Don’t be bothered by the information of network equipment optical modules anymore! Come and learn these practical tips!

The optical module power is abnormal!

• What should I do if I want to view the power information of the optical module?
• What should I do if I want to know the production date and serial number of the optical module?
• What should I do if I want to check whether an optical module is a Huawei-certified optical module?

There are also the wavelength, manufacturer, transmission distance, etc. of the optical module. Wow, there is so much information about optical modules that I want to know!

This article introduces a simple but powerful and rich command, which displays various information of the optical module in detail. Let's take a look.

Taking a modular switch as an example, the command format is:

 display transceiver [ interfaceinterface-typeinterface-number | slotslot-id ] [ verbose ]

Diagnostic information is displayed only when the command line parameter verbose is included.

Description of the display transceiver Command Output

Now that we know the basic information of the optical module, let us dig into the in-depth content contained in the optical module information!

No.1 How are optical modules classified and what are their types?

(1) Classification by rate

In order to meet the needs of various transmission rates, optical modules with different rates have been produced: FE optical module, GE optical module, 10GE optical module, 25GE optical module, 40GE optical module, and 100GE optical module.

(2) By package classification

The higher the transmission rate of the optical module, the more complex the structure. In order to meet the needs of different structures, optical modules of various packaging types have been produced. The packaging types applicable to Huawei switches are: SFP packaging, eSFP packaging, SFP+ packaging, XFP packaging, QSFP+ packaging, CFP packaging, and QSFP28 packaging.

(3) Classification by physical layer standards

In order to meet the requirements of data transmission in different forms, various physical layer standards are defined, and optical modules that support various standards are produced. For details, please refer to the "Standard" parameters of specific optical modules in the "Hardware Description" manual.

(4) Classification by mode

Optical fibers are divided into single-mode fibers and multi-mode fibers. In order to meet the needs of using different types of optical fibers, single-mode optical modules and multi-mode optical modules are produced.

No.2 How to determine whether an optical module is single-mode or multi-mode?

According to the core diameter and characteristics of the optical fiber, it is divided into multi-mode and single-mode. Generally, multi-mode optical fiber has a large core diameter and severe mode dispersion, so it is used for short-distance signal transmission; while single-mode optical fiber has a small mode dispersion, so it is generally used for long-distance signal transmission. The fiber diameter of multi-mode optical fiber is 62.5um and 50um; the fiber diameter of single-mode optical fiber is 9um. In the optical module information, the transmission distance is displayed as "Transfer Distance (m): 500 (50um), 300 (62.5um)". In this information, 50um or 62.5um indicates the fiber diameter, so it means that the optical module is a multi-mode optical module. If it is displayed as 9um, it means it is a single-mode optical module.

No.3 How to check the serial number of the optical module?

The serial number is the module's identification and unique code. The "Manu. Serial Number: PEP3L5D" in the manufacturing information of the optical module indicates the serial number of the optical module.

No.4 How to determine whether an optical module is a Huawei-certified optical module?

Method 1: Check whether the optical module label has "HUAWEI" as shown in the figure below. The label on the optical module shell has "HUAWEI"

Method 2: Run the display transceiver command to view the information.

Run the display transceiver command on the device. The Vendor Name field of the module displays HUAWEI.

No.5 What are the consequences of using non-Huawei certified optical modules?

When using non-certified optical modules, common problems that may occur are as follows:

• The optical module structure is faulty, causing the optical module to be unable to be inserted into the optical interface.
• The optical module data bus has a problem, causing the device data bus to hang
• The size of the optical module's gold finger is unreasonable, causing damage to the electronic components of the interface
• The optical module temperature monitoring is not standardized, resulting in false alarms
• The optical module register settings are unreasonable, resulting in parameter and diagnostic information reading errors or failure to read
• The optical module design does not meet EMC requirements, has low anti-electromagnetic interference capability, and causes electromagnetic interference to surrounding devices.
• The operating temperature range of the optical module does not meet the requirements, resulting in reduced optical power and service interruption at high temperatures.

No.6 What are the alarm forms for abnormal transmit power and receive power of optical modules (too high, too low), and the use of non-Huawei certified optical modules?

No.7 How to deal with the problem that the optical power of the optical module is too high?

You can add optical attenuation to the optical module to reduce the optical power to an appropriate range.

No.8 Why can’t I see the optical power information of the optical module sometimes?

The main possible reasons are:

• The optical module used is not certified by Huawei and is incompatible. Therefore, the optical module information cannot be read.
• A non-enhanced optical module is used, and no alarm information or diagnostic information is provided.
• The optical module hardware is faulty.