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Is It Possible to Interconnect SFP, SFP+ and XENPAK/X2…?
2016-08-09
Type Of Definition SFP-10G-SR XENPAK-10GB-SR X2-10GB-SR

Can we interconnect the SFP, SFP+ and XENPAK/X2? Is it possible to connect X2-10GB-LR to 10GBASE-SR with 4-5 meter patch cord? And can LC-SC patch cord connect X2-10GB-SR between SFP-10G-SR? These questions were asked by Cisco users? They are also common questions often asked by Cisco clients and users.What did the users say and how to solve these problems? Let’s read these discussion in detail from the Cisco Support Community.


The Q1:  

Is it possible to interconnect:

1.1.SFP+ and XENPAK/X2, e.g. SFP-10G-SR (Cat2960X or Cat3560X) and XENPAK-10GB-SR (Cat6500) or X2-10GB-SR (Cat3750E)?

I do not mean cabling, I am asking about whether those two modules would “see” each other (establish a link)


1.2SFP+ and SFP, e.g. SFP-10G-SR (Cat2960X or Cat3560X) and GLC-SX-MM (Cat6500 or Cat3750G/E)?

It seems that SFP-10G-SR cannot “downgrade” itself to 1 Gbps speed.


1.3Will GLC-SX-MM or GLC-LH-SM work in SFP+ slots (Cat2960X or Cat3560X)?

Will 1Gbps modules work in SFP+ slots?


“1”and”3”, the answer is Yes. The”2”, you cannot.


Because “The SFP-10G-SR is 10 Gbps only.” It runs at 10 Gbps link rate and no other speed.


Actually, the SFP+ requires LC connector; the X2 may require an SC connector. Using two fibers with LC-SC terminations solve the issue. (LC connector on one fiber end, SC connector on the other fiber end).


You just need the correct optic on each side. Also, if your optics are Single mode you need single mode patch cord.  If your optics are Multimode than you need Multimode patch cord.


The SFP-10G-SR is 10 Gbps only. The GLC-SX-MM is 1 Gbps only. You cannot interconnect them.


The GLC-SX-MM is multimode LED-based. The GLC-LH-SM is singlemode laser-based. They may (sometimes) work with Mode conditioning patch (MCP) cables but it’s not generally a good idea unless it’s completely unavoidable.


That means one cannot force SFP-10G-SR to use 1Gbps speed? This is a very common question and the response will always be the same:  GBIC, SFP/SFP+, X2, XENPAK, QSFP, CSFP modules will only negotiate to one speed and one speed only.


The Q2:  

“Is it possible to connect X2-10GB-LR to 10GBASE-SR with 4-5 meter patch cord?”

Cisco X2-10GB-LR


The Cisco 10GBASE-LR Module supports a link length of 10 kilometers on standard single-mode fiber (SMF, G.652).

Cisco X2
The Cisco 10GBASE-SR Module supports a link length of 26m on standard Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI)-grade multimode fiber (MMF). Using 2000MHz*km MMF (OM3), up to 300m link lengths are possible. Using 4700MHz*km MMF (OM4), up to 400m link lengths are possible.
Cisco SFP+
The Answer is: Not possible. You need to use modules with the same wavelengths, i.  e. SR to SR or LR to LR.

The Q3:  

“Can LC-SC patch cord connect X2-10GB-SR between SFP-10G-SR?"

This is my customer’s N7K.

  N7K
The module 1 was no empty port.

Is anybody using LC-SC patch cord connect X2-10GB-SR (on N7K-M108X2-12L) between SFP-10G-SR (on N5K)?” 

Yes, it’ll work fine as long as your fiber patch cord is Multi-Mode. 

If your fiber patch is LC to SC (Single Mode) it should work just fine. I have not used LC to SC between Nexus platforms but have used LC to SC to connect 5Ks and 7ks to 6500.

 “Should work just fine as long as it’s multi-mode, as stated above.

Also, if there are any jumpers in between, make sure you’re not mixing 62.5/50 micron together.”

“I would like to know which patch cord should I be using between X2-10GB-SR and IBM 10GBase-SR 10GbE 850 nm Fiber SFP+ Transceiver.”  You need LC to SC Multi-mode.

SFP+ and SFP Interconnect Solutions

Supporting 2.5 to 10 Gbps data rates for Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel applications, Molex’s SFP+ and SFP products ensure industry-wide compatibility. SFP+ interconnects are designed to support applications for 8 Gbps Fibre Channel and 10 Gbps Gigabit Ethernet. SFP+ interconnects use the same space-per-port as standard SFP interconnects. SFP interconnects are designed to support for 1.125 Gbps Fibre Channel and 2.5 Gbps Gigabit Ethernet applications. In addition to cages, connectors and cable assemblies, Molex offers loopback adapters, lightpipe cover assemblies and sealed optical assemblies for both SFP+ and SFP. The Sealed SFP optical and electrical integrated assemblies are designed to maximize valuable space on the PCB while providing an environmentally rugged interface. Featuring a panel feed-through design, the assemblies incorporate an internally-mounted SFP cage and related electrical circuitry. Lightpipes are designed to provide a "link" or "no link" status using LEDs mounted on the PCB. The loopback adapter is a high-performance integrated duplex serial data link for loopback communications.

Can we interconnect SFP-10G-SR to XENPAK-10GB-SR or X2-10GB-SR?

The answer is yes. For this problem, you just need the correct optic on each side. If your optics are singlemode you need singlemode patch cord. If your optics are multi-mode then you need multi-mode patch cord. SFP-10G-SR, XENPAK-10GB-SR and X2-10GB-SR are all multi-mode optics, so a multi-mode fiber can solve this problem.

Can LC-SC patch cord connect X2-10GB-SR between SFP-10G-SR?

Yes, it’ll work fine as long as your fiber patch cord is multi-mode. Actually, the SFP+ requires LC connector but the X2 may require a SC connector. So when connect SFP-10G-SR to X2-10GB-SR, we must use a LC-SC patch cable (LC connector on one fiber end, SC connector on the other fiber end).

Is it possible to connect X2-10GB-LR to SFP-10G-SR?

The answer is not possible. The Cisco X2-10GB-LR module supports a link length of 10 kilometers on standard single-mode fiber (SMF, G.652). However, the Cisco SFP-10G-SR module supports a link length of 300m on OM3 multi-mode fiber (MMF,OM3) and 400m on OM4 multi-mode fiber (MMF,OM4). Actually, you need to use modules with the same wavelengths, i. e. SR to SR or LR to LR.

Can we connect SFP-10G-SR to GLC-SX-MM?

The SFP-10G-SR is 10 Gbps only. The GLC-SX-MM is 1 Gbps only. This question means can we force SFP-10G-SR to use 1Gbps speed?  This is a very common question and the response will always be the same. The answer is NO. Because the SFP-10G-SR is 10 Gbps only. It runs at 10 Gbps link rate and no other speed. GBIC, SFP, X2, QSFP, CFP modules will only negotiate to one speed and one speed only. You cannot interconnect them.

Can we connect GLC-SX-MM to GLC-LH-SM?

Some users wonder if they can use GLC-SX-MM together with GLC-LH-SM? In fact, the GLC-SX-MM is multi-mode LED-based. The GLC-LH-SM is singlemode laser-based. They may (sometimes) work with mode conditioning patch (MCP) cables but it’s not generally a good idea unless it’s completely unavoidable.
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