10G Base LR: It’s a type of fiber standard that runs a 10 gigabits. and looks like this
QSFP 40G: It’s a DIFFERENT type of fiber standard that runs at 40 gigs and looks like this
I only know the basics of fiber networking but I know that different standards are needed because light refracts differently depending on cable thickness and composition, so standards/variations of the same standard have different maximum length, bandwidth, collision detection, etc.
For example, the type of fiber that you use to connect two offices that are 10 miles apart is going to be very different than the fiber you use to connect your SAN storage to your baremetal ESXI servers.
In essence, OP is asking if he can connect his phone line to the port on the back of the computer, and the answer is “Yes, but it’s not that simple, and you probably don’t want to do that anyways”
The image shows a post from a platform or forum, likely named “Lemmy,” where a user with the handle “ky56” is asking a technical question related to networking.
Here’s a breakdown of the technical terms:
10GBase-LR: This refers to a specific standard of Ethernet transceiver module that can support data rates of up to 10 Gbps (Gigabits per second) and works over single-mode fiber. The “LR” in the name stands for “Long Range,” indicating that this module is designed for longer distance transmissions, typically up to 10 kilometers.
QSFP-40G-LR4: “QSFP” stands for Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable. It’s a compact, hot-pluggable transceiver used for data communications applications. The “40G” indicates its data rate, which is 40 Gbps. The “LR4” suggests it’s designed for long-range transmissions, typically up to 10 kilometers, and it uses a 4-lane architecture.
CWDM: Stands for Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing. It’s a technology that multiplexes multiple optical signals on a single fiber by using different wavelengths (i.e., colors) of laser light. This technique enables multiple channels to be transmitted over a single fiber, increasing the overall capacity of the communication link.
The user’s question is about whether they can connect a 10GBase-LR module to a QSFP-40G-LR4 module using CWDM technology. Essentially, they’re asking if it’s possible to interconnect these two types of transceivers, which operate at different data rates, using a technology that allows multiple wavelengths on a single fiber.
You can just connect a normal fiber between a 10G SFP and a 40G QSFP and let the 40G end auto negotiate to 10G. Fanout cables are better for density though.
Usually, this split configuration is supported on most switches provided by different vendors regardless of standalone and stacked ones. Certainly, you still need to check this function in the instruction of your switch or consult your vendor, as it’s the most basic condition of splitting QSFP+ to SFP+ configuration. Sometimes, most ports on a switch support split, but some don’t. In other cases, when a switch is deployed as a leaf switch, some ports do not support the split. Or when the port is already used as a stack port, this may also limit split configuration. Thus the conditions can be quite different based on your applications.
You probably want to simplify your example to “the servers you’d connect in the same room” rather than going into “SAN” and “ESXI” or else they only people who will understand are going to be all the /r/homelab refugees in c/selfhosted, and they already all taken what this was about anyway lol
@nx2
For the curious
10G Base LR: It’s a type of fiber standard that runs a 10 gigabits. and looks like this
QSFP 40G: It’s a DIFFERENT type of fiber standard that runs at 40 gigs and looks like this
I only know the basics of fiber networking but I know that different standards are needed because light refracts differently depending on cable thickness and composition, so standards/variations of the same standard have different maximum length, bandwidth, collision detection, etc.
For example, the type of fiber that you use to connect two offices that are 10 miles apart is going to be very different than the fiber you use to connect your SAN storage to your baremetal ESXI servers.
In essence, OP is asking if he can connect his phone line to the port on the back of the computer, and the answer is “Yes, but it’s not that simple, and you probably don’t want to do that anyways”
Explained by ChatGPT:
This is the necessary cable. https://www.fs.com/de-en/products/30827.html
You can just connect a normal fiber between a 10G SFP and a 40G QSFP and let the 40G end auto negotiate to 10G. Fanout cables are better for density though.
Does 40G QSFP transponder be able to even communicate with 10G SFP? Do they even have the same encoding? OOK? QPSK?
Seems to work mostly fine: https://community.fs.com/blog/40g-qsfp-to-10g-sfp-configuration-guide.html
You probably want to simplify your example to “the servers you’d connect in the same room” rather than going into “SAN” and “ESXI” or else they only people who will understand are going to be all the /r/homelab refugees in c/selfhosted, and they already all taken what this was about anyway lol