Today’s Topics: Bullet Journaling | Kendall Howard Rack Screws & Cage Nuts | What is an SFP & how do they work? | News to Start Your Day
Happy Monday!
March 8th is International Women’s Day! Today we celebrate the many achievements of all of the wonderful women in our lives. We are surrounded each day by incredible women, let them know you are proud of their success!
Good Morning! Another new voice here for the CK daily e-mail! My name is Amy Mai and I’m part of the sales and customer service team at CablesAndKits.com. My role involves a lot of planning and organizing. To keep myself on track of my personal and work life, I use a Bullet Journal.
If you never heard of a bullet journal, it is a hybrid of a personal journal and a daily planner. The Bullet Journal “explores what it means to live an intentional life, one that’s both productive and meaningful.” I’ve been using this system for almost 3 years already and I can’t imagine going back to a normal planner. The biggest pro of bullet journaling is that it’s 100% customizable! You can pick and choose what spreads you want, how your weekly formats look, how big or small your font will be, the possibilities are endless. This can also be a con for some. It’s very hard to start from scratch. I recommend reading The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll If you are thinking about starting one. Ryder Carroll is the creator of the Bullet Journal. Why not learn what it is from the creator himself! Here is also a link to Ryder Carroll setting up his own Bullet Journal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfRf43JTqY4&ab_channel=RyderCarroll
I hope you try this out! I look forward to talking to you in my next entry!
Amy
Product Spotlights & Updates:
Happy Monday everyone! Today’s product spotlight will focus on our Kendall Howard Rack Screws & Cage Nuts! Kendall Howard 10-32 rack screws and cage nuts are made with superior quality and are available in bulk quantities. These hardened steel rack screws are used for installing rackmount devices such as cable managers, servers, shelves, networking, and other electronic equipment. The clear zinc cage nuts have a snap-in design which allows the nut to stay securely in place. These cage nuts are commonly used in wall mount cabinets, server enclosures, and open frame racks. The 10-32 rack screws are compatible with the 10-32 cage nuts and some come with a washer to prevent damages to your devices!
What is an SFP & how do they work? – CK Learning Center
High-end networking demands high-end equipment. You have a plethora of options, but eventually, you have to make decisions on which technology covers each of your applications. When considering all of those options, an understanding of SFP transceivers is pivotal. It’s a core technology that serves as a primary workhorse in many networks. This guide is going to explain all about SFP and its primary uses.
SFP Overview
Starting with the basics, SFP stands for small form-factor pluggable. It’s also commonly called mini-GBIC (gigabit interface converter). SFP is a popular transceiver for three main reasons. First is the small form factor. Its size allows it to be used in tight networking spaces to provide fast communication between switches and important networking components. The second reason for its proliferation is the variety of SFP connection options. SFP works with copper or fiber optics. The networks that can’t utilize SFP are scarce. Finally, SFP is hot swappable. That makes it ideal for expanding or adjusting existing networks without having to redesign the entire cable infrastructure.
SFP Variety
SFP is designed to work with the bulk of modern networks. On the copper side, you will primarily find 1000BASE-T and 1000BASE-TX modules for gigabit Ethernet networking. SFP modules are excellent for bridging communications between switches in compact environments, provided everything is within 100 meters.
On the fiber optics side of the equation, options are massive. SFP modules are made to support singlemode and multimode fiber. It works with simplex and duplex. Wavelength options range from 850 nm to 1550nm. Networking ranges are anywhere from around 500 meters to over 100 km. In all, there’s an SFP module for every job.
SFP Compatibility
SFP compatibility is deceptively tricky. There is not a formal, regulated international standard for these modules. Instead, compatibility is found within the multi-source agreement (MSA). This is an agreement supported by a number of manufacturers that work together to try and provide a reliable means of mixing and matching SFP brands successfully.
The challenge is that, despite the MSA, SFP modules tend to work best when brands are not mixed. It creates an interesting obstacle for optimizing equipment costs. You can follow MSA guidelines and try to use lower-cost parts in different components of your network, or you can simplify compatibility and stay within a single brand. The trade-off is usually between equipment costs and deployment time, but overall, MSA compatibility can be used successfully in most networks.
Applications of SFP’s
With all of this talk about SFP, the inevitable question arises. When is it useful? SFP has a wide reach of applications. For copper modules, the most common use (as mentioned before) is bridging network switches. They provide fast copper connections without requiring bulky equipment.
In the realm of fiber optics, the applications cover anything that might involve high-speed and/or long-range cables. High-definition audio transmission and reception, passive optical networks (PON), multiplexing, and simplex networking are some of the most common uses of this technology. The variability of SFP allows it to provide modules for any of these connections, and it provides a range of options in cost, speed, range, and accessibility.
Advanced SFP
Since the development of SFP, modernized advancements have been added to the mix. Namely, SFP+ and QSFP are now available. SFP+ is a faster version of the same form factor. It supports speeds up to 10Gbps, and it typically works across shorter distances. SFP+ ports are usually compatible with SFP optics, but the reverse is not true. SFP+ cannot operate slower than 1Gbps.
QSFP (quad small form-factor pluggable) is another transceiver with a range of support options. Ethernet, InfiniBand, SONET and fiber channels are all supported. The primary difference between QSFP and SFP is the quad form. QSFP can hit speeds up to 100 Gbps by utilizing four transmission and reception channels. QSFP is the powerful upgrade for systems that require huge bandwidth.
Complete mastery of SFP modules requires more learning that might fit in a single article, but this is enough to get started. What matters is that you understand how frequently SFP modules can be used to bridge communications between devices. From there, it’s a matter of matching the SFP design to the rest of the network.
This article is from the CK Learning Center.
Today’s News to Start Your Day:
- As of this morning, in the US, there are 8,821,756 active COVID cases, 20,336,656 have recovered and there have been 537,838 deaths.
- National Basketball Association commissioner Adam Silver is supportive of the new high school league that pays young players at least $100,000. OTE announced it would be starting in September and pay up to 30 players at least $100,000 if they decide to join. The league is backed by Overtime investors including NBA stars Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony, and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.
- California health officials on Friday gave Walt Disney’s Disneyland and other theme parks the go-ahead to reopen at limited capacity from April 1, after a closure of almost a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Capacity will be limited to between 15% and 35%. Masks and other safety measures will be required and the parks initially will be open only to state residents. Outdoor stadiums and ball parks will also be allowed to reopen at reduced capacity, starting April 1st.
- The European Commission cleared Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda parent company ZeniMax on Friday. It’s the biggest gaming acquisition in Microsoft’s history, eclipsing the $2.5 billion the firm paid for Minecraft developer Mojang in 2014. Microsoft plans to push its subscription offering, Xbox Game Pass, by bringing Bethesda’s games to its extensive library of titles.
- International benchmark Brent crude futures popped on Monday, moving above $70 a barrel for the first time in more than a year. The surge in oil prices came after Saudi Arabia said its oil facilities were targeted by missiles and drones. A Houthi military spokesman claimed responsibility for the attacks. Oil prices climbed more than 2% earlier in the session, but have since pared their gains with Brent trading up just 0.2% at $69.50 and U.S. crude futures rising 0.2% at $66.22.
- The House is expected to pass the final version of a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package on Tuesday. The Senate voted 50-49 to approve the plan on Saturday, following a marathon debate of more than 24 hours. The package will bring a new round of payments to Americans battling the economic impacts of the pandemic, and it includes an increase to the child tax credit and an extension of supplemental unemployment benefits through September 6th.