
In This Issue: Cisco 40GBase-SR Bi-Directional QSFP Module | Understanding The Basics of Network Switches | News to Start Your Day
We hope you had a relaxing and restful weekend. We’re looking forward to the week as we have some new exciting things coming your way! We’re praying for you as you navigate through this week. Enjoy your Monday!
The CK Daily – Feeding the Body and Soul
Happy Monday CK Fam!!
I’m 11 days into fatherhood and it’s been a whirlwind. Thanks for all the messages and prayers, I’m truly blessed for all the outpouring of love I’ve received from brothers and sisters in Christ.
I’ve become so much more in tune with what my physical body desires as it’s lost sleep and good eating habits the last week and a half. Which is why I’m so thankful that even through lost routine and regular awake / eating times, daily scripture and devotionals are keeping my soul full and that is what carries me the most.
From today’s Jesus Calling: Concentrate on trusting Me, and fearfulness will gradually lose its foothold within you.
I needed this more than I realized. So blessed to not carry the burden of life on my own shoulders.
Much love and blessings to you all,
Corey
Product Spotlights & Updates

Happy Monday! We hope you had a great wekend! Looking for a way to achieve 40Gbps of bi-directional connectivity using your existing multimode fiber? This Cisco 40GBase-SR Bi-Directional QSFP Module is just that!
The QSFP-40G-SR-BD Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable (QSFP) bi-directional transceiver module is one of Cisco’s most innovative products to date. The technology leveraged in these modules allows for 40Gbps of bidirectional connectivity over OM3 or OM4 multimode fiber. These modules utilize two 20Gbps channels which transmit and receive on the same strand at the same time. This module is an excellent solution for those looking to migrate to a 40G network while using using your existing 10G duplex LC MMF cabling infrastructure.
This module supports link lengths of up to 100 meters over laser-optimized OM3 and up to 150 meters over laser optimized OM4/OM5 multimode fiber (MMF).
The QSFP-40G-SR-BD is on sale this week for a whopping 20% off… be sure to pick one up today!
Understanding The Basics of Network Switches – CK Learning Center
Networking is a big topic. In fact, it’s too big for a single conversation. In order to distill such a massive concept into manageable bites, it’s best to look at one component of a network at a time. This time around, that bite is network switches. They come in many shapes and sizes, but you can navigate through the field of options pretty easily when you break switch features into three categories.
Managed vs Unmanaged
These two options have a simple trade-off. Unmanaged switches are much easier to deploy. They come with pre-configured networking protocols, security and traffic management. They are typically plug-and-play devices that can make simple and fast additions to an existing network.
Managed switches are the opposite. They require manual configuration before they can be fully deployed. That component grants vastly superior control over security, resource distribution and the overall functionality of the switch. The time and effort spent on deploying managed switches returns a more secure, better managed network (provided the network administrator does the job correctly).
Choosing between these configurations is not a matter of want. They serve separate roles in a robust network. Major nodes should be run by managed switches. They can do the heavy lifting. Where a network might need rapid changes, unmanaged switches shine. Since they are ultimately tied into the properly managed nodes anyway, the easy deployment makes them perfect for simple additions to the whole.
Ports
The point of a switch is to add ports to a network. When choosing, you have to consider three points. The first that comes to mind is speed. Everyone wants a fast network, and in enterprise networks, that want is more of a need. If a switch cannot match the bandwidth capacity of the greater network, then it creates a bottleneck. That isn’t always bad, but you absolutely need to consider the speed of the switch. It can range from 10/100 (fast Ethernet) to tens of Gigabits per second.
Your second consideration is interface. Fast networks often have fiber optics carrying the workload, but fiber optic cables don’t come with a single connector type (unlike Ethernet). In a large enough network, there’s a good chance you’ll be working with a variety of connectors (ST, SC and LC just for starters), and each switch needs to support all of the interfaces expected of it. Double check your connectors before any purchase.
The third consideration only applies to Ethernet, but it’s widely important since most of your devices will tie into the network via Ethernet or WiFi. In particular, Power over Ethernet (PoE) adds a lot of versatility to any network switch. As the name implies, it can carry power for a device through the Ethernet line. This is ideal for endpoint devices that don’t thrive on battery power. Security cameras and WiFi repeaters are two devices that come to mind.
Housing
Switches have to be stored somewhere, and the housing design is going to have a lot of say in where you can put it. Mostly, the two varieties are stackable and standalone. Standalone switches are best when they are physically isolated. If you have a single switch working as a relay for a few devices, standalone is the way to go. Stackable are designed for networking closets and server-style housing. They can be organized more efficiently than standalones, and they can be configured in bulk. They’re a requirement for major nodes on a large network.
This covers the basics of switches. There are still plenty of additional considerations. We haven’t touched on routers, firewalls, signal repeaters, cables or any of the other big topics, but with this overview, you should have a good feel for what you want out of your switches. When you know the ports you need, the housing style and how a switch will be managed, the rest is just trying to get the most performance and features for you buck.
Today’s News to Start Your Day:
- Chipotle, Target and Shopify are using TikTok Resumes, a pilot program that lets job candidates submit video resumes on the social platform. The recruitment tool is yet another way for companies to connect with potential employees as the talent war rages on.
- Panera is working to adapt its catering business for the remote and hybrid workforce.
- Apple’s recently-launched iPhone privacy feature, App Tracking Transparency (ATT) is proving to be a triumphant success—that is, if you care about privacy. Apple’s iOS 14.5’s ATT, as predicted, has really hurt the likes of Facebook and its advertisers. In fact, the latest figures show that 75% of iPhone users are opting out of being tracked across their iPhones.
- Airline stocks slipped in a market sell-off amid the spread of Covid-19. Concerns over the fast-spreading delta variant of Covid, now the dominant strain in the U.S., weighed on the market broadly. U.S. travel demand has surged since the spring and early summer demand but is falling off slightly.
- An alternate on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team tested positive for the coronavirus just days before the Tokyo Olympics was set to begin.