Chelsio N320E SFP+ card not working with 10Gtek RJ45 transceiver

Computer Hardware & Server Infrastructure Builds
1

Hi everyone,

First of all, thanks Tom for your videos, I have learn so much watching them.

Now I’m quite new to SFP(+) cards and transceivers. Based on a older video of Tom, I decided to buy a Chelsio N320E. I end up buying a Chelsio CC2-N320E-SR (came with 2 optic transceivers). I also bought a 10Gtek ASF-GE-T SFP RJ45 transceiver.

I tried the card and the transceiver in a Linux Mint computer and a Win 10 computer. While the card is detected, the computers believe the cable is unplugged!

Can anyone confirm if the 2 assumptions I made are true :
• I can use any type of transceiver (Optic, DAC or RJ45) in a SFP+ card?
• I can use a SFP transceiver in a SFP+ card?

Thus the question, should this combo work?

Thanks

2

While SFP will usually work in SFP+ not all cards or switched support all SFP/SFP+ modules. Many cards won’t support fiber optic cables at all. The UniFi and MikroTik switches seem quite flexible for supporting modules but companies like Cisco are much less so.

1 Like
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Thank you Tom, it seems that it is a little bit of a gamble to find compatible hardware in the SFP world. Well at least in the used market :wink: