Wired Intelligent Edge

Hi guys.
I need some help from a specialist.
According to last Aruba Transceiver guide, 1GE-SX transceivers can acheive distances up to 550m using OM2 multimode fiber optics.
Question: what about OM4 fiber optics?, is it possible to acheive distances of up to 1Km as datasheets of some fiber optics manufacturers claim?
Regards

for me no... (it is not officially supported...)

Agree with @alagoutte.
Why do you need this distance with mm fiber? I should say use single mode.

My customer has an OM4 fiber optics plant, with some distances above 550m. His OM4 fiber optics specifications claims that it will work with 1000Base-SX transceivers up to 1Km and with 10GE-SR transceivers up to 550m. That is the reason I want to be sure Aruba 1000Base-SX transceivers can work properly above 550m and up to 1Km at 850nm for OM4 fiber optics.

Any feedback will be apprecieted.

Regards

SM fiber was a better investment.
The Aruba SFP’s support max 550m. However third party SFP’s support up to 1km at 50μm Diameter MMF(800MHz.km).

For example this SFP from fs.com.
https://www.fs.com/products/48928.html

https://img-en.fs.com/file/datasheet/sfp1g-sx-31.pdf

This SFP’s can also be used in the Aruba switches. It’s working but not support and you have to enabled unsupported transceivers in the config.

@N3tw0rk3r wrote: That is the reason I want to be sure Aruba 1000Base-SX transceivers can work properly above 550m and up to 1Km at 850nm for OM4 fiber optics.

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I'm at loss reading such sentence.

 

Going non standard and concurrently pretending "an assurance" (not just "an opinion" but "an assurance") about a custom scenario.

 

That is a no go condition IMHO.

 

If I were you I will ask your customer to provide the right cabling for cabling runs over 550 meters (this means using Single Mode fiber 9/125 um not Multi Mode fibers) so you will be able to use proper Long Reach Transceivers (LX/LR)...that's it.

 

Maybe it is just a problem with the language usage...but here my two cents. No harsh here...just few considerations:

 

The correct question should have been simply: "I desire it will work under these conditions, would it work in your opinion?"

 

Instead you wrote that you want be sure: really, you can't be sure of anything unproven (your one here is "just a desire" considering your custom scenario and what you consequently want to achieve): Aruba (or HP/HPE) specifications say it clearly...those specifications are testifying (and they are providing an implicit warranty) that that particular Short Range transceiver, on controlled conditions under test, will provide proper performances up to declared maximum distance (550 meters with OM2 50/125 um quality fiber optic cable in Multi-Mode) and it will do that without producing issues...Aruba is saying this...Aruba is granting you this when you are going to use that transceiver in the same conditions (if installation and cabling are done properly, clearly)...asking to be assured (by Aruba or by anyone other) about reaching the same correct performances by doubling the distance just because the media quality is higher (OM4 versus OM2) would require, at best, new testing by the vendor if you need something official (which is the only thing you really need to be sure, others are just opinions).

 

So the only way to proceed is, as somebody already suggested you, to go entirely wild (AKA go unsupported) and consequently just ask for opinions not assurances when you're forcing an unsupported scenario. Doing so will let you to take the sole responsability of using that particular Short Range transceiver on that particular cabling (OM4) for that particular distance (> 550 m): as you, everyone else will just hope it will work without causing you any evident issues...but this is just a shared hope...the responsability is your one and will be your one only...nobody will grant/assure you anything about your special configuration because nobody tested it in a controlled fashion (Vendor didn't) and nobody (Vendor included) will consequently take the responsability to say you what you want to hear (that it will work for you and you can be sure about that).

 

So long story short: it could work...or it couldn't...but, either the case, your are with your own and you can't blame anyone if it will not work as you expect it would.

Hi Parnassus,

It seems my question has been misunderstood.

Here a clarification:

1. Specifications for Aruba 1000Base-SX transceivers according to the transceiver guide only make reference to a working distance of 550m for an OM2 fiber. No info about a better fiber like OM3 or OM4.

2. Some vendors (like the bridge guys) have 1000Base-SX transceivers that for a better fiber than OM2 (eg. OM3 and OM4) can reach longer distances than 550m (see the attached document). It is maybe a plus if you compare it to the 1000Base-SX specification. But the point is that their transceivers could reach distances up to 1000m.

 

Because public information of Aruba is for OM2 (550m), my intention is to verify that with OM3 or OM4 fiber the Aruba transceiver could reach or could not reach distances above 550m. If so, what woud be the distance limit?.

If the answer is: No, for OM3 and OM4 fiber, Aruba Transceivers still have a maximum working distance of 550m, I agree with you, I would be the only responsible of the deployment above this distance, and if it does not work properly, I should assume the consequences of the error.

 

Regards

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@N3tw0rk3r wrote: Hi Parnassus, It seems my question has been misunderstood.

Believe me, it was not.

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@N3tw0rk3r wrote:

Here a clarification:

1. Specifications for Aruba 1000Base-SX transceivers according to the transceiver guide only make reference to a working distance of 550m for an OM2 fiber. No info about a better fiber like OM3 or OM4.

That's OK. It means that Aruba - actually - is not releasing any information - for whatever reason - about potential performance of their SR transceiver tested on those quality level cables (OM3/OM4).

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@N3tw0rk3r wrote:

2. Some vendors (like the bridge guys) have 1000Base-SX transceivers that for a better fiber than OM2 (eg. OM3 and OM4) can reach longer distances than 550m (see the attached document). It is maybe a plus if you compare it to the 1000Base-SX specification. But the point is that their transceivers could reach distances up to 1000m.

That's nice but then, using non Aruba branded transceivers, you're going down the unsupported path...so, that's my opinion, saying that others do it betters doesn't provide you the official answer you need (maybe someone, in a similar situation like you, will be able to provide you his/her advices...but those are, let me use the term, just unofficial).

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@N3tw0rk3r wrote: Because public information of Aruba is for OM2 (550m), my intention is to verify that with OM3 or OM4 fiber the Aruba transceiver could reach or could not reach distances above 550m. If so, what woud be the distance limit?.

That's because Aruba decided to test Short Range (SR) Transceiver using OM2 and results say that 550 meters is the (probably conservative) distance under which you can trust your Aruba optics if deployed in that way.

 

You wrote that you want to verify...oK, if your goal is really to verify...do yourself a fast test and then report back (but probably you can't...so you're asking opinions, that's correct)...if your personal test result will produce a "Go" situation (100% reliable data communication up to, let me say, 800/1000 meters with OM3/OM4) then it will be a good unofficial "Go" (will be that an Happy End? I doubt...) for you and for all of us, if, instead, your personal test result will produce a "No-Go" situation (no 100% reliable data communication over 550 meters even if OM3/OM4 quality is used) then you're pretty fast forced to go back at the starting point and revisit your design.

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@N3tw0rk3r wrote: If the answer is: No, for OM3 and OM4 fiber, Aruba Transceivers still have a maximum working distance of 550m, I agree with you, I would be the only responsible of the deployment above this distance, and if it does not work properly, I should assume the consequences of the error.

You will be the only responsible in any case ("Go" versus "No Go") without an offical answer/confirmation provided by Aruba to you...for your particular scenario or generically valid for any scenario...this beacuse there is no official result about any test done against OM3 and OM4 made by Aruba itself. It's very simple.

 

Then the only thing you can do is ask the vendor - Aruba - to test/certify (and so grant what they are able or want to certify)...if they aren't able or they don't want...you're stuck again to use the unsupport way at your own risk (!).

 

The only one (theoretical) error is starting a line of reasoning by assuming that if vendor X says something about its devices' peformances/limits then the vendor you want (or are forced) to use should declare the same...or should address your issue in the way you want. I suspect this approach is far from ideal and can be really challenging.

 

Let's do a test: Open a support ticket and ask Aruba to provide you evidence of what you're looking for (a proof that it would work as you want). Let we see what they answer your.

 

I'm with you, not against you...it's just the way one think that, sometime, could be like going into a dead-end road thinking that there is an escape exit just before the wall.

 

Edit: note the statement: "Longer link lengths up to 1000 or 2000 m at either one of the two or both wavelength regions can be
supported if the customer and the manufacturer agree on improved attribute values, modal bandwidth
in particular." on ITU Standard G.651.1 : Characteristics of a 50/125 µm multimode graded index optical fibre cable for the optical access network document.

Always stick to the supported standard!