Question

Difficulty: MediumPhysical Interface and Cabling Types

A network engineer is selecting physical media and transceiver modules for an enterprise network expansion. Match each Ethernet interface standard or component on the left with its corresponding physical specification on the right.

  • 10GBASE-SRMultimode fiber optic standard utilizing 850 nm wavelength for distances up to 400 meters over OM4 fiber.
  • 100BASE-FXFast Ethernet optical standard using multimode fiber for cable runs up to 2 kilometers.
  • 10GBASE-TTwisted-pair copper Ethernet standard requiring Category 6A UTP cabling for the full 100-meter distance.
  • SFP+Hot-swappable transceiver form factor designed to support 10 Gbps network interface connections.

Answer

10GBASE-SR matches the 850 nm multimode fiber specification supporting up to 400 meters over OM4. 100BASE-FX matches the Fast Ethernet multimode fiber specification supporting up to 2 km. 10GBASE-T matches the Category 6A UTP copper requirement for 100-meter 10 Gbps links. SFP+ matches the hot-swappable 10 Gbps transceiver form factor.
Each physical media standard uniquely pairs with its physical medium, speed rating, and distance capability. 10GBASE-SR operates on 850 nm multimode fiber up to 400m over OM4; 100BASE-FX operates on Fast Ethernet multimode fiber up to 2 km; 10GBASE-T requires Category 6A UTP for 10 Gbps over 100 meters; SFP+ is the 10 Gbps transceiver module form factor.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the optical wavelength and distance limits for 10 Gbps multimode fiber.
10GBASE-SR specifies 850 nm optics over multimode fiber reaching up to 300m on OM3 or 400m on OM4.
The 'SR' designation stands for Short Reach optical transmission.
2
Determine the distance specification for Fast Ethernet optical links.
100BASE-FX provides 100 Mbps speed over multimode fiber up to 2 km.
100BASE-FX extends Fast Ethernet reach beyond the 100-meter copper limit using multimode fiber.
3
Evaluate UTP copper cabling categories for 10 Gbps Ethernet.
10GBASE-T requires Category 6A UTP to achieve the full 100-meter distance limit.
Standard Category 6 is limited to 37–55 meters for 10GBASE-T due to alien crosstalk; Cat6A is needed for 100m.
4
Match the modular interface module type to its bandwidth capacity.
SFP+ is the enhanced modular form factor designed for 10 Gbps throughput.
Standard SFP modules support up to 1 Gbps, while SFP+ modules support 10 Gbps.

Key Concept

Ethernet Physical Layer Standards, Fiber/Copper Cabling Media Specifications, and Transceiver Form Factors
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