We know that almost all enterprise-class switches include two or more SFP ports, allowing them to become part of a ring or star-based network topology spread among different buildings, floors or areas, and connected via fiber optic cabling.
SFPs can be used and interchanged on a wide variety of products, and they can be interchanged in combinations of 1000BASE-T, 1000BASE-SX, 1000BASE-LX/LH, 1000BASE-EX, 1000BASE-ZX or 1000BASE-BX10-D/U on a port-by-port basis.
The Cisco 100BASE-X Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) device is a hot-swappable input/output device that plugs into Fast Ethernet ports, dual-rate Fast/Gigabit Ethernet ports, or Gigabit Ethernet ports of a Cisco switch or router, linking the port with the fiber cabling network.
Main features include the following:
- Hot-swappable when deployed, the switch or router does not have to reboot
- Supports the “pay-as-you-populate” model
- Interchangeable with other 100BASE-X SFPs on the same line card
- Supports the Cisco quality ID feature that enables the switch or router to identify whether or not the SFP is a Cisco qualified SFP
- Optically interoperable with respective 100BASE-X Ethernet interfaces on the same link
In this article we will share “the main Catalyst 3XXX Series and its software versions that support 100-MB Ethernet SFP Transceiver Module Models”
Cisco 100BASE-FX SFP
The Cisco 100BASE-FX SFP operates on ordinary multimode fiber-optic (MMF) link spans up to 2 kilometers (km) long.
- GLC-FE-100FX modules operate in Fast Ethernet or dual-rate Fast/Gigabit Ethernet ports of Cisco switches and routers.
- GLC-FE-100FX-RGD modules operate in Fast Ethernet or dual-rate Fast/Gigabit Ethernet ports of Cisco Industrial Ethernet and SmartGrid switches and routers.
- GLC-GE-100FX modules operate in Gigabit Ethernet ports of Cisco switches and routers.
All these modules are interoperable with industrywide interfaces compliant to the IEEE 100BASE-FX standard.
Cisco 100BASE-LX10 SFP
The Cisco 100BASE-LX10 SFP operates on ordinary single-mode fiber-optic (SMF) link spans up to 10 km long.
- GLC-FE-100LX modules operate in Fast Ethernet or dual-rate Fast/Gigabit Ethernet ports of Cisco switches and routers.
- GLC-FE-100LX-RGD modules operate in Fast Ethernet or dual-rate Fast/Gigabit Ethernet ports of Cisco Industrial Ethernet and SmartGrid switches and routers.
These modules are interoperable with industrywide interfaces compliant to the IEEE 100BASE-LX10 standard.
Cisco 100BASE-BX10 SFP
The Cisco 100BASE-BX10 (part numbers GLC-FE-100BX-D and GLC-FE-100BX-U) SFPs operate on ordinary SMF single-strand link spans up to 10 km long. A 100BASE-BX10-D device is always connected a 100BASE-BX10-U device with a single strand of standard SMF with an operating transmission range up to 10 km. The communication over a single strand of fiber is achieved by separating the transmission wavelength of the two devices as depicted in the following Figure.
100BASE-BX10-D transmits a 1550-nm channel and receives a 1310-nm signal, whereas a 100BASE-BX10-U transmits a 1310-nm wavelength and receives a 1550-nm signal. Note in Figure 2 the presence of a wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) splitter integrated into the SFP to split the 1310-nm and 1550-nm light paths.
Cisco 100BASE-EX SFP
The Cisco 100BASE-EX SFP operates on ordinary SMF link spans up to 40 km long.
GLC-FE-100EX modules operate in Fast Ethernet or dual-rate Fast/Gigabit Ethernet ports of Cisco switches and routers.
Cisco 100BASE-ZX SFP
The Cisco 100BASE-ZX SFP operates on ordinary SMF link spans up to 80 km long.
GLC-FE-100ZX modules operate in Fast Ethernet or dual-rate Fast/Gigabit Ethernet ports of Cisco switches and routers.
Cisco 100BASE-T Copper SFP
The 100BASE-T SFP operates on standard Category 5 unshielded twisted-pair copper cabling of link lengths up to 100 m (328 ft). It supports Industrial temperature range of -40 to 85C.
The Cisco SFPs are supported across a variety of Cisco switches, routers, and optical transport devices.
Connectors and Cabling
Connectors: Dual LC connector (GLC-FE-100FX, GLC-FE-100FX-RGD, GLC-GE-100FX, GLC-FE-100LX, GLC‑FE-100LX-RGD, GLC-FE-100EX, and GLC-FE-100ZX) or single LC connector (GLC-FE-100BX-D and GLC‑FE-100BX-U)
Note: When you order one of the devices listed, you must order the SFP modules separately.
Catalyst 3XXX Series Support and Minimum Software Requirements
| Catalyst 3850 Series | ||
| Network Device | Transceiver Model | Minimum Cisco IOS Release Required |
| C3850-NM-4-1G C3850-NM-2-10G[7] Uplink Modules |
GLC-GE-100FX | XE 3.2.0SE |
| WS-C3850-12S WS-C3850-24S |
XE 3.3.3SE | |
7 Supported in SFP ports (1 and 2) only; not supported in SFP+ ports (3 and 4).
| Catalyst 3750 Series | ||
| Network Device | Transceiver Model | Minimum Cisco IOS Release Required |
| WS-C3750-24PS WS-C3750-24TS WS-C3750-48PS WS-C3750-48TS WS-C3750G-12S |
GLC-GE-100FX | 12.2(20)SE |
| WS-C3750G-24PS WS-C3750G-24TS WS-C3750G-24TS-E1U WS-C3750G-24TS-S1U WS-C3750G-48PS WS-C3750G-48TS |
12.2(20)SE3 | |
| WS-C3750-24FS-S | GLC-GE-100FX GLC-FE-100FX GLC-FE-100LX GLC-FE-100BX-D GLC-FE-100BX-U |
12.2(25)SEB |
| WS-C3750V2-24PS WS-C3750V2-24TS WS-C3750V2-48PS WS-C3750V2-48TS |
GLC-GE-100FX | 12.2(50)SE |
| WS-C3750V2-24FS-S | GLC-GE-100FX GLC-FE-100FX GLC-FE-100LX GLC-FE-100BX-D GLC-FE-100BX-U |
12.2(50)SE |
| Catalyst 3750-E Series | ||
| Network Device | Transceiver Model | Minimum Cisco IOS Release Required |
| WS-C3750E-24TD WS-C3750E-24PD WS-C3750E-48TD WS-C3750E-48PD WS-C3750E-48PDF |
GLC-GE-100FX | 12.2(35)SE2 |
| Catalyst 3750-X Series | ||
| Network Device | Transceiver Model | Minimum Cisco IOS Release Required |
| WS-C3750X-24T WS-C3750X-48T WS-C3750X-24P WS-C3750X-48P WS-C3750X-48PF |
GLC-GE-100FX | 12.2(53)SE |
| With C3KX-NM-1G and C3KX-NM-10G (slots 1 and 3) network modules |
||
| WS-C3750X-12S WS-C3750X-24S |
GLC-GE-100FX | 12.2(58)SE1 |
| Note: Client ports and uplink ports with C3KX-NM-1G and C3KX-NM-10G (slots 1 and 3) network modules |
||
| Catalyst 3650 Series | ||
| Network Device | Transceiver Model | Minimum Cisco IOS Release Required |
| WS-C3650-24TS WS-C3650-48TS WS-C3650-24PS WS-C3650-48PS WS-C3650-48FS WS-C3650-24TD1 WS-C3650-48TD1 WS-C3650-24PD1 WS-C3650-24PDM* WS-C3650-48PD1 WS-C3650-48FD1 |
GLC-GE-100FX | XE 3.3.0SE |
*This model is supported on Cisco IOS Release XE 16.2.1 and above only.
| Catalyst 3560-X Series | ||
| Network Device | Transceiver Model | Minimum Cisco IOS Release Required |
| WS-C3560X-24T WS-C3560X-48T WS-C3560X-24P WS-C3560X-48P WS-C3560X-48PF |
GLC-GE-100FX | 12.2(53)SE |
| Note: With C3KX-NM-1G and C3KX-NM-10G (slots 1 and 3) network modules | ||
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