XFP modules for high-speed optical transport

What is XFP?

An XFP transceiver (10 Gigabit Small Form-factor Pluggable) is a hot-swappable optical module designed for high-speed telecom and carrier networks. Slightly larger than SFP+ modules, XFP operates independently of the host system’s clocking, making it a flexible solution for long-haul and metro transport. It supports 10G Ethernet, 10G Fibre Channel, SONET OC-192 and OTN OTU-2, making it a key form factor in carrier networks for high-reliability optical transport, while still seeing some use in select SAN environments.

Range of Smartoptics XFP modules

Smartoptics offers a diverse selection of XFP transceivers tailored to various networking requirements: 

• 10G Ethernet XFP - Supports 10G Ethernet for high-speed data center, enterprise, and metro networking applications. 
• 10G FC XFP - Designed for 10G Fibre Channel (FC) storage networking, ensuring high reliability and low latency for SAN deployments. 
• SONET/SDH and OTN XFP - Supports OC-192 SONET, STM-64 SDH and OTU-2 OTN standards, making it ideal for carrier and telecom networks. 
• Short-reach and long-reach XFP - Available in multimode for short distances and single-mode for extended reach, supporting wavelengths of 850 nm, 1310 nm and 1550 nm. 

Smartoptics XFP transceivers ensure reliable optical networking across a range of protocols and are fully interoperable with major switch and transport platforms for seamless integration.

Selected benefits of Smartoptics XFP modules

• Independent clocking for greater flexibility in telecom networks
• Compliant with 10G Ethernet/FC, SONET OC-192 and OTN OTU-2
• Interoperable with major switch and transport vendors
• Enhanced digital diagnostic information via I2C interface
• Extended temperature versions available for harsh environments
• Rigorously tested for thermal, electrical and optical reliability
• Easily reprogrammable for additional uses
• Dedicated 24/7 in-house support
• Multi-source agreement (MSA) compliant

XFP vs. SFP+ – Key differences

Many network operators compare XFP vs. SFP+ when evaluating 10G optical transceivers. While both serve similar applications, they differ in form factor and efficiency.

XFP still plays a key role in legacy infrastructure and specific telecom applications. For many 10G Ethernet applications, Smartoptics SFP+ transceivers can reduce both power consumption and rack space requirements compared to XFP modules.