Recently, the rising debate on how to deal with unsupported transceiver errors has been brought forward again in my community. Transceiver errors are never welcomed by designers or customers, but when they arise, you have to know how to handle this dilemma. This may be the driver to inspire designers and manufacturers to find tips on how to handle these errors, but there are some frequent recommendations that seem to work for most designers who need to know how to address these issues.

According to the message you get, there are some methods to address unsupported transceiver errors. For instance, owners of Cisco Catalyst switches are finding that they are not "supposed to" use any SFPs except those produced by Cisco. If you receive this error, "3750e-sw1(config)#service unsupported-transceiver”, you should think about whether the error was a result of customer installation or if it was a defective product. If the product is defective, consider contacting someone who can help with the warranty.

Most error messages arise once the device is not certified. If the third-party device has not been sourced from a channel partner, other issues may arise also. Solving the router issue is not really easy. It often requires a transceiver of the same manufacturer as the router to deal with the issue. This is often the best way to resolve the issue. Although, many designers have used "hack codes" to force the devices to work.

And this command disables the port-shutdown upon insertion of an unsupported transceiver. At this point, your Catalyst should happily accept any good quality SFP you plug into it without giving any more back talk.

Remember that there are also hidden commands on some of the devices, and error messages will appear, "service unsupported transceiver” Luckily, there is an option that will "allow other transceivers” It is up to the designers to determine if there is a fault or defect that can be traced to the use of the third-party transceivers.

The primary benefit is the cost savings. Generally speaking, the cost of an original brand SFP module is more costly than a 3rd party one. Take Cisco SFP GLC-LH-SMD for example, the list price of Cisco is around $ 500.00, however, you can simply find a 3rd party SFP modules which takes a price reduction at up to 90% off. The 3rd-party compatible fiber optic transceiver modules cost much less than the origin brands, which will help save much more on the their item system.

Keep in mind that each transceiver complies with IEEE and MSA standards to avoid unsupported transceiver errors. As long as the recommendations are followed, most problems should be resolved in a short period of time.

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