SonicWall 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ Ports and 1 Gigabit Ethernet SFP Ports

1. What is difference between a SFP and SFP+ Port? SFP ports are 1 Gigabit Ethernet (1GE) and SFP+ ports are 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GE)
   

   NOTE: On NSA 6600 and SuperMassive 9000 series appliances, X17 - X19 are 10GE (SFP+) ports. Ports X16, X18, and X19 are designated with a dot to signify that they are directly connected the CPU for maximum throughput. These dotted ports have a dedicated (non-shared) uplink to the CPU whereas port X17 share the CPU uplink with X0-X15.

   
   Typically business-critical and heavily multiplexed links  (e.g. the upstream backbone connection or a number of downstream enterprise switches that each have 10Gb uplinks) should be connected to a dotted interface to ensure maximum performance.
   
   
2. Can a SFP+ optic plug into a SFP slot and will it function? Yes, a SFP+ optics can be physically plug into a SFP slot. SonicOS will treat the SFP+ optic as a 1GE SFP optic.
   
   
3. Can a SFP optic plug into a SFP+ slot and will it function? Newer appliances (NSA 3650-NSA6650, SM 9x50) do support SFP modules in SFP+ ports. SonicOS will detect them and limit speed appropriately if it found SFP module in SFP+ port.

On newer appliances (NSA 3650-NSA6650, SM 9x50):

• In SonicOS for SFP 1G Optical module in SFP+ Ports, to make it compatible with Third Party switches, a user is allowed the ability to select between “AutoNeg” or “1G” speed selection to link UP properly (ensure the
  selection setting are the same at both ends.)
• For the 1G Copper SFP module in SFP+ Ports, 1G speed option is only allowed due to Physical Link Limitations.
• Logging Feature : Details can be found in the INVESTIGATE | Logs | Event Logs when the SFP are connected and disconnected to the system.

See also:

Dynamic LAG cannot be configured on 10GE Interfaces