SFP+, SFP28, QSFP+, QSFP28, QSFP56, QSFP-DD, QSFP112 vs OSFP

The optical transceiver plays a crucial role in modern fiber networking. Various high-speed transceiver types are on the market, including SFP+, SFP28, QSFP+, QSFP28, QSFP56, QSFP112, QSFP-DD, OSFP, etc. What are the differences between them? In this post, we’ll explore the key differences between those optical transceivers and help you choose the right one.

What are they?

SFP

SFP stands for small form-factor pluggable. Sometimes, we call it a mini-GBIC” (gigabit interface converter). Introduced in 2001, it quickly replaced the GBIC due to its smaller size and port density advantage. As the most successful transceiver type, it still serves millions of switches and other networking devices. To help you understand, we have listed the most common SFP terms: SFP module, SFP port, and SFP connector.

SFP+

SFP+ is the plus version of SFP, with higher speed (typically 8G &10G) support. It was introduced around 2006 based on SFP. As its name suggests, it has the exact dimensions of SFPs, making integrating them into existing infrastructure simple. To learn more about SFP+, you need to know the most common terms, such as SFP+ transceiver, SFP+ port, and SFP+ port.

Depending on the application, the SFP+ transceiver can be divided into five broad categories: Regular SFP+, BiDi SFP+, Copper SFP+, CWDM SFP+, Tunable SFP+, DWDM SFP+, SFP+ DAC, SFP+ AOC.

Read more: What is SFP+ Transceiver?

Image: SFP vs SFP28 vs QSFP vs QSFP28 Transceiver

SFP28

SFP28 inherits all the benefits and appearance of the SFP+, but supports an enhanced data rate of maximum 25Gbps to 28Gbps. It is the third generation of SFP connection systems built for 25G throughput following the IEEE 802.3by specification (25GBASE-CR). SFP28 typically targets 25G Ethernet, CPRI, and wireless base station applications.

Depending on the application, the SFP28 transceiver can be divided into six broad categories: Regular SFP28, BiDi SFP28, CWDM SFP28, DWDM SFP28, SFP28 DAC, and SFP28 AOC.

Read more: Understanding the difference between SFP+ and SFP28 Transceiver

QSFP+

QSFP+, often known as QSFP, is an abbreviation for quad (4-channel) SFP+. Unlike SFP+, QSFP+ features 4x data lanes in the same module to support much higher speeds: 40Gbps or 56Gbps. Simply put, it supports 4x10G or 4x14G SFP+ data rates to enable increased bandwidth capabilities. Therefore, it can not connect with SFP+ directly. It is targeted for the high-speed data center and storage network.

QSFP28

QSFP28 is a new form factor defined in SFF Committee specifications SFF-8636 and SFF-8665. With the capability of four data lanes (quad) in the single module, QSFP28 provides 100Gbps or 128Gbps aggregated data speed. It shares the same principle as QSFP+; the critical difference is the data rate. Generally, it is intended for 100 Gigabit Ethernet, EDR InfiniBand, or 32G Fibre Channel networks.

Using a QSA adapter, you may also convert the 100G QSFP28 port into the SFP28 port.

In the 100G optics market, QSFP28 transceivers are more popular than CFP, CFP2, and CFP4 form factors.

QSFP-DD

Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable Double Density (QSFP-DD) is also known as QSFP56-DD. The QSFP-DD transceiver is a new optical module comparable to the current QSFP but adds an extra row of contacts for an eight-lane electrical interface. All QSFP-DD-based transceivers from 40G to 200G are backward compatible with QSFP+. In a single rack unit (RU), QSFP-DD can support 36 400GbE ports, with a total bandwidth of nearly 14Tb/s.

QSFP112

QSFP112 is an improved version of QSFP28 that supports a much higher speed of 112Gbps per lane for a 400G system. It was introduced in 2021 by QSFP-DD MSA (www.qsfp-dd.com). Like the QSFP+/QSFP28 module and connectors, QSFP112 has identical dimensions. It targets legacy QSFP/QSFP28 users looking to upgrade smoothly and quickly to 400G networks.

Read more: QSFP112 MSA Work Group Releases the Rev 1.0 Specification

OSFP

The OSFP, an acronym for Octal Small Form-factor Pluggable, is a revolutionary pluggable form factor. Designed by the OSFP MSA, spearheaded by Arista Networks and II-VI, it offers eight high-speed electrical channels at 400 Gbps (8x50G or 4x100G). OSFP optics with improved signal integrity and thermal performance for the cloud data centers.

Read more: 400G OSFP Transceiver Overview

What are the differences?

Forms	Standard	Data Rate	Wavelength	Fiber Type	Max Distance	Typical Connector	DOM	Size	Power Consumption	Application	Price
SFP	SFP MSA	155M 622M 1.25G 2.125G 2.5G 3G 4.25G 6G	850nm 1310nm 1550nm CWDM DWDM BiDi Copper	MMF SMF	180km	LC RJ-45	Yes/No	Smallest	Low	Ethernet Fiber Channel CPRI	$
SFP+	SFP+ MSA	8.5G 10G	850nm 1310nm 1550nm CWDM DWDM BiDi Copper	OM3 OM4 SMF	120km	LC RJ-45	Yes	Similar to SFP	Slightly bigger than SFP	Ethernet Fiber Channel CPRI Datacenter	$$
QSFP+	IEEE 802.3ba QSFP+ MSA SFF-8436 SFF-8636 Infiniband 40G QDR	40G 56G	850nm 1310nm 832-918nm	OM3 OM4 SMF	80km	LC MTP/MPO-12	Yes	2x bigger than SFP	Bigger than SFP+	Datacenter Cloud computing	$$
SFP28	IEEE 802.3by SFP28 MSA SFF-8472 SFF-8432	25G 32G	850nm 1310nm CWDM DWDM BiDi	OM3 OM4 SMF	10km	LC	Yes	Similar to SFP	Slightly bigger than SFP+	Datacenter Cloud computing	$$
QSFP28	IEEE 802.3bm QSFP28 MSA SFF-8665 SFF-8636	100G 112G	850nm 1310nm CWDM4	OM3 OM4 SMF	80km	LC MTP/MPO-12	Yes	Similar to QSFP+	Max 6W	Datacenter Cloud computing	$$$
QSFPP-DD	QSFP-DD MSA	200G 400G 800G	850nm 1310nm CWDM4	OM3 OM4 SMF	10km	LC MTP/MPO CS	Yes	Similar to QSFP+	Max 12W	Datacenter Cloud computing	$$$
OSFP	OSFP MSA	400G 800G	850nm 1310nm CWDM4	OM3 OM4 SMF	10km	LC MTP/MPO CS	Yes	Slightly bigger than QSFP28	Max 15W	Datacenter Cloud computing	$$$$

Table 1: SFP, SFP+, SFP28, QSFP+, QSFP28, QSFP-DD vs OSFP

SFP+ vs QSFP+

The most critical difference between SFP+ and QSFP+ is like the below list:

• Form factor: QSFP+ is around 1.5 times bigger than SFP+. QSFP+ follows the QSFP+ MSA, while SFP+ follows the SFP+ MSA.
• Data Rate: SFP+ only supports single-lane data at a typical speed of 10Gbps, while QSFP+ supports multi-lanes (Quad) at a typical speed of 40Gbps.
• Connector: QSFP+ uses parallel fiber connectors (MPO) or WDM modules (LAN-WDM) to achieve the 4x10G speed, while SFP+ usually utilizes only the most popular LC connector.  
• Overall cost: Because QSFP+ provides higher port density than SFP+, the system designer can achieve around 3x data in the same space, saving the overall system cost.
• System complexity: QSFP+ features multi-lane optics, which increase the complexity and difficulties of system deployment. In contrast, SFP+ uses single or duplex fiber, which makes it easy to understand and maintain.

SFP28 vs QSFP28

The difference between SFP28 and QSFP28 is very similar to that between SFP+ and QSFP+. Summarize as below:

• Form factor: QSFP28 follows the QSFP28 MSA standards, while SFP+ follows the SFP28 MSA.
• Data Rate: SFP28 only supports single-lane data at a typical speed of 25Gbps or 28Gbps, while QSFP28 supports multi-lanes (Quad) at a typical speed of 100Gbps (4x25Gbps)
• Connector: QSFP28 uses parallel fiber connectors (MPO) or WDM modules (LAN-WDM) to achieve the 4x25G speed, while SFP28 usually uses the LC connector to achieve a single-lane 25G speed.
• Applications: SFP28 is mainly suitable for 25G Ethernet and 5G front-haul networks, while QSFP28 is primarily used for 100G Ethernet in data centers.
• Cost: The parallel fiber connector and optical components increase the cost of QSFP28. Therefore, SFP28 appears to provide a better price. However, this is not true when calculating the system’s total cost.

QSFP+ vs QSFP28

QSFP+ and QSFP28 have identical form factors and sizes. Both feature four channels (4x10G or 4x25G) signal to achieve a higher combined speed.

The most critical difference is the maximum support speed; QSFP+ supports 40Gbps (4x10G), while QSFP28 supports 100Gbps(4X25G).

Besides, due to the relative cost advantage, more operators are deploying QSFP28 optics in data centers. It makes QSFP28 more popular than QSFP+.

OSFP vs QSFP-DD

The differences between them are here:

• Form factor: OSFP follows the OSFP MSA (www.osfpmsa.org)led by Arista, while QSFP-DD follows the QSFP-DD MSA (www.qsfp-dd.com) led by Cisco. Besides that, OSFP is slightly bigger than QSFP-DD.
• Back compatibility: QSFP-DD can be back-compatible with QSFP28 and QSFP56. However, OSFP can only be back-compatible with them indirectly, usually through an adapter.
• Power consumption: The OSFP specification provides higher power consumption (~15W) than QSFP-DD(~12W).

How do you choose them?

How Do You Choose Between SFP+, SFP28, QSFP+, QSFP28, QSFP56, QSFP-DD, QSFP112 vs OSFP?

Choosing the right connector type is complex, as so many types need to be clarified. However, the following tips will help you decide which connector to use.

Tip 1: How fast does your network need to be?

Different encapsulation formats support different data rates and have various application scenarios. SFP+ typically supports 10Gbps, while QSFP+ typically supports 40Gbps.

SFP+ will suffice for a small business network. However, for data centers and backbones that need to handle large amounts of traffic, you must consider higher rates of QSFP+, QSFP28, or even QSFP-DD.

At the same time, it should consider the network’s traffic demand in the next few years and reserve a certain amount of scalable space. This will eliminate the need to deploy a new network when user traffic surges in the future and save on system costs.

Tip 2: What ports are equipped on your switch?

In many cases, the ethernet switch model may already determined. The switch ports have also been identified, so you can only select the type that matches the switch ports. Typically, SFP+ modules cannot be used directly on QSFP+ ports, and QSFP+ modules cannot be plugged into SFP+ ports.

Tip 3: How far does your network need to transmit?

You must consider the network transmission distance after determining the introductory data rate and ports. For multimode short-distance transmission, a conventional multimode module will suffice, while for long-distance transmission, you must choose the optical module.

Conclusion

The transceiver module is one of the most critical components in a high-performance network. Modern high-performance data network scenarios necessitate the development of high-density, cost-effective, and low-power optical transceivers, resulting in improved performance. You will make the correct decision because you understand the differences between SFP, SFP+, SFP28, QSFP+, QSFP28, QSFP-DD, and OSFP.

Are you still confused about the differences between SFP, SFP+, SFP28, QSFP+, QSFP28, QSFP-DD, QSFP112 and OSFP? Are you still unsure which pluggable transceiver is best for your fiber cabling project? Contact one of our transceiver specialists, and they will assist you in deciding on the correct one.

转载自：https://www.optcore.net/article018/