XENPAK optical module, released in 2003 (10 Gigabit Ethernet Transceiver package ) integrated package optical module, is also the early 10 Gigabit optical module. XENPAK optical modules are mainly used in some older equipment.
Up to now, XENPAK optical modules are already very heavy, bulky, and relatively backward products. But we must admit that XENPAK is an important step in the evolution of optical module products. XENPAK is attractive compared to non-hot-pluggable modules, but it cannot meet the needs of some important markets. XENPAK power consumption is usually 10W, which has a certain impact on the size of the structure. It is welcomed among optical transceiver suppliers, because it increases the manufacturing cost of the printed circuit board and reduces the valuable wiring space.
Since the XENPAK optical module needs to be slotted on the circuit board when it is installed on the circuit board, the implementation is more complicated and high-density applications cannot be realized. With the evolution from the XENPAK standard, two other optical modules with smaller sizes and functions comparable to XENPAK have been developed: XPAK (Released in 2004) optical modules and X2 (Released in 2005)optical modules.
XENPAK modules offer a wide variety of 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity options for data center, enterprise wiring closet, and service provider transport applications.
Main features of 10GBASE XENPAK modules include:
Supports 10GBASE Ethernet
Provides flexibility of interface choice
Interoperable with respective10-Gigabit X2, XFP and SFP+ modules on the same link
Hot-swappable input/output device plugs into an Ethernet XENPAK port of a switch or router to link the port with the network
