Definition:

A gigabit interface converter (GBIC) is a standard for transceivers, commonly used with Gigabit Ethernet and fibre channel in the 2000s.[citation needed] By offering a standard, hot swappable electrical interface, one gigabit port can support a wide range of physical media, from copper to long-wave single-mode optical fiber, at lengths of hundreds of kilometers.  

A variation of the GBIC called the small form-factor pluggable transceiver (SFP), also known as mini-GBIC, has the same functionality but in a smaller form factor.[1] Announced in 2001, it largely made the GBIC obsolete.

What Is a SFP GBIC Module?

The small form-factor pluggable (SFP) is a compact, hot-pluggable transceiver used for both telecommunication and data communications applications. The form factor and electrical interface are specified by a multi-source agreement (MSA) under the auspices of the SFF Committee. It interfaces a network device motherboard (for a switch, router, media converter or similar device) to a fiber optic or copper networking cable. 

SFP module is the abbreviation of Small Form Pluggable. It is also a type of transceiver which can make your signal and telecommunications better than the others. Otherwise known as a Mini GBIC, its function is somewhat similar to the GBIC transceiver though it is smaller in form. SFP transceivers are mainly used in telecommunications and data transmission.

GBIC (Gigabit Interface Converter) is a hot-swappable Gigabit Interface optical module with SC connector. A gigabit interface converter (GBIC) is a standard for transceivers, commonly used with Gigabit Ethernet and fiber channel. GBIC module is hot pluggable, this feature allows a suitably designed enclosure to be changed from one type of external interface to another simply by plugging in a GBIC having the alternative external interface.

What Is a Mini-GBIC Module?

GBIC and SFP are both a kind of hot-pluggable transceiver which is mainly used to convert between the optical signal and electrical signal. GBIC stands for Gigabit Interface Converter. SFP is short for Small Form-factor Pluggable. Usually, SFP is considered as an upgraded version of GBIC. However, GBIC and SFP are equal in performance. The only major difference between them is their size. SFP module is much smaller than GBIC module. For this reason, the SFP is also called mini-GBIC in most cases.

Conclusion:

A gigabit interface converter (GBIC) is a transceiver that converts electric currents (digital highs and lows) to optical signals, and optical signals to digital electric currents. The GBIC is typically employed in fiber optic and Ethernet systems as an interface for high-speed networking. The data transfer rate is one gigabit per second (1 Gbps) or more.

GBIC modules allow technicians to easily configure and upgrade electro-optical communications networks. The typical GBIC transceiver is a plug-in module that is hot-swapable (it can be removed and replaced without turning off the system). The devices are economical, because they eliminate the necessity for replacing entire boards at the system level. Upgrading can be done with any number of units at a time, from an individual module to all the modules in a system.

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