Cisco announced the S-class optics in December last year. What’s the detailed information about the new S-Class Optics?
This new set of optics does not have unnecessary features for these applications, leading to a more attractive price.
S-class optics are available only in the most common reaches needed in enterprise and data center applications. The following Table shows 10G and 40G S-class PIDs.
S-Class Optics
| Data Rate | Protocol | Media | Reach | Temp. Range | S-Class PID |
| 10G | Ethernet | MMF (duplex) | 300m | Commercial | SFP-10G-SR-S |
| 10G | Ethernet | SMF (duplex) | 10km | Commercial | SFP-10G-LR-S |
| 10G | Ethernet | SMF (duplex) | 40km | Commercial | SFP-10G-ER-S |
| 10G | Ethernet | SMF (duplex) | 80km | Commercial | SFP-10G-ZR-S |
| 40G | Ethernet | MMF (ribbon) | 100m | Commercial | QSFP-40G-SR4-S |
| 40G | Ethernet | SMF (duplex) | 10km | Commercial | QSFP-40G-LR4-S |
From the data sheet of Cisco S-Class Optics, we cannot tell the main differences between the S-class and Non-S-class optics. But from some users’ feedback and experiences, we can find out some difference between the S-class and the Non-S-class…
S-class is Ethernet only, no OTN (Optical Transport Network) or WAN-PHY (Wide Area Network Physics). In addition, it is no TAA compliance for S-class. Moreover, S-class and non-S-class optics are with different temperature ranges. Thus, if you are an enterprise or datacenter environment that doesn’t need any special long distance, temperature tolerances, or other special features, S-Class optics are cheaper and should be just fine for you. But there is no doubt that the differences are not the main concerns of Cisco when they introduced the S-class. The low price is the main selling point, and the compatibility is no problem.
There are some questions that are related to Cisco S-Class Optics asked by users, which may help you know the S-Class Optics and Non-S-Class Optics more.
Q1: “Is S-Class SFP+ compatible with “normal” SFP+? We have some new “S-Class” SFP+ LR transceivers. Part Number: SFP-10G-LR-S=
But we need to connect these SFPs with “normal” X2 LR transceivers. Part Number: X2-10GB-LR=. Anyone have experience or knows if “S-Class” transceivers are fully compatible with “normal” transceivers?”
…From the data sheet we can know that the “10GBASE-LR 1310nm SMF” matches the standard of the X2-10GB-LR= transceivers, so they should work fine.
SFP-10G-LR-S=—Features and Benefits
Main features of Cisco 10GBASE SFP+ modules include:
- Smallest 10G form factor
- Commercial temperature (0 to 70°C) only
- Supports 10GBASE Ethernet only
- Hot-swappable input/output device that plugs in to an Ethernet SFP+ port of Cisco platforms
- Provides flexibility of interface choice
- Supports digital optical monitoring capability
- Cisco quality identification (ID) feature that enables a Cisco platform to identify – optics supported by Cisco technology
- Optical interoperability with 10GBASE XENPAK, 10GBASE X2, and 10GBASE XFP interfaces on the same link
SFP-10G-LR=—Features and Benefits
- Industry’s smallest 10G form factor for greatest density per chassis
- Hot-swappable input/output device that plugs into an Ethernet SFP+ port of a Cisco switch (no need to power down if installing or replacing)
- Supports “pay-as-you-populate” model for investment protection and ease of technology migration
- Digital optical monitoring capability for strong diagnostic capabilities
- Optical interoperability with 10GBASE XENPAK, 10GBASE X2, and 10GBASE XFP interfaces on the same link (the same feature as the SFP-10G-LR-S=’s)
- Cisco quality identification (ID) feature enables a Cisco platform to identify whether the module is certified and tested by Cisco (the same feature as the SFP-10G-LR-S=’s)
SFP-10G-LR-S= and X2-10GB-LR= are compatible as they have same specifications.
| Cisco SFP+ | Wavelength (nm) | Cable Type | Core Size (Microns) | Modal Bandwidth (MHz*km)*** | Cable Distance* |
| Cisco SFP-10G-LR-S | 1310 | SMF | G.652 | – | 10km |
| Cisco X2-10GB-LR | 1310 | SMF | G.652 | – | 10 km |
Q2: SFP-10G-LR-S vs. SFP-10G-LR. What is (are) the difference(s) between the two optics?In particular what are the “unnecessary features” of the SFP-10G-LR-S? Can they be used in UA to Core deployment?
…The table below shows the key feature differences for the 10 Gbps S-class vs. C-class.
For UA to core campus applications, S-class is quite suitable.
| C-Class | S-Class | |
| Multi-rate vs. Single-rate | Multi-rate optics:
|
Single-rate optics:
|
| Operating temperature range |
|
|
What’s your experience of using this Cisco S-class Optics and Non-S-Class Optics? Any sharing here will be appreciated…
More Related…
Cisco 10GBASE SFP+ Modules Overview
About Transceiver & Cisco Transceiver Modules
The Questions about the Cisco 10GBASE X2 Module & SFP Compatibility
Cisco OneX Converter Module: the CVR-X2-SFP10G & CVR-X2-SFP10G=
