10Gb LR SFP+ Transceiver questions

[chuckk281]

Joe had a transceiver spec question:

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> The customer is telling me they have the XENPAK-10GB-LR

> transceivers on the cisco side.  Is that a good part number?  We have

> the 455886-B21 on the HP side.

> I noticed that cisco has a chart that also list a part SFP-10GB-LR

> http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/interfaces_modules/transceiver_modules

> /compatibility/matrix/OL_6974.html

> Not clear to me the difference between XENPAK-10GB-LR and SFP-10GB-LR=.

> I'm just fishing.

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Input from Rick:

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XENPAK, SFP and SFP+ are all transceiver slot specifications.  Rather like how EISA, PCI, PCI-X and PCIe are all I/O slot specifications.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XENPAK

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_form-factor_pluggable_transceiver

They define the interface to the rest of the networking device - eg. the switch or NIC.

What matters then is what the "other end" of the transceiver speaks.

So long as the XENPAK transceiver speaks at its other end the same "language" the SFP/SFP+ transceiver speaks at its other end, all should be happiness and joy.  That would then be things like signalling rate, frequency and power levels.

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Another issue to consider is that transceivers have uniques manufacturer IDs and that a particular manufacturer may not allow other manufacturers to interoperate with their switches.

Comments or questions?