Small Form-factor Pluggable

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Small Form-factor Pluggable connected to a pair of fiber-optic cables SFP board 2.jpg
Small Form-factor Pluggable connected to a pair of fiber-optic cables

Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) is a compact, hot-pluggable network interface module format used for both telecommunication and data communications applications. An SFP interface on networking hardware is a modular slot for a media-specific transceiver, such as for a fiber-optic cable or a copper cable. [1] The advantage of using SFPs compared to fixed interfaces (e.g. modular connectors in Ethernet switches) is that individual ports can be equipped with different types of transceivers as required, with the majority including optical line terminals, network cards, switches and routers.

Contents

The form factor and electrical interface are specified by a multi-source agreement (MSA) under the auspices of the Small Form Factor Committee. [2] The SFP replaced the larger gigabit interface converter (GBIC) in most applications, and has been referred to as a Mini-GBIC by some vendors. [3]

SFP transceivers exist supporting synchronous optical networking (SONET), Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel, PON, and other communications standards. At introduction, typical speeds were 1 Gbit/s for Ethernet SFPs and up to 4 Gbit/s for Fibre Channel SFP modules. [4] In 2006, SFP+ specification brought speeds up to 10 Gbit/s and the later SFP28 iteration, introduced in 2014, [5] is designed for speeds of 25 Gbit/s. [6]

A slightly larger sibling is the four-lane Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable (QSFP). The additional lanes allow for speeds 4 times their corresponding SFP. In 2014, the QSFP28 variant was published allowing speeds up to 100 Gbit/s. [7] In 2019, the closely related QSFP56 was standardized [8] doubling the top speeds to 200 Gbit/s with products already selling from major vendors. [9] There are inexpensive adapters allowing SFP transceivers to be placed in a QSFP port.

Both a SFP-DD, [10] which allows for 100 Gbit/s over two lanes, as well as a QSFP-DD [11] specifications, which allows for 400 Gbit/s over eight lanes, have been published. [12] These use a form factor which is directly backward compatible to their respective predecessors. [13]

An even larger sibling, the OSFP (Octal Small Format Pluggable) has products being released in 2022 [14] capable of 800 Gbit/s links between network equipment. It is a slightly larger version than the QSFP form factor allowing for larger power outputs. The OSFP standard was initially announced in 2016 [15] with the 4.0 version released in 2021 allowing for 800 Gbit/s via 8×100 Gbit/s electrical data lanes. [16] Its proponents say a low-cost adapter will allow for backwards compatibility with QSFP modules. [17]

SFP types

SFP transceivers are available with a variety of transmitter and receiver specifications, allowing users to select the appropriate transceiver for each link to provide the required optical or electrical reach over the available media type (e.g. twisted pair or twinaxial copper cables, multi-mode or single-mode fiber cables). Transceivers are also designated by their transmission speed. SFP modules are commonly available in several different categories.

Comparison of SFP types
NameNominal
speed
LanesStandardIntroducedBackward-compatible PHY interfaceConnector
SFP100 Mbit/s1 SFF INF-8074i2001-05-01NoneMIILC, RJ45
SFP1 Gbit/s1 SFF INF-8074i2001-05-01100 Mbit/s SFP*SGMIILC, RJ45
cSFP1 Gbit/s2LC
SFP+10 Gbit/s1 SFF SFF-8431 4.12009-07-06SFPXGMIILC, RJ45
SFP2825 Gbit/s1 SFF SFF-84022014-09-13SFP, SFP+LC
SFP5650 Gbit/s1SFP, SFP+, SFP28LC
SFP-DD100 Gbit/s2SFP-DD MSA [18] 2018-01-26SFP, SFP+, SFP28, SFP56LC
SFP112100 Gbit/s12018-01-26SFP, SFP+, SFP28, SFP56LC
SFP-DD112200 Gbit/s22018-01-26SFP, SFP+, SFP28, SFP56, SFP-DD, SFP112LC
QSFP types
QSFP4 Gbit/s4 SFF INF-84382006-11-01NoneGMII
QSFP+40 Gbit/s4 SFF SFF-84362012-04-01NoneXGMIILC, MTP/MPO
QSFP2850 Gbit/s2 SFF SFF-86652014-09-13QSFP+LC
QSFP28100 Gbit/s4 SFF SFF-86652014-09-13QSFP+LC, MTP/MPO-12
QSFP56200 Gbit/s4 SFF SFF-86652015-06-29QSFP+, QSFP28LC, MTP/MPO-12
QSFP112400 Gbit/s4 SFF SFF-86652015-06-29QSFP+, QSFP28, QSFP56LC, MTP/MPO-12
QSFP-DD400 Gbit/s8 SFF INF-86282016-06-27QSFP+, QSFP28, [19] QSFP56LC, MTP/MPO-16

Note that the QSFP/QSFP+/QSFP28/QSFP56 are designed to be electrically backward compatible with SFP/SFP+/SFP28 or SFP56 respectively. Using a simple adapter or a special direct attached cable it is possible to connect those interfaces together using just one lane instead of four provided by the QSFP/QSFP+/QSFP28/QSFP56 form factor. The same applies to the QSFP-DD form factor with 8 lanes which can work downgraded to 4/2/1 lanes.

100 Mbit/s SFP

1 Gbit/s SFP

10 Gbit/s SFP+

A 10 Gigabit Ethernet XFP transceiver, top, and a SFP+ transceiver, bottom 10 Gbit XFP and SFP transceivers.jpg
A 10 Gigabit Ethernet XFP transceiver, top, and a SFP+ transceiver, bottom

The SFP+ (enhanced small form-factor pluggable) is an enhanced version of the SFP that supports data rates up to 16  Gbit/s. The SFP+ specification was first published on May 9, 2006, and version 4.1 was published on July 6, 2009. [31] SFP+ supports 8 Gbit/s Fibre Channel, 10 Gigabit Ethernet and Optical Transport Network standard OTU2. It is a popular industry format supported by many network component vendors. Although the SFP+ standard does not include mention of 16 Gbit/s Fibre Channel, it can be used at this speed. [32] Besides the data rate, the major difference between 8 and 16 Gbit/s Fibre Channel is the encoding method. The 64b/66b encoding used for 16 Gbit/s is a more efficient encoding mechanism than 8b/10b used for 8 Gbit/s, and allows for the data rate to double without doubling the line rate. 16GFC doesn't really use 16 Gbit/s signaling anywhere. It uses a 14.025 Gbit/s line rate to achieve twice the throughput of 8GFC. [33]

SFP+ also introduces direct attach for connecting two SFP+ ports without dedicated transceivers. Direct attach cables (DAC) exist in passive (up to 7 m), active (up to 15 m), and active optical (AOC, up to 100 m) variants.

10 Gbit/s SFP+ modules are exactly the same dimensions as regular SFPs, allowing the equipment manufacturer to re-use existing physical designs for 24 and 48-port switches and modular line cards. In comparison to earlier XENPAK or XFP modules, SFP+ modules leave more circuitry to be implemented on the host board instead of inside the module. [34] Through the use of an active electronic adapter, SFP+ modules may be used in older equipment with XENPAK ports [35] and X2 ports. [36] [37]

SFP+ modules can be described as limiting or linear types; this describes the functionality of the inbuilt electronics. Limiting SFP+ modules include a signal amplifier to re-shape the (degraded) received signal whereas linear ones do not. Linear modules are mainly used with the low bandwidth standards such as 10GBASE-LRM; otherwise, limiting modules are preferred. [38]

25 Gbit/s SFP28

SFP28 is a 25 Gbit/s interface which evolved from the 100 Gigabit Ethernet interface which is typically implemented with 4 by 25 Gbit/s data lanes. Identical in mechanical dimensions to SFP and SFP+, SFP28 implements one 28 Gbit/s lane [39] accommodating 25 Gbit/s of data with encoding overhead. [40]

SFP28 modules exist supporting single- [41] or multi-mode [42] fiber connections, active optical cable [43] and direct attach copper. [44] [45]

cSFP

The compact small form-factor pluggable (cSFP) is a version of SFP with the same mechanical form factor allowing two independent bidirectional channels per port. It is used primarily to increase port density and decrease fiber usage per port. [46] [47]

SFP-DD

The small form-factor pluggable double density (SFP-DD) multi-source agreement is a standard published in 2019 for doubling port density. According to the SFD-DD MSA website: "Network equipment based on the SFP-DD will support legacy SFP modules and cables, and new double density products." [48] SFP-DD uses two lanes to transmit.

Currently, the following speeds are defined:

QSFP

QSFP+ 40 Gb transceiver QSFP-40G-SR4 Transceiver.jpg
QSFP+ 40 Gb transceiver

Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable (QSFP) transceivers are available with a variety of transmitter and receiver types, allowing users to select the appropriate transceiver for each link to provide the required optical reach over multi-mode or single-mode fiber.

4 Gbit/s
The original QSFP document specified four channels carrying Gigabit Ethernet, 4GFC (FiberChannel), or DDR InfiniBand. [52]
40 Gbit/s (QSFP+)
QSFP+ is an evolution of QSFP to support four 10 Gbit/s channels carrying 10 Gigabit Ethernet, 10GFC FiberChannel, or QDR InfiniBand. [53] The 4 channels can also be combined into a single 40 Gigabit Ethernet link.
50 Gbit/s (QSFP14)
The QSFP14 standard is designed to carry FDR InfiniBand, SAS-3 [54] or 16G Fibre Channel.
100 Gbit/s (QSFP28)
The QSFP28 standard [7] is designed to carry 100 Gigabit Ethernet, EDR InfiniBand, or 32G Fibre Channel. Sometimes this transceiver type is also referred to as QSFP100 or 100G QSFP [55] for sake of simplicity.
200 Gbit/s (QSFP56)
QSFP56 is designed to carry 200 Gigabit Ethernet, HDR InfiniBand, or 64G Fibre Channel. The biggest enhancement is that QSFP56 uses four-level pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM-4) instead of non-return-to-zero (NRZ). It uses the same physical specifications as QSFP28 (SFF-8665), with electrical specifications from SFF-8024 [56] and revision 2.10a of SFF-8636. [8] Sometimes this transceiver type is referred to as 200G QSFP [57] for sake of simplicity.

Switch and router manufacturers implementing QSFP+ ports in their products frequently allow for the use of a single QSFP+ port as four independent 10 Gigabit Ethernet connections, greatly increasing port density. For example, a typical 24-port QSFP+ 1U switch would be able to service 96x10GbE connections. [58] [59] [60] There also exist fanout cables to adapt a single QSFP28 port to four independent 25 Gigabit Ethernet SFP28 ports (QSFP28-to-4×SFP28) [61] as well as cables to adapt a single QSFP56 port to four independent 50 Gigabit Ethernet SFP56 ports (QSFP56-to-4×SFP56). [62]

Applications

Ethernet switch with two empty SFP slots (lower left) Brocade FES24 Front.jpg
Ethernet switch with two empty SFP slots (lower left)

SFP sockets are found in Ethernet switches, routers, firewalls and network interface cards. They are used in Fibre Channel host adapters and storage equipment. 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.

SFP sockets and transceivers are also used for long-distance serial digital interface (SDI) transmission. [63]

Standardization

The SFP transceiver is not standardized by any official standards body, but rather is specified by a multi-source agreement (MSA) among competing manufacturers. The SFP was designed after the GBIC interface, and allows greater port density (number of transceivers per given area) than the GBIC, which is why SFP is also known as mini-GBIC.

However, as a practical matter, some networking equipment manufacturers engage in vendor lock-in practices whereby they deliberately break compatibility with generic SFPs by adding a check in the device's firmware that will enable only the vendor's own modules. [64] Third-party SFP manufacturers have introduced SFPs with EEPROMs which may be programmed to match any vendor ID. [65]

Color coding of SFP

Color coding of SFP

ColorStandardMediaWavelengthNotes

Black

INF-8074Multimode850 nm
BeigeINF-8074Multimode850 nm

Black

INF-8074Multimode1300 nm

Blue

INF-8074Singlemode1310 nm
Redproprietary
(non SFF)
Singlemode1310 nmUsed on 25GBASE-ER [66]
Greenproprietary
(non SFF)
Singlemode1550 nmUsed on 100BASE-ZE
Redproprietary
(non SFF)
Singlemode1550 nmUsed on 10GBASE-ER
Whiteproprietary
(non SFF)
Singlemode1550 nmUsed on 10GBASE-ZR

Color coding of CWDM SFP [67]

ColorStandardWavelengthNotes
Grey1270 nm
Grey1290 nm
Grey1310 nm
Violet1330 nm
Blue1350 nm
Green1370 nm
Yellow1390 nm
Orange1410 nm
Red1430 nm
Brown1450 nm
Grey1470 nm
Violet1490 nm
Blue1510 nm
Green1530 nm
Yellow1550 nm
Orange1570 nm
Red1590 nm
Brown1610 nm

Color coding of BiDi SFP

NameStandardSide A Color TXSide A wavelength TXSide B Color TXSide B wavelength TXNotes
1000BASE-BXBlue1310 nmPurple1490 nm
1000BASE-BXBlue1310 nmYellow1550 nm
10GBASE-BX
25GBASE-BX
Blue1270 nmRed1330 nm
10GBASE-BXWhite1490 nmWhite1550 nm

Color coding of QSFP

ColorStandardWavelengthMultiplexingNotes
BeigeINF-8438850 nmNo
BlueINF-84381310 nmNo
WhiteINF-84381550 nmNo

Signals

Front view of SFP module with integrated LC connector indicating transmission direction of the two optical connectors SFP-front-RX-TX.jpg
Front view of SFP module with integrated LC connector indicating transmission direction of the two optical connectors
Disassembled OC-3 SFP. The top, metal canister is the transmitting laser diode, the bottom, plastic canister is the receiving photo diode. SFP internal.jpg
Disassembled OC-3 SFP. The top, metal canister is the transmitting laser diode, the bottom, plastic canister is the receiving photo diode.

SFP transceivers are right-handed: From their perspective, they transmit on the right and receive on the left. When looking into the optical connectors, transmission comes from the left and reception is on the right. [68]

The SFP transceiver contains a printed circuit board with an edge connector with 20 pads that mate on the rear with the SFP electrical connector in the host system. The QSFP has 38 pads including 4 high-speed transmit data pairs and 4 high-speed receive data pairs. [52] [53]

SFP electrical pin-out [2]
PadNameFunction
1VeeTTransmitter ground
2Tx_FaultTransmitter fault indication
3Tx_DisableOptical output disabled when high
4SDA2-wire serial interface data line (using the CMOS EEPROM protocol defined for the ATMEL AT24C01A/02/04 family [69] )
5SCL2-wire serial interface clock
6Mod_ABSModule absent, connection to VeeT or VeeR in the module indicates module presence to host
7RS0Rate select 0
8Rx_LOSReceiver loss of signal indication
9RS1Rate select 1
10VeeRReceiver ground
11VeeRReceiver ground
12RD-Inverted received data
13RD+Received data
14VeeRReceiver ground
15VccRReceiver power (3.3 V, max. 300 mA)
16VccTTransmitter power (3.3 V, max. 300 mA)
17VeeTTransmitter ground
18TD+Transmit data
19TD-Inverted transmit data
20VeeTTransmitter ground
QSFP electrical pin-out [52]
PadNameFunction
1GNDGround
2Tx2nTransmitter inverted data input
3Tx2pTransmitter non-inverted data input
4GNDGround
5Tx4nTransmitter inverted data input
6Tx4pTransmitter non-inverted data input
7GNDGround
8ModSelLModule select
9ResetLModule reset
10Vcc-Rx+3.3 V receiver power supply
11SCLTwo-wire serial interface clock
12SDATwo-wire serial interface data
13GNDGround
14Rx3pReceiver non-inverted data output
15Rx3nReceiver inverted data output
16GNDGround
17Rx1pReceiver non-inverted data output
18Rx1nReceiver inverted data output
19GNDGround
20GNDGround
21Rx2nReceiver inverted data output
22Rx2pReceiver non-inverted data output
23GNDGround
24Rx4nReceiver inverted data output
25Rx4pReceiver non-inverted data output
26GNDGround
27ModPrsLModule present
28IntLInterrupt
29Vcc-Tx+3.3 V transmitter power supply
30Vcc1+3.3 V power supply
31LPModeLow power mode
32GNDGround
33Tx3pTransmitter non-inverted data input
34Tx3nTransmitter inverted data input
35GNDGround
36Tx1pTransmitter non-inverted data input
37Tx1nTransmitter inverted data input
38GNDGround

Mechanical dimensions

Side view of SFP module. Depth, the longest dimension, is 56.5 mm (2.22 in). SFP-side.jpg
Side view of SFP module. Depth, the longest dimension, is 56.5 mm (2.22 in).

The physical dimensions of the SFP transceiver (and its subsequent faster variants) are narrower than the later QSFP counterparts, which allows for SFP transceivers to be placed in QSFP ports via an inexpensive adapter. Both are smaller than the XFP transceiver.

Dimensions
SFP [2] QSFP [52] XFP [70]
mminmminmmin
Height8.50.338.50.338.50.33
Width13.40.5318.350.72218.350.722
Depth56.52.2272.42.8578.03.07

EEPROM information

The SFP MSA defines a 256-byte memory map into an EEPROM describing the transceiver's capabilities, standard interfaces, manufacturer, and other information, which is accessible over a serial I²C interface at the 8-bit address 0b1010000X (0xA0). [71]

Digital diagnostics monitoring

Modern optical SFP transceivers support standard digital diagnostics monitoring (DDM) functions. [72] This feature is also known as digital optical monitoring (DOM). This capability allows monitoring of the SFP operating parameters in real time. Parameters include optical output power, optical input power, temperature, laser bias current, and transceiver supply voltage. In network equipment, this information is typically made available via Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). A DDM interface allows end users to display diagnostics data and alarms for optical fiber transceivers and can be used to diagnose why a transceiver is not working.

See also

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