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SFP Fiber Switch Introduction and Cabling Solutions

With the growth of today’s network, the amount of hardware involved has become a barrier to efficient and optimized network operations. In some cases, a fiber switch is the answer. These fiber switches with management functions can reduce the burden on the network backbone, by connecting different edge-level devices and combining them into a single data stream. Today, we’ll focus on SFP fiber switch and its cabling solutions.

SFP Fiber Switch Introduction

As the name implies, an SFP fiber switch is a communication control device with SFP ports. And like a common networking switch, SFP fiber switch is also used to send and receive data transmission, but in fiber channel. These SFP ports are small form-factor hot pluggable interfaces, so the SFP optical transceiver modules can be inserted into the SFP ports. Then the fiber cables can be used to connect the fiber switch to other networking equipment.

Advantages of SFP Fiber Switch

SFP fiber switch can provide a higher reliability and security than the RJ45 port switch. As we know, fiber cables transfer data in light, which is faster than the copper cables’ electronic transmission speed. And due to the special design of fibers, the SFP fiber switch generates less data loss and electromagnetic interference. Therefore, using an SFP fiber switch is better than the RJ45 port copper switch. For example, if the transmitting distance is more than 100 meters, copper cables like Cat5e or Cat6a is unable to reach. So you need the fiber cables which are often used to interconnect switches in multi-building deployments.

FS SFP Fiber Switch Cabling Solution

To meet the market demands, FS.COM has published a set of fiber switches and the corresponding cabling solutions. Here we take S5800-48F4S SFP fiber switch as an example. Before we learn its cabling solutions, let’s have a look at the fiber switch first.

This SFP network switch is a 10GbE switch. It’ s designed with 48 1GbE SFP ports and 4 10GbE SFP+ ports, which allows high performance routing, host and access protocol emulation. With the latency of 2.3us and switching capacity of 176Gbps, this Layer 3 switch is a great option for data centers. Its body is compact and made of sturdy material that complies with ISO9001, ETL, CE, FCC standards. The following video shows the cabling solutions between S5800-48F4S switch and other switches.

As the video shows, a completed cabling solution of a fiber switch includes transceiver and fiber cables. Here S5800-48F4S switch can support 1G SFP, 1GBASE-T and 10G SFP+ transceivers. So we list some supported transceivers as shown in table 1 for your reference.

Transceiver ID	Description	Price (US dollars)
20057	1000BASE-T SFP Copper RJ-45 100m Transceiver Module	$21
29838	1000BASE-SX SFP 850nm 550m DOM Transceiver Module	$6
29853	1000BASE-EX SFP 1310nm 40km DOM Transceiver Module	$14
29854	1000BASE-EX SFP 1550nm 40km DOM Transceiver Module	$24
29856	1000BASE-ZX SFP 1550nm 80km DOM Transceiver Module	$24
11589	10GBASE-SR SFP+ 850nm 300m DOM Transceiver Module	$16
11591	10GBASE-LR SFP+ 1310nm 10km DOM Transceiver Module	$34

Table 1

The following table 2 are the supported cables that can be used for connecting S5800-48F4S switch to other networking equipment.

Fiber ID	Fiber Connector	Fiber Mode	1M Price (US dollars)
70603	Unshielded	Cat6	$1.7
70733	Unshielded	Cat6	$1.7
68477	LC UPC to LC UPC	OM4 50/125μm	$6.6
68299	LC UPC to LC UPC	OM4 50/125μm	$4.5
62397	LC-LC	OS2 SMF	$11
68294	LC-LC	SMF 9/125μm	$8.4

Table 2

Conclusion

SFP fiber switch can actually improve overall speeds and responsiveness of one’s network. FS carries a full line of Gigabit Ethernet switch, including 8 port SFP fiber switch, 24 or 48 port fiber switch. Contact us via sales@fs.com for a free consultation on your networking needs and choose the suitable fiber switch based on your specific requirement.

10G Network Switch Price Comparison

10G network switches are quite popular on the market since our modern business and home networking applications have become increasingly digital. However, it’s not easy to choose the best network switch for your network need from the abundance of available switches, and the network switch price varies greatly. Here focus on 10G network switch price comparison, to help you select a cheap network switch.

10G Network Switch On the Market

Defined by IEEE 802.3ae standard, 10 Gigabit Ethernet has become affordable for most companies, and 10Gb Ethernet switch has become their best choice for easing network pressure. A typical network switch has many ports to connect different devices like PCs, printer, etc. at the same time. And the ports are connected to the host separately. Then transmission medium such as transceiver modules, cables are inserted into the ports. And the network switch uses the ports to transmit data at a quick rate to the Ethernet devices on the other end. According to different connections, here we will discuss two kinds of 48 port switches from different vendors. One kind of network switch requires fiber cable connection, and the other kind needs copper cable connection.

These are two products of 48 port switches which rely on fiber cable connection. Cisco WS C3850-48XS-S switch has 48 SFP+ ports that support up to 10G, and 4 QSFP ports that support up to 40G. FS S5850-48S6Q switch has 48 10GbE SFP+ ports and 6 40GbE QSFP+ ports.

These are two products of 48 port switches which rely on copper cable connection. Netgear XS748T 48 port 10G switch includes 44 10GBase-T ports and 4 10G SFP+ ports. FS S5850-48T4Q switch is designed with 48 10GBase-T ports and 4 40GbE uplink.

10G Network Switch Price Comparison of Different Vendors

The following table 1 summarizes the Cisco and FS network switch price and compares the fiber network switches performance.

Model	Cisco WS C3850-48XS-S	FS S5850-48S6Q
Ports	48 SFP+ and 4 QSFP+ ports	48 SFP+ and 6QSFP+ ports
Switch Class	3	3
Switching Capacity	1280Gpbs	1.44Tbps
Latency	–	612ns
Forwarding Rate	909Mpps	1071.43Mpps
Price(US dollars)	7190.10(Amazon)	3699.00(FS.COM)

Table 1

From the table, we can see clearly that both of them are Layer 3 switches that support SFP+ and QSFP+ ports. Switching capacity of FS S5850-48S6Q switch is much more bigger than that of the Cisco WS C3850-48XS-S switch. However, the price between them varies greatly. Cisco WS C3850-48XS-S network switch price is almost the double of FS S5850-48S6Q network switch. Therefore, FS product is the cost-effective one.

Table 2 compares 48 port switches from Netgear and FS.COM.

Model	Netgear XS748T	FS S5850-48T4Q
Ports	44 10 Gigabit and 4 SFP+ ports	48 10 Gigabit and 4 40 GbE uplink
Switch Class	3	3
Switching Capacity	–	1.28Tbps
Latency	–	–
Forwarding Rate	714.2Mpps	952.32Mpps
Price(US dollars)	3426.35(Amazon)	3800.00(FS.COM)

Table 2

The two Ethernet switches are connected by copper cables. Forwarding rate of FS S5850-48T4Q network switch is bigger, which means it can process more network packets than the other one. Besides, FS S5850-48T4Q switch can support 40GbE uplink. Therefore, although FS S5850-48T4Q network switch price is a little higher than Netgear XS748T switch, I recommend you choose the FS product for its better performance.

Conclusion

From the above, we compare the network switch price from different vendors. FS switches are the highly cost-effective choice. FS.COM covers everything you need to make your network stronger and bigger, including 24 port switch, patch panel, transceiver module and so on. So raise your network with FS networking products.

Introduction to 48 Port Gigabit SFP Switch

As we all know, data center cabling system consists of multiple devices, such as fiber optic transceiver, fiber optic patch cable, fiber patch panel, cable manager, and so on. As the central nerve of the whole cabling system, gigabit switch has been a topic of discussion. To satisfy different sizes of networking deployment, there are various types of Ethernet switches. This article will introduce a kind of 48 port gigabit SFP switch.

Overview of 48 Port Gigabit SFP Switch

FS.COM S5800-48F4S switch is a 48 port switch with 10gb uplink. It has 48×1GbE SFP ports and 4×10GbE SFP+ ports in a compact 1RU form factor. The switching capacity of this 48 port switch is 176 Gbps and its non-blocking bandwidth is 88 Gbps. And this gigabit switch can provide 130.95 Mpps. Meanwhile, FS.COM S5800-48F4S switch has 2 (1+1 redundancy) hot-swap power supplies and 4 (N+1 redundancy) hot-swappable fans. It is also a low latency L2/L3 Ethernet switch with 2.3us latency. The price of this 48 port gigabit switch with 10gb uplink is US$ 1,699.00. Here is a figure for you which shows front and back panel overview of FS.COM S5800-48F4S 48 port gigabit SFP switch.

front and back panel overview of 48 port gigabit SFP switch

Highlights of 48 Port Gigabit SFP Switch

The S5800-48F4S 48 port gigabit SFP switch with 10GE SFP+ uplinks comes with the complete system software with comprehensive protocols and applications to facilitate the rapid service deployment and management for both traditional L2/L3/MPLS networks. With support for advanced features, including MLAG, SFLOW, SNMP etc, this switch is ideal for traditional or fully virtualized data center. The S5800-48F4S hardware also provides high-availability features, including pluggable redundant fans and using high quality electronic components, which ensures low power consumption.

Applications of 48 Port Gigabit SFP Switch

Designed with 48×1GbE SFP ports and 4×10GbE SFP+ ports, FS.COM S5800-48F4S 48 port gigabit SFP switch can accomplish N×1G to N×1G (N≤48) connection or N×10G to N×10G (N≤4) connection. For example, in 5G to 5G connection, on one side, five 1G SFP transceivers are plugged into SFP ports on S5800-48F4S switch; on the other side, another five 1G SFP transceiver modules are plugged into SFP ports on switch, too. Then, these five SFP optical transceivers are connected by five fiber optic cables. It should be noted that the transceivers and fiber patch cables used in the link are of the same type.

Supported Accessories for 48 Port Gigabit SFP Switch

In the above part, we mention that the S5800-48F4S 48 port gigabit SFP switch can be used with SFP transceiver, SFP+ module and fiber optic cable. This part will go on introducing some support accessories for this 48 port gigabit SFP switch.

Fiber Optic Transceiver

ID	Type	Wavelength	Transmission Distance	Interface	DOM Support
29838	1000BASE-SX SFP	850 nm	550 m over OM2 MMF	LC duplex, MMF	Yes
20057	1000BASE-T SFP	–	100 m over Cat5	RJ45	No
29849	1000BASE-LX/LH SFP	1310 nm	10 km	LC duplex, MMF/SMF	Yes
11591	10GBASE-LR SFP+	1310 nm	10 km	LC duplex, SMF	Yes
11589	10GBASE-SR SFP+	850 nm	300 m over OM3 MMF	LC duplex, MMF	Yes

Cable

ID	Cable Length	Connector	Type	Fiber Count	Polish Type	Jacket Material
21278	2 m	SFP+ to SFP+	Passive Copper Cable (DAC)	–	–	PVC (OFNR)
35194	3 m	SFP+ to SFP+	Passive Copper Cable (DAC)	–	–	PVC (OFNR)
40191	1 m	LC to LC	OS2	Duplex	UPC to UPC	PVC
40192	2m	LC to LC	OS2	Duplex	UPC to UPC	PVC
41730	1 m	LC to LC	OM3	Duplex	UPC to UPC	PVC
40180	1 m	LC to LC	OM4	Duplex	UPC to UPC	PVC

CWDM MUX DEMUX

ID	Wavelength	Channel Spacing	Channel Bandwidth	Line Type	Client Port	Special Port
33489	18 channels 1270-1610nm	20 nm	±6.5nm	Dual fiber	Duplex LC/UPC	Monitor Port
43099	8 Channels 1470-1610nm	20 nm	±6.5nm	Dual fiber	Duplex LC/UPC	Expansion Port

Conclusion

As the size of data center becomes larger and larger, cable density increases, too. To simplify the cabling, many data center managers prefer network switch with high density ports. The above 48 port gigabit SFP switch with 10GE SFP+ uplinks is a suitable choice for high density cabling.

What Is SFP Port of Gigabit Switch?

FS S5800-48F4S SFP Switch for 10GbE Data Center Access Network

Uplink Port Vs. Normal Port on Switch

When it comes to network switch, we usually ask about the port type on the switch and the number of port, such as twenty-four 10/100/1000 Mbps ports and four SFP+ ports. If you have used managed switch in your network deployment, you must have heard about uplink port or normal port. How much do you know about them? Is there any difference between them? This article will guide you to learn about uplink port vs. normal port on switch.

Uplink Port Vs. Normal Port: Connect to Different Devices

The uplink port on switch is used to connect a device or smaller local network to a larger network, or connect to the next “higher” device in the topology. For example, edge switch connects “up” to distribution layer managed switch. Also in computer network, hub, unmanaged switch and router typically designate one Ethernet port as the uplink port. And it may be labeled WAN or Internet instead of uplink. This type of port simplify connects different types of Ethernet devices to each other, such as when linking a local home network to a modem and the Internet. While normal port on switch is used to connect end user PC or server and all. In most cases, uplink ports have more bandwidth as compared to normal ports as they aggregate traffic between different layers.

Uplink Port Vs. Normal Port: Connect to Different Cables

Each Ethernet interface has two transmit pins and two receive pins. To achieve the link connection, the transmit pins at one end of network cable have to be connected to the receive pins at the other end. An uplink port does not crossover the transmit and receive pins, but a regular port does. Therefore, when two network switches are connected together with a straight-through cable, then one end must be uplink port and one end must be normal port. If a crossover cable is used to connect them, then the ports at both ends must be the same kind of port. Here is a figure for you to have a better understanding of this.

uplink port vs. normal port

Uplink Port Vs. Normal Port: Additional Information about Shared Port and Dual-purposed Port

Some older network equipment specially configured a normal port next to the uplink port and linked the two together as a pair. Specifically, the hardware logic of these products supported connections to either the uplink port, or the normal shared port, but not both. Connecting devices to both ports of a shared port device stops the unit from functioning properly. Nowadays, many network equipment offer a dual-purpose port which can function either as an uplink or a normal port depending on the type of device connected to it.

Conclusion

In fact, uplink port can serve as normal port. Therefore, there are no big differences between them. The only difference is that uplink port is connected to higher layer network device to aggregate the bandwidth and must be connected to the normal port on another network device. I hope after reading this article, you can be clear on uplink port vs. normal port on switch.

Smart Managed Switch Vs. Unmanaged Switch

Network switch, a box-shaped device, plays an important role in a network deployment. To achieve high network performance, a suitable switch is required. There are smart managed switch and unmanaged switch on the market. How much do you know about them? Smart managed switch vs. unmanaged switch, which one should you choose for your network deployment? Keep reading, and you will find the answer.

Smart Switch Vs. Managed Switch

If you look through the official website of several vendors, you may find that some offer smart switch, the others provide managed switch. Smart switch vs. managed switch, what’s the different between them? Smart switch has some features that managed switch has, but are more limited. Besides, smart switch is cheaper than managed switch. So, it’s a cost-effective alternative to managed switch. In fact, “smart switch” and “managed switch” are terms invented by vendors. And the exact meaning may vary from vendor to vendor. To some extent, smart switch and managed switch are virtually the same. In the following part, I combine them as smart managed switch for easy reading.

Smart Managed Switch Vs. Unmanaged Switch

As smart managed switch and unmanaged switch have different features, they are used in different applications.

Smarted Managed Switch

Smart managed switch offers features like QoS (Quality of Service), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), command line interface (CLI), Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP), redundancy capability, VLANs, LACP and so on. The greatest advantage of smart managed switch is that you can change the configuration of the switch to satisfy your specific networking needs. Smart managed switch is especially suitable for enterprises that need to manage and troubleshoot their network remotely and securely, allowing network managers to monitor and control the traffic to achieve optimal network performance and reliability. The following figure shows FS S5800-8TF12S managed switch which provides high port density with 8-port 1GbE RJ45 and 8-port 1GbE SFP combo and 12-port 10GbE uplink in a compact 1RU form factor.

FS S5800-8TF12S managed switch

Unmanaged Switch

Unmanaged switch is basic plug-and-play switch with no remote configuration, management, or monitoring options. It allows Ethernet devices to communicate with one another (such as a PC or network printer) by providing a connection to the network and passing on information to where it needs to go. Therefore, unmanaged switch is usually used to extend the number of Ethernet ports. Unmanaged switch can be desktop or rack mounted. It is less expensive than smart managed switch and is suitable for home use, SOHO and small businesses.

Which One to Choose?

From the above content, we can conclude that smart managed switch vs. unmanaged switch, the biggest difference between them is the configuration feature. As for which one to choose, it really depends on your need. If you just want to set up a home network or add more Ethernet ports, unmanaged switch is good enough. If you need configuration options like VLAN and QoS, you will have to use smart managed switch.