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Determine whether you have dual-protocol SFPs

Use ThinkSystem System Manager to determine what type of SFP transceivers you have. Because these SFPs can be used with both FC and iSCSI protocols, they are referred to as dual-protocol or unified SFPs.

  1. From ThinkSystem System Manager, select Support.
  2. Select the Support Center tile.
  3. On the Support Resources tab, locate and select the Storage Array Profile link.
  4. Type SFP in the text box, and click Find.
  5. For each SFP listed in the Storage Array Profile, locate the entry for Supported data rate(s).


  6. Refer to the table to determine whether you can reuse the SFPs, as follows:
    Supported data rate(s)SFP typeSupported protocol
    16 Gbps, 10 Gbps, 8 Gbps, 4 GbpsDual-protocol
    • FC: 16 Gbps, 8 Gbps, 4 Gbps
    • iSCSI: 10 Gbps
    25 Gbps, 10 Gbps25 Gbps. 10 Gbps,iSCSI only
    32 Gbps, 16 Gbps, 8 Gbps, 4 Gbps32 Gbps, 16 GbpsFC only
    100 Gbps, 50 Gbps, 40 Gbps, 25 Gbps, 10 Gbps100 GbpsNVMe-RoCE only
    • If you have dual-protocol SFPs, you can continue using them after you convert the protocol.
      Note
      The dual-protocol SFPs do not support 1 Gb iSCSI. If you are converting host ports to iSCSI, be aware that the dual-protocol SFPs support only a 10 Gb link to the connected port.
    • If you have 16 Gbps SFPs, and you are converting host ports to iSCSI, you must remove the SFPs and replace them with dual-protocol or 10 Gbps SFPs after converting the protocol. As needed, you can also use 10 Gbps iSCSI copper by using a special Twin-Ax cable with SFPs.
    • If you have 10 Gbps SFPs, and you are converting host ports to FC, you must remove the SFPs from these ports and replace them with dual-protocol or 16 Gbps SFPs after converting the protocol.