Definition

SFP ports are devices designed for use with small form factor (SFF) connectors, and offer high speed and physical compactness. A SFP is a hot-swappable input/output device that plugs into the SFP ports,linking the switch with the fiber-optic network.The Cisco 4948 switch has four ports that can be configured with any combination of SFP modules with LC connectors, as shown in Figure 4-1.  Port 45-48 are SFP Ports.

Advantage

The main advantage for the SFP ports is the flexibility it gives you for putting it in the network. SFP stands for "small form-factor pluggable" and is a hot-swappable input/output device that plugs into a Gigabit Ethernet port or slot, linking the port with the network. SFPs can be used and interchanged on a wide variety of products and can be interchanged in combinations of 1000BASE-SX, 1000BASE-LX/LH, 1000BASE-ZX, or 1000BASE-BX10-D/U on a port-by-port basis. You can use them for Gigabit Ethernet or Fibre Channel applications. They provide a flexible and cost-effective solution for enterprise networks, data centers, etc.

Applications

SFP ports are found in Ethernet switches, routers, firewalls and network interface cards. Storage interface cards, also called HBAs or Fiber Channel storage switches, also make use of these modules, supporting different speeds such as 2Gb, 4Gb, and 8Gb. Because of their low cost, low profile, and ability to provide a connection to different types of optical fiber, SFP provides such equipment with enhanced flexibility.

Modern optical SFP transceivers with theirs SFP ports support standard digital diagnostics monitoring (DDM) functions. This feature is also known as digital optical monitoring (DOM). Modules with this capability give the end user the ability to monitor parameters of the SFP, such as optical output power, optical input power, temperature, laser bias current, and transceiver supply voltage, in real time. This functionality is commonly implemented for monitoring on routers, switches and optical transport equipment via SNMP.

Caution

Protect your SFP modules by inserting clean dust plugs into the SFP ports after the cables are extracted from them. Be sure to clean the optic surfaces of the fiber cables before you plug them back into the optical bores of another SFP module.Avoid getting dust and other contaminants into the optical bores of your SFP modules: The optics do not work correctly when obstructed with dust.

The following SFP media types are supported:

• CWDM (CZT-PC(27-61)1G-40D)
  
• Cisco 1000BASE-T SFP (CZT-PE-T1)
  
• Short wavelength 1000BASE-SX (CZT-P851G-S5D)
  
• Long wavelength/long haul 1000BASE-LX/LH (CZT-P131G-10D)
  
• Extended distance 1000BASE-ZX (CZT-P151G-80D)

What are combo SFP slots?

Combo sfp slots also called Optical multiplexing slots,they are used for equipment cascade,which mainly used in communication.Our transceivers contain the combo sfp slots, which has optical port and electrical port.Our SFP optical module can be inserted in optical port. and cables can be inserted in electrical port. But they cannot be used at the same time.

Conclusion

SFP transceivers are available with a variety of SFP ports, allowing users to select the appropriate transceiver for each link to provide the required optical reach over the available optical fiber type (e.g. multi-mode fiber or single-mode fiber). SFP modules are commonly available in several different categories:  1 and 2.5 Gbit/s SFP; 10 Gbit/s SFP+; 25 Gbit/s SFP28; CSFP

Cozlink is a manufacturer and supplier who offer SFP transceivers with low price and fast delivery.At present,GPON SFP，SFP GEPON，SDH / SONET SFP， 3G video SFP，LTE / CPRI / OBSAI SFP，Copper SFP，Fiber Channel SFP，SFP SGMII and WDM BIDI SFP are on sale. Our SFP modules can use in many brand switch or devices with SFP ports. such as Cisco,Huawei,HP, Juniper, NETGEAR, Finisar,Dell and other brands.

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