10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) Standards: The Definitive Guide

This is a complete guide to 10G Ethernet standards in 2022.

In this in-depth guide we will cover:

What is 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE)?
10 Gigabit Ethernet Standards Guide
Why use 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE)?
FAQs about 10 Gigabit Ethernet Standards
Final Words

This guide is for you if you are ready to go “all in” with 10GbE Ethernet standards.

What Is 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE)?

10 Gigabit Ethernet, often known as 10GbE, is a computer networking standard that provides transmission speeds of up to 10 billion bits per second. The IEEE 802.3ae-2002 standard first defined 10GbE. The 10GbE standard specifies full-duplex and half-duplex operation with a standard media access control (MAC) layer and a physical layer.

10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) Standards Guide

There are many different 10GbE standards, which can be confusing for those who are not familiar with the technology. Let’s take a closer look at the various 10GbE standards and their uses.

Standard	Distance	Wavelength	Media	Supported Optics	Explanation
10GBase-CX4 (802.3ak)	15m	NA	Twin-ax copper	XENPAK X2 XFP	Published in 2004 by 802.3 (as 802.3ak-2004), was the first 10 Gigabit Ethernet copper standard. It uses the XAUI 4-lane PCS (Clause 48) and copper cabling similar to that used by InfiniBand technology. It has a maximum distance of 15 meters (49 ft). Each lane carries 3.125 GB of signaling bandwidth. CX4 offers the advantages of low power, low cost, and low latency, but has a too-large form factor and more bulky cables than the newer single lane SFP+ standard and a much shorter reach than fiber or 10GBASE-T.d considerably more costly than Category 5 or 6 UTP.
10GBase-KR (802.3ap)	1m	NA	Improved FR-4	NA	The latest IEEE 802.3ap v3.3 standard defines a set of informative characteristics for the operation of 10Gbps Backplane Ethernet (10GbE). Primarily, this standard (10GBASE-KR) is intended for backplane configurations utilizing two connectors with controlled impedance in differential signaling environments with possible lengths of up to 1 meter (39 in) on copper-based printed circuit boards. The performance of such an interconnect is highly dependent on implementation.
10GBase-T	100m	NA	UTP	NA	Published in 2006 by IEEE 802.3an,10GBase-T is a physical layer (PHY) transmission device for 10Gbps Ethernet over twisted-pair copper. The goal of this copper standard is to approximate RJ-45 connectivity of 100 meters. It is intended to improve the performance and distance of copper cabling at a cost that is lower than fiber.
10GBase-CU		NA	Twinax cable	XFP SFP+	As defined in SFF-8431,10GBase-CU is a standard for direct attach copper cable assemblies (DAC) that are effectively constructed out of a pair of SFP+ or XFP modules with the OE components replaced with copper cabling. It can reach 7 meters on passive copper cables.
10GBase-SR (802.3ae) 10GBASE-SW	300m	850nm	MMF	XENPAK X2 XFP SFP+	10GBase-SR is the original multi-mode optics specification and is still by far the most commonly used. As it uses a single, low-cost solid-state laser assembly, it is also the lowest cost of the optical modules available for a 10GbE platform. However, 10GBase-SR is very sensitive to fiber type and can only reach 300m on OM3 fiber.
10GBase-LR 10GBASE-LW	10km	1310nm	SMF	XENPAK X2 XFP SFP+	10GBase-LR uses higher-cost optics (1310nm) than SR and requires a more complex alignment of the optics to support a 10km link over single-mode fiber. There is no minimum distance for LR, either, so it is suitable for short connections over single-mode fiber as well.
10GBase-LRM	220m	1310nm	MMF	XENPAK X2 XFP SFP+	The replacement to LX4, 10GBase-LRM reaches up to 220m over standard multimode fiber, but without the complexity of the LX4 optics. Instead, a single laser operating at 1310nm is used. To ensure that specifications are met over FDDI-grade, OM1, and OM2 fibers, the transmitter should be coupled through a mode conditioning fiber optic cable. No mode conditioning patch cable is required for applications over OM3 or OM4.
10GBase-ER10GBASE-EW	40km	1550nm	SMF	XENPAK X2 XFP SFP+	This is an Extended Reach single-mode fiber optic cabling that uses a 1550 nm laser. It has a standard reach of 30 km but maybe reach 40 km when considering engineered links.
10GBase-ZR10GBase-ZW	80km	1550nm	SMF	XENPAK X2 XFP SFP+	ZR reaches up to 70km or 80km over single-mode fiber. Due to the very high transmit power, significant attenuation is needed for shorter links. Interestingly, 10GBase-ZR is actually not an IEEE standard but created by the vendors.
10GBase-LX4	300m10km	1310nm	MMFSMF	NA	Supports traditional FDDI grade multimode fiber for distances up to 300 meters using Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM), which lowers the transmission rate of each wavelength to 3.125Gb. The LX4 standard also supports single-mode fiber for up to 10 km. LX4 is more expensive than both SRand LR because it requires four times the optical and electrical circuitry in addition to optical multiplexers. With the ready availability of OM3/OM4 fiber and newer standards that provide a long reach over multimode with a single laser that provides a lower cost, LX4 is rapidly becoming obsolete.
10GBASE–PR	20km	1270 nm/1577 nm	SMF	10G EPON	10GBASE-PR (“PON”) originally specified in IEEE 802.3av, defined the physical Medium dependent (PMD) sublayer for Ethernet Passive Optical Networks operating at 10.3125 Gbps line rate in either only one or both directions.

Why use 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE)?

The 10 Gigabit Ethernet will take many benefits for all types of industries and companies. The 10GbE can provide faster speeds for businesses who want to move large files quickly, such as video or medical images. 10GbE is also becoming increasingly popular in cloud computing and virtualization applications.

Some key benefits are as below:

You’ll have a faster, more reliable backbone. It will reduce traffic jams and speed up your computers.
You can connect to 10 Gigabit Ethernet switches with a single fiber optic cable, which is much cheaper than running multiple cables.
Using 10GbE, you can future-proof your network for upcoming technologies requiring faster speeds.
Your data will be more secure. 10GbE uses 128-bit encryption, much stronger than the 56-bit encryption used by older Ethernet standards.

FAQs about 10 Gigabit Ethernet Standards

Here are some frequently asked questions about 10 Gigabit Ethernet standards.

Q: What is the difference between 10GBASE-T and 10GBASE-R?
A: 10GBASE-T is a newer standard that uses twisted pair cables. 10GBASE-R is an older standard that uses fiber optic cables. 10GBASE-T is faster and more expensive than 10GBASE-R.

Q: What is the difference between 10GBASE-SR and 10GBASE-LR?
A: 10GBASE-SR is a short-range standard that uses short wavelength lasers. 10GBASE-LR is a long-range standard that uses long wavelength lasers.

Q: What is the most popular application of 10 Gigabit Ethernet?
A: The most common use for 10 Gigabit Ethernet is Small and Medium Businesses, Enterprise networks, Home networks, Data center networks, Studio networks, and many more.

Final Words

I hope you enjoyed my revised guide to Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) standards in 2022. You can see that there are many different 10GbE standards to choose from, depending on your needs.

Now I’d want to hear from you:

Which standards from today’s tutorial are you familiar with?
Are you planning to build 10G networking for your enterprise?

Please let me know by writing a brief comment below right now.

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Reference:

10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE)

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