3COM fiber transceiver v. stand alone D-Link DMC 700SC

[pie8ter]

We have a multimode fiber optic line between two of our buildings. There is a 3com switch on both ends. The ethernet network is 10/100 in both buildings. So we have a D-Link DMC 700SC on both sides to convert packets between ethernet (3com switch) and fiber networks.

We are thinking about upgrading the network to 1 Gbit and I would like your opinion on the 3com switches and fiber to ethernet transceivers. I am looking for a 3com switch that can trunk two 1Gbit ports.

Also, what's the difference between using 3com's SFP/XFP fiber transceivers that goes into the switch itself and D-LINK's stand alone transceiver? I am guessing they both do one thing which is converting frames between fiber and ethernet networks. The D-link DMC 700SC is already 1Gbit compatible.

Thanks

 

[SYQUEST]

The 3Com SFP/XFP modules plug directly into suitably equipped 3Com switches. No need to do a fiber to copper media conversion. This simplifies installation and maintenance by eliminating the copper and having one less thing to break!

3Com has lots of models to choose that support SFP/XFP 1Gbit transmission, for example: Baseline Switch 2226+ (3C16475BS) is one I have experience with, and works very well.

Hope this helps!

....JIM....

 

[pie8ter]

Thanks SYQUEST!

Apart from having to deal with running CAT6 cables from the D-link transceiver to core switch, the SFP and D-link technically do the same. They convert frames from copper to fiber or fiber to copper. Am I correct? It's just the 3com's SFP connects directly into the switch. But it takes a fiber or copper cable on one end, converts the frame to appropriate type and sends the traffic directly to 3COM switch. You just deal with either copper or fiber cable on one end in SFP. With the D-link, you deal with both fiber and copper cables. The point here is that frames have to be converted in both SFP and D-link transceivers regardless of the transceiver model. There must be a latency in the conversation process. I am trying to see if that latency is low with SFP or Dlink.

Are there any other benefits to using SFP module besides not having deal with the wires on both ends? We have the fibers terminated on a box in one room which is too far from the data center. I planned to move the termination box to the server room, but that move is going to be expensive. So I thought about running a fiber patch cable from the termination box to the core switch in the data center. But the fiber patch cable is too soft to run it through ceiling. We may overstretch it.

Thanks

 

[nlandas]

Uhm because SFP is cute? *GRIN*

Seriously, Media converters are very reliable. You already own them and if you have the 1000BaseT port for the copper the advantages I see are minor.

Perhaps, if the 3COM switch has a SFP port then you might not loose a copper port elsewhere on the network and the SFPs are small so they take up less space. Other than that as you said you don't have another cable. I guess this means one less point of failure because you don't have an extra CAT 5/6 cable and the copper port on the Media Converter. However, as I said Media Converters are really reliable.

If you didn't already own the DLINK 700SCs though and your 3COM switches already had SFP ports than it's a no brainer because the SFP modules cost less.

-Nyle