with the IEEE 100BASE-LX and 1000BASE-LX/LH standards. In a dual-fiber single network configuration, it takes a group of fiber optic transceivers to achieve the desired electrical signal and light signal. When fiber optic transceivers are arranged in a group, they may exchange electrical signals and light signals. Fiber optic transceiver ports can be configured in adaptive mode.

Use 1000BASE-BX10 SFPs for Single-Fiber Bidirectional Applications

As we known, the 1000BASE-BX-D and 1000BASE-BX-U SFPs, compatible with the IEEE 802.3ah 1000BASE-BX10-D and 1000BASE-BX10-U standards, operate on a single strand of standard SMF. The1000Base-BX10 specification provides single-mode, single fiber support at a signaling speed of 1250 Mbps for a span of 10 km or greater depending on fiber type. The two wavelength ranges employed are:

• Downlink at 1480 to 1500 nm
• Uplink at 1260 to 1360 nm

Fiber optic transceivers are used in a variety of applications. One of the most important attributes of fiber optic transceivers is their ability to be compatible in a variety of communications applications. Most manufacturers choose them over and over because they fit in a small footprint, and they are reliable. In FS.COM, fiber optic transceivers in all form factors, from 100 Mbps to 100 Gbps are fully compliant to MSA and IEEE 802.3 standards. For instance, HP J4858C compatible 1000BASE-SX SFP transceiver is supported on a wide range of HP equipment and has the same performance with the originally branded optics. We code and test each of our optics in our test center to guarantee the high compatibility and performance.