CyberCertPrepNetwork FundamentalsNetwork DevicesEASYFree question
What is the purpose of an SFP (Small Form-factor Pluggable) transceiver, and what flexibility advantage does it provide over a fixed-media switch port?
- A.An SFP is a hot-swappable modular transceiver that fits into a standard cage on a switch or router; by swapping SFP modules, the same physical port can support different media types (copper 1000BASE-T, multimode fiber 1000BASE-SX, single-mode fiber 1000BASE-LX) without replacing the switch
- B.An SFP increases port speed from 1 GbE to 10 GbE by adding a signal booster to the existing copper port
- C.An SFP is a USB-to-Ethernet adapter that provides additional ports on switches that have run out of built-in ports
- D.An SFP is a software module installed on the switch OS to enable QoS or VLAN tagging features
Why A is correct
SFP (and SFP+, QSFP) transceivers plug into a standard MSA (Multi-Source Agreement) cage and convert electrical signals to optical or copper media. A switch with SFP cages can accept: 1000BASE-T (copper RJ-45), 1000BASE-SX (multimode fiber), 1000BASE-LX (single-mode fiber), etc., without hardware changes. This is the key advantage over fixed-media ports. SFPs are hot-swappable on most enterprise equipment.
Know someone studying for Network Fundamentals? Send them this one.